|
|
|
Report of the Joint Table on Information Management/Information Technology
of the Voluntary Sector Initiative
September 2002
A Message from the Members of the IM/IT Joint Table
We, the members of the Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT)
Joint Table, are pleased to submit our report to the Joint Coordinating
Committee (JCC) of the Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI), and to the Minister
of Industry responsible for the implementation of this initiative.
When the voluntary sector and the Government of Canada launched the VSI
in the summer of 2000, one of their main goals was to serve Canadians
better by strengthening the capacity of the voluntary sector. They agreed
that helping voluntary organizations make more efficient and effective
use of technology to achieve their missions was a good way to contribute
to this goal. Our task as members of the IM/IT Joint Table was to recommend
how to do it. This report outlines our recommended strategy.
Our approach was to find out what voluntary organizations needed most
to improve their ability to achieve their missions, and then develop a
strategy for addressing those needs through effective use of information
management and information technology.
We commissioned surveys of the "current reality," as well as needs and
best practices. We reviewed the literature and the results of cross-Canada
VSI consultations with volunteers and voluntary organizations, collaborated
with other VSI joint tables, consulted experts in Canada and other countries,
and took advantage of the Joint Table's collective experience and expertise.
We also talked to many knowledgeable people about technology and the voluntary
sector to test our ideas as we developed them.
We were impressed by the challenge of developing a strategy capable of
addressing the priority needs of a sector whose organizations are so diverse.
Our strategy had to be helpful for organizations throughout the sector
and the country, but it could not be "one-size-fits-all."
We were equally impressed by the foundation for responding to these challenges.
This foundation includes the dedication of voluntary organizations to
achieving their missions; the creativity of many voluntary organizations
and networks across Canada already using the technology, existing infrastructure
and programs in innovative ways; the interest of the Government of Canada,
foundations and private sector partners in collaborating to strengthen
the sector's technological capacity and the growing recognition throughout
Canada that voluntary organizations are essential to our collective well-being.
We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to contribute to strengthening
the capacity of the voluntary sector. We value the ideas and collaboration
of the many volunteers, voluntary organizations, and private sector and
government partners who helped to shape the strategy we recommend, and
thank them for their contribution.
Voluntary Sector Representatives
Don McCreesh (Co-Chair)
Paul Dell'Aniello
Margaret Fietz
Ian Kershaw
Philip King
Kathy Marshall
Karen McGrath
Ex officio members:
Gary Birch
Marilyn Box
Josephine Sutton
Government Representatives
Lisanne Lacroix (Co-Chair)
Donna Achimov
Bob Cumming
Réjean Gravel
Rodney Hagglund
Susan Margles
Ex officio member:
Nancy Wildgoose
This publication is available upon request in multiple formats.
Contact the IM/IT Secretariat at the numbers listed below.
For additional copies of this publication, please contact:
IM/IT Secretariat
Industry Canada
2nd Floor
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1A 0C8
Tel.: (613) 990-7233
Fax: (613) 946-4483
For permission to reproduce the information in this publication for
commercial redistribution, please e-mail: copyright.droitdauteur@communication.gc.ca
Cat. No. Iu4-10/2002E-IN
ISBN 0-662-32522-2
53756B
Contents
Executive Summary
I. Introduction
II. Approach Identify
guiding principles for developing recommendations
Assess the current reality to provide a solid basis
for recommendations
III. Challenges Diversity
of the voluntary sector
Limited familiarity of board members, staff and
volunteers with IM/IT
Barriers to acquiring IM/IT
Challenge in finding funding
Limited means for organizations to communicate
and network
Sustainability of efforts to make effective use
of IM/IT
IV. Recommendations: A Technology
Strategy for the Voluntary Sector
V. Implementation
VI. Outcomes
VII. Conclusion
Appendix I: Summary of Recommendations
Appendix II: Definitions
Appendix III: Conceptual Model of a Portal
Appendix IV: IM/IT Joint Table Members
A key goal of the Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI), launched in June
2000, is to strengthen the capacity of the voluntary sector. The VSI recognizes
that information management and information technology can make a major
contribution to the capacity of voluntary organizations to achieve their
missions and to the sector's capacity to play its role as one of the three
pillars of Canadian society alongside the private and public sectors.
