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TechBridge Delivers a Sustainable,
Pragmatic Approach to Technology Planning
Supporting homeless men and women who
are ready to take the steps necessary to reclaim their independence
is the mission of Samaritan House. Operating from several
locations throughout Atlanta, the agency's dedicated staff members
are passionately focused on helping adult men and women achieve self
sufficiency in an atmosphere of dignity, accountability and
choice.
Recognizing that technology can
strategically impact a nonprofit's efficiency and effectiveness,
Samaritan House Board members knew the organization needed to
upgrade its existing systems, but wrestled with how best to approach
the daunting task. Streamlining operations and reducing
administrative overhead was a priority. But like most
nonprofits, finding the extra time and resources necessary to
develop a sustainable technology strategy was almost
impossible.
"Our system was getting old, our
offices were not connected and there was only one person who
understood the technology, which made it difficult to solve problems
and plan for the future," said Sherrie Snipes-Williams, Executive
Director, Samaritan House of Atlanta. "In addition, our board
wanted to have a sustainable technology strategy that would allow
more people to understand and support the platform. We
recognized that to accomplish this, we would need some expert
advice."
The Solution - TechBridge
Technology
Planning
For nonprofits like Samaritan House, where employees and volunteers
have multiple responsibilities and are focused on executing
programs, developing a comprehensive, forward thinking technology
strategy is difficult. That's why Samaritan House engaged
TechBridge to develop a roadmap that would meet the organization's
present day requiremens while ensuring flexibility to support future
directions.
A Pragmatic
Approach
To develop technology plans for nonprofits, TechBridge uses a
specialized Technology Planning Methodology. The first step in
the process is a Current State Analysis. TechBridge
interviewed Samaritan House staff, inventoried the organization's
existing technology and assessed its use patterns. The second
step is a Future State Analysis, which captures the vision of where
the organization wants to go and the technology it needs to get
there. Next in the process is to define specific projects and
develop estimates of implementation costs for each project to help
the organiziation quantify the investment and project future
funding needs. The final step is to prioritize projects to
make the plan actionable. "Beyond being a workable technology
roadmap, the technology plan becomes a key tool for securing
funding," says Jack McMillan, Executive Director, TechBridge.
"Nonprofits can show funders a thoughtful plan and a viable
approach."
From Planning to
Reality
In the early stages of developing the Samaritan House plan,
TechBridge identified an opportunity for a quick win:
Samaritan House needed an infrastructure upgrade. TechBridge
helped Samaritan House acquire network, server and desktop hardware,
and leveraged its membership in the NPower Network to facilitate the
donation of $48,000 in Microsoft network and desktop software.
TechBridge was also able to tie Samaritan House's multiple locations
together electronically via an Internet-based virtual private
network (VPN), which gave the nonprofit wide area network capability
at a fraction of the cost. "Our approach allows us to react to
a situation quickly and do what is most pragmatic," McMillan
explains. "With Samaritan House, the need for new
infrastructure was immediate. We had the resources and
relationships in place to spin the project out of the planning
process and accelerate it."
Leveraging Technology to
Improve Service
Delivery
Today, Samaritan House of Atlanta is taking advantage of its new
technology infrastructure to automate records keeping and reporting,
which is freeing up staff to devote more time to service
hours. The organization is currently evaluating options for a
donor database, which is a key element of its technology plan.
They are also participating in technology training programs offered
by TechBridge to nonprofits.
Samaritan House continues to implement
its technology plan and is fine-tuning internal procedures to
maximize the plan's recommendations. "TechBridge helped us
understand that technology planning is a living process that
requires ongoing review and prioritization," said
Snipes-Williams. "The ball is in our court, but we can count
on TechBridge as a resource to help us research and identify cost
effective solutions that mesh with our infrastructure and our
culture."
Samaritan House of Atlanta
Founded in 1986, Samaritan House of Atlanta is comprised of
three core programs aimed at helping homeless men and
women who have decided to leave homelessness for independent
living. For more information, visit http://sdm3.rm04.net/ctt?kn=7&m=328164&r=ODQ2NjE3NDY0S0&b=3&j=NjE5ODAyNQS2
NEWS
UPDATE
Technology
Innovation Award - Call for Entries
TechBridge is now
accepting applications for the fourth annual Technology Innovation
Award to be announced at TechBridge's Digital Ball, Saturday, May 7,
2005.
The TechBridge Technology
Innovation Award, given by Accenture, honors Georgia-based
nonprofits whose innovative use of technology impacts their overall
mission, efficiency of day-to-day operations, effectiveness in
serving clients and key stakeholders, and increased fundraising,
advocacy or volunteer efforts.
The winner receives
$40,000 in TechBridge Services & Microsoft Software and
finalists receive $15,000 in TechBridge Services & Microsoft
Software.
Click here to complete the Online
Application
All entries
are due by March 11, 2005.
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