I once worked with a director of community who had a simple policy; she would always pick up the tab for the IT team.
This wasn’t cheap, sometimes the bill ran up to a few hundred dollars.
But to her, it was a bargain. It meant she could ask for a favour, get help quicker than other departments, and help get her priorities on their agenda.
Far too many lofty visions for a community becomes grounded because they can’t get the support from the IT team they need. The problem isn’t usually money or expertise, it’s simply implementing the changes to execute the next step in the strategy.
Maybe picking up the tab isn’t the right approach for you, but I’d start building up credit with the IT team long before you need it.