Recognizing that the voluntary sector is behind the private and public
sectors in making effective use of information management/information
technology (IM/IT), the VSI established the IM/IT Joint Table to develop
recommendations on how to increase the capacity of voluntary organizations
and the sector as a whole to make effective use of IM/IT.
The IM/IT Joint Table commissioned surveys, reviewed the literature, consulted
experts, reviewed the results of cross-Canada VSI consultations, and took
advantage of the experience and expertise of its members to develop an
accurate picture of the "current reality" regarding the sector's use of
IM/IT and related needs.
The Joint Table identified six main challenges facing voluntary organizations
and the sector in making more effective use of IM/IT:
- diversity of the voluntary sector
- limited familiarity of board members, staff and volunteers with
IM/IT
- barriers to acquiring IM/IT
- challenge in finding funding
- limited means for organizations to communicate and network
- sustainability of efforts to make effective use of IM/IT.
The Joint Table recommends a strategy with five components to respond
to these challenges:
- Increase the funding available to voluntary organizations for investing
in technology by establishing a dialogue with funders of the sector
in order to change their funding policies and practices to include
technology investments.
- Help voluntary organizations make more efficient and effective use
of technology by linking existing community-based networks together,
providing a central access point to the networks and providing access
to discounted pricing for IT investments through a virtual technology
store.
- Strengthen the capacity of voluntary organizations to communicate
and network by developing a portal.
- Increase the cost-effectiveness of grant-seeking and grant-giving
processes by developing a Web-based interactive funding service.
- Increase the awareness of voluntary organizations of the benefits
of information management and information technology for the achievement
of their mission.
Implementation of the strategy will be managed during the transition to
full ownership by the voluntary sector by the IM/IT Secretariat of Industry
Canada.
Information management and information technology (IM/IT)1
have been transforming organizations in the private, public and voluntary
sectors, particularly in the last decade or so. For many organizations,
the impact of the technology has been far-reaching, transforming their
operations, communications and structures, and even affecting their missions.
Although the transformation process may be challenging, most organizations
find the technology essential for achieving their missions.
The consensus of reports and knowledgeable observers is that the voluntary
sector2 has been behind
the private and public sectors in making effective use of IM/IT.3
It is a matter of concern. Voluntary organizations engage us in the life
of our communities, bring us together, provide many services (including
most of our social services) and give voice to shared concerns. They are
essential to our collective well-being. More effective use of technology
could make the contribution of voluntary organizations and the sector
as a whole even more valuable.
One of the main goals of the Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI), launched
in the summer of 2000, is to strengthen the capacity of the voluntary
sector. The VSI recognizes IM/IT as a key contributor to "capacity," along
with human and financial resources, skills, knowledge and experience.
The present report recommends a strategy for helping voluntary organizations
and the voluntary sector as a whole strengthen their capacity to use IM/IT
efficiently and effectively to achieve their mission.
More specifically, the strategy is designed to help voluntary organizations
use technology to develop more cost-effective ways for carrying out essential
activities such as:
- raising and donating money
- recruiting and supporting volunteers
- managing staff and board business
- delivering services
- advocating improvements in legislation, public policies and programs
- keeping abreast of new developments
- communicating inside and outside the organization
- networking with other organizations.
For the voluntary sector as a whole, the strategy is designed to support
the development of a stronger sense of the sector's role as one of the
three pillars of Canadian society alongside the private and public sectors,
and a greater capacity to play this role. The strategy takes account of
the Accord4 signed in
December 2001 by the voluntary sector and the Government of Canada to
enhance their relationship and strengthen their ability to serve Canadians.
The IM/IT Joint Table is one of six joint tables established under the
VSI. The mandate of the IM/IT Joint Table is to develop and implement
initiatives to help strengthen voluntary organizations with the knowledge
and technological capacity they need to achieve their specific mission
and mandate. The full mandate of the Joint Table and its program
and operating principles are available on the VSI website (http://www.vsi-isbc.org/eng/joint_tables/im_it/terms_of_reference.cfm).
