January 13, 2000 | Read Time: 1 minute
More than 90 per cent of non-profit organizations in Michigan have access to desktop or laptop computers and fax machines, according to a new survey.
The survey — commissioned by United Way Community Services, in Detroit, and the University of Michigan School of Social Work, in Ann Arbor, and conducted by Public Sector Consultants — asked 635 Michigan charities about their use of computer and Internet technology.
More than three-quarters have e-mail and access to the Internet, and slightly more than half of the groups operate a Web site.
Charity leaders said that training was one of their primary technology concerns. Only 40 per cent of the employees that manage charities’ computer systems have received formal training. A majority of the groups surveyed responded that software training in spreadsheet, financial, word-proccessing, and graphics programs is either “very important” or “somewhat important.”
The report, “Survey Report on Selected Nonprofits and Information Technology,” is available on line at http://comnet.org/techsurvey. To order a free printed copy, contact Dan McDougall, Director, Southeastern Michigan Information Center, United Way Community Services, 1212 Griswold at State, Detroit 48226; (313) 226-9272; dmcdoug@uwcs.org.
