As technology use in nonprofit organizations is maturing, there is a compelling need to measure and understand how information technology impacts nonprofits and their effectiveness, and what models of assistance yield the greatest return on investment. This is the goal of the TechImpact Project, a joint field evaluation by NTEN and NPower.

Methodology

The evaluation is designed to investigate nonprofit technology at two levels.

At the macro level we will survey hundreds of nonprofit technology assistance providers to identify how they are measuring their impact and how well their consulting techniques work. Then we will survey nonprofit staff about how they think technology affects their work. We will do this through two surveys administered to a select group consultants and nonprofits, many of whom are NTEN members.

Technology Service Provider Evaluation and Outcomes Survey
This survey was sent to more than 450 technology service providers on September 28th. It’s purpose is to collect information from this group – including individual consultants and companies that work broadly and in niches – about the evaluation tools they currently use and the outcomes these show. Results are due back on October 13, 2006.

Nonprofit Technology Survey
This survey will ask nonprofits from across the sector to assess the impact technology has had on their organizations and the factors that they think helped or hindered impact and outcomes.

At the micro level, we will select 12 nonprofits that are working with technology providers to follow for a period of up to two years. During this time we will collect data to measure the impact of new technologies on the organizations, interview staff members to get their impressions, and look for patterns of organizational characteristics (i.e. budget, staff size, staff’s technology know-how, etc.) that lead to technological success. We will do this in two ways:

Quantitative Benchmark Analysis
This investigation will collect data and measure changes that happen to each of the selected nonprofits as a result of technology.

Qualitative Case Studies
Simultaneously we will conduct in-depth case studies on each participating organization to get their impressions and stories on the impact technology played in their organization.

You can find more detailed information on this research in our Evaluation Research Design document.

Deliverables

Based on the data, we will develop measurement tools and indicators that technology providers can use to assess their impact on nonprofits and a set of best practices that will help them ensure they are providing the best possible services to their clients.

We will widely share these tools and other information gathered throughout the study with nonprofits, funders, and others in the field.

Additional deliverables that will result from the TechImpact Project are

• Common metrics that can be used sector-wide to measure the success of technology projects
• An in-depth analysis of existing technology assistance models
• An evaluation of which forms of technology generate the greatest return on investment and under what conditions
• A published set of case studies on each participating nonprofit
• A set of benchmarks nonprofits can use to maximize their benefit from technology

By strengthening the evaluation capacity of the nonprofit sector, we hope technology providers will be equipped to supply nonprofits with technology that work towards their missions more efficiently, effectively, and with measurable outcomes.