City of Chicago inspires my thinking around Tech

I recently attend an event hosted by LISC where Brenna Berman (CIO, City of Chicago) presented their plan to use technology to impact Chicago and it really got me thinking.

They have Five Strategies (paraphrased below from my notes):

• Next generation Infrastructure
• Every Community a Smart Community
• Efficient, Effective and Open Government
• Civic Innovation
• Technology Sector Growth

Brenna spent a chunk of the time talking about making every community a smart community.  Smart communities is an effort already in progress with a few Chicago communities but will be rolled out to more.  The initiatives are:

• Broadband access benchmark
• Scale up smart communities
• Free public WiFi
• More low cost broadband
• Youth tech education
• Digital training
• Digital excellence activities
• Public computer access
• Education resources

This struck a topic I love! IT Alignment. There is an understanding of the need to balance the people, process and tools in these initiatives. Making change in Chicago is an enormous task with the politics, diverse communities, unions, corruption, etc... The conversation at the event fascinated me to no end, I was surrounded by smart people with real questions, possible solutions and a desire to collaborate to have an impact.

What I really latched on to was the balance of infrastructure and policy with community needs and people. They understood the "build it and they will come" won't work. Providing infrastructure, computer labs, wifi and Broadband isn't enough, they need outreach, training and creative ways to get the tech into people's homes in ways they will actually use it.

I have just started to become aware of amazing technology innovation in Chicago through efforts of 1871 to provide space for startups, Starter League helping startups succeed, Chicago Maker lab offering 3d printing, Chicago Tech Academy build tech skills in our youth and i.c. stars focused on technology workforce development opportunities (actually I have know i.c. stars for a few years, they rock). Those are just a few, I know there are many more I am missing.

To me, much this is a great example of how to use technology directly to impact the mission. Technology can spur new opportunities, new ideas and new ways to change the world.

Read an article about the Chicago Tech plan

Or visit this set of deeper resources, including a video about the plan

Just my ramblings, sorry if this doesn't have a single point to it, just a collection of notes and thoughts I wanted to share.

Tech Planning Smack Down! Tactical vs. Strategic vs. Missional

I am preparing for a session I will be presenting at the 2014 Nonprofit Technology Conference.  I have been having an internal battle for 15 years on the topic of Strategic Technology Planning.  I have read books, blog posts, case studies and articles proclaiming the best practices of a Strategic Technology Plan. But as I often repeat, “Best for you, isn’t best for me. Let’s talk about Model Practices.”

This leads me to a topic I have seen bounding around recently. Maybe we don’t all need a strategic technology plan. At first, you have to focus on a stable infrastructure.

As a terrific example, Idealware has created their Tactical Technology Training, which I LOVE!

But we all know a strategic plan is needed for deeper impact of our technology. Which I would recommend the Tech Leadership Academy from NTEN.

However, the contender I want to bring to the ring is MISSION.

Sure our Strategic Technology Plan is tied to mission via a close tie to the organization’s overall Strategic Plan. But what about stepping back to find ways for technology to directly impact the mission, not to support the org in meeting the mission. Do you see the distinction?

Here are a couple slides to illustrate this, but I would love for a few people to watch the video embedded below and give me some real feedback.  I will be refining the concept, slides and presentation between now and March 2014.  This is just a sampling of what will be discussed there, but I could really use your feedback!

In 2014 Don't Let Tech Turn into SOS. #TechRevival

SOS - Save our Ship (ok, it doesn't really stand for that, but we all recognize SOS to mean something like it)
or
SOS - Same Old Stuff (or SOSDD- Same Old Stuff Different Day, yeah, I know most people say something besides stuff)

If our Tech Language and Management is centered on SOS, we will fall into the following traps.

Distress - If DISTRESSED times are the only time we talk about our technology, it will be nearly impossible for technology to have a real impact or make real change. It is seen as a necessary evil, instead of opening new potential.

Save Us - If the Tech Team is only included or called when things are broken, all we can do is treat the symptoms. In addition, IT may be seen as the creator of the problem, so they had better fix it now, which does not allow Technology to thrive.

Helpless - If SOS is called for technology and IT help always fixes it for you, how does staff ever learn from it? Give someone a fish, feed them for a day. Teach someone to fish and they end up spending all of their money at Bass Pro, err, I mean they can feed themselves.

BUT the worst of all is...

Ambivalent - Once users could go either way with your technology, take it or leave it, you are in real trouble. You don't want to hear things like:

• "Go ahead and change the tool, not like it matters, you will just change it again later..."
• "Nice Tool!" (secretly scampers off and continues to use work-around)
• "You are the IT group, just tell us what to do and make it work."
• "Our technology is fine, but I don't need it to accomplish my goals."

