Why do technology projects at nonprofits fail? 

Peter Gross walks through ways to think about technology as it fits into nonprofit offices and business practices, and the ways new technology or new processes can have a hard time being adapted at organizations. He presents a template for taking action, and goes through a short case study, and then takes questions from the audience.

Peter breaks down the change management process into three logical steps.

• defining the change, 
• identifying the impact from that change, and then 
• preparing for those impacts.

If you are considering a technology project that seems daunting, that involves multiple stakeholders, and that requires staff to adjust their processes, you need change management as a foundational expectation of your project team. If you are recovering from a tech implementation that hit some bumps you can use this change management template to plan and better prepare for your next project.

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• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

Join us for our series featuring interviews with Community IT employees. In this series, we talk about nonprofit technology career paths, career resources, skills, and certifications. We will also touch on mentoring opportunities as you start out on your career and ways to give back if you are further along. If you are wondering what it is like to work at a place like Community IT, you can learn about it here.

In today’s interview, Carolyn talks with Kyle Mitchell, Project Coordinator at Community IT. Kyle manages onboarding of new clients, which typically involves assessment and discovery, and that assessment will reveal projects that need to happen to move the client to well-managed IT. Sometimes clients have had years of underinvestment and technical debt before they partner with Community IT. 

One major change in all our lives over the past few years has been the ability to work remotely, which means IT support has to be remote as well. This puts extra pressure on the initial meetings as the clients are onboarded and get to know Community IT over video. Kyle makes sure the onboarding goes as smoothly as possible and that projects are prioritized for the clients.

"During that kickoff meeting, we can just see the stress melt away off their faces. Especially when we talk about providing them support on a day-to-day basis." 

_______________________________
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• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• tweet us @CommunityIT

Thanks for listening.

If you have Office365 then you have access to Teams, Microsoft’s tool for chat, video conference, and calendar. But Teams does a lot more, and integrates with lots of other tools beyond the Microsoft office suite.

Community IT experts presented this Q&A webinar with tips on using this multi-function tool better at nonprofits.

In part 2, hear a mini-case study from nonprofit practitioner guests Elisa Mondragon and Alessandra Brolin from Alexandria Housing, along with audience submitted questions answered by our experts. You can also find a full transcript including questions we didn't have time for at the link below.

In part 1, Carolyn and Courtney give an overview of the Teams app, its relationship to other Microsoft tools, and walk through a visual of the Teams interface, which is available on our website: https://communityit.com/webinar-using-microsoft-teams-at-nonprofits/

Want to get the most out of a tool you already have?

Have questions about best practices, tips, and shortcuts?

Looking for ideas on managing Teams as a staff portal to SharePoint and other apps?

Using Teams for voice? Wondering what ELSE Teams can do?

We heard your feedback. Teams has lots of great features but can also be confusing. How can you get the most value out of it? What are best practices for using Microsoft Teams at nonprofits?

Carolyn Woodard, Outreach Director, and guests Elisa Mondragon and Alessandra Brolin from Housing Alexandria share best practices and ideas on getting the most out of Teams. Courtney Carroll from Community IT was also on hand to answer technical questions about the multitude of functions Teams can perform.

As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience.

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

If you have Office365 then you have access to Teams, Microsoft’s tool for chat, video conference, and calendar. But Teams does a lot more, and integrates with lots of other tools beyond the Microsoft office suite.

Community IT experts presented this Q&A webinar with tips on using this multi-function tool better at nonprofits.

In part 1, Carolyn and Courtney give an overview of the Teams app, its relationship to other Microsoft tools, and walk through a visual of the Teams interface, which is available on our website: https://communityit.com/webinar-using-microsoft-teams-at-nonprofits/

In this webinar we also provided a mini-case study from nonprofit practitioner guests Elisa Mondragon and Alessandra Brolin from Alexandria Housing, which will be in the podcast episode part 2 along with audience submitted questions answered by our experts. You can also find a full transcript including questions we didn't have time for at the link above.

Want to get the most out of a tool you already have?

Have questions about best practices, tips, and shortcuts?

Looking for ideas on managing Teams as a staff portal to SharePoint and other apps?

Using Teams for voice? Wondering what ELSE Teams can do?

We heard your feedback. Teams has lots of great features but can also be confusing. How can you get the most value out of it? What are best practices for using Microsoft Teams at nonprofits?

Carolyn Woodard, Outreach Director, and guests Elisa Mondragon and Alessandra Brolin from Housing Alexandria share best practices and ideas on getting the most out of Teams. Courtney Carroll from Community IT was also on hand to answer technical questions about the multitude of functions Teams can perform.

As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience.

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

Community IT CEO Johan Hammerstrom runs through the three highest priorities for nonprofits that want to work remotely and need the IT support to do that.

Community IT is seeing a huge increase in inquiries from nonprofits looking to downsize entirely and permanently from the expenses of an office that they no longer need. 

But without a physical office, do you need different IT support? The answer is yes, and luckily new tools and IT management processes allow entirely remote work force to be supported entirely remotely, nationally, no matter where you are working from. Our colleagues like to call this “flexible” work, because it can happen from home, from a coffee shop, while you are traveling, even back in a hybrid office at a borrowed desk. 

If you are considering going fully remote, or have gone remote but are worried about the implications of that on your IT, this podcast can help you get started assessing your new needs.

Key Takeaways:

• Device management
  • Have you updated your Acceptable Use Policy lately? 
• New telephony options
  • If you are already using Teams, for example, you can add on phone service licenses and keep all your calling in one place. 
• Cybersecurity check-up
  • The attacks on identity and attempts to con you through spoofed emails, phishing attacks, and wire transfer fraud keep increasing. Is your staff still protected if they are all working remotely? Do you need extra, or different, cybersecurity protections? 
• Can outsourced IT help remote workers as well as the in-person IT used to help keep the physical office running smoothly? Check out our 12 Questions to Ask Your Managed Services Provider download.

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

Join us for our series featuring interviews with Community IT employees. In this series, we talk about nonprofit technology career paths, career resources, skills, and certifications. We will also touch on mentoring opportunities as you start out on your career and ways to give back if you are further along. If you are wondering what it is like to work at a place like Community IT, you can learn about it here.

In today’s interview, Carolyn talks with Matt Eshleman, Chief Technology Officer, who has been with Community IT over 23 years, about how his job has changed with the growth in the need for cybersecurity expertise. 

Matt started at Community IT as a college intern in 2000. He’s seen a lot of changes over those years and shares some of his insight here.

We have really taken a relationship-driven approach to the technology support that we do. We’ve recognized that the actual technology piece of the work is relatively small. It’s super important, but it is relatively small. The big thing that we focus on is helping organizations use and adopt appropriate technology solutions. And that really involves a lot of planning. It involves understanding the organization, understanding their staff, how they use technology, and the tools that are available. 

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

In part 2 of this podcast, three Community IT Innovators executives held an “ask the experts” discussion and Q&A on the direction nonprofit IT innovation is heading in the next 2-3 years and how your organization can invest in these growing trends.

After helping you think about how cutting edge your nonprofit really is or wants to be, they discuss 6 topics: Cybersecurity, crypto and blockchain, creating community using IT tools and platforms and what happens to communities when those platforms are changed by the corporation that produces them, the tension between the convenience of a stack of tools from a tech company vs doing it yourself with custom apps and a DIY approach, our expectations for supply chain stresses and the role of the global tech industry in the ways we work, and finally touch on AI and automation and how nonprofits may take advantage of AI and be impacted by AI.

Looking forward and want to be sure you are looking at the right IT that’s going to last?

Is your nonprofit looking to use IT in innovative ways to deliver your mission?

Has your office changed to such an extent you need new tools and ways to work?

This is always one of our most popular webinars, and this year’s was no exception. We shared some insights on the best practices of your nonprofit peers and forward-thinking nonprofits. 

Where should you invest your bandwidth and budget? What technology tools are coming, and where should you hold off and wait for the market to catch up? How do you know when your organization is ready to invest in forward-looking technology that will give you an advantage in your sector and as you deliver your mission? Why is it important to stay current, even if your organization is not the most tech-savvy nonprofit out there?

 Community IT Innovators’ CTO and cybersecurity expert Matt Eshleman answered your questions on emerging threats, emerging ideas and tools on prevention, and best practices on staff cybersecurity training. 

Senior Consultant Nura Aboki weighed in with his observations on what nonprofits with IT bandwidth and expertise are investing in. 

Patrick Sprehe brings a deep knowledge of technical support, an interest in new technology uses at nonprofits, and experience implementing and maintaining established platforms and systems for large and mid-sized nonprofit clients. He was featured in our webinar on Building Foundations for Innovationand is always on the lookout for the next tech tools and new IT ideas.

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

Three Community IT Innovators executives held an “ask the experts” discussion and Q&A on the direction nonprofit IT innovation is heading in the next 2-3 years and how your organization can invest in these growing trends.

Looking forward and want to be sure you are looking at the right IT that’s going to last?

Is your nonprofit looking to use IT in innovative ways to deliver your mission?

