This document will help you host your own nonprofit technology roundtable.  Please post your questions, comments and experiences here!

Free web 2.0 tools for nonprofits

• Simple Online Project Management
• www.basecamphq.com
• Easy-to-use Membership/Association/Event Management
• www.wildapricot.com
• Simple Online To Do List
• www.tadalist.com
• Online collaborative writing
• www.writeboard.com
• Online photo hosting
• www.flickr.com
• Online photo hosting
• www.bubbleshare.com
• Online wordprocessor
• www.writely.com

Nonprofit Technology Roundtable: Navigating Nonprofit Technology Costs
3.9.06

Why are you here?

• Convincing people that systemic technology solutions are necessary
• Works with a grassroots network of organizations & people working together and needs a centralized website, but doesn’t have funding to create a website
• Has big technological needs they would like to solve more effectively, wants to identify funding sources
• Usually buy-in needed to do tracking & data management, needs language for funders, benchmarks on budgeting, to project what can be expected
• Wants to find out what npo’s need to make npo software
• Knows that organizations have need for custom web development & wants to find them
• Trying to network.
• Quantifiable answer on ROI of upgrades.
• How best to reach nonprofit customers in South Bay.

Points of pain:

• Helping people dream & know what’s possible.  Explaining the benefits of being ahead of the curve as well as the drawbacks.
• We don’t really get paid to help people dream, but we end up doing it anyway.
• Someone who wants to do something very cutting edge, and it’s very difficult to explain to funders what you’re trying to do.
• Having costs associated with possibilities. Listing the real wants & needs.
• Speaking data to people who don’t speak data, who don’t understand that in those terms
• Bridge building – understanding the organizational culture *People are really stuck “we’d like to do that but our people only use Excel”

Count:
Nonprofits: slightly less than half
Vendors/Service Providers: 1/3
Funders: 1
Lawyers? School.
Why isn’t someone coding yet (WISCY)?
When you spend more time in design, you spend less time in implementation.

Nonprofit Technology Roundtable Series
Navigating Technology Costs: Affording Technology Projects as Nonprofits and Service Providers
March 9, 2006
Participant Evaluation Synopsis

Eric Leland facilitated a group of 36 people; 6 were from CompuMentor. Nonprofits represented slightly less than half of the participants while vendors/service providers represented about a third.  There was one funder and one lawyer. Eighteen participants filled out the evaluation form.

Today’s Agenda

• Welcome   
• What brings us here
• Investments vs. expenses
• Strategies
• Resources

Concepts to Explore 

• Help each other understand ‘technology feeds the poor
• Hire someone expensive to hire someone cheap
• Technology is an investment, not an expense
• Phased approach to NPO technology is essential

 
Points of Pain

Let’s continue the conversation!

Contribute your thoughts, resources, and learnings on this topic going forward right here!

http://www.consultantcommons.org/node/380
 

Technology & Funding resources
Articles on Funding Technology
http://www.techsoup.org/howto/articles/funding/index.cfm
Technology for Fundraising Discussion
http://www.techsoup.org/community/index.cfm?cg=header&sg=community 

Selecting a Consultant or Vendor

Choosing the Right Consultant
http://www.techsoup.org/howto/articles/consultants/page1412.cfm?cg=searchterms&sg=consultant
Focuses on what to ask in the interview process
Do You Really Need A Consultant?
http://www.techsoup.org/howto/articles/consultants/page1418.cfm?cg=searchterms&sg=consultant
Questions to explore when deciding among consultants, in-house staff or volunteers

Nonprofit Technology Roundtable Resources

"Navigating Technology Costs: Affording Technology Projects as Nonprofits and Service Providers"

Let’s continue the conversation!
Contribute your thoughts, resources, and learnings on this topic going forward:
http://www.consultantcommons.org/node/380

Nonprofit Technology Roundtable Series
Optimizing the Nonprofit – Consultant Relationship
November 11, 2005

Overall, there was a lot of external interest in the Roundtable idea.  Salient points and potential future topics:

• Technology must be incorporated into all program budgets.  A certain percentage of technology should be integrated into every grant proposal. 
• NPO staff need tools to help others understand that technology feeds the poor.  Technology is an investment, not an expense.  This message must be sold beyond funders to leaders, executive staff and public.
• A brokerage role is missing – somewhere between the sales team and the engineers.  NPOs should hire someone expensive to help them hire someone cheap.  The triaged, phased approach to NPO tech (think construction and medical worlds) is essential. Mentoring relationship is vital to someone following best practices.
• Trust is a big issue.  Should a centralizing agency certify NTAPs?
• NPOs must show ROI for funders.  How do we figure out metrics to help NPOs calculate ROI so that NPOs can incorporate in their grant proposals?
   

What’re the next steps?

The next Nonprofit Technology Roundtable is Thursday, March 9. 

It'll be held here at the CompuMentor office (435 Brannan Street) from 2:00 to 4:00.

In this second event of the series, Eric Leland, TechCommons’ new Director, will facilitate an exchange of ideas about “Navigating Technology Costs: Affording Technology Projects as Nonprofits and Service Providers.” 

Space is running out, so register soon !

I'm categorizing this fairly widely because I think it could be a failry valuable tool for consultants who run their own websites (for marketing and biz dev) and/ or who consult for websites that are trying to reach a broader (read non-English-speakng) audience.  I'm also posting this here because I think this (or something like it) could be a very handy tool for Consultant Commons it self, as we try to reach out to a broader audience, and really distribute all of our "knowledge" far and wide.

 Please comment if you have found a better implementation of this code (see my notes at the end)

*CSR wants to build alliances with consultants to spread the word about TSS and help them to solve nonprofits problems

*TSS customer wants to know how you’re supposed to get in touch with CSRs, and spread knowledge of problems solved

*nonprofits want you to fix their problem and then never come back, because they don’t want to pay.  wants to provide consultant services that solve fundamental problems. What happens after you’ve set something up when it breaks? Without hiring you back?

*lots of firefighting, not enough planning

Overview

The first NTRS was held November 10th, 2005 at CompuMentor. The focus was "Optimizing the Consultant / Nonprofit Relationship". Approximately 35 people attended. The meeting was 2hrs. There was a good mix of IT and non-IT, and consultant and nonprofit staff. We also had a few for profit software vendors in the room. The format was one facilitator leading a discussion among the audience - there was very little presentation, no computer technology assistance generally.

Networking Notes

These notes were taken at an informal Emerging Technologies discussion held at CompuMentor on July 5, 2005.  The aim of the discussion was to examine ways in which new technologies impact (positively or negatively) nonprofit organizations. The notes are also attached.