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Technology Gifts Provide Opportunities to Nonprofits |
Nonprofits often have a love-hate relationship with technology. They love to have the latest in computers and software to run their organizations and streamline fundraising. However, they often view technology as a budget-busting expense that, assuming they can afford it, they don't have the in-house expertise to keep running. "Technology is not their expertise," said Phil Davis, general manager and chief information officer for Porsche Cars North America Inc. "The smaller they are, the less likely they are to hire a company with a background in technology. Many of the systems that get implemented don't have all of the controls and safeguards that a large and more experienced firm might have." Davis sees the technology needs of nonprofits firsthand through his work with TechBridge, an Atlanta-based organization that helps other nonprofits with technology needs from hosting Web sites for free to providing consulting at significantly reduced rates. Davis was a host of TechBridge's signature fundraising event, the Digital Ball, for five years and now serves on the group's board. "Donors want to know their money is being effectively used. That requires analysis, controls and information and that is what technology can help with. Most of these nonprofits provide care to individuals and you have their names and addresses and cases. All of that is managed more effectively when you are using IT," he said. Davis is also typical of a new breed of donor who supports the mission of a nonprofit, but directs how his financial gift should be used. When he donated to the Georgia Aquarium last year, Davis targeted it to fund new services with TechBridge so the two-year-old aquarium could boost its educational programs. "From me being in technology, knowing that it can benefit many organizations, here I can give a gift to the Georgia Aquarium, which I very much believe in, and help make it more efficient in the use of technology. It is a win-win to me," Davis said. Technology also plays a critical role at the Center for Puppetry Arts, the largest nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to puppetry. The center was a finalist for TechBridge's Innovation Award in 2004, which came with a grant that funded the creation of its online Museum Store. Last year, a $14,500 grant from AT&T Inc. helped renovate its distance learning studios while an in-kind contribution from Tandberg, a Norway-based video-conferencing provider, provided a loan of video-conferencing equipment to open a second studio. "Our programming requests are so high, we were having to turn people away," said Patty Petrey Dees, the center's distance learning program director. "Without the support from Tandberg and AT&T, we definitely couldn't have opened a second studio." The center's distance learning studios have provided educational programming to more than 120,000 students in 42 states and three countries since its inception in 1998. Its second studio was built last fall and opened in January. "We provide to a lot of rural areas and we wanted kids to be able to experience these programs. This technology allowed us to reach those kids," Dees said. Even modest grants can provide a big boost. A $9,250 award last year from GE Infrastructure through TechBridge paid dividends for the Atlanta Education Fund, a nonprofit that supports Atlanta's public schools. TechBridge used the grant and leveraged it with their buying power to provide the education fund with new laptops, an office network, mobile technology, hosted servers and other technology improvements, said John Seral, GE Infrastructure's vice president and chief information officer, who served as a co-chair of the Digital Ball last year. "Antiquated technology was one of their issues," Seral said. "When it is old, when it is not up all of the time, when it is full of worms, huge problems can be solved by giving them an upgrade. It was a perfect marriage between TechBridge and GE to solve a problem." John Yates, a partner in the technology group at Morris, Manning & Martin LLP, said he hasn't yet seen "a pinch" in the technology budgets of small nonprofits he works with as a TechBridge board member, but added that targeted technology giving could help nonprofits weather the current economic downturn. "By and large, there is a feeling that technology really provides a competitive edge for these nonprofits and is critical to their constituents," Yates said. "People see this as a symbiotic environment where they are getting value out of it but they are doing something good at the same time."
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