The strategy is designed to be implemented before the conclusion of the
VSI, projected for the spring of 2005. Conceived as a sustainable strategy
that can respond to concrete, immediate challenges of voluntary organizations,
as well as to the longer term concerns of the sector as a whole, its benefits
should become progressively apparent during the implementation period
and over the long term.
Identify guiding principles for developing recommendations
The IM/IT Joint Table attached a high priority
to establishing principles and processes to guide its work. The program
principles listed below constitute the guiding principles adopted by the
Joint Table to help it develop practical recommendations for addressing
the priority needs of the voluntary organizations and the sector as a
whole.
The Joint Table's program principles, along with a brief commentary (in
italics), are:
a) Work in partnership with other sectors (e.g. private sector); share
the responsibility.
- recognizes that partners can make an important contribution to formulating
and implementing the strategy, that it should build on existing structures,
networks and programs, and that responsibilities and benefits should
be shared.
b) Do not create any solution that will put agencies at risk. All solutions
should balance risk and benefit to organizations.
- recognizes the need to avoid solutions that are like "an offer you
can't refuse" and that may lead organizations to overextend themselves
financially or otherwise.
c) Put organization and management ahead of technology.
- recognizes that technology should serve—not determine—the
needs of voluntary organizations.
d) Program should not be about hardware.
- recognizes the success of the federal VolNet program in providing
hardware to many voluntary organizations, and the need for a broad
strategy to strengthen technological capacity.
e) Begin with the mandate and mission of voluntary sector organizations.
- recognizes that mandate and mission should drive technological needs.
f) The solutions/recommendations must create the greatest impact upon
the sector, keeping in mind the specific needs of a variety of communities
of interest.
- recognizes that the strategy should aim to be relevant to all voluntary
organizations and the sector as a whole, while focussing scarce resources
on priority needs such as those typical of small and medium-sized
organizations.
g) All IM/IT products must meet the common look and feel of accessibility
guidelines.
- recognizes the fundamental importance of accessibility considerations.
h) The program must address the recommendations and guidelines established
in the Working Together document.5
- recognizes that the recommendations and guidelines of background
documents, such as Working Together, need to be taken into
account in any strategy.
5 Working
Together: A Government of Canada/Voluntary Sector Joint Initiative:
Report of the Joint Tables. Voluntary Sector Task Force, Privy
Council Office and Government of Canada. (August 1999) (http://www.vsi-isbc.org/eng/reports.cfm)
(Back)
|
Assess the current reality
to provide a solid basis for recommendations
The Joint Table focussed on developing
as clear a picture as possible of the "current reality" as the
basis for developing its recommendations. In addition to drawing on relevant
literature, the work and consultations of other VSI joint tables, the
views of experts, and the experience and expertise of its own members,
the Joint Table commissioned two surveys.
The first survey, Information Management/Information Technology —
Environmental Scan, prepared by PRA Inc., was an environmental scan
and literature review of information management/information technology.
The survey report, issued on March 31, 2001, identified general trends,
opportunities and gaps in information technology for voluntary organizations.6
The second survey report, Technology Needs of the Canadian Voluntary
Sector, prepared by RealWorld Systems and issued on January 29, 2002,
identified the needs of the voluntary sector primarily through interviews
with the staff and executives of voluntary organizations.7
The findings of both surveys are consistent with many other assessments
of the current reality and needs of voluntary organizations.8
These assessments are reflected in the results of consultations on the
Accord and National Volunteerism Initiative (which became the Canada Volunteerism
Initiative (CVI)), the views of experts solicited by the Joint Table,
including members of other joint tables and the VSI Joint Coordinating
Committee, and the views and experience of IM/IT Joint Table members themselves.
An important part of the current reality is the fact that governments,
voluntary organizations and the private sector have been working to develop
policies, programs, partnerships, infrastructure, networks and initiatives
that can support the voluntary sector's efforts to strengthen its technological
capacity. This represents a great deal of investment in terms of funding,
hardware, software, connectivity and ingenuity that can strengthen the
technological capacity of the voluntary sector.
