Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 320 pages
• Published by: Jossey-Bass
• Edition: 1st Edition March 31, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0787962791
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0787962791
• Book Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 2 pounds

Product Description
Wired for Good is a nuts-and-bolts guide to strategic technology planning for nonprofit organizations—no matter how large or small. This book leads nonprofits through a planning process that will help them align their technology use with their mission and strategic goals, determine what the appropriate technology tools are to meet those goals, and how the technology will be implemented and supported over time. This essential guide also shows how to win support for a strategic technology plan within an organization, evaluate a plan's effectiveness, and help staff and other stakeholders adapt to the changes new technology will bring about.

Wired for Good shows nonprofit professionals how to

• Get their organization ready for the strategic technology planning process
• Dispel the myths surrounding technology planning
• Understand the benefits of strategic technology planning
• Overcome organizational resistance to strategic technology planning
• Define the roles and responsibilities of staff and other key stakeholders in creating a successful plan
• Make the best use of volunteers and consultants
• Find the funds to support technology implementation

Back Cover Copy
Wired for Good is a nuts-and-bolts guide to strategic technology planning for nonprofit organizations— no matter how large or small. This book leads nonprofits through a planning process that will help them align their technology use with their mission and strategic goals, determine what the appropriate technology tools are to meet those goals, and how the technology will be implemented and supported over time. This essential guide also shows how to win support for a strategic technology plan within an organization, evaluate a plan's effectiveness, and help staff and other stakeholders adapt to the changes new technology will bring about.
Wired for Good shows nonprofit professionals how to

• Get their organization ready for the strategic technology planning process
• Dispel the myths surrounding technology planning
• Understand the benefits of strategic technology planning
• Overcome organizational resistance to strategic technology planning
• Define the roles and responsibilities of staff and other key stakeholders in creating a successful plan
• Make the best use of volunteers and consultants
• Find the funds to support technology implementation

In addition, Wired for Good is filled with practical suggestions, templates, and examples from real-life technology plans created successfully by nonprofits. This essential resource is based on the successful Wired for Goodä program from the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits, a leadership support organization that promotes excellence in nonprofit organizational performance.

"Few issues are more challenging for nonprofit executives than aligning mission, strategy, and technology. The comprehensive strategic approach and great tools for technology planning presented so clearly in this book should help resolve this challenge for both small and large nonprofits alike."
— Dave Thornton, president and CEO, YMCA of Santa Clara Valley

"The detailed how-to approach provides an great roadmap for the largely neglected task of technology planning. Any organization that wishes to use technology strategically would benefit hugely by following the process presented."
— Susan Packard Orr, chairman, David and Lucile Packard Foundation

"Too many IT projects fail. The blueprint for technology planning presented by Joni Podolsky will help you build a solid system and derive real benefit from the money and effort you invest in Information Technology."
— James M. Patell, Herbert Hoover Professor of Public and Private Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business



Reader Reviews
This is a superb guide to technology planning that will be a valuable addition to any nonprofit's management toolkit. I work in the nonprofit technology field (full disclosure--I know Joni personally), and I'm recommending this to everyone I know. I'm even buying copies for friends who work at other nonprofits. Based on Joni's experience leading dozens of nonprofits through the Silicon Valley program of the same name, "Wired for Good" covers every topic a nonprofit should consider in the course of developing a technology plan, and it's filled with real-world examples and worksheets readers can use themselves. It's written in an engaging, conversational style that won't intimidate non-techies, but it also tackles complex topics in a way that experienced users will find rewarding. Despite the rapid pace of technological change, the book's insightful and comprehensive approach to tech planning guarantees it a long shelf life.