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Center for Disaster Philanthropy

Request for Proposal: IT assessment, strategic roadmap development and technology support

Issued by: Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Date of Issuance: April 15, 2025
Proposal Due Date: May 16, 2025

1. Overview

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP)’s mission is to mobilize philanthropy to strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur.

CDP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a 100% virtual organization.

2. Request for proposal

CDP seeks proposals from qualified firms with experience working with similarly sized nonprofit organizations on comparably scoped projects to conduct a comprehensive IT assessment and provide strategic recommendations, including ongoing technological support. As CDP has grown, systems were added as needed. Some have been implemented strategically, while others have been added ad hoc.

The assessment will evaluate the organization’s business and strategic processes, analyze the current software solutions impacting operational workflows, and identify opportunities to enhance productivity, eliminate redundancies, and implement more innovative and effective solutions.

The second component of this engagement will focus on developing a plan for long-term IT support, including recommendations on internal roles and job descriptions and external support solutions, such as a managed service provider contract and other IT consulting services.

The selected vendor will deliver a structured IT roadmap that prioritizes solutions over specific products, providing a framework for improvements, sequencing and implementation.

This RFP provides instructions for submitting proposals.

3. Scope of work

Component 1: IT assessment

The selected vendor will be responsible for:

A. Current state analysis

  • Conducting a comprehensive review of existing IT systems, software and infrastructure.
  • Mapping system integrations to identify gaps, inefficiencies and areas of improvement.
  • Assessing how current technology supports business and strategic objectives.
  • Assessing staff IT skills and technological capacities.

B. Business process and strategic review

  • Evaluating key business processes and solutions that meet CDP’s requirements based on a solid understanding of our current and projected business needs and their alignment with IT capabilities and business practices for the organization’s future state.
  • Identifying pain points related to system usability, data silos and process inefficiencies.
  • Understanding organizational workflows to determine procedural, behavioral and system-related change needs and identifying opportunities for integrations and efficiencies.
  • Defining business requirements across core functions to guide future product selection and “must have” vs. “nice to have” criteria.

C. Evaluation of IT effectiveness

  • Assessing user adoption, satisfaction and reliance on current systems and workarounds that rely on systems not under CDP’s control.
  • Identifying redundancies and inefficiencies in software use and related processes.
  • Reviewing security, compliance and governance of IT resources.

D. Recommendations and IT roadmap

  • Providing prioritized recommendations based on business needs rather than specific products.
  • Offering guidance on system improvements, integration strategies and process optimization.
  • Outlining an IT roadmap that sequences improvements for implementation based on the following priorities:
    • Strategic priority
    • End of the lifecycle of the current system
    • Budget
    • Disruption to operations
    • Other considerations
  • Differentiating system-related, procedural and behavioral changes.

Component 2: IT consulting and support services

In addition to the IT assessment, the selected vendor will provide recommendations for the organization’s ongoing technology support needs, including:

A. IT support model recommendations 

  • Evaluating and recommending an internal IT support structure, including roles and job descriptions.
  • Identifying the potential need for external support, such as a managed service provider (MSP) contract.
  • Defining the scope of IT consulting services needed to maintain operational efficiency.

B. Service requirements

The vendor will outline a plan addressing the following IT support services:

  • Help desk support – Ensuring efficient response and resolution times for technical issues.
  • Technology strategy planning – Developing a long-term IT strategy aligned with business goals.
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery – Establishing data protection and system resilience protocols.
  • System management – Managing IT infrastructure, including software updates and network monitoring.
  • Systems backups and protection – Implementing secure backup strategies to prevent data loss.
  • Computer deployment and support – Coordinating hardware deployment and maintenance.
  • Warranty and asset inventory – Tracking IT assets and managing warranties.
  • IT policy review and development – Ensuring IT policies support security, compliance, and efficiency. This includes data governance and data management.
  • Service levels compliance – Establishing service level agreements (SLAs) and compliance guidelines.
  • Scalability – Planning for future IT needs and system growth.
  • End-user security training – Providing security awareness and best practices training for staff.
  • Service and subject matter expertise – Providing recommendations based on the vendor’s expertise that are not explicitly requested here, including best practices and next practices.
  • Security and privacy – Providing recommendations on risk mitigation on all aspects of cybersecurity.

The vendor will recommend an approach for managing these services internally or externally and provide an implementation plan.

4. Deliverables

The selected vendor will provide:

Component 1: IT assessment deliverables

  1. Current state document
    • Overview of existing IT landscape, integrations and system effectiveness.
    • Identification of gaps, inefficiencies and process bottlenecks.
  2. Prioritized solutions report
    • Recommendations focused on solutions rather than specific technology products.
    • Documentation of business requirements across core functions to guide product selection criteria.
    • Categorization of changes into system-related, procedural and behavioral.
  3. IT roadmap
    • A structured plan for implementing recommendations with defined sequencing.
    • Estimated timeline and required resources for implementation.
    • Estimated costs.
  4. Stakeholder presentation
    • Summary findings and recommendations presented to RFP working group and executive leadership.
    • Potential presentation to all staff (TBD).

