Alongside
Advisory Partners

Technology strategy
for organizations that
put people first.

We work alongside mission-driven nonprofits and social enterprises across Indianapolis and the Midwest — bringing strategic clarity to your technology decisions, so you can focus on what matters most.

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"Most nonprofits don't have a technology problem. They have a clarity problem — no one in the room who can translate what the technology really means for the mission."

The gap Alongside was built to close

Our Approach

The technology partner your mission deserves — but rarely finds.

"Every dollar your nonprofit spends on the wrong technology is a dollar that didn't reach the people you serve."
Elliot Thomison Founder, Alongside Advisory Partners

The organizations doing the most important work in our communities are consistently underserved by the technology industry. Vendors sell them software they don't need. Consultants parachute in and hand over a report. And the executive director — already carrying too much — makes expensive technology decisions with almost no strategic guidance.

That's the gap Alongside was built to close. Not with more software. But with a genuine partner — someone who already belongs to this community — who will sit in the room, ask the right questions, and make sure every technology decision actually serves the mission.

"We don't just advise on your technology. We become accountable for it — alongside you."

About Elliot

Built for this work — from the inside out.

Elliot Thomison, Founder of Alongside Advisory Partners Elliot Thomison at work Elliot Thomison in the community Elliot Thomison

Elliot Thomison grew up in Indianapolis and has spent his career building at the intersection of technology and community service. As IT Infrastructure Analyst at HopeBridge — one of Indiana's leading disability services nonprofits — he works directly inside the operational and technological realities these organizations face every day.

His connection to this work runs deeper than a job title. Elliot has siblings on the autism spectrum and has spent years as a Special Olympics Indiana coach in Boone County across basketball, softball, and shotput. He understands this community from the inside — and that shapes everything about how Alongside works.

Alongside Advisory Partners is his answer to a gap he has watched for years: mission-driven organizations doing extraordinary work, held back by technology that wasn't built for them — and no trusted partner in their corner to change that.

Credentials & Experience
CompTIA A+ Certified Industry hardware & software certification
Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, Entra ID, VMs, Virtual Networks
Microsoft 365 Administration Enterprise-level tenant & identity management
Salesforce & CRM Systems Nonprofit CRM strategy & implementation
Power BI & Power Automate Data visualization & workflow automation
HIPAA & SOC 2 Compliance Security-first infrastructure experience
Why Alongside

Three things that make this different.

Most technology advisors bring expertise. Alongside brings expertise and genuine community belonging — and that changes everything.

An insider perspective, not a borrowed one.
Elliot isn't parachuting in from a corporate consultancy to "learn" your sector. He coaches Special Olympics. He has siblings on the autism spectrum. He works daily inside one of Indiana's leading disability services organizations. He already belongs to this community — and that means he asks the questions an outsider would never think to ask.
Strategic clarity, not more complexity.
The goal is never to add more technology. It's to make sure the technology you already have — or the technology you're considering — is the right tool, deployed the right way, with your team actually able to use it. Alongside translates complexity into clarity, so you can make confident decisions and move forward.
Accountable, not advisory-and-gone.
A strategy document sitting on a shelf isn't worth much. Alongside stays engaged — attending your meetings, advising your decisions in real time, managing your vendors, and seeing implementations through to adoption. We measure success by your outcomes, not our deliverable count.
Services

Six ways Alongside can help your organization move forward.

Every engagement is scoped to fit your organization's real needs — not a packaged product designed for someone else. Discovery conversations are always free and without obligation.

01
Technology Audit & Roadmap
A comprehensive assessment of your current tools, systems, spend, and capability gaps — delivered as a prioritized, actionable roadmap that aligns your technology investments with your mission. Finally, clarity on where you are and exactly how to get where you need to be.
Assessment → Strategy
02
Fractional CTO Retainer
Ongoing monthly strategic technology leadership — without the cost of a full-time hire. Elliot attends your leadership meetings, advises critical decisions, manages vendor relationships, and keeps your technology strategy aligned with where your organization is headed. A trusted seat at the table.
Monthly Retainer
03
Implementation Leadership
Leading your most important technology projects from start to adoption — CRM deployments, database migrations, platform transitions, cloud moves. Alongside handles vendor selection, project management, staff training, and the accountability that keeps complex implementations from going sideways.
Project-Based
04
Security & Compliance Review
A practical, plain-language assessment of your organization's security posture — where your risks are, what your data protection gaps look like, and a concrete path to closing them. Built for nonprofits navigating grant compliance, HIPAA, and donor data obligations without a dedicated security team.
Assessment → Remediation
05
Grant Technology Narratives
Turning your technology investments into funded outcomes. Alongside builds the budget frameworks, outcomes language, and measurable impact narratives that transform technology asks from line items into compelling grant-ready proposals — grounded in the logic funders actually respond to.
Fundraising Support
06
Staff Technology Enablement
Patient, accessible, real-world training designed around how nonprofit staff actually work — not how software vendors wish they would. Whether it's Microsoft 365, your CRM, or a new database system, your team leaves with the skills and the confidence to use what you've invested in.
Training & Adoption
Emerging Capability

AI is arriving in the nonprofit sector. Let's make sure it works for your people.

