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The Digital Readiness Blueprint

Discovery before you build.

Four to six weeks to know what you have, what to build first and what it will take. A fixed fee, quoted before you commit, and a plan that belongs to you.

Book a conversationSee a finished Blueprint
Example Blueprint, decision summary page Example Blueprint, systems and costs page Example Blueprint, requirements and roadmap page

Pages from an example Blueprint

  • 4 to 6Weeks from kickoff to a finished plan
  • 9Deliverables, every one of them yours to keep
  • 12 to 18Months of roadmap, in stages you can fund one at a time
  • 30Days of quick wins, starting the week after delivery

Sound familiar?

Three things we hear from almost every leadership team.

“Our systems don't talk to each other. The same details get typed into three or four places.”
“Reports take days to put together, and nobody fully trusts the numbers.”
“One person holds it all together, and none of it is written down.”

What you receive

Nine things you keep, and use the same week.

Each one is written for the people who will use it: the people who decide, your staff, and whichever partner builds what comes next.

  1. 01

    The Blueprint report

    What we found, the options, and our recommendation, in plain English.

    Used byLeadershipStaffAny partner

  2. 02

    A decision deck, ready for your board

    Eight to ten slides in your voice, with speaker notes, for the meeting where the plan gets approved.

    Used byExecutive directorLeadership

  3. 03

    The requirements register

    Every need your teams raised, numbered, sourced and ranked by your leadership.

    Used byStaffAny partner

  4. 04

    A costed systems inventory

    Every tool, its real annual cost from your invoices, its owner and its renewal date.

    Used byStaffFinance

  5. 05

    The systems map

    One page showing how information really moves, and everywhere it is typed twice.

    Used byStaffAny partner

  6. 06

    Options, weighed honestly

    The paths open to you, including keeping what you have, compared without favoring a vendor.

    Used byLeadershipStaff

  7. 07

    A 12 to 18 month roadmap

    Quarter by quarter, so you approve a step at a time, not a leap.

    Used byLeadershipStaffAny partner

  8. 08

    30-day quick wins

    Low-cost changes that land the week after delivery, often recovering real spend.

    Used byStaff

  9. 09

    A readiness scorecard

    Four areas scored: systems and integration, data and reporting, process and automation, people and ownership. A baseline to measure against.

    Used byLeadershipStaff

Yours to keep. Use it with us, with another partner, or on your own.

How the weeks go

Your team checks every finding before it becomes a plan.

  1. Week 1

    We start with your goals.

    A kickoff call to agree what the Blueprint has to answer, who we talk to and how deep we go. You send a short list of your systems. It doesn't need to be complete.

    The Blueprint · Lakeview Association
    KICKOFF · TUESDAY, MARCH 3 · 10:00 TO 11:00Week 1

    Lakeview Association, Blueprint kickoff

    EDMBPRFNKSKS4 of your team, 2 of ours
    10:00The decision aheadReplace the membership system before the August renewal, or fix what we have?
    10:15Who we talk toFour interviews booked Mar 5 · Executive DirectorMar 10 · MembershipMar 12 · ProgramsMar 17 · Finance
    10:35How deep we goStandardDetailed enough to build from
    10:50Your systems list9 systems so far. We will find the rest.
  2. Weeks 1 to 3

    We talk to every team.

    A 45-minute conversation with each team that owns or uses the data: membership or fundraising, programs, finance and leadership. Then you check a pre-filled list of every system and what it costs against your invoices.

    The Blueprint · Lakeview Association
    INTERVIEWS · MARCH 5 TO 17Weeks 1 to 3

    Every team heard

    EDDoneMBDonePRDoneFNDone
    38needs captured so far
    MBMembership CoordinatorMar 10 · 45 minutes · recorded with consentDone
    "Renewals live in a spreadsheet only I understand. Last year about 30 people lapsed and we only found out when they called us."
    BecameR-002 Automatic renewal remindersR-011 Written renewal procedure
    NextYour cost checkA pre-filled list of every system goes to Finance, to check against invoices
  3. Week 3 or 4

    You correct what we got wrong.

    We read our findings back to you. Your team corrects anything we misheard and ranks every requirement, so the plan follows your priorities, not ours.

