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Hi! This is my story.

Ashley Perry

non profit, nonprofit, technology, tech, donors, fundraising, volunteer

The first part.

It was a new job that thrust a Mac into my hands after 25+ years of using a PC. 


As an iPhone user, it's funny that I’d never touched a MacBook. But I grew up on a PC - it was very comfortable and familiar, and there wasn’t a compelling reason to switch.

Until my job required me to use one. 

On day one I was handed a MacBook (to my horror) with no instructions other than “we have an external IT team, your laptop is all loaded with what you need, and here’s your desk. "


By week 2, the Mac had me at my knees. Really. The shortcuts were all different, things were in weird places, (why doesn’t the stupid power button have a “power” icon? C’mon!!!) and it was just confusing. 

I was really frustrated, angry, and worried about doing my job.

I’ve always felt more than capable with tech; but this was infuriating. 

I reached out to our external IT team, Virtua Computers, with a “please, someone help me, I don’t know how to work on this machine” email. I didn’t know what to expect but needed to start somewhere. 


A couple of days later, this guy named Alex showed up at our office. We went upstairs to a huge sunny workspace on the top floor. 

Alex then:

  • listened to my gripes (of which there were MANY) 
  • and helped me learn the Mac basics
  • set processes up so they were efficient 
  • and most importantly, made me feel like I wasn’t a total idiot. 

Here we are, almost three years later, and my PC is dead to me. It hasn’t been turned on in over two and a half years. 

It’s HARD to adopt new tech. 


A good consultant is critical to the process. Without one, the process can be wildly frustrating- leaving us resenting our new tools, our job, and even our co-workers. 

I didn’t know that day how much this particular interaction would impact me. (Alex will also be surprised, as I haven’t told him about this) 🙂

It was the start of a huge learning curve, not just about Macs, but about how nonprofits’ use and misuse of technology is detrimental to their ability to produce results for their mission and draining on the staff. Looking back, this was when I started searching for #thehumanstack, without really knowing it.

Having the right consultant is a complete game changer. 

Has this ever happened to you?

Has a consultant listened to your complaints and needs, and worked with you to understand and resolve them? 

Has a consultant made an impact on your organization?

On you personally?

I’d love to hear about it.

email me: ashley@nonprof-itdotcom