Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits [Paperback]

Joni Podolsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2003 | Series: Jossey-Bass Nonprofit and Public Management Series

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

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

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 Good? 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 excellent 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 excellent 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

About the Author

Joni Podolsky is the founding program director of Wired for Good, a program of the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits in San Jose, California. As program director, she helped Silicon Valley nonprofits use technology strategically to improve their effectiveness by leveraging the community expertise and resources necessary to assist them in the development and implementation of strategic technology plans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (March 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787962791
• ISBN-13: 978-0787962791
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding resource for all nonprofits, June 12, 2003

By 

Edward Batista (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful for all nonprofits, April 26, 2003

By 

John A. Kenyon "nonprofit technology strategist" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits (Paperback)

Wired for Good is a wonderful resource that is long overdue and a very welcome addition to the nonprofit community. Too many nonprofits focus on operational technology planning - what computer to buy and what software to put on it. Those nonprofits who take the next step and plan strategically for technology are the ones who reap the organizational benefits technology can bring, while the others only tread water.

This book is not just an overview of planning, but gets into the nuts and bolts of the process. Using real life experiences and examples it provides applicable techniques and tips, not just theories. There are many examples of how nonprofits have executed the various parts of the planning process and the results of their actions. Too often guides like these go deep into theories without any practical advice or real-life examples, but not here. The examples here draw on the experience of a wide range of technical and non-technical nonprofit staff, making it widely understandable and accessible.

Using this guide, organizations can make solid, lasting improvements to the way they conduct their business, allowing them to make better use of their resources and provide better products and services.

I hope everyone who wishes to improve their organization will make use of Wired for Good to improve their organizations, and thereby our world as a whole.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to utilize technology as a nonprofit, September 22, 2003

By 

steve heye - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits (Paperback)

This book has helped me tremendously in my strategy on how to create a solid technology plan. Joni confirms the idea that technology is more than just a tool, it is a way to acheive your mission as a nonprofit. Technology is a necessary part of life now and instead of just buying it and making it work, you should first sit back and think it through. This book will help you do that.

The book is easy to read and gives straight forward advice on how to create and complete a technology plan for a nonprofit. I would highly recommend it for any nonprofit, whether or not you are buying technology soon, this book can help