    The Blueprint · Lakeview Association
    FINDINGS READOUT · FRIDAY, MARCH 27Week 4

    What we found, and what you changed

    CriticalRenewals and CE records depend on one person, with no written procedure
    HighRenewals lapsed unnoticed last year: about 30 22Corrected by your finance team
    HighA tenth system found: an old database of pre-2019 creditsAdded to the inventory
    6Urgent4Important2Nice to have0Not needed
    All 12 requirements ranked by your leadership. The plan follows your ranking.
  4. Weeks 4 to 6

    You get the plan, and the deck.

    The recommendations, the roadmap and the decision deck in your voice. We walk you through all of it, and check in two weeks later.

    The Blueprint · Lakeview Association
    DELIVERY · FRIDAY, APRIL 3Week 5

    Everything you keep

    PDFThe BlueprintFindings, options, roadmap · 34 pages
    PPTDecision deck, in your voice9 slides with speaker notes
    XLSRequirements register12 needs, ranked · ready for any partner
    XLSCosted systems inventory10 systems, $14,900 a year, renewal dates
    PDFSystems mapOne page, where information is typed twice
    Apr 17Follow-up callWhich parts of the plan you want help with, if any

Yours to take to any partner

One numbered list. Every quote comparable.

The requirements register is written so any implementation partner can quote from it, line by line. Their discovery shrinks by weeks, and you compare like with like.

  • To the people who sign off: a decision they can approve, one stage at a time
  • To any partner: one list, so quotes compare line by line
  • To your funders: a documented current state and a costed plan for capacity-building requests
Requirements register · Lakeview Association
R-001One record for every member and donorRaised by Membership, DevelopmentUrgent
R-002Renewal reminders, sent on their ownRaised by MembershipUrgent
R-004Gifts and event registrations flow into one recordRaised by Development, ProgramsImportant
R-007Monthly report produced in a day, not threeRaised by Executive DirectorImportant
R-008Members and donors update their own detailsRaised by MembershipNice to have

Fit

Built for a specific kind of organization.

The Blueprint is for you if

  • You're an association or nonprofit planning a systems change: a new membership system or CRM, a move to Salesforce, or simply outgrowing what you have
  • You run six or more systems, or nobody is quite sure how many
  • Details about your members, donors or the people you serve live in more than one place
  • Leadership is ready to act on what it learns

It's not the right fit if

  • You want someone to pick software for you this week
  • You need emergency IT support today
  • You're mid-implementation with a partner you trust

Not sure yet? See an example BlueprintGet the guide to the Blueprint

Two Blueprints

One method, two questions.

Every Digital Readiness Blueprint includes a short AI chapter. When AI is the question, there is a Blueprint for that too.

  • The Digital Readiness BlueprintWhat systems do we need, and in what order?This page
  • The AI BlueprintWhere should AI work for us, and what has to be true first?See the AI Blueprint

Questions

Before you book.

How is the fee set?

By how many systems you run and how deep the work needs to go, not by negotiation. You get the exact fee and timeline on the first call, before you commit to anything.

How much of our team's time does it take?

A kickoff call, one 45-minute conversation per team, a cost check by finance, the findings readout and the final walkthrough. For most organizations that is a few hours per person across the four to six weeks.

Do you need access to our systems?

No. We work from conversations, your systems list and your invoices. If a quick look at a system would answer a question faster, we ask first, and it is always your choice.

Will you just recommend Salesforce?

No. We compare the paths open to you, including keeping and improving what you have. If another platform fits better, the Blueprint says so. It is written so any partner can quote from it.

What happens after the Blueprint?

You own everything we deliver. Use it with us, with another partner, or on your own. We check in two weeks later to answer questions and talk through which parts of the plan you want help with, if any.

Is this only for organizations on Salesforce?

No. Many organizations we assess are not on Salesforce yet, and some never will be. The Blueprint is about what you need, whichever system ends up delivering it.

Start with a Blueprint.

A 30-minute conversation about your systems and what's getting in the way. You leave knowing the fee and the timeline.

Book a conversationSee a finished Blueprint

Not ready for a call? Take the 3-minute readiness scorecard or get the guide to the Blueprint