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| Volume VI Issue 10 |  | October 2011 |
| GroundWork group...Strengthening the ability of nonprofits to achieve their missions | ||
In this issue...
Here's What You Missed…
…if you weren’t at the GWg 6th Annual Central Ohio Nonprofit IT Conference
“Is The Cloud Right For You?” – PROBABLY!!
Cloud Computing and how you can put it to work for you
Social Media best practices among Central Ohio nonprofits
Crafting your Fundraising approach for different generations
Technology Planning ideas for the modern nonprofit
Kathy Starkoff, CIO, The Ohio State University, kicked off our day with the message Technology is the Easy Part: Becoming a High Performance Organization. Drawing from the experience of The Ohio State University’s recent transformation, she shared the need to focus extensive efforts on transforming people and processes. First, the plan must recognize the good parts of the organization – decide what to keep and what goes. When developing the plan, deciding how to do things is more important than all the fine details. Determine what to centralize – systematic business functions such as the archives of your organization – but limit the mandates for creative areas so as not to stunt innovation.
In the workshop Overview of Cloud Computing, Ron Savoia, Founder, Managing Partner, Stratus Innovations Group pointed out that Cloud Computing is similar to public utilities. Rather than generating our own power supply, individual businesses and homes rely on the electric company. Similarly, Cloud Computing allows organizations to invest in strategic technology while having a service provider take care of the technology basics.
Benefits of moving your computing environment to “The Cloud:”
- Lowers cost to the user through economies of scale.
- Value added – your small organization gets to take advantage of a much larger organization’s $500,000 investment in secure technical environments.
- Pay for only the capacity you need – stop paying to own servers with far greater capacity than your organization will ever need…but with the option to scale up capacity when needed.
- Refocus your IT staff. 80% of a typical IT budget goes toward daily business operations and fighting fires. Moving to an IT environment in “The Cloud” allows your internal IT focus to shift to customers.
- Removes a great amount of your IT hassles: Provider handles security & application “patches,” version upgrades, software and hardware maintenance, “end of life” support issues, service availability and stability issues and server storage.
In Technology Planning, Ramona Swayne, VP, Operations, Alvis House, defined Technology Planning as a roadmap to change the way you process and use information, a tool for budgeting and collaboration, a framework for prioritizing short and long term IT goals, and a document connecting technology to your missions goals.
Benefits of an Information & Technology Plan:
- Technology provides faster access to accurate information, and good information means good decisions.
- Technology can have direct, positive impact on service delivery.
- Time saved through automation means more staff time devoted to direct service.
- Technology can increase staff and volunteer effectiveness and morale.
The quick “How To” --
- Assess the state of your IT
- Set goals
- Prioritize activities
- Establish your timeline
- Re-evaluate annually
Generations and Giving – Stage of Life Factors in Philanthropy, presented by Terry Schavone, Senior Vice President, Donor Services and Development, The Columbus Foundation, identified the characteristics of today’s five living generations, the best methods for reaching out to each generation, and how to use their values to draw them into the mission of your organization.
- Generational characteristics are helpful in developing fundraising strategies.
- E-philanthropy should be directed primarily to Generation X and Millennial’s for annual giving programs and special projects.
- Major gift philanthropy must take into account the sources of wealth available to the prospective donor, regardless of age.
- The donor’s values, dreams, identification with the mission of your organization and stage of life all are relevant to their decision to invest in your organization.
- Proper stewardship following a major gift strongly influences if that donor will be inclined to make another major charitable investment in your organization.
- The “ultimate gifts” made by major gift donors are often a combination of lifetime and estate giving. The stages of life model can help you understand the donor’s mindset as they consider their charitable legacy and what is most important to them.
Advanced Cloud: OpportunITy in the Cloud, presented byTom Walters, Manager, Infrastructure Solutions, Quick Solutions, outlined the questions to ask when identifying a cloud services provider and introduced Microsoft Office 365 as a viable option for organizations ready to move their daily operations to an Internet-based offering.
No matter which provider you select, you should be considering…
- Leveraging current IT investments -- staff training & experience and document library formats
- Leveraging on-premise systems -- archiving solutions and vertical specific applications
- Protecting data -- compliance requirements and security that small nonprofits cannot equal
- Ensuring availability -- 24/7?, published SLAs (with financial incentives!), frequency of back-ups and procedure for a restore
- Ensuring compliance -- security and records management
- Provide something better, not just “as good as…mobility…offline/home/mobile device/kiosk…new features
Our Social Media Panelists covered topics ranging from the importance of social media policy to managing negative messaging to sharing info about the sites on which they are "being heard" the most. Read the insights of Bill Balderaz, President, Webbed Marketing; Charles Barber, Communications Manager, Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks; Chris Groves, E-Communications Manager, United Way of Central Ohio; and, Adam Reiss, Director of Marketing, Columbus Jewish Federation.
Why should professionals be informed about social media?
For small nonprofits, it is an inexpensive way to get your message out!
