Building IT capacity of not-for-profits

16 April 2015
By Carissa Paramita
TechSoup New Zealand has been providing donated software and hardware from companies such as Microsoft to eligible charitable organisations in New Zealand since 2008.

Examples of products available for purchase by eligible not-for-profits and listed on its website are a full operating system such as Microsoft Windows 8.1 for $11 or fundraising and donor management software Telosa Exceed! Basic 4.0 for $61.00 (normally priced at $499).

Significant IT challenges

According to the results of and ICT in the Not-For-Profit Sector Survey, released in March 2015 by Infoxchange, Connecting Up and Techsoup New Zealand, many not-for-profits are facing significant IT challenges that are impacting on their overall productivity,

“Shrinking supporter engagement and decreased funding across the board have created an urgent need for not-for-profits to become more productive and effective,” says David Spriggs, the CEO of Infoxchange.

“Without the right technology to drive supporter engagement, facilitate service delivery, measure client and community outcomes, and communicate success, not-for-profits will be unable to compete into the future.

“We need to make sure we provide the right support for these organisations so this doesn’t happen.”

Addressing IT problems

Anne Gawen, CEO of Connecting Up and TechSoup New Zealand, says the insights from the survey have helped them understand these challenges and what is working well, as well as where organisations could improve their technology use.

“Infoxchange, Connecting Up and TechSoup will use these insights to ensure we are address these problem areas to create a stronger and more productive sector that can weather future challenges,” Anne says.

To demonstrate that you are registered as a charitable organisation, you will need to provide at least one of the following: 
•    a copy of your IRD tax exempt status letter 
•    your Charities Commission registration number.

Once TechSoup New Zealand has received your details and assessed your eligibility, it will let you know if you are eligible to proceed to the next stage.

For more information, visit TechSoup's website or call customer support in Auckland (T: 09 887 0291), Wellington (T: 04 887 0236) or Christchurch (T: 03 667 0235).