Nonprofit Organizations Can Increase Efficiency by Using Technology Plans

Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits
by Joni Podolsky

Technology can help nonprofit organizations carry out their missions more efficiently, writes Joni Podolsky, founding program director of Wired for Good, a program of the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits, in San Jose, Calif.

This book is designed to help charities add hardware, software, and computer networks in ways that enable their operations to run more smoothly. The author cautions, however, that charity officials should not be tempted to purchase new technology for its own sake, but should always keep the organization’s mission in mind and design a technology plan that reflects that mission.

Ms. Podolsky discusses how charities can determine their technology expenses accurately: In addition to the initial cost of the equipment, charities should figure out the costs of maintaining and periodically replacing hardware and software and training staff members to use them properly. She notes that having a clearly defined technology plan may also help a charity raise money, because, she says, donors are more likely to give gifts of computer equipment or grants to pay for such products if they understand how their donation fits into the organization’s long-term strategy to increase efficiency.

The book includes several sample technology plans from nonprofit organizations. Worksheets are provided to help nonprofit executives assess their current equipment and decide what new items they need.

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103-1741; (415) 433-1740 or (800) 956-7739; fax (415) 433-0499 or (800) 605-2665; http://www.josseybass.com; 290 pages; $35; I.S.B.N. 0-7879-6279-1.