What is the most effective way to manage information shared about your organization but outside of your site?
-Use social media policy to get more people to share your story, not fewer. Don’t limit employee usage, help them to better spread your organization’s message.
-Your network of followers often come to the rescue when an organization receives negative messaging.
-Respond to negative posts with factual accuracies.
-Don’t try to change people’s minds.
Any tips for small staff/no social media staff?
-Use tools available to manage decks and integrate your social media sites.
-Utilize volunteers, but make sure they understand your messaging.
-Schedule your tweets…today 50-75% of tweets are scheduled.
- You don’t need to be on 50 sites…Go where your volunteers, donors and clients are.
-Streamline your marketing efforts -- Think “What can you stop doing today because you are using social media?”
Which social media site is best?
-Different audiences prefer different social media sites – it’s best to involve several sites in your strategy.
-Facebook has the largest the audience. People who are faithful to particular websites visit them 2X per month – Compare that with the fact that Facebook users are on their sites for an average of 14 minutes every day.
-Central Ohio’s nonprofits seem to spend their efforts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Best way to increase traffic to your site?
-Increase frequency of messages.
-Increase your number of contacts, get retweeted, host guest blogs.
-Talk about other people as much as yourself.
-Make sure you share a good balance of statistics and anecdotes. People are much more interested in stories about people rather than numbers.
How much is too much in posting?
-Consensus was 1-3 Facebook posts each day.
-The number of tweets per day among our panelists brought quite a range of responses – from 5 tweets/hour to promote major events down to once a day.
What do you think the future will hold?
-Email and laptops will phase out.
-For researching and consuming, it will become less about websites and more about social media sites.
What’s in it For Me? How GroundWork group is Embracing the Cloud and Shared Services, presented by the GWg Team, identified our cloud-based offerings and future developments to keep pace with our customers’ emerging technology needs.
- GWg invites continual conversation for our Nonprofit Members to share what’s working…what’s not working…what technology offerings do you want us to develop?
- Contact GWg to access QuickBooks Financial via the cloud or to consider our web-based Managed IT Services and/or Information Management System -- developed before “The Cloud” was the buzz.
- GWg Training in the Cloud…our partnership with MindLeaders gives our Members access to Internet-based educational opportunities…convenient and affordable. See related article in this eNews to find out how you can access a MindLeaders course for FREE!
Thank you for the positive feedback…
“Great job as always.”
“Great job staff and Education Committee.”
“The group panel was great…Loved the update from the staff members of GWg.”
“The breakout sessions were wonderful.”
Thank you Attendees, Presenters, Volunteers and Sponsors for helping make our Annual Conference a success…your comments help us improve our program!
See you next year for our 7th Annual Central Ohio Nonprofit IT Conference!
Member Spotlight: Prevent Blindness Ohio
From left to right: John Hrusovsky, Former GWg National CEO; Sean Whalen, Treasurer, Prevent Blindness Ohio Board of Directors; Rachel Eaton, Director of Administrative Services, Prevent Blindness Ohio; Joe Gallo, CIO, The Columbus Dispatch and Chair, GWg Columbus Board of Directors
Prevent Blindness Ohio (PBO) won the 2011 GWg Nonprofit IT Creativity Award for Constituent Management, among a slate of 13 nominees. PBO, Ohio’s leading volunteer nonprofit public health organization dedicated to preventing blindness and preserving sight, was awarded for demonstrating the use of technology to support a strong constituent management strategy, including tools, updates, high data collection standards, documentation and security.
The award event honored nonprofits for the innovative and meaningful ways in which they are leveraging Information Technology (IT) to support their business functions to help them effectively and efficiently achieve the goals of their missions.
PBO utilizes Groundwork group’s Information Management System (IMS) as their main constituent management database to maintain more than 100,000 donor, volunteer and patient constituent records. Groundwork group’s IMS tool is the backbone of PBO’s Cycle of Sight Constituent Relationship Development Program, E-Y-E-S.
E - Enter – People enter PBO’s constituent management system through a special event, volunteer opportunity, first-time donation, service recipient, or contact with staff, volunteers or donors.
Y - Yield –Strong data collection strategies and targeted communications allow PBO to reconnect with patients, volunteers, and donors – making a deeper connection.
E - Expect –The opportunity to request a commitment of time and/or money, or the time to close a patient case successfully with the receipt of donated professional eye care services. Most people give because they are asked. Most patients receive the help they need to save their sight when they are supported through the process.
S - Share– PBO reconnects with the donor or volunteer and helps them become a connection for new donors or volunteers…becoming the reason other constituents Enter the cycle.
Founded in 1957, PBO serves more than 800,000 Ohioans in all 88 counties each year through outreach and education efforts designed to connect Ohioans in need with critical sight-saving resources. PBO is an affiliate of Prevent Blindness America, the country’s second-oldest national voluntary health organization. Learn more about PBO’s Vision Research Scientific Forum November 10, their mission and other upcoming events by visiting http://ohio.preventblindness.org.
