Tips on Using Database Software and Other Tech Tools

"If the users can't use it, it doesn't work
"If it doesn't work, the users can't use it"

 
This is my technology philosophy.

My advice regarding computer and Internet use is focused on mission-based organizations (nonprofits, non-governmental organizations or NGOs, public sector organizations, civil society organizations, etc.), including those working in and for developing countries. It is given in as much non-technical terminology as possible, and is focused more on the human-side of technology use, rather than the tech itself.

Employees and volunteers at mission-based organizations have to stretch existing resources a long, long way, and they may not have the resources to hire a full-time tech manager or even a short-term consultant, let alone purchase specialized database software or send employees to computer training. My tech-related advice is made with those organizations with extremely limited resources primarily in mind. And that means that some readers may find the information too basic. But based on the emails I regularly receive and my own first-hand experience working with nonprofit organizations, this basic tech-related information fills in a lot of gaps left by various software manuals and workshops -- I provide basic information that tech writers must think most people already understand.

This advice also comes from the author's point of view that the best designers of these databases are the users -- the people, often non-techies, who input and manipulate the data regularly as part of their jobs. That means development directors and office assistants should direct the design, rather than IT professionals and senior managers.

This advice comes from the many years I have spent using computers and the Internet and, in particular, from creating and/or managing databases that track people and their activities, be it what tickets they buy, how much they've contributed to an organization in time or money, ways they have volunteered, or if they've received the latest brochure. This advice is further enhanced by continued suggestions posted to various online discussion groups.

With all that said: success in using technology tools is driven by user attitude. Users who want to reach out, to make people feel informed and involved, who are committed to quality and timeliness, and who are ready to try something even at the risk of making a mistake are the people who flourish using technology. People who hate change, don't like sharing information freely and continually, and don' like involving others in their work are those that struggle with technology. What's your attitude?

• Overview of Databases
  • Database Terms
    
  • "Flat" and Relational Databases
    
  • How Databases Are Joined
    
  • Shopping for Database Software

• Basic Customer Database Principles
  What information should you track about donors, volunteers, clients, community members, potential audiences, etc? Who should be in charge of the database? What about security members? Should you delete people off of your database? This is basic information about database management for mission-based organizations, presented in as non-technical terms as possible.

• Customer Database Regular Maintenance
  A database is only as valuable as the quality of information in it. How do you maintain that quality?

• Keeping Volunteer Information Up-to-Date
  Keeping track of volunteer information is a challenge. At minimum, an organization has to keep track of volunteers' up-to-date email address and phone number. Organizations also need volunteers to report what they are doing as volunteers and how many hours they are contributing -- each day, each week or each month. Having this information for volunteers is vital to the sustainability of volunteer involvement. This page offers suggestions on how to keep volunteer information up-to-date, with the goal of getting the information your organizatin needs with minimal effort on your part.

• Importing Information Into a Database
  Just because your fund raising consultant uses a Macintosh and you have an IBM clone, or just because she uses one kind of database program and you use another, doesn't mean you can't import information from her database -- or just about any other database -- into your own.

• Finding a Computer/Network Consultant
  Staff at mission-based organizations (nonprofits, civil society organizations, and public sector agencies) often have to rely on consultants, either paid or volunteer, for expertise in computer hardware, software and networks. Staff may feel unable to understand, question nor challenge whatever that consultant recommends. What can mission-based organizations do to recruit the "right" consultant for "tech" related issues, one that will not make them feel out-of-the-loop or out-of-control when it comes to tech-related discussions?

• Choosing Specialized Software
  (Or Using What You Already Have)
  Label-making software, volunteer management software, project management software, presentation software, art work software, client-management software, fund raising software, etc. -- the "Buy v. Build" database debate, what to look for in a particular software package, etc.

