Tallahassee Not for Profits and Technology

There seems to be a lot of evil in the world these days, the Brussels attack is certainly top of mind. However it’s very refreshing to be able to look around Tallahassee and see a lot of good here. Just about any direction you turn there is someone volunteering for a cause or as their full-time job.

I have had the opportunity to get to know a few charitable organizations and some local learning institutions during my career; and I thought it would be uplifting to see how technology has helped these entities propel themselves into the future and work smarter.

I have been volunteering on the Tree House Board of Directors for the past 10 years. Tree House is a children’s shelter that provides a home-like environment for kids who need it since 1986. I had the opportunity to serve as President (2010-2011) and got to contribute in a small way to the organization help kids in need each and every year.

I remember when I asked the Board President in 2006 what the web address was, he informed me that they did not have one. Step one, build a website. The first one was simple and straight forward and it has grown into a robust site with corresponding social media integrated into online fundraising software that keeps the organization running.

This month I sat down with the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend, Alva Striplin, and Board Member Adam Watson, and I asked them how technology has helped them with their mission. Striplin said, “Technology has helped us in the area of maintaining records on the children we serve in our community. It also enables us to have immediate access to our volunteer records for security and safety purposes. Agencies across the state and across the country within the Big Brothers Big Sisters network are able to share information on children who may move from one city to another but still want to be actively involved in our program. We didn’t have this capability prior to having a nationwide database for Big Brothers Big Sisters.”

During my work as Vice-President of the Maclay High School Alumni Board of Directors Alumni Association I was asked by the administration to “like” a Fundraising Campaign and “tag” fellow classmates in order to get them to participate on social media. At our last meeting the team let me know that those small efforts and no cost lead to some alumni becoming engaged that were not before I tagged about 50 former classmates.

Carri Smith, Advancement Director at Maclay had the following to add about other technology, “All of the record keeping for our constituents is done through software, tracking everything from addresses to graduation year and college major. Donors can register or purchase tickets for events online using event based software that then can upload into our database software to track donations and contributions. The addition of mobile bidding at our annual gala and auction two years ago has helped us see an increase in dollars raised. The majority of our donors now contribute online instead of by check or cash.”

Children’s Home Society offers services that help break the cycles of abuse in more families, heal the pain for traumatized children, guide teens to successfully transition into adulthood and create strong, loving families through adoption.” Charles McDonald, the Executive Director of Children’s Home Society, had the following to say about technology and the CHS mission: “Technology helps Children’s Home Society of Florida work more effectively and efficiently. It also allows us to collect, analyze and use data to improve our service delivery. Technology helps us stay connected with the children and families we serve in ways never thought possible in social services.”

I attended an event last month called Cleaver and Cork (pictured above), which benefited the Tallahassee Community College Foundation which helps serve the needs of Tallahassee Community College. Their Chairperson, Pam Butler (Aegis founder), gave a nice speech to the attendees highlighting their overall mission. When it came to technology, Butler referenced a specific piece of software called Star Fish which was beyond cool. This application tracks students as they journey through their education process.

“When we review and award scholarships we can pull data and find students who are 8-10 hours from graduation; that could be at-risk for abandoning their education, and we can say how about we pay for your next semester to rescue the student in question,” said Butler. This gets a degree in hand for the student and the school another graduate. The benefits to our economy, the student and TCC speak for themselves.

We all have our missions in life. Make sure you are using technology to get that mission accomplished. Whether it is blogging, social media, mobility, industry specific software, cloud computing, or a mobile apps, don’t be shy and embrace the technology at your disposal.

In closing, a special thanks to everyone quoted in this column for the good work they do in our community and a prayer to those who fight the evil in this world in whatever capacity that might be.

If you have questions about any of the organizations mentioned in this column please search them out on line or email me and I can make an introduction to Charles, Pam, Adam, Alva, or Carri.

Blake Dowling is chief business development officer at Aegis Business Technologies. His technology column is published monthly. Contact him at [email protected] or at www.aegisbiztech.com