Technology Grantmaking Toolkit: Practical tools for technology grantmaking in Canada's voluntary sector

3. What is the bottom line for basic tech capacity?

Objective: Help not-for-profit managers and funders assess whether basic technology tools and skills are in place in an organization.

For most people, it is hard to answer the question: 'Is the technology foundation of this organization a sound one?' This chapter of the toolkit provides a simple set of five probes aimed at helping not-for-profit managers and funders to answer this question. Grantmakers can use these probes when reviewing proposals with a technology component to determine whether the VSO has the basics already in place. Managers can use these probes to do a quick assessment of the technology capacity of their organization. The five probe questions are:

1. Does the organization have a technology plan?
   
   
2. How frequently does the organization back up data?
   
   
3. Does the organization have a high speed Internet connection shared by all staff?
   
   
4. Does the organization have a process to ensure that database content is kept current?
   
   
5. Can all necessary staff update and add content to your organization’s web site? How?

These questions should be seen as probative, not prescriptive – they are just meant to provide a snapshot of technology capacity. Notes on interpreting – and responding to – each of these questions is provided below.

Many funders and organizations don’t think past the initial purchase and installation of computers. All organizations need some kind of technology plan to maintain a stable, up-to-date technology infrastructure for its staff and volunteers. Budgeting for future upgrades is especially key here.

If there is no budget in place, it is likely that the organization is dealing with technology in an ad- hoc manner and that there are weaknesses in its core infrastructure. Ideally, tech budgeting should be dealt with using a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) approach that accounts not just for hardware but also software, network connections, training and support. TCO can be calculated in many ways. Some organizations simply allocate 2-3% of their total budget for the total cost of technology; others assume $250 per month per workstation to cover technology costs, while other organizations calculate quite accurate budgets for their technology needs.

The lack of a technology plan and budget may also point to the fact that the organization does not have qualified internal staff or outside contractors who have been assigned to deal with technology support issues. Many voluntary organizations rely solely on 'accidental techies' – counsellors, program staff and even executive directors who end up doing all the organization's tech work simply because they know how. This can be dangerous, both because these people may not have big-picture tech skills and because tech work usually distracts from the core work these people have been hired to do. If an organization is using accidental techies, it should make sure they have time set aside for this work and should offer them training on topics like tech planning and budgeting.

If an organization does not have a technology plan or budget, it is worthwhile to encourage them to develop these documents. This will ensure that they have the resources in place to keep their systems up and replace them over time. Planning tips and templates are included later in this document.

Backups of key organizational data – documents, databases, e-mail archives – are an essential part of an overall security and disaster prevention strategy.

All organizations should do some kind of automated backup on a regular basis, with tapes or CD ROM copies of the backup kept offsite at a safe location. While the frequency of the backup depends upon how often critical information is updated, a good rule is to do weekly backups. Backups should be regularly tested by restoring data to see if the backups are working correctly. If you haven’t tested your backups, assume that they won’t work. If they are not stored offsite, assume that your organization will have a flood or break-in and you will lose your data.

The existence of a good backup regime most likely indicates that other security and disaster recovery mechanisms are in place. Organizations with sound disaster recovery plans can get back on their feet quickly after a systems failure or virus attack. Organizations without backups and associated systems can be down for weeks – or even months – if they become the target of a hacker or virus.

Also, a lack of security and disaster recovery strategies often points to a lack of technology planning and qualified technical staff. For example, the use of firewalls that deter hackers and up-to-date virus protection software are essential for protecting data and your clients’ privacy. Organizations that do not deal with disaster recovery well should be encouraged to develop a technology infrastructure plan and to ensure that proper staff or consulting resources are in place to deal with technology support issues.

The existence – or lack – of a high speed Internet connection reveals many things about an organization's technology capacity.

At a base level, it shows that a local area network is in place (staff and volunteers can collaborate inside the office) and that all computers have Internet access (staff and volunteers can conduct research and collaborate with the outside world).

In most cases, it also demonstrates at least some level of technical sophistication and planning at the management level. The benefits of high speed Internet easily out-weigh the costs in most urban locations. Organizations that hang on to dial up accounts are often demonstrating a “penny-wise, pound foolish” attitude to technology. This can be a red flag that an organization needs significant technology planning assistance.

In order to encourage 'efficiency thinking', grantmakers should be open to cover the cost of services like high speed Internet access, even if it is a few dollars more than dial up.

For most voluntary organizations, relationships are amongst their most valuable assets. More and more organizations use a database to track these relationships and manage communication with clients, donors, volunteers and partners.

An organization's 'information update process' indicates a number of things. Obviously, it reveals whether or not an organization is committed to maintaining the quality of its data. If there is a process in place for updating contact information, it is likely that the organization has good quality data. If there is not a process in place, it is almost guaranteed that the database is out of date, which makes it less and less valuable as an organizational asset.

Asking about the updating process may also reveal how accessible a database is within an organization. Easy updating of a database usually requires that all relevant staff have direct access to the database. This means delivering the database over a local area network (a LAN is in place) or over a secure web connection (a high speed Internet connection is in place). It also means distributing control over the database throughout the organization. The lack of a good system for updating may indicate that an organization is unnecessarily hoarding control of information systems at the management or administration levels of an organization. This in turn may mean that technology investments are not being used effectively to support the work of staff and volunteers across the organization.

The answers to this probe are especially important if an organization is seeking support for a large strategic technology project. If an organization does not have good procedures in this area, it most likely does not have the planning and management capabilities necessary to take a major strategic project forward. The organization should be encouraged to develop a detailed strategic tech plan for their project, possibly with the help of an outside consultant.

Web sites are of increasing importance for almost all voluntary organizations. Depending on the organization, they can help with key tasks like handling basic inquiries and referrals, recruiting new members, disseminating research and reports and providing a channel for remote service delivery.

As web sites become more important, it is essential that key staff and volunteers throughout the organization have the ability to add and edit content to the sections of the web site for which they are responsible. This can happen in a number of ways – close cooperation with a webmaster, technical training for non-technical staff or creation of an automated 'content management system' that allows non-technical users to easily post content using a web form.

A well-designed process allows staff to update a web site. This is an indicator that an organization is taking a strategic approach to technology. It shows that the organizational leadership understands that the web site exists to support the strategic and programmatic goals of an organization – and that the people who do strategic and program work need to drive the web site. Organizations without a sound approach to distributed web site updating may be focusing too much on the technology aspects of the web, and therefore leaving control over all aspects of the web site with technical people.

This line of questioning can also reveal information about the technical sophistication of an organization. If an organization has a database-driven content management system in place to allow staff to update their site, this most likely reveals that they see the value of automating time-consuming technical work. It is also a likely indicator that an organization has strong strategic technology planning and budgeting capabilities.