|
Executive Summary
This report presents an overview of the first 50 technology assessments done for Greater Milwaukee nonprofits by ENTECH (Empowering Nonprofits inTechnology). ENTECH, a program of the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management, is housed in the Center for Urban Initiatives and Research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The report is a first-ever look at the technology capabilities, deficits, needs and potentials of Greater Milwaukee nonprofits. Sections of the report address nonprofits' current technology use in the areas of planning, training, hardware, protection and security, networking, Internet use, information management and technology policies.
Although a handful of Milwaukee nonprofits are making good use of the benefits that technology has to offer, the reality is that most are not. Ninety-four percentof nonprofits do not plan for their technology needs. Most have management and program staff with poor technology training, have out-of-date hardware, use inconsistent and/or ineffective protection and security systems for sensitive information, are not networked internally, make little use of the Internet, and have not yet taken advantage of available software to help with the critical tasks of information management, such as donor management, client tracking and case management.
This report defines the challenges inherent in each of the above areas and suggests strategies to meet those challenges. The strategies, which are practical and budget conscious, stress the use of free or low-cost products and services as well as technology sharing among nonprofits where feasible.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Organizational Summary
Future Directions
Technology Planning
Training
Networking
Information Management
Hardware
Protection & Security
Internet Use
Technology Policies
Appendix |
