Technology. It’s one of those words that’s often prefaced with a suspense stinger. It brings fear. It conjures up insecurity.
Regardless of whether at a major philanthropic enterprise or in a kitchen making tuna sandwiches for the homeless, you’re a resource — both to the object of the good and the organization.
My husband is a President at one nonprofit, I’m a board member of another, and we’ve both spent years volunteering at our church. I’ve learned that you are likely to be recruited to implement technology.
Tech is part of life.
In every point of history, there was a new technology: the wheel, electricity, airplanes. All caused fear and some provoked doubt, but they all exist today. No one is too old for technology. That notion has been broken down by many factors including WordPress (also see: YouTube videos, Google search, and the millions of tech blogs that exist).
We all evolve and adapt to use the tools in front of us for our purpose — doing good.
In Bethany Lang’s post “Tech is Everyone’s Job — not just your unpaid intern,” she says,
“Just as you would research and learn a new social media platform or direct mail technique, you need to learn how to work with technology to be a better nonprofit professional.”
Let’s back up.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module Eagle during the Apollo 11 mission. Mission commander Neil Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera.
Look at your hands right now. Are you wearing a fitbit on your wrist? Are you holding a phone? How do you watch TV shows? Where are you reading this article?
When it comes to technology, tech illiteracy is declining rapidly. You may not be trained — but you’re using it — guaranteed. It’s integrated into our culture. That iPhone in your hand right now has more computing power than NASA had at the time we sent Neil Armstrong to the Moon.
Seriously. Consider the impact of that for a moment.
Wait. Consider it again!
“Your cell phone has more computing power than the computers used during the Apollo era.” NASA
Everyone is a Media Company
Not only is tech for everyone, anyone with a smartphone is a publisher. Just as Gary Vaynerchuk, Founder and President of Vayner Media, who says,
“Whether you like it or not, every person is now a media company.”
Everyone means you. With the free Jetpack plugin, your self-hosted WordPress.org install is right at your fingertips through the WordPress app. You can respond to comments, see your stats, and even write and publish posts — right on your phone.
Is your nonprofit a publisher? Yes. “Every person is now a media company” includes nonprofits. Even better, these tools to communicate your message and tell your story are often “low cost or no cost.”
Tech is part of the modern nonprofit.
There’s no escaping this truth. Whether your web property is used for storytelling or accepting online donations, you’re most likely still using some kind of CRM, accounting software and social media platform. This is all tech.
Most of the best technology can be run on small budgets. Very small budgets, in fact. This is one of the reasons why we’re advocates of WordPress. Open Source culture mixes well with the world of nonprofits. We know many nonprofits that spend less than $250/year on tech, all in, and are able to raise money online.
Many of the developers we’ve come across lately aren’t developers. Well, not in the sense that they know PHP or JavaScript or can write code. It’s shocking but true. Often, they’re marketing managers, are on the board, or volunteer time. Frequently, they are simply willing to tinker and click. Tinker and Click. Rarely is coding actually required.
Bethany says,
“If you don’t have a good donation page, you are leaving money on the table. For fundraisers, technology is now part of the job. It’s not something that can be pawned off to an intern. It is how you raise money.”
Use tools. Some are even free.
Our friends at Ride for Korah are not only using their web property, but they’re using Twitter and Instagram as well. They’ve even used Facebook Live to give updates while on the road — literally.
Riding down the coast.
Posted by Ride for Korah on Thursday, May 12, 2016
You’re able to learn. You can do it!
Within my circles, I often hear, “I’m not smart enough for technology.” Can you click a mouse? Remember a password? Comprehend basic English? Great start! You are much further along than you think.
Though I consider myself a beginner, millions of people are using WordPress with 0-90 days of experience. You learned to use your iPhone, right? You learned to send email with Gmail. You can do this.
A mountain of great resources exist on the web and in your community.
So how do I learn?
- Computer Learning Centers like New Horizons. I took 3 HTML classes there about 15 years ago. That information stayed with me.
- Adult School: Many of our friends in the WordPress Community teach at adult school. This goes for chamber of commerce events and even libraries.
- Meetups (WordPress, Tech Clubs). Search meetup.com for WordPress. You’re sure to find one within 50 miles. There may even be a nonprofit tech club available.
- WordCamps: These are great events where you’re exposed to beginner and intermediate information but more importantly, you’re introduced to people. Building relationships is never a bad thing — especially if you’re looking for new plugins for your site or a developer to hire.
- Tech Conferences like NTEN. Subscribe to their newsletters to stay up to date on events near you.
- W3Schools.com: You can learn HTML and CSS in step-by-step tutorials that allow you to try things out. That’s how I taught myself CSS.
- Girl Develop It: There are affordable in-person classes available and even scholarships. Search their site and see if there is a chapter near you.
- WordPress.TV: Many of the presentations at WordCamps are filmed and hosted here. A quick search for “nonprofit” yielded great results. This is a free resource.
- YouTube: There are so many shows and tutorials by talented folks. The search may feel daunting but you’re sure to find almost anything on YouTube that you want to learn.
- Google: Many people recommend Google, but I say this is a last resort. I’d go through every one of the other avenues first. Still, you may learn how to ask your question better which is often a good first step.
What other resources are available to me?
Look to your locality. Look to your “tech community.” Many meetups and web development companies support nonprofits. And you will be surprised that many in the tech community do not write code.
For example, this October, DigiSavvy and the Los Angeles Chapter of Girl Develop It are hosting “Website Weekend.” On that Sunday in October, by the events end, a dozen nonprofits will have a new website.
Alex Vasquez describes it this way:
“Website Weekend LA is an event that brings non-profits and digital creatives together to build something awesome over the course of a weekend. I will be co-organizing this year’s event with Natalie MacLees,who heads up the LA chapter of Girl Develop it, an awesome organization providing affordable and accessible education for women pursuing careers in the tech industry. During the course of the weekend, your team of digital superheroes will combine forces with an awesome non-profit organization doing great work in the community to build something amazing.”
Bottom Line:
It’s 2016. Publish those moments on social media. Share your stories on your WordPress site. (Yes, you can add pages with WordPress!) Ultimately the grit is yours and yours alone. Be determined and you’ll improve your community; or even the globe.
About the Author
