NTRS 2: Navigating Technology Costs - Whiteboard Notes

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

• What’s possible with technology?
• Opportunity costs of choices? Now? Later?
• How to determine cost and benefit?
• Assessing needs?
• Speaking from different perspectives/context
• When to consider the leading edge?
• Considering too much
• What’s the need? Want? Dream?
• Can I trust you? The technology?
• What staff time is necessary?
• Managing time and cost expectations
• Managing organization time
• Negotiating the shopping (for consultant)

Strategies

• Workflow analysis
• Information flow map
• Data treasure hunt
• Ensure technology works now
• Avoid WISCY (why isn’t someone coding yet?) Syndrome
• Formulate story project statement
• Involve support provider to financially substantiate project
• Plan TCO (total cost of ownership) not just technology
• Monitoring technology project funds
• Build in technology support early
• Breakdown what TCO means
• 80% upfront effort 20% implementation
• Include all needs to plan project, avoid knee-jerk
• Build ASP risk assessment

Investing in technology projects

• Invest in your peers and learn their experiences
• Research, TechSoup, CNET, Lynda.com
• CompuMentor database planning guide
• Institute for nonprofit consulting
• VolunteerMatch/Taproot Foundation