In 2008 Connecting Up Australia conducted a report on 930 charities and nonprofit organisations in order to benchmark their technology capacity.
The result was not very encouraging, according to Connecting Up Australia CEO Doug Jacquier: organisations should use more and in a more efficient way the opportunities that new web-based technologies offer.
Interviewed by NewsMaker, Mr. Jacquier said: “Those organisations who are ‘ahead of the game’ are using online banking and purchasing more than they were two years ago when we last surveyed. They are also taking up internet-based phone systems, raising more funds online, and adopting some new software."
However - he added - more can be done. According to Mr. Jacquier it is worring that 60% of the contacted organisations is not spending a cent on technology-related training: "You can’t just buy the boxes, plug them in and have instant efficiency", he highlighted. Moreover, the opportunities offered by the 'social web revolution' via blogs, RSS feeds or sites such as Facebook should be used to gain the next generation of donors, volunteers, employees, sponsors and supporters.
The full report is available following this link.
NewsMaker adds that the survey outcomes throw out a real challenge to software developers in that charities and nonprofits are between two and four times more likely than other sectors of the economy to conclude that the software they have does not meet their needs.