TechSoup.org – Tech Incubator for Nonprofit Work

If you combine my day job of fixing computers, my constant thirst for new technology tools using web/mobile/personal computing, and the passion to help… you can imagine how excited I was to read about TechSoup.org in this NYTimes article

First of all TechSoup.org is a great resource for information on useful software and web tools that are helpful in the technical administration/management of a nonprofit organization. At the home page, there is a daily news feed of upcoming online tech events (to discuss new and useful technologies with other TechSoup users and moderators of the site), links to free downloads of software to increase productivity (or just useful) and updates to the various sections of the site.

There is a separate “Learning Center” where there are how-to’s, worksheets, case studies, profiles, and product comparisons are written for all budgets and all levels of technical expertise. The Learning Center is great because it is written in a way that is easy to understand, and each article is specific to a particular topic. From consultants, to Internet connections, to training and volunteers, a variety of aspects are covered in depth.

If the articles still don’t answer questions you may have, there is a robust community of users on TechSoup’s online forums. This particular post got my attention. Users in this thread introduce themselves, and talk a little about how they use Flickr as a tool in their nonprofit organizations. There are many other threads like this, and it is all very worth reading through

They also have surveys which are interesting to look at, and may be useful in future papers/topics I am thinking about writing about.

Also, part of their website is dedicated to helping computer refurbishing companies and organizations connect with those nonprofit organizations who need more computers but don’t have the funding necessary to purchase brand new computers.

Their blog section is a great addition also, as it “offers news, tips, and highlights from around the Web to help your nonprofit get the most out of technology”. Think of techcrunch or mashable but with a nonprofit focus and commentary.

Overall, from my brief experience with this online community, I’d have to say that it’s very well developed and has tons of useful information. Going back to the original NYTimes article that sparked this discovery, I am excited to find out what other possibilities there are for nonprofit organizations to exist and find a sustainable return to continue without solely relying on donations. Wikipedia is a great example of a nonprofit organization that does not have a great sustainability plan. There have been plenty of articles about this including this one by Forbes. The Internet Archive and Mozilla are two examples presented in the article that do have good sustainability plans, and are also able to achieve their nonprofit goals.

If anyone knows how I can get involved in organizations like TechSoup, or projects similar to it let me know. I’d love to do some work this summer (for the internship maybe) learning more about it. If I have time, I definitely want to try and help an organization that is just down the street from me called SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans) located in the heart of Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles. I would love to see improvements to their technology center, finding ways for their kids to use their computer lab in more effective ways that are more conducive to learning about Pilipino culture and developing their identity.