Technology Assistance Models

These are the categories and descriptors that I have come up with based on research and comments/suggestions from forum/discussion group members:

 

1. Free Services (Fully Subsidized)

- Services provided by volunteers and/or by paid staff / consultants

- Direct and indirect costs of running the program that provide the technology assistance services are totally subsidized by the service providers, and/or by foundations / funders, grants, etc.

- Includes for-profit companies and organizations that provide "pro bono" technology assistance and support services.

 

2. Subscription Fee Services (No Subsidies)

- Services are provided by volunteers and/or by paid staff / consultants.

- The subscribers share all the direct and indirect costs of running the program that provides the technology assistance services.

- May also be combined with a Fee Based service.

 

3. Subscription Fee Services (Partially Subsidized)

- Services (at generally discounted rates) are provided by volunteers and/or by paid staff / consultants

- Part of the direct and indirect costs of running the program that provides the technology assistance service are shared by the subscribers and the other portion of the direct and indirect costs are subsidized by foundations / funders, grants, etc.

- May also be combined with a Fee Based service

- Examples: Geographically based programs like NPower, Information Technology Resource Center (ITRC), CompuMentor and nonprofit management centers based at colleges and universities like the Bayer Center at Robert Morris University.

- Includes for-profit technology companies and organizations that provide services and/or products at a reduced (nonprofit) rate, e.g. Microsoft, Cisco, via TechSoup Stock.

 

4. Fee Based Services (No Subsidies)

- Each service is provided by volunteers and/or by paid staff / consultants.

- Service purchasers share all direct and indirect costs of running the program that provides the technology assistance service.

- May also be combined with a Subscription Based service.

 

5. Fee Based Services (Partially Subsidized)

- Each service (at generally discounted rates) is provided by volunteers and/or by paid staff / consultants.

- Part of the direct and indirect costs of running the program that provides the technology assistance service are shared by the service purchasers and the other portion of the direct and indirect costs are subsidized by foundations / funders, grants, etc.

 - May also be combined with a Subscription Based service.

- Examples: Geographically based programs like NPower, Information Technology Resource Center (ITRC), CompuMentor and nonprofit management centers based at colleges and universities like the Bayer Center at Robert Morris University.

- Includes for-profit technology companies and organizations that provide services and/or products at a reduced (nonprofit) rate, e.g. Microsoft, Cisco, via TechSoup Stock.

 

There are also "hybrid" organizations that involve some free and paid services and various combinations of volunteers, paid staff and paid consultants. Overhead costs can also be "hybridized" where there is some subsidized support and some fee-based or subscription-based support.

 

Note: Indirect vs. Direct Costs

Direct costs are those for activities or services that benefit specific projects, e.g., salaries for project staff and materials required for a particular project. Because these activities are easily traced to projects, their costs are usually charged to projects on an item-by-item basis.

Indirect costs are those for activities or services that benefit more than one project. Their precise benefits to a specific project are often difficult or impossible to trace. For example, it may be difficult to determine precisely how the activities of the director of an organization benefit a specific project.

 

Some nonprofit technology support and assistance organizations, such as the Bayer Center and MAP in Minnesota, are part of larger support organizations providing a full-range of management services to nonprofits.