At the federal level, a well-known example is the VolNet program, which
fulfilled its mandate at the end of March 2002 to offer Internet connectivity,
including computer equipment, new information technologies, network support
and Internet skills development, to voluntary organizations. Other examples
include Industry Canada's Community Access Program and Smart Communities
Program, and the Community Learning Networks under Human Resources Development
Canada's (HRDC's) Office of Learning Technologies.9
Some provincial governments have also made major investments in programming
that strengthen the technological capacity of voluntary organizations,
and these investments have resulted in some interesting initiatives.10
For some years now, the federal and provincial governments and many municipalities
have been undertaking major online initiatives designed to facilitate
the development of effective "electronic relationships" with organizations,
including voluntary organizations, as well as individuals throughout Canada.
The more sophisticated these initiatives become, the greater their value
to voluntary organizations that have integrated IM/IT effectively into
their plans and operations.
Across Canada, there are numerous community-based networks,11
many of which have been highly creative in developing the electronic infrastructure
and expertise needed by local organizations, including voluntary organizations,
to make efficient and effective use of the technology. These networks
often rely on funding, facilities and programming from a variety of governmental
and non-governmental sources to develop both the electronic infrastructure
and related training and technical support services needed by local voluntary
and public sector organizations to achieve their missions.
One of the strengths of the community-based networks and other community-based
initiatives is that they provide the basis for the kind of sustainable
face-to-face contacts with knowledgeable people concerned with practical
local issues that most voluntary organizations value.
Most of the surveys and assessments of the "current
reality" mentioned above identify issues that may pose challenges to strengthening
the technological capacity of the voluntary sector. The following are
leading examples of these challenges.
Diversity of the voluntary sector
The great diversity of the voluntary sector
poses a challenge to any strategy about technology aimed at having a significant
impact across the sector. For instance, the vast differences between large
urban-based organizations, such as universities, hospitals, national umbrella
organizations and major foundations, on the one hand, and the tens of
thousands of small voluntary organizations, including those in rural and
remote areas, on the other hand, strongly affect their capacity to make
effective use of technology.
The large organizations typically have the resources,
expert technical staff and access to communications infrastructure needed
to make extensive use of IM/IT. The small organizations, by contrast,
typically have meagre resources and very limited access to technical expertise.
Organizations in rural and remote areas generally lack communications
infrastructure, such as high-speed Internet or, in some cases, even basic
Internet service. This does not necessarily mean that all large organizations
have adequate resources or make efficient and effective use of technology,
nor that the opposite is true for small organizations. However, the cards
are generally stacked against the smaller organizations when it comes
to making cost-effective use of technology.
The diversity of voluntary organizations extends to many other dimensions
beyond those mentioned above, including their goals, their approach to
managing their affairs, the activities in which they are engaged, the
types of services they provide, their "clientele," the mix of volunteers
and paid staff, and their language of work. The diversity of organizations
poses a particular challenge to the leadership of the voluntary sector,
especially its capacity to communicate within and outside the sector.
A key challenge is to help develop in all voluntary organizations—regardless
of size, location or other characteristics—the technological capacity
suited to their diverse missions. This challenge includes helping to reduce
the technological gap (digital divide) between voluntary organizations,
and strengthening the capacity of the sector to play its role as one of
the three pillars of Canadian society.
Limited familiarity of board members, staff
and volunteers with IM/IT
Several surveys, including the PRA
survey mentioned earlier and the consensus of expert opinion, indicate
a general lack of awareness of IM/IT by staff and management at all levels,
including senior management and board members. Without direct experience
with the technology, management and staff often have an inadequate understanding
of its potential value and the resources and effort needed to use it efficiently
and effectively.
In addition, many organizations that have chosen to acquire the technology
do not possess adequate knowledge and skills to plan for its introduction/expansion
and long-term sustainability, and to provide for related staff/management
training and technical support.
Most Canadian voluntary organizations have Internet connections and use
e-mail routinely.12
Some have their own Web sites. Relatively few, however, have made IM/IT
an integral part of their operations to the point where they use the technology
strategically in fulfilling their missions. Predictably, larger voluntary
organizations make much greater, more sophisticated use of the technology
than many of the small and medium-sized organizations.