GWg OC Introduces MS 2010 Office Products to the OCCF
GroundWork group Orange County introduced a new in-house class focusing on the essential navigation differences between MS 2003/1007 and MS 2010 Office Products for the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) employees and staff members. Since this Microsoft upgrade was substantial, GWg OC put together a simple overview and training session to discuss the key upgrades and improvements. GWg OC can deliver this two-hour course on-site to any nonprofit in Orange County.
As with any major software upgrade, full staff training is recommended for an organization to maximize available benefits. The training took place at OCCF on a Friday morning and was implemented with on-site support the following Monday for a flawless rollout and transition. By eliminating the unknown in the new software release, OCCF successfully implemented the latest MS Office smoothly and efficiently for its entire staff.
Many organizations introduce new software to their employees with minimal training. When a revised version is introduced to an employee’s computer, there are frustrations and downtime. The end-user stumbles through new toolbars and edited features. Depending on the end user’s experience level and intuitiveness, this situation can be a minor burden in getting daily business done, or it can be a major obstacle. Employees will spend much time in “online assistant” or in “help” trying to maneuver around the new program or just revert to the previous version because that is simply where they are most comfortable.
To circumvent these types of issues, GWg OC recommends instituting a scheduled, organization-wide upgrade and release that provide an overview of the changes and a forum for questions and answers. Our teaching professionals are experts in computer technology and training. They know the differences between software versions and what specifically needs to be pointed out. Additionally, each training session has a manual created for the particular choice topic, acting as a guide during the training and as a reference manual thereafter. This process allows for a smooth transition to the upgraded version, taking the fear and unfamiliar out of new features and system changes before they create unnecessary downtime headaches.
This training session coincides with the many other smart things GWgOC is doing to simplify everything related to business for nonprofits in our community. As a nonprofit organization that exists to serve other nonprofits, it is our goal to learn about your business model and clients, so we can best serve our community. Please contact us at GWg OC, infoOC@groundworkgroup.org, as we welcome the opportunity to get to know you better in the upcoming months.
FREE – Sign Up for a MindLeaders Business or Technical Course
Thanks to the generosity of MindLeaders and the Tony R. Wells Foundation, GWg is offering a limited number of MindLeaders series licenses to nonprofit organizations AT NO COST! You can apply for one of these complimentary courses by calling or emailing Carolyn Green at GroundWork group. Check out the courses at www.mindleaders.comand see the application details below.
MindLeaders offers thousands of online courses for people to increase their skills at their own pace. For the GWg offer, choose from any of the nearly 3,000 courses from the MindLeaders Business or Technology Packages. MindLeaders Business courses include professional skills and software skills, such as leadership, Microsoft Office and project management. MindLeaders Technical courses specialize in Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco, Java, and Oracle certifications and competencies.
Application Details– contact Carolyn Green, cgreen@groundworkgroup.orgor 614-884-7780, ext. 109. Please provide your name, the name of the nonprofit for which you work, the name of the MindLeaders course you would like to take, your phone number and email address.
An Event You Should Know About – Buckeye 1,000
On Sunday, November 20th, 200 volunteers will gather for a special packing session for Operation Buckeye, to pack 1,000 boxes for shipment to troops from National Guard units based in Central Ohio scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan the first week of November, 2011.
Founded by Jim and Nancy Caronis at their dining room table, Operation Buckeye sends individual boxes to the men and women of our armed forces stationed in hostile regions of the world as a way to express appreciation and respect for our troops and to bring them a touch of home. Operation Buckeye is an all-volunteer organization and relies on donations to purchase items for the boxes and to pay the shipping costs. Among the items included in each box are food and snacks, personal hygiene items and a genuine Buckeye. Boxes are packed and shipped all year long by volunteers at Operation Buckeye’s headquarters in Clintonville on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. During the first year, 94 boxes were shipped. In its six years of operation, over 20,000 boxes have been sent to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the recipients have responded with thank you notes saying, “You don’t know what it means to get a package from a total stranger!”
The Buckeye 1,000 project will cost approximately $26,000, including shipping costs of $10,000. Donations to support this ambitious project can be sent to Operation Buckeye at P.O. Box 1814, Westerville, OH 43086. For additional information, including making donations and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.operationbuckeye.org.
Upcoming Education Events – Columbus
GWg Nonprofit IT Forum – Digging Deeper…Expanding on GWg Conference Topics
When: Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Where: Jewish Family Services, 1070 College Ave., Columbus, OH 43209
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Cost: None. Pizza and salad lunch provided by the Tony R. Wells Foundation.
RSVP: Carolyn Green, cgreen@groundworkgroup.org
The Cloud - Are you there yet?
Online Backup? Hosted Exchange? Office 365 v. Google Apps?
Come learn what your friends and peers are doing, how it’s working, what they would do again, and what they wouldn’t.
As always, pizza, salad and pop are generously provided by the Tony R. Wells Foundation.