Introduction
Transforming a community’s nonprofit technological capacity requires much planning and know-how. This Community Toolkit will help community leaders to design and implement such a transformation.

In order to continue to play a vital role in society, nonprofit organizations not only need technology but also the know-how and support to operate it effectively—in other words, “humanware” must also be taken into consideration. “The total cost of technology ownership must address much more than the cost of hardware and software,” says Joan Fanning, executive director of NPower. “Humanware includes staff training, ongoing support, and maintenance.” The support necessary for technological proficiency ranges from technology planning and network administration to Web design and information management. Although the funding of technology in nonprofits, and also the potential for its effective use, is much greater than it was even just a few years back, the promise remains largely unrealized.

A wide variety of methods have been developed for nonprofit technology assistance. Some communities have a technology assistance center for nonprofits; others rely on a patchwork of volunteers, consultants, and for-profit services. The funding community is now realizing the need to improve and expand the services available. Some funders invest significant resources into new efforts in specific communities, whereas others seek to build national technology-assistance infrastructures. Nonprofits are beginning to count technology as a high priority and to work it into their strategic planning and budgeting.

In any given community, technology-support resources are so varied that even locals do not know all that is available or what additional services would be most helpful. A needs-and-resources assessment allows a community to identify gaps, prioritize needs, and design an action plan. The assessment process also educates nonprofits about the possibilities for technology support and use and mobilizes them to advocate better technology capacity-building resources.

This community toolkit seeks to help community leaders gauge nonprofit technology needs, identify available resources, and design a community action plan to coordinate existing services or create new ones. This toolkit consists of stories, practical steps, and worksheets for the consultant or community leader who is charged with carrying out the assessment process and action-plan design. The toolkit may also be useful to funders and other leaders who are considering jumpstarting such a process.

Addressing Nonprofit Technology Needs and Resources: A Community Toolkit does not promote a fixed approach; instead, it describes past experiences and possible tools. Its recommendations are based on interviews with leaders in the nonprofit technology community who have implemented different types of community assessments. The toolkit specifically draws on the following people’s experiences:

• Joan Fanning conducted the assessment of needs and resources that led to the creation of NPower, a large Seattle-based technical assistance provider of which she is now the executive director.
• Jennifer Keller Jackson led the assessment effort that created Technology Works in Washington, DC.
• Dan McDougall spearheaded the Michigan United Way’s in-depth survey of Michigan nonprofits’ technology use.
• David Pontecorvo oversaw the assessment process that led to the creation of the East Bay Management Assistance Project, which coordinates the provision of management and technical assistance to nonprofits.
• Daniel Ben-Horin is the president of CompuMentor, a Bay Area technology assistance provider.