NTEN Blogs Technology Leadership
Executive Directors and other nonprofit leaders need to feel comfortable making technology decisions without formal technology training. IT Staff need leadership skills to bring technology out of the back office and into the strategies of their organizations. Keep up to date on the latest by following the NTEN Connect blog.
Online Nonprofit Technology Conference: Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission
Photo: Judith Sol-DyessIt's a tough time for nonprofit techies: You're supposed to deliver more value to your organizations while your budgets are being slashed.
Of course, things have never been exactly easy for you. In fact, managing technology at a nonprofit organization has been anything but easy. Not only do you need to understand the myriad ways IT can be used to further your organization's mission, you've got to have the leadership skills it takes to communicate your goals effectively and succeed in your plans.
That's why we wrote "Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission". And it's why we're very pleased to bring you an online event to explore the issues further.
The Online Nonprofit Technology Conference: Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission is a partnership with Jossey-Bass and Learning Times. This 2-day online conference that will be divided up into 2 tracks -- Leadership Skills and IT Performance -- interspersed with Meet the CIO/Tech Leader sessions to give attendees multiple opportunities to engage and learn.
Mark your calendar for September 16 and 17 and be sure to join us then!
We Wrote a Book! You Should Totally Buy a Copy
And when I say "we", I mean the NTEN community. Fourteen NTEN Members contributed to the 11 chapters in Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders.
Now that it's been released, we're pretty sure you'd like to:
We've also made a wiki to support and extend the book. Check it out. Notice how it doesn't look entirely like a wiki? Yeah, that's just how we roll. We're currently soliciting tips on how to manage technology when budgets are tight.
> Add your suggestions to the wiki today.
In support of the launch, we had a virtual release party. Ten of our authors joined us on the line to talk about their chapters and answer your questions. And we recorded it, so:
> Attend our party after the fact. At least it's Free!
Chief Technology Officer? Try Chief Change Officer.
Flickr photo: surface to airIf you chose a career in IT, you also chose, by definition, to be an agent of change.
That's a line from an IT Republic article on the skills an IT leader needs to be effective. If you've ever done technology work of any sort, I'm guessing that resonates. I think it's the most important thing an IT leader can keep in mind.
Sure, your job includes technology. You need to know what's out there, what the trends are. But your job is not ABOUT technology. Your job is about communicating the value of technology, and helping your organization embrace it.
That means that you can't just propose a new project -- you have to show how the project will help your organization meet your mission. It also means that you have to play the role of confidant, coach, and therpist as you help staff adjust to the changes.
None of those things has anything to do with zeroes and ones.
2009 NTC Preview: Peter Campbell on IT Planning
Planning and technology often seem like oil and water: How can you possibly plan in a field that changes every three weeks? Turns out, you not only CAN do it, you HAVE to do it.
Peter Campbell knows that better than most anyone. He's been at this for awhile now, first in law offices, then San Francisco Goodwill, and now at EarthJustice.
Peter is leading the session "How to Decide: IT planning and prioritization" at the 2009 NTC. (It's more than a session, it's a chapter in our book, Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission.) He took a few minutes out of his day to chat with me:
