Technology Resolutions for 2008

Have you already given up on your resolutions for 2008? Here are a few technology resolutions contributed by netCorps staff to keep your nonprofit efficient and effective in 2008:

1. Making sure all staff know the basics like how to use both buttons on a mouse, how to maneuver around files and folders in the “Save As” box, and know the basic features their word processing, spreadsheet and email programs.
2. Reviewing and revising technology budgets.
3. Reviewing and updating and renewing Domain registrations, DNS hosting, Web hosting, and ISP contracts. Review the contact addresses for proper names, email addresses, updated credit card billing information, etc.
4. Review and update any IT, web, equipment support contracts.
5. Update your website planning for the next year.
6. Review backup systems and disaster recovery planning.
7. General IT maintenance. Clean out your computers, including servers.
8. Review software: Antivirus/Spyware subscriptions, Quickbooks renewals, etc.
9. Update your network notebook. Usernames, passwords, procedures, equipment lists, and everything listed above!

Sean Watson, our newest staff member, had a lot to say about the power of technology (and more) as he was thinking about his 2008 IT resolutions. Read all about it in our blog!

New Digs for our Eugene, OR crew!

We're excited to be in our new office space at 1245 Pearl St. in Eugene after five years in our previous location. We moved into our larger (and warmer in this winter cold) offices on January 15th with our good friends from the McKenzie River Trust (check out their newly launched website, designed and developed by netCorps in Plone).

Our new location offers better meeting space and opportunities for more hands-on technology trainings, which we look forward to offering later in 2008. If you are in the area, drop on in!

Green IT: Minimizing the Environmental Footprint of Your Technology Systems

Folks have finally awakened to the reality of climate change. While many are worried that it all will still be "too little, too late", there is exciting momentum building in all sorts of areas--from renewable energy technologies (from big to small, my favorite one right now a "microwind energy generator"), to a renewed examination of food production and consumption, resource conservation in buildings, transportation options and much, much more.

All this is enough to make an "ecogeek" like myself giddy.

A significant source of energy consumption--and one that individuals, nonprofits and businesses can directly impact--is computer usage. If you assume that the typical desktop computer draws about 100 watts of power and you run that every day (even leaving the computer in "idle" mode at night and on the weekends uses power), the environmental and financial costs of an individual computer quickly adds up--to the tune of $100 a year or more, and that doesn't include a monitor, printer or other peripherals, or any of the other computers in a typical nonprofit office. As energy costs rise, Google projects that it will soon cost more to power a computer for four years than it does to buy a new one....read more

Technology Planning available to North Carolina Nonprofits

Thanks to a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation netCorps will be offering technology assessment and planning services to up to fifteen North Carolina nonprofits at a significantly reduced cost in 2008. A technology assessment and planning process helps an organization look at their infrastructure, information management and communication management systems in the short and long term and creates a plan for maintaining and improving those tools to help build organizational capacity, meet specific administrative or program goals or more.

We typically spend between 20-30 hours on a nonprofit technology assessement, but thanks to support from ZSR this process will only cost $500 to the first fifteen North Carolina nonprofits to sign up for this service during 2008. Contact Sean Watson in our Durham office (919-416-1513 or via email) for more information.

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