Has your office changed to such an extent you need new tools and ways to work?

In part 1 we discussed the big picture of IT changes worldwide  we expect to be relevant to our sector in the next few years. 

This is always one of our most popular webinars, and this year’s was no exception. We shared some insights on the best practices of your nonprofit peers and forward-thinking nonprofits. 

Where should you invest your bandwidth and budget? What technology tools are coming, and where should you hold off and wait for the market to catch up? How do you know when your organization is ready to invest in forward-looking technology that will give you an advantage in your sector and as you deliver your mission? Why is it important to stay current, even if your organization is not the most tech-savvy nonprofit out there?

With recent hacks and breeches, even small nonprofits are learning that the need for Cybersecurity is growing and evolving as these attacks become bigger and bigger business. As the cybersecurity community continues to look to out-pace the development of new attacks and respond to new vulnerabilities, what are the innovations in prevention that are emerging? Community IT Innovators’ CTO and cybersecurity expert Matt Eshleman answered your questions on emerging threats, emerging ideas and tools on prevention, and best practices on staff cybersecurity training. 

Senior Consultant Nura Aboki weighed in with his observations on what nonprofits with IT bandwidth and expertise are investing in. What are the exciting new technologies nonprofits can expect to impact our sector, such as ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence applications, donations in Crypto, or training through Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality that could be the next big thing? Remembering how the iPhone/iPad, social media (remember the ice bucket challenge?), or data management have changed nonprofit operations in the blink of an eye, we’re going to look into the future to think about where nonprofit IT is ripe for disruption.

Patrick Sprehe is our IT Business Manager Team Lead, managing the team that guides our clients’ IT roadmaps and provides help with overcoming nonprofit technology challenges. Patrick brings a deep knowledge of technical support, an interest in new technology uses at nonprofits, and experience implementing and maintaining established platforms and systems for large and mid-sized nonprofit clients. He was featured in our webinar on Building Foundations for Innovation and is always on the lookout for the next tech tools and new IT ideas.

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

Hosted by the Nonprofit Learning Lab.

In part 2 of two parts, learn when it makes sense to outsource IT and more about the various technologies appropriate for different sizes and stages of growth of your nonprofit. Are you a small start up? Middle sized and middle aged? Is your organization tech risk averse or cutting edge eager?  These factors play a big role in whether you outsource some or all of your IT support, and what roles you need to keep in house.

Johan also responds to audience questions about migrating from a faulty old file share to SharePoint as an example of a tech project that  a "non-techie" nonprofit might need to undertake, and talks about how to engage staff in tech innovations.

Start up and small nonprofits can usually manage their own IT using free and low-cost tools for email, cybersecurity, file sharing, and online marketing. But as you grow, you will need to think about the role IT can play in the success of your nonprofit and the IT staff you will need to keep your nonprofit functioning. 

CEO Johan Hammerstrom, an expert with 20+ years of experience supporting nonprofit IT, talks about how to save money on tech and still plan for your nonprofit’s future. You will learn how to grow your internal staff skills, how to write job descriptions and hire for IT positions, and when to save money by outsourcing your IT. With new cybersecurity threats able to force you out of operations, it is never too early to build your IT roadmap and learn what tech expertise you can’t live without.

As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience.

Resources shared in this episode:

https://communityit.com/building-the-foundation-for-it-innovation-download-this-guide/

https://www.indeed.com/hire/how-to-write-a-job-description

Find a full transcript and slides as a pdf download here: https://communityit.com/webinar-creating-value-and-saving-money-on-nonprofit-tech/

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

Hosted by the Nonprofit Learning Lab.

Start up and small nonprofits can usually manage their own IT using free and low-cost tools for email, cybersecurity, file sharing, and online marketing. But as you grow, you will need to think about the role IT can play in the success of your nonprofit and the IT staff you will need to keep your nonprofit functioning. 

CEO Johan Hammerstrom, an expert with 20+ years of experience supporting nonprofit IT, talks about how to save money on tech and still plan for your nonprofit’s future. You will learn how to grow your internal staff skills, how to write job descriptions and hire for IT positions, and when to save money by outsourcing your IT. With new cybersecurity threats able to force you out of operations, it is never too early to build your IT roadmap and learn what tech expertise you can’t live without.

As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience.

Resources shared in this episode:

https://communityit.com/building-the-foundation-for-it-innovation-download-this-guide/

https://www.indeed.com/hire/how-to-write-a-job-description

Find a full transcript and slides as a pdf download here: https://communityit.com/webinar-creating-value-and-saving-money-on-nonprofit-tech/

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at [email protected]
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.