By Shane Thacker
When looking at the question that will remain a theme of this series on technology funding -- namely "How do we pay for this?" -- quite often organizations begin by concentrating on the "how" part of the question. In other words, they wonder where to get the money for technology improvements.
The problem with this approach is that it gives short shrift to the "this" part of the question, or the part where the organization's staff determines what exactly the organization needs in the way of technology improvements.
As mentioned in the previous article in this series, funders like to see that applicants know their organization and the technology, so not determining "this" can have an adverse effect on "how."
To answer those questions about need, and to be knowledgeable about one's organization, it is advisable to start off by looking at "this," or the question "What do we need?"
Assessing organizational needs is a highly individualized process. It is unlikely that any two organizations have exactly the same technological requirements and capabilities. Therefore, generic advice on technology assessment won't answer the most-pressing questions that a nonprofit might have about their own technology.
However, through research and interviews it becomes obvious there are certain aspects, resources and common mistakes that fit across almost all assessment processes. While writing about them all would take a book, this article will address some of the highlights.
The importance of knowing
A nonprofit's staff must recognize the importance of doing a thorough assessment to making a coherent long-term plan for technology improvements and usage, says Alnisa Allgood, executive director of Nonprofit Tech.
"For nonprofits seeking technology funding, I have to stress planning, planning and planning," Allgood says. "Many nonprofits have just become aware that there was a technological revolution and somehow they weren't invited to the party. Now they know that technology can 'supposedly' make their agency better. They are more than willing to try to purchase and get funding for technology, but they still haven't taken a step back to look at how they can effectively use technology."
"Take the step back; as a nonprofit it is critical that you understand how technology can make your agency more viable today as well as in the future," Allgood says.
Looking at some of the resources available for nonprofits (on the Internet and otherwise) that wish to do technology assessments, a common point of advice is that it is important, when doing an assessment, to include as many people as possible. It may be that the directors of the nonprofit are completely unaware of computer problems that the staff are having, and vice versa.
Each position should be surveyed to find out how technology affects it and what the needs are for doing the job in the most effective manner.
While this part of assessment sounds complex, it doesn't have to be, Allgood says. It just requires a good knowledge of the organization's mission and tasks and how technology can help or hinder it. That knowledge is where talking to each person can help.
"You need to know where your agency loses time and money -- the vague notions that are essential is the board, staff and volunteers' ideas of processes that seem to take too long, tasks they attempt to avoid, things they would like to do," Allgood says. "Answers to and the consideration of these questions make technology a collaborator to your success."
Taking care of intangibles
Another area where nonprofits can improve in assessing their technology needs is by taking the intangibles into account. Such things as time and knowledge are often ignored in favor of server capacity.
Whether talking about nonprofit or for-profit organizations, experts agree time and staff knowledge should be major factors in any technology decision, along with funding. After all, any change is an investment in time and knowledge as well as dollars.
Part of any good assessment is to find out how much time and knowledge are invested in the present system, how much would be lost by moving to another system and how much would be gained by moving to another system.
"Lost" time can be represented by the training, installation and "breaking in" time that new technologies often require. "Lost" knowledge is represented by the staff's relative efficiency on a system they know well.
The point to move to another system is when the nonprofit decides that, even with the "lost" time and knowledge, the amount of efficiency to be gained more than makes up for short-term pain. This can only be determined by assessing the current system and asking what it could be.
(A similar aspect concerning time is that of obsolescence. No organization wants to invest in some new system only to see it become almost useless two years later. In assessment it can be a problem to determine the rate of obsolescence. However, through talking to others with technology experience and wise comparisons, obsolescence, while almost inevitable, can be staved off for a while. It is important to remember, though, that equipment isn't obsolescent just because it is old.)
Another intangible often forgotten is that of size. Often technologies must be replaced because an organization simply outgrew them. An important part of assessing needs is to have some idea of what the long-term needs might be. Otherwise a nonprofit might acquire a system that works fine for the ones who are there, but must be replaced at greater cost in a year or two. Phone systems, computer network servers and database programs are notorious for being outgrown.
Finally, another intangible that is often overlooked in the quest for the technological solution is the performance of the organization. It is necessary, when assessing technology needs, to ask whether they are actually needs or simply parts of the organization's overall performance, experts say. Poor communications may not necessarily be solved by getting the latest communications technology, if the organization was not getting the full use out of its old technology.
Asking for help
At times, the task of assessing needs and capabilities may seem overwhelming. Technology assessment may be an intimidating task when one is faced with the complexity of today's technological world, particularly when assessment is so intimately bound together with technology planning.
When the job seems like it is too much, many organizations will ask for help. Where they go and how they view that help are key aspects of whether or not the relationship will be successful.
In the business world, the first option is often to hire a consultant, and the nonprofit world isn't that different. The difference is usually money. Consultants can be expensive.
However, there are some consultants that specialize in nonprofits and technology and are used to the pay scales involved.
Another source of "consulting" skills are local volunteers. While problems with using volunteers to perform ongoing, complex technical tasks may be well-documented, projects such as an assessment should not be a problem as long as the nonprofit remains involved in its own planning.
Also, there are quite a few nonprofits set up specifically to help other nonprofits with technology, sometimes through matching them with good volunteers (CompuMentor), sometimes through direct technical work (Center for Nonprofit Technology), sometimes through other means.
The most important thing to remember about using any of these in an assessment process is that, while they can bring technical expertise from the outside world to the nonprofit, only those who work at the organization can bring their specialized knowledge from within. Mission, work flow, personalities and tasks are all areas in which the nonprofit knows best.
Therefore, any nonprofit hiring or otherwise working with an outside entity to perform a technology assessment must realize that assessment is not a function that can simply be turned over to someone else. The organization must maintain control and participation in their own technology planning for it to be successful.
Doing it yourself
But what if one wants to do an assessment himself or herself? After all, even if turning the technical side over to someone else, it is still a good idea to know for one's self how the organization's technology looks.
That person would be in luck. Besides the number of organizations that are willing to give assessments based on worksheets, some make the worksheets available over the Web. While not every organization will fit a generic worksheet, having one available to look over may help fill in some of the questions that should be asked, but seldom are.
One worksheet that concentrates on the organization as a whole is a benchmarking tool designed by the National Strategy for Nonprofit Technology (NSNT). It asks questions concerning the organization's use of and planning for technology.
Another worksheet is supplied by ONE/Northwest, and covers the technical questions as well as the organization's use of technology. It leads nonprofits through an overall evaluation and one for each computer in the organization, helping to pinpoint specific improvements.
A good place to start looking for other such tools is the Benton Foundation's Best Practices Toolkit, which has links to Internet resources for the entire funding process.
Assessing a nonprofit's technology needs and capabilities may not be an easy task, but it is a necessary one. However, by including staff, who are assessing the technology every day as they work, and staying informed, it can lead to the best possible funding applications and buying decisions.
This article is the second in a continuing PNN series on technology funding. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please contact Shane Thacker at shanethack@mindspring.com or (919) 899-3746.
