April 17, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
A new book guides charities through the process of developing a technology plan based on their mission and organizational goals.
Wired for Good shows nonprofit groups how to design a planning team that is representative of the entire organization; analyze their business processes and current technology infrastructure; identify new software and equipment needs; plan for training, maintenance, and security; and figure out how to pay for the cost of carrying out their technology objectives.
The book includes worksheets that charities can use as they develop their plans, as well as case studies from nonprofit groups that have already gone through the process.
The book was written by Joni Podolsky, founding program director of Wired for Good, a program of the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits that from 1999 until 2002 offered a nine-month series of intensive workshops to help Silicon Valley charities develop technology plans. Local technology companies provided money to run the program and employees to teach the workshops.
Ms. Podolsky believes that technology planning that focuses on the work a charity does can help organizations better achieve their goals and avoid making unnecessary or inappropriate purchases.
“A technology plan focused on mission is most likely to outline technology that facilitates improvements in the organization,” writes Ms. Podolsky. “This decreases the danger of implementing technology for technology´s sake.”
For more information about this publication: Wired for Good
