Buried Beneath the Build: How Technical Debt Creeps In and How Nonprofits Can Escape
In the midst of defunding challenges and increased scrutiny on operational efficiency, nonprofits are taking a hard look at their infrastructure—and many are realizing their technology is quietly working against them.
Technical debt isn’t just about outdated systems.
It’s also about systems that are overbuilt, under-aligned, and difficult to maintain.
At Exponent Partners, we’re seeing this more frequently than ever. Nonprofits who’ve invested in Salesforce or other platforms with the best intentions—only to find themselves facing a fragile, complex environment that no longer serves their staff or their mission.
We sat down with Amy Meissen, Director of Client Services, to unpack the root causes of technical debt in nonprofit systems—and how Exponent helps clients dig out and build forward, smarter.
Overdesigned Systems Driven by Inexperience
One of the most common origins of technical debt? Over-customization by early-career system admins. Budget constraints often lead nonprofits to hire junior administrators—bright, eager, and well-meaning, but without the architectural experience to say no to complexity.
“They’re trying to prove value,” Amy explains. “But in doing so, they often overbuild. More fields, more automations, more friction.”
These admins tend to work reactively—responding to one-off requests with tactical fixes—rather than designing with a strategic roadmap in mind. The result? A fragile system that seems powerful on the surface but can’t flex or scale with the organization’s needs.
How Exponent Helps:
We bring seasoned architecture to the table. Our approach is rooted in mission-first design, governance planning, and a commitment to using native functionality wherever possible to keep systems lean, stable, and scalable.
Turnover and the Vanishing Blueprint
Another major source of technical debt is one that hits nearly every nonprofit at some point: staff turnover.
Many organizations rely on a “hero admin”—a single person who holds most of the system’s logic, history, and structure in their head. When that person leaves, the organization loses far more than a team member.
“Turnover resets everything,” says Amy. “Documentation is thin or missing. Momentum halts. Staff revert to spreadsheets. It’s like starting from scratch.”
Without strong documentation and shared understanding, each admin rebuilds the system in their own image—adding new processes instead of improving existing ones. This cycle multiplies technical debt with every handoff.
How Exponent Helps:
We embed documentation and system stewardship into every engagement. We coach clients to move away from “hero models” and toward shared knowledge, transparent processes, and operational continuity.
The Hidden Cost of Scope Creep
Even well-scoped implementation projects can spiral when internal stakeholders see the project as their one chance to “fix everything.”
“Once discovery starts, staff often start adding requests,” Amy explains. “What began as an essential system update turns into a wish list.”
And while each individual request may be technically feasible, the accumulation creates drag. Complexity increases. The administrative burden grows. Launch dates slip. Early wins disappear—and with them, stakeholder confidence.
“Clients often ask: ‘Can we do this?’” Amy says.
“The better question is: ‘Should we?’”
How Exponent Helps:
Our project teams guide clients with strategic restraint—educating them on trade-offs, risks, and downstream impacts of overbuilding. We don’t just deliver features—we deliver clarity, helping clients differentiate between wants and needs, and guiding them toward scalable, sustainable solutions.
Fractured Systems, Fragmented Strategy
In the absence of centralized governance or an architectural vision, each new administrator imprints their own design philosophy. Over time, this results in a tangled, inconsistent system:
- Disjointed naming conventions
- Redundant automations
- Siloed processes
- Conflicting data models
“It’s like building five different houses on the same foundation,” Amy says. “None of them quite fit, and the foundation starts to crack.”
Each of these inconsistencies increases fragility and raises the cost of future change—both in hours and in dollars.
How Exponent Helps:
We implement and reinforce system governance frameworks, ensure alignment to overarching mission goals, and offer long-term services partnerships to help nonprofits evolve intentionally—not chaotically.
A Healthier, Smarter Path Forward
When Amy’s team encounters a request that might introduce technical debt, they start not with rejection—but with curiosity.
“We validate the need behind the ask,” she explains. “Sometimes a request for a new report is really about a deeper trust issue with data.”
By uncovering the root cause, we can offer smarter, more sustainable alternatives—guiding clients toward solutions that reduce complexity rather than add to it. And when necessary, we document and educate—empowering clients to make informed decisions about their own architecture.
Technical Debt Is a Leadership Issue—Not Just a Systems Issue
Nonprofits don’t accumulate technical debt because they’re careless. They accumulate it because they’re stretched thin, working fast, and trying to do the right thing with limited support.
At Exponent Partners, we help nonprofits slow down just enough to make smarter, more sustainable decisions. We bring cross-functional expertise in architecture, service delivery, operations, and mission strategy to build systems that grow with you—not against you.
Want to reduce technical debt in your organization?
Let’s have a conversation. Whether you’re already deep in Salesforce or trying to untangle years of ad-hoc development, we’re here to help you right-size and realign.