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Good Enough Technology How Small NGOs can build capacity with IT

Good Enough Technology How Small NGOs can build capacity with IT. June 4, 2008 Edward Granger-Happ CIO, Save the Children Chairman, NetHope Executive Fellow, Tuck/Dartmouth. What I’m Doing at Tuck. Learning Auditing class on Comparative Leadership Models One on Social Entrepreneurship

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Good Enough Technology How Small NGOs can build capacity with IT

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  1. Good Enough TechnologyHow Small NGOs can build capacity with IT June 4, 2008 Edward Granger-Happ CIO, Save the Children Chairman, NetHope Executive Fellow, Tuck/Dartmouth

  2. What I’m Doing at Tuck • Learning • Auditing class on Comparative Leadership Models • One on Social Entrepreneurship • And one on Business Ethics • Advising • Independent study on disruptive innovation • Team project on tech collaboration for small nonprofits (NGOs) • Writing • NTEN/J. Wiley Book • Blog: http://granger-happ.blogspot.com/ • Lecturing • Leadership • Future of Technology • Good Enough Principle

  3. Three Take-Aways • Tech matters - it can move mission • Collaborate or perish - small NGOs can't win without collaborating • Collaborating is about trust - more than sharing info

  4. 1. An IT Strategic Framework

  5. Our business is delivering programs that have impact ClientsBeneficiaries How do we Grow impact? ResultsImpact ProductsPrograms DonorsRevenue

  6. To Build Capacity We Need to Do Seven Things More Effective Impact At Greater Scale Effective, Efficient, Scalable Programs Hiring Training Partnering Processes Standards Advocacy Tools Systems Impact Funding Support

  7. In US rural communities more children are reading at grade level Source: Save the Children

  8. Jones Fork Elementary School, Mousie, KY.

  9. In Bangladesh PDAs are delivering capacity gains 192,000 Beneficiaries. Source: Save the Children

  10. Food distribution center in Bangladesh

  11. In Bolivia the gain is 57% Source: Save the Children 18,000 beneficiaries

  12. Bolivia Food Distribution Records

  13. Connectivity is Foundational • Network infrastructure: NetHope • Connecting the field workers (inward) • Connecting the poor (outward) • Bangladesh - pay cell phone cottage industry that Muhammad Yunus’ Grameen Bank has incubated among poor women • Costa Rica - elimination of fraud by connecting farmers to the on-line port of export prices.

  14. There is an interesting relationship between connectivity & poverty U.S. Census Bureau and Telegeography Global Bandwidth report

  15. Leveraging IT at Save the Children New Program Venues e.g., US Literacy Program; Bolivia Education Program 1. Child-facing Work Flow Application Program Delivery Program Mgmt, Supply Chain, M&E., etc. 2. Field-facing Increasing Strategic Leverage Work Flow Applications Revenue/Donation Delivery Grant Mgmt, Web Donations, Donor Mgmt 3. Donor-facing 4. Supporting Infrastructure: “Keeping the Lights On” Desktop PC’s, Email, Internet, Servers

  16. The Strategies Change at Each Level New Pgm Venues Pilot, Build 1. Child-facing Work Flow Application Program Delivery Connect, Deliver 2. Field-facing Increasing Strategic Leverage Work Flow Applications Revenue/Donation Delivery Buy, Co-op 3. Donor-facing 4. Supporting Infrastructure: “Keeping the Lights On” Drive out costs, Outsource

  17. And the Good Enough Boundary is High New Pgm Venues Pilot, Build 1. Child-facing Innovative, value-added Technology Work Flow Application Program Delivery Connect, Deliver 2. Field-facing Increasing Strategic Leverage “Good Enough” Commodity Technology Work Flow Applications Revenue/Donation Delivery Buy, Co-op 3. Donor-facing 4. Supporting Infrastructure: “Keeping the Lights On” Drive out costs, Outsource

  18. 2. Survey Findings

  19. Upper Valley NGOs IT Survey Key Findings • Spending too low to meet tech aspirations • Lack of IT knowledge is a barrier • Financial barriers real, but affordable alternatives exist • Everyone should support online donations • Fundraising software can catalyze donations • Backup data more frequently