So what are we supposed to do?

Have a Vision and Share It!

You need to be able to tell the story of how technology is benefiting your organization and how you plan to improve it.

What if you asked an org about what they accomplished in 2013 and they answered:

"We answered our phones 11,123 times, turned on the lights each day we worked, paid our bills, had 50 staff show up each day they were supposed to and shook 4,234 people's hands."

If that seems messed up, then why do we talk about our IT like:

"Network is stable, 2,456 help desk tickets completed, 4 major projects completed on budget, 99.99% uptime, implemented 7 new tools." 

Who cares.

A real strategic technology plan. I strongly believe a Strategic Technology Plan aligned with your mission can make all of the difference. Especially if you turn it into a short digestible, visual document to be shared with all staff. 

The key is to be able to express the impact on staff efficiency, process effectiveness and new opportunities which came from your technology. What changed because of the technology you implemented?

Communicate it. Change the tone of communication about your technology, get the positive message out there. Paint a picture of the potential future.

Yeah, I know what you are thinking.  We are hesitant to share our future technology plans, because things change so fast and we aren't sure we will be able to do it all. To me the key for this is to focus on the direction and strategy, not the timeline and the tool.  

Here is what I like to do:

• Share the specific projects coming in the next year, WITH specific goals on how it will change how we work and improve our organization.
• Describe the long term strategy by talking about the philosophy and focus over the next 4-6 years.

Example:

• Next year we will implement a new CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. Our goal is to replace many of the manual processes tracked in Excel and decrease the paperwork needed. We will be improving our intake process to allow our admissions team to focus on the client, limit multiple data entry points and not be as distracted by the tools.
• Over the next five years we will be looking to move systems to the cloud to shift internal support staff to focus on users, centralize staff collaboration tools to clear clutter and improve communication and look for ways to improve our business processes to better leverage our tools.

But the only way you can do the communication above is to be able to back it up with a Strategic Technology Plan.  You need to have the conversations about priority, upcoming projects, long term vision and have buy in with your plan before you can share it.

So a technology plan is more than just a document needed to manage your projects, it is a key to making technology a force for good in your organization.

Start 2014 right with a technology plan. 

New to Tech Planning? Read this article from Tech Soup!

Ready to add mission and strategy to your tech plan?

• I would suggest reading my resources about IT Alignment  (and if you need help, let me know). 
• Then complete the IT Alignment Assessment to identify areas to add to your Strategic Tech Plan.

Bringing Tech back to #NPTech, 10 Nonprofit Tech Twitter Tweeps to Follow

Social Media, Marketing and Fundraising all rely heavily on Technology. But when I think nonprofit TECHNOLOGY, Social Media, Marketing and Fundraising does NOT cover it all. Warning: Heated Rant Brewing, resisting urge to....

Anyway, when I think Technology, I think about Technology. You know, like Tech Strategy, Project Management, Business Process, Networks, Infrastructure, Telephony, Software and you know things like computers. A life before people named an expert in Facebook a Technology expert, they are a communications expert manipulating technology, not a technology exert. Arrgh, rant brewing, must shift to list.

My Twitter list of Nonprofit TECHNOLOGY Tweeps to Follow (#NPTech). (Would love to add more women in tech to this list, but here is a FANTASTIC list on Fast Company):

John Merritt @Johnmerritt - Of course I listed the Godfather of #NPTech and good friend of mine to this list first. He doesn't just know his tech, his veins are actually CAT5 cables.  IT Alignment is his game.

Peter S. Campbell @peterscampbell - You may know him from his best Project ever, #NTCBeer. But he is the "Go To" Tweep for anything related to to nonprofit technology. He is the CIO @ Legal Services Corp, but has worked at Earth Justice and Goodwill as well.

David Krumlauf @dkrumlauf -You won't find a nicer person with such a dedicated heart for NPTech. He embodies the best parts of our #NPTech community. His roots are in infrastructure and telco. He fights for technology funding to be a higher priority for foundations. He is one of my heroes.

Richard Wollenberger @RichatPAT - Fearless Leader of our NTEN IT Director Community of Practice. Director, Information Technology at Parents as Teachers.  In IT since 1987, love managing the process/supporting a nonprofit. It means something to come to work everyday supporting kids and education.

Matthew Eshleman @meshleman - Nonprofit Technology Consulting. He gets IT. Great resource for tech alignment, project management, business process and more.

Jonathan Berglund @jlberglund -  IT Director at Children's Hunger Fund. He knows his tech and has 15+ years of experience managing technology. Helped build a couple of IT Departments with small data centers, directly supervised developers, network admins, and support personnel, developed and supported an application with over 10,000 users, and managed IT budgets between $200-300k and capital projects upwards of $100k.

