Technology and today's nonprofit: When the cutting edge is unrealistic
February 28, 2005
By Louise Chatterton Luchuk
Technology is a dizzying topic. There are so many 'latest and greatest'
options out there and many of them are beyond the reach of the average
nonprofit organization. There just isn't enough time or money to do
the background research, stay on top of the trends, purchase the upgrades,
train staff, and so on. Rather than focusing on the cutting edge, perhaps
it's more useful to ask technology experts familiar with the nonprofit
sector to comment on today's baseline standards for IT in the nonprofit
sector.
Ladder of engagement
Jason Mogus, president and senior internet strategist at Communicopia.net
says, "It's really easy to get lost in what looks 'cool'." Communicopia.net's
mission is to empower progressive organizations to improve the world through
the strategic, innovative and effective use of the Internet. He absolutely
believes that nonprofit organizations need a website. "Websites are like
business cards today," says Mogus. "Not everyone needs a fancy, interactive
website, but you're missing an opportunity if you're not telling your
story online." The average nonprofit organization needs basic content
including contact information and an online donation function (something
Mogus says can be accessed for free from a website like Canadahelps.org).
The purpose of an organization's website - even the most basic site -
is to move people along the "ladder of engagement." Once they visit your
website, you want to move them to the level of giving you their e-mail
address and then doing something for you, like send the site to a friend.
The next rung of the ladder is donating to your organization, followed
by engaging as a volunteer or champion of your organization. Mogus says
there are high-end ways to move people along but it doesn't have to take
money. What it takes instead is intention and thought.
Thinking things through
Dr. Gillian Kerr heads up Real
World Systems, a consulting company that helps organizations become
more effective by improving their information processes. She knows that
agencies can't afford to be on the leading edge. She suggests that, at
a minimum, nonprofits need an Internet connection, e-mail, and a good
backup system. It is not necessary to have one computer per person but
anyone who communicates with the world needs their own e-mail address.
Plus, organizations need to make sure staff respond within a reasonable
time in order for e-mail to be a useful tool.
Kerr strongly advocates that agencies have an off-site backup system in
place. "It may be boring and awful to think about, but I've seen enough
agencies experience vandalism, fire, and floods and they all say, 'Who
would've expected this…' Count on problems and test regularly to make
sure your backup system works." Organizations need to back up their systems
daily and then every week or month do a backup that is stored off-site.
To decide how frequently to do the off-site backup think through what
would happen if there was, for instance, a fire. How disastrous would
it be if you lost one day, one week, or one month of data? As more info
goes digital, less hardcopy backups are available so off-site storage
of your backup is essential.
Commitment to gain knowledge
Linda Fougere is the project facilitator for the CAP
Society of Cape Breton County. The Community Access Program (CAP)
is a Government of Canada initiative, administered by Industry Canada,
that aims to provide Canadians with affordable public access to the Internet
and the skills they need to use it effectively. Fougere's organization
encourages nonprofits to recognize IT as a critical tool and to think
about IT planning. Like Mogus and Kerr, she believes that technology "does
not have to be a high-end dollar requirement. It's a commitment to gain
knowledge."
Recently the CAP Society of Cape Breton County and the Halifax
Regional CAP Association held two very popular workshops in Sydney
and Halifax. The workshops looked at the traditional ways that organizations
function and then demonstrated ways that tasks could be tackled electronically
(for example, bookkeeping, communication, management tools). On January
19th, 145 participants attended the Sydney workshop and a week later 73
participants attended in Halifax (the day after two full days of blizzard).
Topics included:
- how to budget for IT
- how to assess IT needs
- using new or recycled computers
- online volunteer recruitment
- Internet security
- making sense of Freeware, Open Source and Shareware, and which sites
are safe
- demos on burning CDs, using MSN Messenger for meetings, downloading
photos from digital cameras, etc.
The workshop agenda, complete with downloadable handouts and PowerPoint presentations,
can be accessed online.
To find out more about how your organization can benefit from the assistance
of CAP, go to the national CAP website
for a listing of local sites and services.
No time to do the homework
Rosalind Wright, regional manager of the Society
of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Nova Scotians attended the Sydney workshop
and found it very helpful. "Technology is mind-boggling. There's a lot
out there we're just not aware of and we don't have time or funding to
do the research. But [the workshop leaders] did the homework and we got
to see how it could be incorporated." she says. She was particularly impressed
by the webcam and bought one right away and downloaded the freeware. This
means that Wright can communicate with her Halifax-based colleague, who
is deaf, using sign language via the webcam and Internet connection. Wright
heard about this technology at the workshop and learned how to make it
work - thanks to a demonstration - and then tried it out for herself.
The cutting edge is not the be-all and end-all. Mogus, Kerr and Fougere
all advocate that organizations do not need to have the latest and greatest
in order to make the most of technology, but each identifies baseline
requirements for the average nonprofit. Technology is a tool and, as Kerr
sums up, "You have to ask the question, 'Does technology support the mission?'
If the answer is 'yes,' then become an expert in that technology."
Louise Chatterton Luchuk is a freelance writer and consultant who
combines her love of writing with experience at the local, provincial
and national levels of volunteer-involving organizations. For more information,
visit www.luchuk.com.
