This is not a report, per se; it isn’t a guide or a handbook. Just as these participants plan to continue working on the ways their organizations collect and use data, we hope that this collection can serve you and your team in learning about what others are doing and where you may go next.
MAP for Nonprofits and Idealware came together for an exciting research project that paves the way for organizations to use technology in innovative ways to deliver services and advance their missions.
Clark County Family and Children Services in Springfield, Ohio, needed a way to help child welfare social workers improve family engagement, but mountains of documentation and inefficient paper-based processes stood in the way. Since implementing Northwoods’ mobile document management for social services, social workers are saving up to two hours a day on paperwork and spending more face-to-face time with families.
Case Management, Foster Care, Mobile App, Social Workers, Technology
View Northwoods' case study and video to learn how we help agencies minimize the burden of paperwork, mitigate stress, and ultimately, break the cycle of social worker burnout.
The unfortunate reality of technology funding is this: There is no magical technology funder out there. So when you hire a new employee, you’re on your own to find a computer for them, and all the software for it and licenses for any databases or systems you use, and those costs add up quickly. To fund such technology, you need to be creative and look beyond foundation support. How can you reduce technology costs and raise technology money at the same time?
Just as there’s no magical technology funder, there’s no silver funding bullet, either. But there are a couple of steps you can take to help. Let’s look at them one at a time.
The numbers are important—likes, follows, retweets all show that your audience is paying attention—but it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that numbers are the goal when what you really want is bigger. Engagement—interaction that is meaningful and furthers your organization’s impact—is what your communications need to deliver.
Implemented by TFI in 2010, ECAP uses a series of algorithms that combine preference and availability matching with a scoring system that determines better matches between foster families and children. ECAP provided TFI’s placement staff with immediate improvements in the efficiency of the placement process. Intake information for each child was now easily accessible in one system, which cut down on the time it took to make placements. TFI intake staff members no longer had to sit and wait with children while other intake staff looked for placements.
What does digital strategy look like in your organization? NTEN asked, and nearly 500 individuals from nonprofit organizations responded! In collaboration with Care2 and hjc, NTEN is excited to release the first ever 2015 Digital Outlook Report that captures the digital strategy landscape in nonprofit organizations, as well as strategies in 2015 for staffing, tactics, tools, and more.
With NTEN’s theory of change in mind, this report examines technology staffing levels, technology budgets, overall organizational approach to technology decisions, as well as technology oversight and management practices. Over 700 individuals from nonprofits participated in taking the survey, ranging from various operating budget size, staff size, and more.
Did you know that more than 60 million Americans do not have Internet access in their homes? That statistic is alarming, and is precisely what drove NTEN and Mobile Citizen to launch the first Digital Adoption Report, which provides benchmarks and qualitative data about online technology and digital inclusion efforts among nonprofits and the communities that they serve.
