NYC Tech Collaboration Breathes New Life into National Initiative

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NYC Tech Collaboration Breathes New Life into National Initiative
By Dennis Nash

In 1997, United Way of America, in partnership with IBM and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), introduced the Teaming for Technology program. The partnership provides community-based organizations with access to new technology and helps them implement technology to improve their quality of service.

United Way of America supplied day-to-day management and program oversight, IBM provided cutting-edge technology and financial resources, and CNCS through its AmeriCorps*VISTA program, offered the final core element - the VISTA (Volunteer In Service To America) members who served as the field staff, or "project leaders" to execute the Teaming for Technology program strategy.

In New York City, one of the 17 locations selected to pilot the program, Teaming for Technology (T4T) has been extremely successful - helping more than 200 CBOs throughout New York City to date with their technological development.

At the inception of the partnership, CNCS made a five-year commitment to the program. In the summer of 2002, that time was up. With much work remaining to be done, and dozens of local agencies that could still benefit from the program, United Way of New York City (UWNYC) realized its program had a lot of life left in it, so it implemented a strategy to sustain the program.

LEVERAGING INNOVATION
In New York City alone, as many as six AmericCorps*VISTA project leaders worked with United Way, IBM and each CBO's leadership to implement the program. The program could not be delivered without those project leaders, so when CNCS's commitment expired, UWNYC's Director of Technology Outreach, Brian Joyce, and the T4T advisory board outlined a sustainability initiative to carry the program forward. The initiative's primary goal was to identify a replacement for the AmeriCorps*VISTA project leaders. But the strategy also sought to draw in leaders from the field of non-profit management.

The direction was clear. It was time to invite area colleges and universities to sit at the T4T table.

"As VISTA volunteers, our experience was invaluable and our contribution, tangible. However, we knew there were better ways to assist the CBOs, ways to accelerate their self-sufficiency and expand their capabilities. It became clear that masters-level students could offer valuable insight from their academic studies."

-- Mark Hoffman, AmeriCorps*VISTA, project manager of the sustainability initiative.

FIVE YEARS OF CHALLENGES AND REWARDS
The T4T program was designed to target CBOs in low-income and underserved neighborhoods across the country. As organizations became technologically self-sufficient, T4T's VISTA volunteer project leaders identified new CBOs and repeated the process - first base-lining the organizations' technical competency and then designing a plan suited to an individual CBO's mission.

These CBOs were managed through a select group of hub organizations, including Asian American Federation of New York, Federation for Protestant Welfare Agencies, Agenda for Children Tomorrow, and United Neighborhood Houses. The hubs provided critical insight about the dozens of neighborhoods throughout the metropolitan area and helped identify those CBOs with the greatest need.

WHAT T4T LOOKS LIKE: A CASE STUDY
The Queens Child Guidance Center (QCGC) is an excellent example of T4T's positive impact. QCGC is a non-profit based in Elmhurst, New York that assists troubled children and their families. Several years ago, in need of professional advisement and resources, QCGC turned to T4T at the recommendation of its hub organization, the Asian American Federation.

"The opportunity to evaluate an entire nonprofit agency, determine its technology needs based on that evaluation, and then actually make a proposal that will come to fruition, is invaluable."

- Elyse Mendel, Director of Baruch's Career Services Office.

An on-site T4T VISTA volunteer project leader was assigned to QCGC. Working alongside the CBO's staff, the project leader performed a top-to-bottom business review of organizational practices, identified operational and technological deficiencies, then translated those needs into a comprehensive technology plan. This plan provided a roadmap for addressing primary service delivery issues and facilitated the improvements that ultimately increased the agency's effectiveness and efficiency.

The technology plan proved valuable beyond simply mapping out the CBO's "fix-it" strategy. With the detailed plan for QCGC's enhancement, T4T was able to identify resource deficits and used this information to solicit its partners and other corporate benefactors for additional support. The Pfizer Corporation was impressed by the plan and donated $50,000 in hardware, software and other IT services to the agency. Combined with a commitment of equipment and cash from IBM, the grant resulted in a new copy machine, 18 personal computers, three network printers, two local printers, a voice mail system, case management software, a server, creation of a Local Area Network (LAN), Internet access, and e-mail.

Connecting CBOs to technical and financial resources is only one part of the T4T solution. T4T ensured QCGC's success through a comprehensive integration of the new technology, coupled with onsite staff training and ongoing maintenance support. Through the CBO's alignment with the Asian American Federation's IT Department, T4T also forged a stronger bond between QCGC and its hub organization.

Since QCGC first sought T4T's assistance, the CBO has achieved dramatic improvements in its service. With streamlined operations, caseworkers have focused their attention on service delivery and expanded caseloads by 10%. By integrating systems with new technology such as email and the LAN, paper consumption has been reduced by 15% and saved the organization thousands of dollars annually. With access to new computers, enrollment in after school programs for children has grown over 100%.

GOING BACK TO SCHOOL
It was a goal of the sustainability initiative to partner with an academic institution that would follow through on the program's mission. The sustainability project committee identified multiple area colleges and universities that possessed the necessary resources to sustain T4T and which specialized in public service education and advocacy.

After careful deliberation, the T4T sustainability committee concluded that a partnership with the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College could deliver the high level of support required to assist the CBO's.

"The T4T project made a great deal of sense, given our educational and research emphasis on the nonprofit sector generally, and institutional uses of technology in particular. We wanted to expand that activity and provide our students with direct experience in the field," says David S. Birdsell, Ph.D., Executive Director of Academic Programs at Baruch College.

Joining the T4T partnership affords the Baruch interns the opportunity to apply their knowledge and bring their academic experience to bear. "To be able to apply one's academic training, have a conceptual understanding along with the practical experience, enhances and enriches the learning experience ten-fold," says Elyse Mendel, Director of Baruch's Career Services Office.

BUILDING THE NEW TEAM
Baruch College entered the T4T partnership in June. Full time graduate students were sent a mailing inviting them to apply for the T4T internship program. The Baruch Career Services Office did some pre-screening of candidates and then Brian Joyce and the T4T sustainability project committee conducted interviews and made their selection.

The four students participating as T4T project leaders have committed a year to the program, breaking new ground for Baruch and T4T alike. The students contribute a minimum of 20 hours per week and support eight CBOs through their assigned hub organizations. They will be equipped with IBM laptops, allocated UWNYC office space, and receive a stipend during their internship. At the end of each student's internship with T4T, they will be asked to provide feedback for improving the program and strengthening methods for serving the community.

LOOKING AHEAD
"Public-private partnerships can be a wonderful way to move quickly to build community capacity and to experiment with innovative approaches to service delivery," says David Birdsell. "T4T makes several enormously important contributions, not the least of which is to provide organizations with tools and incentives for thinking strategically about technology."

It's great to have talented young people working for an organization," Birdsell continues, "But even that precious resource can go to waste without rigorous planning for development and sustaining technology-based initiatives. IBM's involvement underscores the importance of this sort of planning in the corporate sector and provides an example - in addition to the company's resources - of how technology programming should work."

The T4T program has truly evolved over its five-year charter and will soon begin a new phase of community service in New York City. Building on the program's initial collaboration, the plan for the future is founded on a novel partnership.

With the help of Baruch College, T4T looks toward a new horizon.

"The academic year is about to begin and the Baruch students are gearing up for their involvement with T4T. The program has taken significant strides and made a substantial contribution within the community. We're confident that the next five years will be even more rewarding."

- Brian Joyce, Director of Technology Outreach

Dennis Nash is an Advisory Board Member for Teaming For Technology in New York City, and supported the development and execution of the Sustainability initiative.

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