Anne Arundel Funders Roundtable Nonprofit Technology
February 23, 2012
Matthew Eshleman, Dir. of Professional ServicesKatherine Mowers, Senior Consultant
Outline• About Community IT Innovators• Assessing the needs of nonprofit organizations• Funder considerations in building the capacity
of a nonprofit through a new technology• Cost expectations• Trends• Additional resources
About Community IT Innovators
• 18 years of experience with an exclusive focus on nonprofit technology needs
• Over 900 nonprofit client engagements in our history• 150 ongoing client relationships in which we provide technology
guidance and support• As a 40-person IT consulting firm Community IT Innovators is:
– Large enough to provide great depth and breadth of expertise– Small enough to value each relationship and provide
personalized service
Expressions of Our Values
• Commitment to social and environmental and financial sustainability
• Employee-owned company
• Diverse staff from a variety of backgrounds (corporate & nonprofit, domestic & international), joined by a desire to make a difference
CapabilitiesCentral offering: a long-term partnership for Information Technology support and guidance• Technology assessments and planning• Network planning, implementation, support• Database/software application needs assessment,
selection, and implementation• Salesforce.com CRM implementation• Remote and on-site
Assessing the needs of nonprofit organizations
• Outside help from someone w/ technology expertise
• Determine functional needs based on business needs of the organization
• Prioritize the functional needs• Research and analysis• Define scope and costs of the projects• Set a timeline
Technology Assessment• IT network and computing devices• Email• Productivity software• File sharing and collaboration• File storage and backups• Constituent Relationship Management
(CRM), program and functional database(s) (i.e. case management system, fundraising system, etc.)
• Web and e-communication needs• Mobile computing• Staffing • Training
Could cover the following areas:
Assessing Solutions & Cost Expectations
• Functionality compared to organizational prioritized needs based in strategic plan/goals
• Direct & Indirect Costs• Initial• Ongoing
• Future Benefits and Risks• Transition and Migration Plans• Roles to support
Trends
• Going to “the cloud”• Performance management• Private social networking• Mobile access• Tablets
“The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we’ve redefined cloud computing to include everything that we already do. I can’t think of anything that isn’t cloud computing with all of these announcements. The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women’s fashion.
Maybe I’m an idiot, but I have no idea what anyone is talking about. What is it? It’s complete gibberish. It’s insane. When is this idiocy going to stop?”
Larry Ellison, CEO, Oracle
Farber, Dan. “Oracle’s Ellison Nails Cloud Computing,” in CNET “Outside the Lines” http://news.cnet.com/8301-13953_3-10052188-80.html, retrieved 23 February 2009.
Cloud Diagram
The Solution
Hybrid Cloud
Funder considerations• Know and prioritize
requirements before examining solution options
• Not one size fits all/uniqueness of nonprofit organization’s business
• Research solutions/software beyond what you have heard about
• Follow the 80/20 Rule
People transition The actual technology
80 percent of the success of any initiative depends on how effectively the people transition to new processes. 20 percent depends on the actual technology solution.
People
Process
and
Technology
What determines success?
80%
20%
Funder considerations, cont.• Importance of deciding• Cloud = Outsourcing• Data ownership• What happens if the internet
breaks/internet redundancy• Ongoing costs• Incorporate training as part of
project budget• Generational differences• Technology capacity building is
ongoing
Excel filesExcel
filesExcel files
CRM/Case mgmt/
enterprise database
Free 3rd party toolsExcel filesExcel
filesWordfiles
File Server
Email blast system
Access databases
Paper files
Paper forms
Email system
Website Content Mgmt
System
Donor/ Contact mgmt
database
Business systems can consist of …
Accounting system
A menagerie of tools and software, often times creating duplication of effort…Or it can be purposely planned/decided these are the tools we use to help us accomplish our mission most effectively
Notable Email and Collaboration tools
Hosted file sharing …
Notable CRM’s in the market with a Case Management focus
Notable CRM’s in the market with an Association/Member Management focus
Additional Resources
http://www.nten.org/
http://idealware.org/
http://www.citidc.com
http://home.techsoup.org
Matthew Eshleman, [email protected], 202-449-6711Katherine Mowers, [email protected], 202-449-6702