• Listing of Volunteer Management Software
  Some of the most frequently-asked questions to me are regarding volunteer management software: what's available, how different packages compare with each other, the cost of each, the features of each, and on and on. I do not have the resources to create a comparison of the different volunteer management software. I've created this page to offer criteria to help organizations choose volunteer management software, and to help someone who might want to create a comparison of such software, as well as to offer a listing of volunteer management software I know about (but with no comment or description of the software -- just links to the producing company's web sites).

• Stages of Maturity in Nonprofit Orgs Using Online Services
  What does a networking technology-savvy nonprofit organization look like? To help nonprofits think about networking tech standards they should pursue, and possible goals for the future, I've created this assessment of the states of maturity for a nonprofit organization's use of networking/online technologies.

• Simplifying Life with RSS
  RSS... another hip tech acronym to learn. What is it and why should your nonprofit/NGO/government office care? This latest resource describes RSS in very simple terms, to show how it can make media monitoring easier and reduce clutter in your email inbox.

• Is Your Staff "Walking the Talk" Re: Your Organization's Online Activities?
  Mission-based organizations use the Internet in all sorts of ways to interact with the public, or with staff and volunteers abroad: for instance, online discussion groups, an intranet where staff and volunteers can share profiles about themselves and updates about their work with each other, or an online service that is promoted as central to the organization's mission and identity. But is your staff showing leadership in using these online tools? If your organization is to use technology successfully, all staff must embrace it. Here are tips on how to encourage that.

• Mistake With an iPod:
  Why Tech Is So Hard to Use Even For "Techies"
  My own account of trying to buy a "new" technology and, despite my attempts to do all the necessary research, making a costly error. This is also an example of how software and hardware companies make finding information difficult to find, and very difficult to understand -- even for people who are supposedly tech literate.

• Introducing New Technology Successfully into an Agency
  and Why Your Agency Needs a Technology Plan
  Many mission-based organizations invest considerable resources in computer hardware, software and staff training for computerized systems that then end up being under-utilized and failing to live up to their vast potential, because the staff had unrealistic expectations for the technology, or they never bought in to the idea of the technology in the first place. Many agencies also don't create technology plans, and end up engaging in crisis management that effects fund raising, staffing and the agency's mission-based activities. This tip sheet provides an overview of the reasons to computerize or upgrade a system, the disadvantages and risks, getting staff buy-in, and links to other resources.

• How People In Remote Locations Can Work on the Same Document
  The key to sharing documents among people in remote locations isn't your computer technology; it's how your humans save and share information.

• Sharing Your Work With Volunteers (and Others) Online
  This resource reviews how (and why) to share your work -- your calendar, files, databases, online polls, and more, with volunteers, remote staff and other groups -- as part of your work for a nonprofit/NGOs/civil society organization. It's easier than you think! And with free tools, you can get started right away.

• How To Support Your Computer and Internet Systems
  How does a small mission-based organization, with very limited resources and, often, a staff doing a lot more than their job description defines, support their computer and Internet systems? Who solves problems? Who evaluates the system and suggests when or when not to upgrade? Who identifies training needs of the staff? Here are a few suggestions.

• Free Help With Databases & Software
  Free templates and online advice are harder and harder to find on the web, particularly for nonprofit organizations. This page documents some of the very few left online.

• Resources For Users of Older Computers
  Mission-based organizations, particularly small ones, often don't have the option to buy or to upgrade their computers to the latest and greatest toys on the market. Heck, neither do a lot individuals! Plus, there are those of us who find the constant upgrading and discarding of computers extremely wasteful and unnecessary. Even in the new millennium, you CAN get a lot out of such older computer systems -- you can surf the Internet, send and receive e-mail, create databases, do desktop publishing, etc. This tip sheet will show you that a lot can be done with just a little technology, and where to find resources for your older computer. LOTS of links to other resources as well.

• Keep Your Vintage Computer Humming:
  Basic Computer Maintenance and Problem Solving
  General tips for all computers, and specific information for both Macintosh computers running any system before OSX, and IBM/Clone PCs running Windows 98 or older (or not Windows at all!) on maintenance and problem-solving, basic printer problem-solving, and things to do before you call technical support.

