{"id":493,"date":"2019-07-17T18:18:25","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/itsupportfornonprofits\/"},"modified":"2025-03-31T16:03:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T16:03:04","slug":"itsupportfornonprofits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/itsupportfornonprofits\/","title":{"rendered":"2011 Local agency, WCSU join to provide IT support for nonprofits"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 A group of volunteers with vast expertise in technology is working to help local nonprofits transform often haphazard back-office systems into solid computer-based foundations for success.<\/p>\n

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\nThe group, called Technology Solutions for Non Profits<\/a>, or TS4NP, analyzes an organization\u2019s software and hardware capabilities and then builds solutions for an array of deficiencies, including networking, fundraising and accounting support, and security. Two part-time staff people handle client support and developing education materials.<\/p>\n

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\nTS4NP is the brainchild of the Greater Danbury Non Profit Resource Center<\/a>, the Danbury Area Computer Society<\/a>, the local Funders Group and The Network Support Company<\/a> and has been in operation since July 2010. It is chaired by 30-year IBM veteran Sandra Rankin<\/a>, who in addition to soliciting nonprofit customers is developing relationships with funding agencies.<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cIt\u2019s a cookie-cutter offering to clients, a canned back-office suite,\u201d Rankin said. \u201cWe provide programs that our research shows they ought to use. We store and backup information, manage their IT and provide training on how to use the programs. And we can\u2019t find anyone else in the country who is doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nTS4NP sets up nonprofits with Microsoft Office, email and a calendar, a donor management program called GiftWorks that helps with fundraising, and QuickBooks to manage finances. Data for each participating nonprofit is protected behind a firewall, stored on a remote server and backed up every night.<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cMost of these agencies have part-time bookkeepers who send information to the treasurer,\u201d Rankin said. \u201cIn many cases, the bookkeeper has all the information on his personal computer. They are one hard-drive failure away from a major disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nFour agencies \u2014 Renewal House<\/a>, which provides transitional housing, support and services for older (58-plus) homeless individuals in the Western Connecticut region; Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance<\/a>; Danbury Youth Services<\/a>; and Ives Concert Park \u2014 have signed on for services.<\/p>\n

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The Meserve Foundation<\/a> and Union Savings Bank<\/a> have both contributed $12,000 to pay for assessments of nonprofits\u2019 computer capabilities and solutions that include software, hardware and training. Western Connecticut State University<\/a> provides the server, the secure datacenter and some training materials for the nonprofits to use as their computer operations are improved. Other local funders providing support for program delivery costs are United Way of Western Connecticut<\/a>, JP Morgan Chase<\/a>, Savings Bank of Danbury<\/a>, Pitney Bowes Foundation<\/a> and First County Bank<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\nThese financial supporters are part of the Greater Danbury Funders Group, a voluntary association of government, private sector and nonprofit organizations who collaborate to positively change the local community and who support TS4NP. Karl Epple<\/a>, of The Meserve Foundation and co-chair of the Funders Group, said the financial support will help small nonprofits achieve IT independence.<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cThe funders feel it\u2019s a great way to leverage the funding, to improve the capacity,\u201d Epple said. \u201cAnything we can do to help capacity building we favor and fund. The process of putting technological capability into the individual nonprofits allows them to become more efficient, to gather more data and analyze it more effectively. When you look at the typical small nonprofits they struggle to get the right information. Usually they are making decisions on gut feeling. TS4NP can change that for nonprofits.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nThe Funders Group also supports software training as a key component.<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cThese agencies tend to rely on a lot of volunteers who stay for a year or two and then move on, and take a lot of knowledge with them,\u201d Epple said. \u201cWe\u2019re building a solid outline of the training we will be able to make available at a very reasonable price. Not free, but as close as we can get. Then everyone can get trained on the key software that every organization should have.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nTS4NP charges $800 to assess an agency\u2019s capabilities and deficiencies. The annual fee for software, training and support starts at $250 a month \u2014 $3,000 annually \u2014 about half the cost that a for-profit company would charge for the same services.<\/p>\n

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\nHVCA is an example of an agency that needed a back-office upgrade.<\/p>\n

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\nExecutive Director Lisa Scails created a virtual office to communicate with volunteers, interns and board members, but she worried about security and difficulties arose when participants were not all using the same software.<\/p>\n

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\nTS4NP provided a secure server, uniform software and a series of secure accesses for everyone in the organization, so they can work together on spreadsheets and look up information from remote locations.<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cIt was a no-brainer because it allowed us to store our information in a central location and allow staff and volunteers to share and keep our data secure,\u201d Scails said. \u201cAt the click of a button you send a file to the server. You don\u2019t have to worry about version complications because everyone has access to the same version.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Scails said being able to rely on IT professionals for troubleshooting is also invaluable.<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cWe never would have been able to afford it otherwise,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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\nThe benefits for an agency, including improving and protecting important information, also include freeing the time of employees who no longer need to act as IT directors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re no longer spending so much time patching things together,\u201d Rankin said. \u201cThey are going to be better-managed organizations. They will be better able to fulfill their mission.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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Sandra Rankin can be reached at srankin@ts4np.org.<\/p>\n

For more information, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.<\/em><\/p>\n

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