The table below, based on a report13
on technology in the U.S. voluntary sector, reflects some of the challenges
in adopting technology by focussing on attitudes toward technology. The
majority of voluntary organizations surveyed in that report fall into
categories 1 and 2. Given that Canada and the U.S. have embraced technology
to roughly the same extent, one can infer that Canadian voluntary organizations
fall into the same categories as their American counterparts.
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
| Technology is
overhead |
Technology is
overhead |
Technology is
necessary |
Technology is
a strategic resource |
| Upgrade only
when it hurts too much not to |
Upgrade as a
last resort |
Have and use
modern software and e-mail |
Have and use
latest software and applications |
| Fear technology |
Blend new and
old technology; may be networked |
Capable of using
technology strategically |
Use it to deliver
services, fund-raising and communication |
| Resist adopting
technology |
Adopt technology
at a slow pace |
Willing and able
to make technological changes |
Adopt and adapt
technology to meet their needs at a fast pace |
Many more private sector and governmental organizations
have moved closer toward categories 3 and 4 than those in the voluntary
sector. One implication is that if the voluntary sector is to play its
role as one of the three pillars of Canadian society alongside the private
and public sectors, and be an effective partner with them, it will need
to move closer toward categories 3 and 4.
A key challenge is to increase the familiarity of board members,
executives, staff and volunteers with IM/IT.
Barriers to acquiring IM/IT
One of the barriers to acquiring technology often
mentioned by voluntary organizations is the restriction applied by some
government departments and foundations to using the funding they provide
for acquiring technology.
A key challenge is to reduce this major barrier by persuading funders
that it is in their own interest, as well as that of voluntary organizations,
to provide funding for the acquisition of technology. The challenge includes
providing support for affordable acquisition of the technology.
Challenge in finding funding
Virtually any organization can legitimately claim
that it finds time and money too scarce to fully achieve its mission,
but for most voluntary organizations this scarcity poses a particular
challenge. Most voluntary organizations report spending a substantial
amount of time on the application and reporting processes associated with
raising money rather than actually doing the work they need to do to fulfil
their mission.
Many organizations recognize that raising money is an ongoing strategic
activity. It includes meeting real needs in the community and ensuring
that potential supporters understand and appreciate the work being done
and the need for adequate resources. A frequently reported frustration
arises, however, in connection with the application and reporting processes
required by funders, particularly those outside the community who do not
have the oppor-tunity to get a first-hand impression of the organization
applying for money. Application and reporting requirements are typically
extensive, unclear and different from one funder to another, including
funding organizations within governments.
A key challenge is to make funding application
and reporting processes simpler, harmonized, and, generally, more time
efficient and cost-effective.
Limited means for organizations to communicate
and network
Communication and networking are key elements
in capacity building as demonstrated by the public and private sectors.
The voluntary sector needs to improve its access to the communication
and networking tools now being used by the other sectors.
The VSI consultations confirmed the value of facilitating communications
and networking among voluntary organizations. Many participants remarked
on how useful it was to have the opportunity to get together with volunteers
and staff from diverse organizations in their region. The voluntary sector's
work to date on the VSI and the work of the Voluntary Sector Roundtable,
which led to the VSI, required extensive communications throughout the
sector. The VSI website has demonstrated the potential benefit of technology
that can help the voluntary sector strengthen its role as one of the three
pillars of Canadian society through efficient and effective communications.
A key challenge is to develop a portal for the voluntary sector
that can—among other things—help voluntary organizations get
the information and services they need, communicate and network, and help
strengthen the sector's capacity to play its role as one of the three
pillars of Canadian society.
Sustainability of efforts to make effective
use of IM/IT
The integration of IM/IT in most organizations
is a process that needs to be sustained over the long term. It is a process
that often raises serious questions about the substantial investments
required and the risks that they might not pay off.
Integrating technology involves much more than acquiring some computers,
Internet connections and software. It involves planning the introduction
or expansion of the technology to support an organization's mission, and
this usually calls not only for changes in the budget, but often for changes
in structures and operations as well. It involves deciding such matters
as the specific technology to acquire, the networks to connect with, the
training that staff, volunteers, board members and partners need to use
the technology effectively, and the technical support needed over the
long term.