  20. The IT Spending Picture is Dismal 5x 18x 4x

  21. Selected Resources Discount Software and Hardware • Tech Soup: Offers a wealth of IT resources, including discounted product catalog, including name brand software and recycled hardware. www.techsoup.org/ • Tech Foundation: Sells discounted hardware for non-profits. www.techfoundation.org/ Consulting and IT Planning • NPower: A nonprofit network of organizations providing affordable technology assistance to other nonprofit and community organizations. www.npower.org/about/index.htm Fundraising and Online Marketing Advice • Network for Good: Provides seamless donations on-line for smaller nonprofits www.networkforgood.org/ • Mission Fish: uses eBay-based auctions to sell items and donate the proceeds to nonprofits. www.missionfish.org/ • Gifts in Kind: Provides product gifts to nonprofits www.giftsinkind.org

  22. Top Consultants

  23. Key Question • If you doubled your IT spending, would you still be playing catch-up for just keeping the lights on? • There has to be a better way

  24. 3. Collaborating & Partnering

  25. A story from Zaire “The tree the tempest with a crash of wood Throws down in front of us is not to bar Our passage to our journey's end for good, But just to ask us who we think we are.” –Robert Frost

  26. Building Collaboration “Who has expertise I can trust? Shared Specialization The IT Coop Joint Projects “What can we build together?” Increasing Levels of Trust Partnering “How can we work with corporations?” Basic Info Sharing “What are my peers doing?”

  27. What to Ask of Corporations • Advising, coaching and mentoring • Slots in training programs • Share bandwidth (where co-located) • Donate PC & laptops at end-of-lease • Fellowship and sponsored employee volunteer programs (skill-based and time-based) • Unrestricted cash

  28. Top 5 things to do tomorrow (or today) • Sign-up for Techsoup bulletins • Call local companies and talk about partnering • Get set up on Constant Contact or Salesforce.com • Sign-up for Network for Good • Create a Yahoo Groups list to share technology and other information (…and ask John and me to push for an IT coop business plan (beyond info sharing) by next year.)

  29. Next Steps • Scope out the possibilities for an IT Coop • Shared consulting/support • Shared web/file server hosting & backup • Shared fundraising systems guru • Shared technology procurement • Shared technology training

  30. Three Take-Aways • Tech matters - it can move mission • Collaborate or perish - small NGOs can't win without collaborating • Collaborating is about trust - more than sharing info

  31. Questions?ehapp@savechildren.org

  32. Appendix: Detailed Survey Results

  33. Upper Valley NGOs Strongly Interested in IT

  34. Small IT Budgets a Limiting Factor

  35. Lack of Knowledge/Comfort a Limiting Factor

  36. Current IT Situation

  37. Every Website Should Support Online Donations

  38. Technology Dreams

  39. Fundraising Software

  40. Data Backup Should Be More Frequent

  41. Most Satisfied with Current IT Consultant

  42. Appendix: Additional Slides from Valley Net / EC Fiber Presentation

  43. Positive Deviance Jerry Sternin’s work in Vietnam; finding the families that were thriving in malnourished cultures and replicating the successes by turning these “positive deviants” into teachers and examples for the community See the Fast Company article on Jerry, here: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/41/sternin.html and the HBR article, here: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp?ml_action=get-article&articleID=F00101 Look for where the success stories are occurring: spotlight them! 44

  44. Communities care about social responsibility Some recent data: WSJ report: survey of 1,800 13-to-25-year-olds 79% want to work for a company that cares about how it affects or contributes to society 64% said their employer's social and environmental activities inspire loyalty One of top 3 questions asked by Microsoft applicants: What’s your social responsibility program? 50% of Tuck applicants who are accepted ask about the Allwin Initiative for Corporate Citizenship What you do to support local nonprofits matters! 45

  45. Don’t Bet Against the Network The case of an ADSL line in Islamabad, Pakistan Went from $3,000/month for 128Kbps in 2003 To $300/month for 256Kbps in 2004 A factor to 20 increase in 12 months! Conclusion: by the time it takes to work around the network shortfalls, the network will be where you need it to be As Wayne Gretsky so eloquently said: you need to “play where the puck is going to be” Stay the course: The broadband fiber network dream is the future 46

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