Nonprofits
Nonprofits are changing the world, often with limited resources and equipment. Imagine what they can accomplish with a little more help.
On this page:
Overview, Challenges, and Opportunities
Our approach to supporting nonprofits
What We’re Doing
Our progress in FY2011
What’s Next
Our priorities for the year ahead
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Nonprofits
Technology helps nonprofits to reduce costs, boost productivity, raise funds, and deliver new and improved services to their local communities. Microsoft has a longstanding commitment to ensuring that technology is accessible to nonprofits around the world, bringing the benefits of technology to local communities.
We are proud to work with thousands of nonprofits around the world to get them access to the technology that they need and train them how to use it.
Challenges
- Many nonprofits lack the resources that they need to carry out their missions.
- Nonprofits are focused on delivering much-needed services, but many lack the technology training and resources that they need to drive efficiencies, cut costs, and increase reach.
- Nonprofits may not have optimized their use of existing technology, or they are not using it correctly.
Opportunities
- Ensuring that more nonprofits know they can receive software donations from Microsoft
- Helping nonprofits understand how cloud computing can provide technology faster and often at a lower cost
- Creating more innovative technologies, and more that are tailored to the needs of nonprofits
- Repurposing Microsoft enterprise solutions to serve nonprofits
Viewpoint
Rita Soni, CEO, NASSCOM Foundation
How does a remote district in India improve the newborn sex ratio from 839 girls for every 1,000 births to 876 (the world average is 1,084[1])? How does a small Indian nonprofit reach 150 million weak readers, doubling the number of good readers in local primary schools (India’s adult literacy is 74.04 percent[2])?
What We're Doing
Giving nonprofits access to technology
- Donating software: In FY2011 we donated more than $844 million
in software to 46,886 nonprofits in 113 countries/regions.The value
of software we have donated globally since 1998 is more than $3.9 billion.The FY2011 value of software donated now includes employee software donations; previous years’ in-kind giving numbers do not.
- Equipping refurbished computers: In FY2011 we supplied 417,030 copies of Windows and 184,080 copies of Microsoft Office to partners that offer refurbished computers to nonprofits, schools, and technology access programs.
- Providing software licensing: In FY2011 authorities in Russia were
reported to have used charges of pirating Microsoft software as a means to confiscate
computers and challenge nonprofits. To help protect the freedom of expression of nonprofits
and their access to technology, we established a program that allows nonprofits
in certain countries/regions** to license their existing Microsoft software for
free. The policy will extend through January 1, 2013.
**Countries/regions included are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Training nonprofits to use the latest technology
- Hosting NGO Connection Days: In FY2011 Microsoft held more than 100 NGO Connection Days, training more than 6,200 nonprofits in 62 countries/regions on how to use technology to build their capacity and serve more people.
- Offering technology webinars: We hosted webinars twice a month, at no charge, to help more than 750 nonprofit professionals around the world learn about a variety of technology topics, including cloud computing, collaboration through Microsoft SharePoint, and managing donors and volunteers with CRM.
- Training nonprofit leaders: We worked with Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) to train 100 nonprofit leaders to more effectively manage information technology within their organizations.
Creating new technologies for nonprofits
In FY2011 we launched Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2011 Nonprofit Solution, a cloud-based program that helps nonprofits manage data and more easily work with their beneficiaries and donors.
What's Next
Our priorities for FY2012 include:
- Working with TechSoup Global, our software donations partner, to simplify the software donation process for nonprofit users and to provide increased customer support to help nonprofits access technology more easily.
- Expanding our programs to serve nonprofits in more countries/regions.
- Launching a new program to help nonprofits get the most out of their computers by working with them to properly license the operating systems that they may already have installed.
- Offering Windows 7 Professional to our computer refurbishing partners. This will be the first time that we’ve been able to offer the most current version of Windows for refurbished computers.
- Researching and developing new software and offerings that are tailored to the needs of nonprofits.
How does a remote district in India improve the newborn sex ratio from 839 girls for every 1,000 births to 876 (the world average is 1,084[1])? How does a small Indian nonprofit reach 150 million weak readers, doubling the number of good readers in local primary schools (India’s adult literacy is 74.04 percent[2])? There is only one answer: technology. The information age has transformed communities across vast geographies by plugging them into networks and providing tools to interact, manage, and reach. The term ‘global village’ has taken on a new meaning in this information age as miles get bridged by the Internet superhighway. However, the impact of ICT on poverty and development is still just beginning to be felt.
The solution to the reach challenge is through partnership and active participation of tech companies like Microsoft that support the delivery of technology access, training, and informed usage to local communities. Microsoft has supported the NASSCOM Foundation since 2005, and together they have benefited more than 1,700 nonprofits all over India through software donations, certifications, and IT training for better nonprofit performance as well as community development. Through partnership we can scale this impact, assisting with solving the world’s toughest and most pressing issues. Creating a platform for proactive participation of tech companies is critical for the success of this knowledge transfer. Corporate philanthropy by tech companies for hardware, software, and general donations is a start. Innovation can come from tech companies forging partnerships with nonprofits for product/service development. Bridging the talent needs of nonprofits with employee volunteering and all-out deployment will engage employees and build capacity. Tech companies can also consider investment into social enterprises piloted by nonprofits as another means of bridging the technology divide. And finally, linking in the government as the third leg of this collaborative effort will scale such efforts to reach the last mile.
ICT-connected villages and urban slums with content that can support education, livelihoods, health, disaster preparedness, and public services will truly bring about an inclusive and sustainable globe where gender divides are bridged and illiteracy is a thing of the past.
[1] http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2010_EN_Complete_reprint.pdf
[2] http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/indiaatglance.html
