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Program Donates Technology to Nonprofits By Leslie Hoffman Executive Director Showcase New York, New Jersey & Connecticut For nonprofits striving to benefit from all that information technology has to offer, yet strapped for cash or short on expertise, the road can be daunting. Showcase makes that path easier by donating hardware, software and training to selected nonprofits in the Tri-State area. Showcase is a joint program of Earth Pledge Foundation, which promotes sustainable development, and Microsoft. How We Started In 1995 we hosted Net Basics 101: What Every Non-Profit Needs to Know About the Internet. Attendees were excited about the potential, but it was clear they needed more -- computer hardware, software, technology planning and Web site development, training, support, maintenance, administration and upgrades. Earth Pledge looked for support from the high-tech community, found a partner in Microsoft, and Showcase was born -- to showcase the nonprofit community, to enable them to present themselves in a more credible, professional way. “We were very happy to lend our support,” says Bob Jones, general manager of Microsoft’s New York district office. How We Work Since October 1997, Showcase has assisted approximately 50 nonprofit organizations and provided close to $1 million in hardware, software and support services, including needs assessment. Program recipients have included The Apollo Theatre, The Feminist Press, PASA, New Jersey State Aquarium, Coalition for the Homeless, and BRIC/Brooklyn Information & Culture, formerly The Fund for the Borough of Brooklyn. Showcase is a mechanism for establishing and incubating relationships, and focuses primarily on organizations, regardless of size, that enhance the social, cultural and environmental fabric of the region, excluding sports, political, religious or academic institutions. Extensive information and an online application form can be found at www.showcasenynjct.org. Earth Pledge is at www.earthpledge.org, 485 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor, New York NY 10022, telephone (212) 688-2216. Top Ten Lessons for Nonprofits The top ten lessons we’ve learned about integrating technology into nonprofits are:
2. Your mission should drive the technology. Don’t get infatuated with the latest and greatest. Your efforts will be more productive if you first evaluate what you want to do and then find the most appropriate and cost-effective technology. Function should always win out over technology. 3. Networking is key. For many organizations, the best place to start is to network their offices. The benefits of sharing files can be significant. 4. Prioritize. You may want a Web site, but your organization might have more urgent needs -- networking, e-mail or getting more computers. 5. Getting technology is only the first step. Be prepared for training, administration and upgrades. 6. Structure technology into your organization. Technology can’t be done on an occasional basis. Assign someone to manage it. 7. Your commitment requires support. Technology requires a budget. The grant-making community seems to be warming up to technology funding. 8. Look for relationships. If you’re buying computers, you might be able to do a group purchase, or partner with businesses for marketing or promotional opportunities. 9. It’s not obsolete if it meets your needs. Save money now by buying backward. Example: If you really need computers only for word processing, last year’s models might do. Have used equipment checked carefully. 10. You get what you pay for. Don’t try to get everything on a pro-bono basis -- you may spend time and effort and end up waiting at the bottom of a list.
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Community Resources.... Penguin Days Strengthen Technology Use (March, 2005) Collaboration and the Calculator: Increasing Food Stamp Access in NYC (December, 2003) NYC Tech Collaboration Breathes New Life into National Initiative (August, 2002) Teaming for Technology: A Connectionist Approach to Making IT Happen (November, 2001) Searching for Cancer Information on the Internet: A New Project in Harlem (April, 2001) TECH NEWS: Changing of the Guard (November, 2000) Nonprofit Provides Access to Affordable Technology (May, 2000) Lessons from the Life of a Learning and Access Center (December, 1999) Black Data Processing Associates Offers Training, Performs Community Service (October, 1999) Communities Becoming LINCT in New York City (August, 1999) New York Cares Launches Partners in Technology Program (April, 1999) Program Donates Technology to Nonprofits (April, 1999) It Takes More Than Computers. . .Libraries in the Information Age (December, 1998) BrookynX - A Guide to Getting Your Communities on the Net (October, 1998) Other Articles of Interest.... Help is Just Three Digits Away (October, 2001) Intergenerational Technology Initiative Seeks to Bridge the Digital Divide (April, 2001) TECH-U-NET: Providing Technology Guidance to Nonprofits (November, 2000) Harvard Business School Alums Provide Valuable Volunteer Consulting (May, 2000) LEGIT: Training Teens for Better Futures (March, 2000) HUD Neighborhood Network Centers Respond to Need for a Computer-Savvy America (October, 1999) Hispanic Federations CREDIT Project (December, 1998) |
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