The specific needs of individual organizations will vary with the broad
diversity of the characteristics touched on above. It is clear, however,
that addressing only one need, such as acquiring hardware, does not go
far in integrating technology effectively. It is also clear that the cost
of providing even a single basic computer to most small and medium-sized
voluntary organizations alone would consume all of the VSI's $94.6-million
five-year budget, let alone the IM/IT Joint Table's $10-million five-year
budget.
A key challenge is to develop a strategy that will ensure leaders
in the voluntary sector appreciate the benefits of IM/IT, remove the obstacles
to acquiring it, and provide the tools to integrate it into the plans
and operations of voluntary sector organizations on a sustainable basis.
Reflecting on the challenges outlined above and
on the reports, surveys and assessments from which they were derived,
the Joint Table considered the kinds of responses that would be of greatest
use to voluntary organizations throughout the sector, and of special value
to those that need help most.
The recommended response to the above challenges is a strategy that has
five components designed to support one another.
Recommendation 1:
Increase the funding available to voluntary organizations for investing
in technology by establishing a dialogue with funders of the sector in
order to change their funding policies and practices to include technology
investments.
The approach is to change current policies and funding practices of governments
and foundations that preclude, complicate or undervalue the importance
of providing funding to voluntary organizations for technology such as
hardware, software, Internet connections, upgrades and training.
Discussions with foundations and government agencies that fund voluntary
organizations—funders—have been encouraging. Many of them
recognize that providing funding for investment in technology makes sense
and that it strengthens the capacity of voluntary organizations to achieve
their missions – missions that funders are interested in supporting.
Some foundations and government agencies have been working toward the
recommended changes in funding practices and, in some cases, have already
made them. The action needed to make further progress on this component
of the strategy has four elements:
- develop a business case that demonstrates the value to funders of
investing in the technological capacity of voluntary organizations
- develop a business case that voluntary organizations can use to
support their applications for funding for investments in technology
- enlist the support of governmental and foundation partners who favour
changing funding practices in using the business case to persuade
the rest
- disseminate the business case to voluntary organizations for their
direct use with funders.
The change in funding practices would increase the funds available to
voluntary organizations for investment in IM/IT (see the list of essential
activities, in the Introduction). While the
total amount of funding available would not be directly affected by the
recommended change in funding practices, investing a greater share in
technology would lead to more effective use of all funding. This
would increase the overall capacity of voluntary organizations to deliver
services and otherwise achieve their missions.
Recommendation 2:
Help voluntary organizations make more efficient and effective use of
technology by linking existing community-based networks together, providing
a central access point to the networks and providing access to discounted
pricing for IT investments through a virtual technology store.
The approach is to help voluntary organizations plan the introduction
or expansion of the technology they need, acquire the technology, integrate
it effectively into their operations and sustain it—at an affordable
cost.
The key activities associated with effective use of the technology need
to be well coordinated. These activities include:
- planning (including budgeting) for the introduction and maintenance
of new technology
- acquiring and upgrading technology
- training of management, staff and boards
- technical support.
Implementation of this element of the strategy would build on community-based
IM/IT networks across Canada. These networks, as mentioned above, rely
substantially on existing "infrastructure" that governments, voluntary
organizations and the private sector have been putting in place for some
time.
The objective of this element of the strategy would be pursued through
three complementary avenues:
- link together up to 50 community-based IM/IT networks, leading to
sustainable, networked regional capacity for ongoing technology planning,
integration, training and technical support
- provide a central access point for voluntary organizations
- develop a "virtual technology store" accessible through the portal
and offering voluntary organizations advantageous procurement arrangements
for hardware, software and training, maintenance, support, etc.
The community-based networks can provide one of the most effective ways
to introduce and support information and communication technology because
they operate through practical face-to-face approaches at the local level.
A key advantage is that costly infrastructure and expertise, as well as
experience, can be shared by many different kinds of organizations that
serve the community.
Through a competitive selection process, existing community-based networks
could receive funding to help them expand their capacity to respond to
requests from local voluntary organizations for assistance in planning
the acquisition/expansion of technology, training and technical assistance.
A modest hourly fee would be charged to voluntary organizations for the
services supplied.