Most nonprofit leaders are hearing about AI everywhere and aren't sure what to trust, what to try, or what to avoid. Alongside brings grounded, practical AI guidance — rooted in Elliot's graduate concentration on the responsible application of AI in organizations — so your team can move forward with confidence, not anxiety.

Grounded in M.B.T. concentration — AI application in a trusted, organizational context
AI Tool Evaluation & Readiness
Cutting through the noise to identify which AI tools are genuinely useful for your organization — and which are hype. Assessment of data privacy, staff readiness, and implementation risk before you commit.
Responsible AI Integration
Helping your team adopt AI-assisted workflows — in grant writing, case management, donor communications, and reporting — in a way that protects client data, meets funder expectations, and keeps people at the center.
Staff AI Literacy & Policy
Building your team's working knowledge of AI — what it can and can't do, where the risks are, and how to use it well. Including help developing an AI use policy appropriate for your organization's size and sector.
Connected to this work Special Olympics Indiana Coach IT Infrastructure — HopeBridge CompTIA A+ Certified Purdue Polytechnic & Daniels School Indianapolis, Indiana
Who We Serve

Mission-driven organizations, from first contact to lasting partnership.

Alongside's deepest expertise is in the IDD and disability services sector — but the practice serves the full spectrum of mission-driven nonprofits across Indianapolis and the Midwest.

Not sure if we're the right fit? The best way to find out is a free, no-pressure discovery conversation. We'll listen first.

Start a Conversation
Primary Focus
IDD & Disability Services
Special Olympics chapters, autism support organizations, Medicaid waiver providers, advocacy networks, and direct support organizations. Alongside's home base and deepest sector expertise.
Youth & Workforce Development
Organizations supporting young people through mentorship, education, job training, and career pathways — often managing complex program data across multiple funders.
Housing & Community Development
Affordable housing providers, community land trusts, and neighborhood development organizations navigating complex compliance, case management, and reporting requirements.
Health & Human Services
Health-focused nonprofits, community health workers, and human services organizations managing sensitive data and HIPAA compliance without enterprise IT resources.
Community Foundations & Advocacy
Grantmaking foundations and advocacy organizations managing donor relationships, grant portfolios, and public-facing technology with limited internal capacity.
How It Works

From first conversation to lasting partnership.

Every engagement begins the same way — with listening. Here's what the journey looks like from there.

Discovery
A free, no-pressure conversation to understand your organization, your current technology landscape, your biggest frustrations, and where you want to go. No pitch — just listening.
Proposal
Based on what we learn, we scope an engagement — whether that's a one-time audit, a specific project, or an ongoing monthly retainer. Clear scope, clear expectations, no surprises.
Partnership
We get to work — alongside your team. Strategic clarity for your leadership. Vendor accountability. Project oversight. Staff support. Everything you need, nothing you don't.
Growth
The best engagements evolve. As your organization grows and your technology needs change, Alongside adapts with you — building a long-term relationship grounded in trust and results.
Ready to Start?

Your mission deserves technology that works as hard as you do.

The first conversation is free. No pitch, no pressure — just a real discussion about where you are and what's possible. Book a discovery call or send a message below.

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Common Questions

Things people ask before they reach out.

An IT support company fixes what's broken. A vendor sells you something. Alongside does neither — we help you think clearly about your technology strategy before you spend a dollar. We sit on your side of the table, help you evaluate options without a financial stake in what you choose, and stay accountable for outcomes rather than deliverables. Think of it as having a trusted CTO without the full-time cost.
Yes — and honestly, smaller organizations often benefit most. We offer one-time project engagements (like a technology audit) as an accessible starting point, with no ongoing commitment required. We're also happy to help you build a technology ask into a grant proposal to fund the work. The first conversation is always free.
Most new clients start with a Technology Audit & Roadmap — a focused engagement where we assess your current tools, systems, and spending, identify the most important gaps, and deliver a clear, prioritized action plan. It's a low-commitment way to get a real picture of where you stand, and it gives us both a chance to see how we work together before any longer engagement.
Alongside is based in Indianapolis and prioritizes in-person engagement with organizations in the greater Indianapolis area and across Indiana. That said, strategic advisory and fractional CTO work is well-suited to remote collaboration, and we serve organizations across the broader Midwest. If you're unsure whether geography is a factor, reach out — it rarely is.
Completely. "We know something isn't working but we're not sure what" is one of the most common things we hear — and it's a perfectly fine place to start. A discovery conversation is exactly that: a chance to talk through what's happening in your organization and figure out together where the real pressure points are. No agenda required.
Get in Touch

Let's start a conversation.

Whether you have a specific project in mind or just want to explore what strategic technology support could look like for your organization — reach out. The first call is always free.

Prefer to talk directly?

Book a free 30-minute discovery call. No agenda required — come as you are and we'll figure out together where Alongside might help most.

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Email
elliot@alongsidetech.co

Typically responds within one business day

Location
Indianapolis, Indiana

Serving the Greater Indianapolis area and the broader Midwest — in-person or remote

Mailing Address
8063 Madison Ave #1184
Indianapolis, IN 46227