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TechAtlas is a web-based
planning tool that your nonprofit can use to assess
your current technology use and to receive recommendations on how to better
implement technology to achieve your mission.
To make the most effective use
of technology, start by assessing your current
capacity and then plan on how to improve it. This is particularly
true for smaller nonprofits that have few resources to devote to
technology. TechAtlas assists your organization in doing this
assessment and planning.
TechAtlas provides
technical advice and planning assistance and is designed to be used either: a) directly by a staff member at your nonprofit organization, or b) with the support of a technical assistance provider or consultant.
For more detail on how to use TechAtlas, read the User
Guide (1.8 MB file in Adobe acrobat
format)
 Find
out more about technology planning
The
Process
To
help you integrate technology more effectively into your
organization, TechAtlas will walk you through a technology planning process. It is designed to follow these steps:
- Envision how technology can work at your organization.
Use your mission as your guide, create a technology vision, and
establish a technology team to support your efforts.
- Assess the current state of
your technology.
Based on your assessment, TechAtlas will recommend certain next steps to advance your organization along the path to more effective use of technology.
- Prioritize the technology
improvements recommended by TechAtlas and your Partners.
Be sure to customize each recommendation so they are best suited to your organization.
- Act on your plans to make
technology work for your organization.
Building on its recommendations, TechAtlas will outline a timeline and
Action Plan that you can edit and refine. In addition to being your
Action Plan, this document may serve as supporting documentation for raising funds.
We've tried to offer the most
helpful information available, but no website is the same as a real
live information technology professional at your elbow. If you
are unfamiliar with technology assistance (TA) professionals in your
area, ask other nonprofits for referrals or check out TechSoup's directory
of technology resources.
The Funders
TechAtlas was built by NPower and TechRocks with generous support
of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (to NPower), The James
Irvine Foundation (to NPower), The SBC Foundation (to NPower), AOL
Foundation (to TechRocks), and the Verizon Foundation (to TechRocks).
In addition, the project drew from the work and knowledge of many
nonprofit technology assistance providers funded by numerous
foundations and corporations.
Caveats
TechAtlas provides advice based on responses to
a series of questions about your technology. Since it is impossible
to gauge the exact status of technology and the situation in your
office without being there, we can not guarantee these
recommendations will work for every organization. Prior to
implementing these recommendations organizations should double-check
their plan with a trusted technology expert, particularly if there
is considerable cost involved.
The advice on TechAtlas assessments was
developed by NPower and TechRocks in consultation with other
technology assistance providers. It attempts to represent the best
practices in the field.
Because the TechAtlas system allows other
technology assistance providers to build their own assessments and
recommendations, NPower and TechRocks cannot verify the accuracy of
these recommendations.
Privacy Policy
In short, NPower will not share
your organization-specific data with anybody that you don't
specify. We will use the data in aggregate form to examine how
the nonprofit sector utilizes technology. Your partner
organizations will be able to view and edit your information,
depending on the permissions you give them.
See the specifics of our privacy policy.
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