IT for Non-Profit Organizations: It’s not just for profit

One of the transformative effects of current events at the end of the last decade has been the trend of people paying more attention to the work of non-profit organizations. They do all manner of work that most people take for granted: From educational services for out-of-school youth, to caring for veterans of war, or even participating in the occasional volunteer clean-up projects to help make a beach or a park safer and neater.

One can wonder: “If people are doing this kind of work, why doesn’t it always succeed in ridding society of its ills?” The short answer: Finances. The fact still remains that non-profit organizations operate (and should operate) like a small business enterprise. The objectives will differ – one is aimed towards earning money, while the other uses money for a greater goal – but that dichotomy takes nothing away from the missions that all businesses should target: Sustainable income, efficient processes, a well-trained competent staff and growth.

Imagine, then, the good that coordinated IT services can do for a non-profit organization. For example, an organization needs to do both work at the office, and work must also take place in the field. These two functions can be coordinated easily with network communications devices.

If, for example, your organization is a team of paralegal advisors who help take the preliminary acts for filing of court petitions or cases, you will invariably need to draw up a lot of legal documents, many of which can be more easily stored and more readily accessed with a digital database. For another example, a team involved with advocacy for a far-flung community organizing with indigenous people may be made more streamlined if there were means to transmit real-time events happening with the community online to a live internet audience, and with people in the headquarters taking care of promotions, attention-grabbing and the like.

If remote mobile Internet is not feasible in distant locations, another way could be to synchronize data gathered on the field with information in the headquarters regularly via physical means. Images from cameras or data collected with mobile devices can be consolidated and sorted easily upon return, for better strategizing. Imagine how much more money organizations can raise, or how many more lives they can save, with a proper, information-based plan of action.

These are examples of activities that information technology can help make better. These tasks are vital for a non-profit group from a field operations standpoint; however, there are also challenges that must be addressed at the home headquarters. One oft-cited example of this is the task of managing paperwork, forms and other notes that all need proper filing, sound organizing, and easy searching, retrieval and access. A paperless, remotely accessed system for such data can be critical. Financial papers, like tax forms, employee wages and expense accounts, cannot be left to just basic note taking and record keeping. It pays to have this information secured, so as any potential threats to security can be kept away.

These are all good areas for a non-profit group to invest in technology in. The trouble, however, is that not all such organizations have the finances to invest in technology, let alone work with it continuously. Most funding for such groups must go to operations, and while investing in IT can make them more efficient, it is not that easy to put money into it in the first place. There is also the matter of skill – not all people who are part of non-profit organizations have the kind of training or specialized knowledge that can useful in certain tight spots. If, for example, something goes wrong with a network router, or if the team will need to procure new computer monitors, then it may not be easy to find that kind of specialized help.

Starting up or strengthening a team’s IT applications like this might be best left for the IT consulting professionals. All Covered, for example, has experience in handling non-profit groups like Child, Family & Community Services, Inc., by working well within their budget and still accomplishing their needs. For more help on how All Covered can help you with your IT strategy and make technology work for you call us at 866-446-1133.

Andreas Krebs
Marketing Manager, All Covered, Inc.

Contact All Covered

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