Rose DeFremery @rosedefremery - Rose may have recently entered the dark side and joined social media ranks, but is still a nonprofit technology expert in her heart.

Deborah Elizabeth Finn @Deborah909 -Nonprofit technology strategist. She live to bring resources and needs together.

John Kenyon @jakenyon - John may be well known for his amazing understanding of communications but he is also fits right in with the technology crowd and gets the core technology strategy.

Ash Shepherd @NPTech_Ash - Although he dabbles in social media, his NPower technology consulting background makes him a strong contender in #NPTech.

Robert Weiner @robert_weiner - Nonprofit Technology Consultant and always helpful. He gets that process

I would throw myself on this list @steveheye, but it seems self serving and the people I listed have taught me everything I know. yes, I know it is 11. Who should I add?

Thanks for your support! #DifferenceMade!

Some of you may be wondering why I seemed more forward in my fundraising for the causes I believe in and support? Well it has been a tough one financially and I haven't been able to give like I want to, so I reached out and Guess What?

You all ROCK and you jumped to support these AWESOME causes! NTEN, The Cara Program and Leap of Faith Arts Ministries! Read my previous post to learn more!  (and if you want to join in on supporting these causes, you still can.

But without further Adieu.... Here is the video I said I would create, you might want to hide your pets, it might cause damage to their hearing. And please don't let Simon Cowell or Randy Jackson see it. Just remember this is your fault for donating. ;-)



A big thanks to all of the donors!

• Paul Lamb – A shout out to my beautiful girls, Isabella and Michaela
• Jeff Bundy
• Bob, Carla & Connor Bickett - In honor of the awesome Tech team @ The Cara Program (Steve, Andrea & Erwin)
• Heye Family (Kevin, Jeanenne, Gloria, Andrew, Jacob)
• Jennifer and Nate Maercklein
• Tom and Barb Hattan
• Lauren Haynes
• Peter Campbell
• Kara Carrell
• Jen Hawley Price
• Mark Gillingham –Let’s hear it for the Great Books Foundation!

And a couple special shout outs for some extra generosity!

TABLE XI (JOSHUA GOLDEN) – known for asking the right questions, but there is no question here! Table XI matched the NPTech donations, but no one is a match for their support. (you should totally consider them for your web development)

Ann Feeney - Thanks for the data lyrics and generous donation!

Shauna  Musselman – Shauna, Shauna.... - I can't say thanks enough for your gift!

And a shout out to Emily Culbertson, thanks for the donation, sorry I missed you in the video, but I had already shot it. Cheers to you though!

And please, if I missed you, let me know, I'm an improv actor not an accountant.

Devotion to a cause - can you help?

NPTech or Leap of Faith or The Cara Program - Help me support these causes.

This is a unique point in my life, with many highs, but some very real challenges. My personal financial situation is a very tight one, mostly due to my own past choices. There are countless things which need repair and attention in my life, which I don't have the resources to act on. But at the same time, my blessings are overwhelming! My job is everything I could ask for, I get to focus on IT Alignment, I am surrounded by a mission driven, passionate team and it is all for a great cause! My family life is full of laughter and good times with a loving wife and great kids (even if they are getting too old, making me feel old). Not to mention blessings in friends, spiritual life, improv team and so many more.

As I reflect on my life, I see countless highlights and some challenges. The challenges all seem to be the result of my choices in life. That is where I am turning to my community and friends. Will you help show your support for some causes\orgs I have made sacrifices to be a part of?

Any small or large donation will help me feel I have made the right sacrifices and choices. I am really hoping to find 25 donors across the causes, please join me.

CHALLENGE- If I hit 25 donors across these 3 causes, I pledge to write a song based on suggestions from my donors and create a fun thank you video. So anyone who makes a donation can send me a special message to include in the video, maybe a shout out to friend, your org's name, a love note to the special someone or just a random mention of a squirrel. You can email me your suggestion, leave it in the comment or send it on your preferred social media channel.

NPTech

For years I have been an avid NPTech (nonprofit tech) community member and champion! I even wrote abook on Meeting your Mission with Technology with NTEN and countless resources on IT Alignment! This is more than a hobby, getting nonprofits the technology they need is a cause I stand behind and fight for constantly.
chapter for a

As I have grown in my experience and involvement in NPTech, I am now in a place to give back some of the knowledge shared with me. I have been presented with a number of opportunities over the last year to connect with some newer staff and have enjoyed it. I always learn something new too!

So this year, I am an NTEN Champion looking to raise funds to help other nonprofits get access to the nonprofit tech community to assist them in meeting their mission!

Please go view my video and read my story on my page to support the NPTech community!