• Electronic Waste is EVERYONE'S Responsibility
  When computers, stereos, VCRs, iPods, walkmans, video games, software, and cell phones are put into land fills, they leak poisons and heavy metals into the ground, endangering our lives and the health of our planet. With 48.5 million computers discarded each year, the USA is a particularly poor recycler and global citizen, exporting its hazardous electronic waste to developing countries, often illegally, and with horrific impacts on human health and the environment in these countries. This page will help your organization dispose of its electronic waste in an environmentally-friendly manner.

• Caution! Re: Accepting Technology Donations
  ("free" computers and software are rarely so)
  While I am a huge believer in in-kind donations, both of new and used computer equipment, I also believe that even in-kind donations of NEW computers should be accepted with caution. This page explores why, and how to know if accepting a donation of computers is a good idea.

• Non-IT Staff Taking the Lead on the Exploration of Technology Use
  An IT professional is not always the best person to *lead* at a mission-based organization regarding use of information communications technologies (ICTs) to meet the organization's mission and help staff members do their jobs. Originally published in Tech4Impact.

• Use Online Audio and Video to Say Thanks
  Even computer technology just a few years old can create short audio and video files that your organization can use to send to volunteers to thank them for their service. Originally published in Tech4Impact.

• When is a Web Upgrade Not Really an Upgrade?
  What a web developer may consider as an upgrade may actually be a major obstacle that will impede the organization in serving its constituencies. Making a web site more "cutting edge" from a designer's point of view may not be easier, quicker or better from a user's point of view or the point of view of the staff. Originally published in Tech4Impact.

• Demise of a Terrific Web Site
  Originally published in Tech4Impact.

• Getting the Most Out of Yahoo!Groups
  Originally published in Tech4Impact.

• How To Successfully Move an Online Discussion Group
  Originally published in Tech4Impact.

• Is Your Computer Sending Out Viruses Without Your Knowing It?
  Did you know that your computer can send out viruses without your knowing it? The credibility of mission-based organizations can be adversely affected if users can trace a virus they have received back to you, or if you lose valuable donor or volunteer information, accounting data, etc. because of a virus attack.

• Preventing Spyware from Installing Itself on YOUR Computer
  It's scary to think that things are being added to your computer without your knowledge... but it's a fact, and you need to take precautions against it.

• Ode to First Class Client: Still Awesome After All These Years
  If your organization is looking for an intranet system, particularly for working with remote staff and volunteers using a variety of computers and operating systems, I HIGHLY recommend First Class Client. I have no affiliation with the company that produces this software. I'm just stunned that networking software I used back in the mid 1990s is still so darned awesome, and wanted to share.

• I love my lime iBook
  Read how I walk my talk regarding using old hardware and software, showing that it has a much, much longer shelf life than the media and many others will admit. And, I hope, this page can help others using "older" computer tech to get more speed and power from such.

• Early History of Nonprofits & the Internet
  The Internet has always been about people and organizations networking with each other, sharing ideas and comments, and collaborating online. It has always been interactive and dynamic. And there were many nonprofit organizations who "got" it early -- earlier than many for-profit companies. So I've attempted to set the record straight: I've prepared a web page that talks about the early history of nonprofits and the Internet. It focuses on 1995 and previous years. It talks a little about what nonprofits were using the cyberspace for as well at that time and lists the names of key people and organizations who helped get nonprofit organizations using the Internet in substantial numbers in 1995 and before. Edits and additions are welcomed.

• Women's Access to Public Internet Access in Transitional and Developing Countries
  Home and family obligations, lack of transportation, low-literacy and perceived lack of value keep many women and girls from accessing public Internet access points in developing and transitional countries. But there's another factor that is rarely talked about: in developing and transitional countries in particular, many of these public access points can be male-dominated, with mostly male users and few -- or no -- female users, and for many women, particularly women in developing countries, this makes the public access point off-limits to them. This new web page advocates for women-only Internet centers, or women-only hours at such, and offers resources to support such efforts.

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