Navigating Digital Transformation – Technology Roadmap for Nonprofits

By Jessamine Chin, Director, VMware Foundation

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VMware technology forms a digital foundation for organizations that are changing the world. From virtualization to cloud computing and mobile technology, two decades of innovation have given rise to a more connected planet. Even as new technologies emerge and connect us, the world continues to face complex, interconnected and systemic issues like growing inequality, access to opportunity and education, and climate change.

At VMware, we are driven to be a force for good. We remain optimistic that technology can help address these societal challenges when integrated with existing processes and in partnership with the people working most closely to the challenges. As the world relies on 12 million global nonprofits to continue tackling the planet’s most pressing problems, we also recognize many of these nonprofits struggle with realizing the benefits of technology.

Strengthening Nonprofit Organizations to Amplify Impact
For the past three years, the VMware Foundation has been investing in research and tools to strengthen nonprofit operations through technology so that they can more effectively serve their mission. This week, at the TechSoup Global Network Summit, TechSoup launched their Digital Transformation Initiative by announcing the development of a nonprofit digital transformation roadmap. The tool will provide nonprofits with a customized digital blueprint based on each organization’s technology capacity across five categories: Productivity, Security, Back-Office Process Automation, Reach & Engagement, Data & Impact Measurement, and Innovation.

VMware is leading this effort in collaboration with Bay Area tech companies Okta, Box, Cisco, and Adobe. “We’re in an era where our technology is interoperable and collaborative. To empower the social sector, we need to apply the same principles to our partnerships,” says Bryan Breckenridge, Executive Director, Box.org.

“TechSoup has built a powerful global network and identified a clear need for a better roadmap to help move nonprofits to the cloud. They understand how to harness the power of the nonprofit and tech sectors to drive us forward together. This is a challenge we’re excited to tackle,” shared Erin Baudo Felter, Executive Director, Okta for Good.

“Digital transformation is a tool for conversation,” says Mona Raina, Director of Services, TechSoup Global. “For the 1 million global nonprofits that we serve today, we want to help increase their impact and we cannot do that unless we connect the solution to the organization’s mission and goals. We know technology is not a solution without people and process.”

Technology Pro Bono for Digital Transformation
The VMware Foundation also continues a multi-year research project with Taproot Foundation, Transforming Technology Pro Bono, which provides a framework and practical guide for more effective and sustainable technology pro bono. The research provides the theoretical foundation for Good Gigs Projects, launched in July 2018, a program where VMware people can apply their pro bono talents to co-create a technology solution with a nonprofit. Through these efforts, we work to bridge the growing technology divide and equip social sector organizations with powerful tools to support them in achieving and delivering on their missions.

Learn more about the VMware Foundation and Good Gigs Projects – Watch the Video!

Today every organization needs technology to succeed and scale and yet, a digital divide still exists for the nonprofit sector, primarily due to constrained resources, so they are unable to fully realize the benefits of technology. At VMware, we are committed to equipping and strengthening the operational capacity of social sector organizations as they take on some of our world’s most challenging and complex issues.

Tweet me: .@VMware invests in #tech roadmap for #nonprofits, boosts #probono framework http://bit.ly/2CEENpC #CSR

Source: Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Cause Marketing News