The acquisition of hardware, software, Internet connections, etc. would
be facilitated through an expansion of the types of advantageous procurement
arrangements that currently exist with major suppliers such as Apple,
IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq. To do this, a "virtual technology store,"
similar to some of the offerings of In Kind Canada14
and the U.S. TechSoup,15
but designed to meet Canadian needs, would be a key service on the portal
through which voluntary organizations could acquire the technology, training
and technical services they need at low cost.
Recommendation 3:
Strengthen the capacity of voluntary organizations to communicate and
network by developing a portal.
The approach is to develop a portal for the voluntary sector. The portal
would be a strategic IM/IT resource for the voluntary sector. Directly
or through linkages with voluntary organizations, governments, foundations
and private companies, the portal would provide Web-based services such
as the "virtual technology store" and funding exchange (see below) needed
by voluntary organizations. The portal can also be viewed as an interactive
electronic magazine to facilitate networking and advocacy, and generally
strengthen the sector's capacity to play its role as one of the three
pillars of Canadian society alongside the private and public sectors.
The design of the portal is based on experience with Canadian and foreign
portals for the voluntary sector.
Development and operating costs could be minimized through partnership
and leverage arrangements with government, such as sharing a common platform.
These arrangements, if they are more economical and advantageous for the
sector, would not compromise the independence with which the voluntary
sector could operate the portal. The portal would leverage and partner
with government while maintaining independence through a voluntary sector
management team. Sustainability could also be pursued through subscription
fees for specialized services such as the funding exchange and virtual
technology store. (Appendix III provides a conceptual model of the portal.)
Recommendation 4:
Increase the cost-effectiveness of grant-seeking and grant-giving processes
by developing a Web-based interactive funding service.
The approach is to develop a Web-based interactive service designed specifically
for the sector and its funders. The service would respond to a major priority
of voluntary organizations to significantly increase the cost-effectiveness
of the processes associated with searching, applying and accounting for
funding. The service would be designed to generate similar benefits for
governmental, foundation and private sector partners that provide funding
to voluntary organizations. The service could be sustained by subscription
fees from voluntary organizations and funders.
Using common technical standards, government, foundation and private sector
funders would participate by providing simplified, harmonized, online
application and reporting procedures. Voluntary organizations would participate
both by providing standard information about themselves and by using the
Web service for applying and accounting for funding. The changes in funding
practices under Recommendation 1 would contribute to the effectiveness
of the service.
Key benefits for voluntary organizations would include reducing the resources
they devote to application and reporting processes. The result would be
that more organizations would have the resources and inclination to invest
in the technology they need not only to raise funds, but also to fulfil
other aspects of their missions. This would help strengthen the overall
technological capacity of the voluntary sector.
Key benefits for governmental, foundation and private sector funders would
correspond to those of voluntary organizations, i.e., fewer resources
tied up in administration and paperwork, more funds available for distribution,
better matching of funding and suitable organizations/goals, open marketplace
and greater technological efficiency.
Recommendation 5:
Increase the awareness of voluntary organizations of the benefits of information
management and information technology for the achievement of their mission.
The approach is to mount a campaign targeting voluntary sector boards
and managers to raise awareness of the benefits of IM/IT and to provide
information on the tools available to help organizations adopt and use
the technology effectively.
The campaign would include:
- distributing information widely across the voluntary sector
- sharing best practices
- putting in place a sharing process for organizations making effective
use of the technology that are prepared to act as role models for
others.
The IM/IT Secretariat of Industry Canada, as the
staff team of the government department that sponsored the IM/IT Joint
Table, will supervise the implementation of the Table's recommendations
by organizations that have qualified themselves through a competitive
process.
The recommendations outlined above are designed
to generate the following outcomes:
- Boards of voluntary organizations understand the need for IM/IT
and are prepared to invest resources.
- IM/IT becomes part of the normal business planning process of voluntary
organizations.
- Funders are more open to supporting IM/IT expenditures.
- Voluntary organizations realize that other organizations overcome
similar challenges through IM/IT.
- Voluntary organizations have access to expert advice, appropriate
hardware and software, training and technical support at reasonable
rates.
- Voluntary organizations are able to reduce the time they spend looking
for sources of funding and filling out application forms.
- Voluntary organizations have a place of their own where they can
quickly find information, keep up to date and share experiences.
