Accidental Techie: Supporting, Managing, and Maximizing Your Nonprofit's Technology

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0940069490 ISBN 13: 9780940069497

Publisher: Fieldstone Alliance, 2005

How to manage tech support (and keep your sanity!) One day you unjammed the printer and saved the day. But now, somehow, all technology resources have become your responsibility! The Accidental Techie shows you how to create a support system that will help your organization use technology more effectively and make your day-to-day life less hectic. Step-by-step guidance to creating an effective support system This hands-on guide walks you through five projects that, when completed, will give you a comprehensive and usable support system for conducting a technology inventory, assessing and supporting staff, assessing and buying technology, protecting your organization from disasters and data loss, and managing your role. You don’t have to tackle the projects all at once or in any particular order. Dive in where it makes sense for you. ""Techie Tools"" make this guide even more useful You’ll find ready-to-use templates, worksheets, and sample policies; 135 resources on topics such as funding, discussion groups, application service providers, web site development, and donor management software; a security policy checklist; steps for creating a database that gives you the reports you need; and a glossary of terms every techie should know. How to get technology funding A special chapter on funding reveals five questions most funders ask to judge technology requests, and gives you tips for creating a compelling request. Build management support for your work Many accidental techies face the challenge of influencing major organizational policies and procedures without real authority to do so. Board members and managers can use this book to understand and support your work. Ultimately, better managed technology leads to better services. Whether you're new to all this or a veteran, The Accidental Techie if your ally. Use it and start making your life easier today

From the Publisher:

Fieldstone Alliance specializes in publishing practical books for nonprofit organizations and community groups. Please visit our site to see our full listing as well as many free management tools and information about our consulting services.

About the Author:

SUE BENNETT was working at a nonprofit in 1998 when she introduced a radical new idea-that everyone on staff should have e-mail! The next thing she knew she was a computer network administrator-an accidental techie. After several years struggling to find resources to help her succeed in her technology role, Sue joined the staff of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, a place where she could focus on helping nonprofit accidental techies manage while keeping their sanity. Sue is also on CompassPoint's technology faculty, developing and teaching a wide variety of computer and Internet classes across California, in addition to providing internal technical support to CompassPoint staff.