Component 2: IT consulting and support services deliverables

  1.  IT support model report
    • Recommendations for a fully remote workforce working across time zones domestically and internationally, of about 40 FTEs.
    • Recommendations for internal roles or external IT service providers.
    • Defined job descriptions and responsibilities for internal IT staff (if applicable).
  2. Technology support plan
    • Detailed approach for short-term and long-term IT support.
    • Implementation guidance for managed service providers, IT consultants or internal IT teams.
  3. Service framework and policy recommendations
    • IT policies and procedures ensuring security, compliance and service efficiency.
    • Recommended SLAs for IT support providers.

5. Proposal Requirements

Interested vendors must submit a proposal that includes:

A. Company information

  • Brief company background and experience.
  • Relevant case studies or past projects similar in scope.

B. Approach and methodology

  • Proposed framework for conducting the IT assessment and support model analysis.
  • Methodology for data collection, analysis and stakeholder engagement.

C. Project team

  • Bios and relevant experience of key personnel.

D. Project timeline

  • Detailed timeline with key milestones and deliverables.

E. Cost proposal

  • Breakdown of costs, including professional fees and other expenses.

F. References

  • Contact information for three clients with similar project scopes.

6. Evaluation criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

  • Understanding of scope – Depth of analysis, approach and quality of proposal (straightforward, concise and comprehensible).
  • Experience and qualifications –
    • Demonstrated expertise in IT assessments, support models and change management with nonprofit organizations.
    • Demonstrated experience with organizations whose core functions include education, grantmaking, fundraising and earned income business models.
    • Professional references.
  • Methodology – Effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
  • Project timeline – Feasibility and clarity of the implementation plan.
  • Cost proposal – Value and reasonableness of pricing.
  • Values alignment – Alignment with CDP’s values of Integrity, Boldness and Innovation, Humility, and Empathy.

7. Project timeline

  • Proposals due: May 16, 2025
  • Informational interviews available April 28-30, 2025
    • CDP is open to receiving questions via email and drafting a consolidated Q&A document to be emailed to interested respondents by May 2, 2025.
  • Review of proposals: May 19-30, 2025
  • Selection and notification: by June 13, 2025
  • Project kickoff: July 2025

8. Submission instructions

Please email your intention to respond to this RFP to the contact listed below by April 30, 2025.

Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format to:

Brenda Camacho
brenda.camacho@disasterphilanthropy.org
By May 16, 2025, COB EDT

Please contact Brenda Camacho with any questions or clarification requests.

9. Terms & conditions 

  • CDP reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals.
  • The vendor will bear all costs associated with the proposal preparation.
  • The organization may request interviews or additional information from shortlisted vendors.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy appreciates your interest in partnering with us and looks forward to reviewing your proposal.

Addendums

About CDP

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy is the only full-time resource dedicated to helping donors maximize their impact by making more intentional disaster-related giving decisions. With the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters comes the critical need for knowing when and how to respond effectively. CDP’s innovative strategies advance donors’ values, increase the impact of their contributions, meet the needs of vulnerable populations, and ultimately, strengthen their communities.

Vision: We envision a world where the impact of disasters is minimized by thoughtful, equitable and responsible recovery for all.

With our emphasis on medium- and long-term recovery and equity-focused disaster giving, we:

  • Direct financial and technical support where it is needed most.
  • Provide expert and timely advice from professionals with deep disaster planning, response and preparedness expertise and experience as philanthropists.
  • Offer educational resources so you can make informed decisions about where and when to give.

Disaster recovery is the process of improving individual, family and community resiliency after a disaster. Recovery is not only about restoring structures, systems and services – although they are critical. A successful recovery is also about addressing sources of inequitable and unjust outcomes and individuals and families being able to rebound from their losses and sustain their physical, social, economic, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Current Systems

  • Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, 365 Online, MS Forms, Teams, OneNote)
  • Zoom
  • Slack
  • Redbooth
  • 1Password
  • Kindsight (iWave)
  • Blackbaud suite of products
    • Raiser’s Edge/NXT
    • RE/NXT Emails
    • Grantmaking
    • Blackbaud Merchant Services
    • Online Giving Forms
  • Payment platforms (PayPal, Stripe, Bill.com, etc.)
  • MailChimp
    • Chimpegration
  • ImportOmatic
  • Omatic Advanced List Management Solution
  • Meltwater
  • WordPress
  • DropBox
  • ChatGPT
  • Grammarly
  • Read.ai
  • Adobe Pro & E-sign
  • VIPRE
  • GFI
  • QuickBooks Online
  • TriNet PEO
  • Miro
  • Canva
  • Third-party back-up, anti-virus and monitoring
  • ArcGIS StoryMaps
  • Vyond
  • Other subscription programs
  • CDP staff are provided with Dell laptops
  • Some staff use MacBooks (personal devices), which are supported via GFI