- Voluntary organizations feel that they belong to a family of organizations
with similar interests and facing the same challenges.
The five recommendations of the IM/IT Joint Table
reflect an integrated and coherent strategy to strengthen the technological
capacity of the voluntary sector. In developing its recommendations, the
Table was conscious of ongoing sustainability issues and therefore believes
that the recommended strategy addresses those criteria. As such, where
feasible, the strategy will build on or enhance existing processes and
projects in the sector.
The IM/IT Joint Table also believes that the strategy will go a long way
toward achieving the Table's mandate of increasing the capacity of voluntary
sector organizations to achieve their specific missions and mandates.
The Table recommends that Industry Canada ensure that services and products
developed as a result of the Table's recommendations are owned and sustained
by the voluntary sector once they are fully functional and the work is
completed or when the IM/IT Secretariat closes in March 2005, whichever
comes first. It should be noted that various collaborative mechanisms
may be in place by that time to foster the ongoing work within the sector.
The members of the Joint Table have expressed a desire to continue to
be involved during the implementation phase by providing advice and guidance
on an as-needed basis in order to ensure there is continuity and understanding
of the underlying rationale and logic behind the strategy.
- Increase the funding available to voluntary organizations for investing
in technology by establishing a dialogue with funders of the sector
in order to change their funding policies and practices to include
technology investments.
- Help voluntary organizations make more efficient and effective use
of technology by linking existing community-based networks together,
providing a central access point to the networks and providing access
to discounted pricing for IT investments through a virtual technology
store.
- Strengthen the capacity of voluntary organizations to communicate
and network by developing a portal.
- Increase the cost-effectiveness of grant-seeking and grant-giving
processes by developing a Web-based interactive funding service.
- Increase the awareness of voluntary organizations of the benefits
of information management and information technology for the achievement
of their mission.
Communication technologies are used
to communicate inside and outside the organization (mail, telephone, fax,
voice mail, e-mail, teleconferencing, video conferencing).
Information management (IM) is the ability to share and
communicate information, using technology, to improve the organization's
capacity in planning and management (including personnel, finance, marketing
and systems).
Information technology (IT) is the use of any sort of electronic
tools to help manage, store, manipulate, transmit or receive information
(e.g. e-mail, Internet, website, online resource centres, online discussion
groups).
Technological capacity is the development, acquisition and
productive use of technological tools (both information and communications
management) and related content in achieving a mission or mandate.
Technological tools, for the purpose of this report, include
not only Web- and Internet-based solutions, but also the full range of
office software and hardware common to modern organizations.
Voluntary Sector Representatives
Don McCreesh (Co-Chair)
Volunteer
YMCA Canada
Paul Dell'Aniello
Director
Seagram Chair of Management of Non-Profit Organizations
Université du Québec à Montréal
Margaret Fietz
President and Chief Executive Officer
Family Service Canada
Ian Kershaw
Consultant
Focus IT Solutions Inc.
Philip King
VP e-Business
United Way of Greater Toronto
Kathy Marshall
National Coordinator
Disabled Women's Network Canada
Karen McGrath
Executive Director
Health and Community Services
St. John's Region
Newfoundland and Labrador
Gary Birch (ex officio)
Chair
Advisory Committee on Assistive Devices
Marilyn Box (ex officio)
Secretariat Officer
Voluntary Sector Initiative
Josephine Sutton (ex officio)
Director
Womenspace
Government Representatives
Lisanne Lacroix (Co-Chair)
Corporate Secretary
Industry Canada
Donna Achimov
Director General
Public Access Programs
Communication Canada
Bob Cumming
Manager
Departmental Coordination
Rural Secretariat
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Réjean Gravel
Director General
Systems and Informatics Directorate
Corporate Services
Environment Canada
Rodney Hagglund
Director
Voluntary Sector Initiative
Charities Directorate
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
Susan Margles
Executive Director
Canadian Health Network
Health Canada
Nancy Wildgoose (ex officio)
Voluntary Sector Task Force
Privy Council Office
16
The positions with which Joint Table members are identified are
those they occupied during preparation of this report. Some members
have since moved to new positions. (Back)
|
|
|