And a HUGE Thanks to Table XI for offering to match the first $250 for my NTEN campaign!  

I had the honor of working with Table XI on a website project and it literally changed the way I viewed websites and website developers. Their approach of starting with questions, designing for the audience and understanding of content creation makes their work stand out! Plus they are deliberate in the staff they hire to balance the team. And we can not forget the awesome workplace and innovative culture they continuously sculpt and cultivate.  I appreciate everything they have done through speaking at events, offering services and sharing their expertise through content for nonprofits.

Leap of Faith

Watching your kids succeed is one thing, but how do you instill the right values, build their self esteem and ensure strong spirituality as a foundation for life? I think a key to this is to avoid isolating spirituality to church on Sunday. My daughter is a different person because of her involvement with Leap of Faith. As a father, I don't seem as worried as others about how my daughter will behave as a teenager. I am proud of who she is becoming, her self image, confidence and spirituality shine through. When faced with peer pressure and life's challenges, she has leaned on her Faith.

Leap of Faith is building more than great artists, they are equipping youth through spirituality outside of church to live a life to the fullest! And as some of the first students of Leap of Faith have left for college or have grown up and moved on, they talk about the friendships and spiritual lessons having huge impact on their life.

Leap of Faith is on the edge of the next big step. Several new opportunities and new staff backed by an invigorated board have paved the way for new programming, good growth and deeper impact! Leap of Faith needs some people to step out in Faith and give them the resources to make some needed investments necessary for growth. Operating with a budget around $60,000, any donation today will lead to exponential return and have huge impact.

Donate Now to Leap of Faith or visit the website to learn more or check out the programs!

The Cara Program

Homeless is a serious issue and I have never experienced an org making such a real, lasting impact on individuals, as I have seen at The Cara Program. We prepare and equip our students for entry level jobs and provide a full year of retention support once they are on the job. But don't take my word for it. Take a few minutes to visit The Cara Program website to see the very transparent metrics which try to show the impact.

Or find time to come visit us in Chicago to see our morning Motivations! You will experience our mission first hand and learn about who we are and what we do. We do Motivations Mon-Thurs at 8:25 am till 9am. We are 2 blocks West of Union Station. Just let me know when!

But to see the real impact of The Cara Program, you have to also see the social enterprises we run:

1. Cleanslate provides our students much needed work experience by providing litter abatement, snow removal, recycling and other neighborhood beautification services.
2. TCP Staffing is a temp staffing agency which employs our students.
3. Chapter 2 collects book donations to be resold, redistributed or recycled,.

Consider a donation to The Cara Program

Clothing Donations: we also accept professional clothing donations. We need women's and men's suits or interview quality clothes, ties, belts and shoes. (Often we struggle with enough women's clothing). If you get the clothes to me, I will get them downtown.

Book Donations: send your book donations over to me as well, I can get them downtown.

Hire us! Or if you work for a company in Downtown Chicago and you have entry level jobs, hire our students!

Hire Cleanslate! If you work for a company Downtown Chicago, consider using Cleanslate services where possbile!


I hope you will consider some sort of donation to one of these causes to show your support!

Discover the Passion in your #NPTech Career (Opening Post)

As of late my blog has been derailed with posts about career and jobs in nonprofit technology. But it has seemed to be interesting to a few people. So I am going to continue on the topic for a bit. This one will focus on Networking, but not between electronic devices. rather between people.

I have been in conversation with a bunch of different nonprofit tech staff, some early in their career and others much more experienced. One of the more interesting topics has been how we network. We have so many new opportunities to network, but are we using them for our careers?

Follow These 6 Steps to Network Like a Pro is a great post with some terrific advice and good links.

1. Be ready with your elevator pitch
2. Complete your profiles on every platform you have an account
3. Introduce yourself to people who you’d like to connect with
4. Follow up with people who you meet
5. Connect through social media channels
6. It doesn’t stop at hello, continue to build the relationship

If I was to add one thing though, it would be about personal branding.  Just like marketing for your organization, you need to have a brand. And there are tons on good articles and sets of information about personal Branding, here are a couple as examples:

• HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
• Personal Branding for Introverts
• Five Personal Branding Tips for Solopreneurs
• Or if you don't what personal branding is, Wikipedia even has some info: Personal Branding

But what I see missing in many of these and I think is most important is finding your passion and investing in it.  Over the next few posts I will explore some of what I have tried.

• Find your passion - here is where it is different in nonprofits, you have to pick a career passion and a cause passion.
• Invest in your passion - find time outside of work to learn about and participate in your passion
• Share your passion - there are so many easy ways to share, so just do it
• Mix personal and professional - be yourself

So my blog will stray a bit for a few more weeks. But I hope it proves useful and interesting to someone out there.