Virtually everyone wants their technology project to be “user-centered.” But what does that mean in practice? Implementing every possible applicable technique could easily cost tens of thousands of dollars. For a giant project, this could be a great investment. But for most of us nonprofit technologists, that’s just not practical. But it is practical —… Continue reading What “user-centered” cou...

If only there were an RFPs 101 instructional course, I’m sure many nonprofit professionals and their consultants could have been saved from countless headaches. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and we’ve all become familiar with the daunting process of creating a request for proposals. RFPs are instrumental, and sometimes even required, for soliciting services… Continue reading Why includin...

Payment technology advancements have fueled notable shifts in spending behavior in recent years — particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic. Credit cards and digital wallets have overtaken cash and check spending. At the same time, the proliferation of mobile devices has ramped up purchases made from tablets and mobile phones. These changes have also… Continue reading 5 payment trends to gr...

We’re welcoming Maria Lara as our newest team member. Maria is our Digital Equity Manager and is already busy onboarding the 2024 Digital Inclusion Fellows! What was your favorite childhood meal? Oh, let me tell you about my all-time favorite childhood dish: my Grandma Pepa’s pozole rojo! This amazing bowl of goodness was pure magic,… Continue reading 5 questions for Maria Lara The post 5 quest...

The NTEN team continues to grow. We’re excited to introduce our new Project Coordinator, Kate Hudson! Kate brings a passion for collaboration and helping others feel included in projects. I asked her five questions to help you learn more about our newest team member. What was your first job? My first job was as a… Continue reading 5 questions for Kate Hudson The post 5 questions for Kate Hudson...

The NTEN team is growing. We’re thrilled to tell you that Tahira Abbas has joined NTEN as our Cohort Coordinator! What was your favorite childhood meal? Khubz Uruk — it’s quite a fragrant memory. It’s like Iraqi flatbread with minced beef, lots of chopped herbs, some diced onion, and a mix of cumin and turmeric,… Continue reading 5 questions for Tahira Abbas The post 5 questions for Tahira Abba...

If you are working in marketing for a nonprofit, there are many challenges you may be facing in 2023: the healing but still volatile economy, political issues, struggles with fundraising, and just trying to cut through the clutter to build awareness. With all that taking up your brain space, it’s hard to focus on figuring… Continue reading Adding AI to your nonprofit marketing toolkit responsib...

This is a quote block. The quote is missing when published. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt This is a pullquote block. It publishes as code. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt The post Quote testing appeared first on NTEN.

NTEN joined a coalition of 300 broadband experts, internet service providers, community leaders, nonprofits, consumer advocates, and business groups who have joined forces to highlight concerns about the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program. In a letter to NTIA head Alan Davidson and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the ...

I am an expert at filling out forms.  I fill them out when I’m ordering something online. I fill them out when I’m applying for a class. Or for a new driver’s license. And for every appointment. And I fill them out when I donate or sign up for an email newsletter.  This means you’re… Continue reading Create accessible and inclusive forms The post Create accessible and inclusive forms appeared f...

Understanding the user experience is vital to an organization’s mission. Yet many nonprofits struggle with how to conduct meaningful user experience research that can help improve employee morale, improve the services they deliver, and demonstrate real impact to donors. You may have heard the metaphor that likens a saw to an organization’s ability to remain… Continue reading Want to improve you...

NTEN has had an increasingly distributed team and a flexible work schedule throughout our 23 years as an organization. So when everyone shifted to working from home during the pandemic, we already had half the staff working remotely, which allowed us to better adapt than many organizations. Today our team is spread out across six… Continue reading NTEN embraces a 4-day week The post NTEN embrac...

Keeping a nonprofit organization’s website secure is critical. Cyber-attacks can cause significant damage to an organization. Cybersecurity threats include disruption to its operations, data breaches, financial loss, and damage to its reputation. Despite these, organizations in the nonprofit sector tend not to be at the forefront of devoting significant effort or resources to cybersecurity.  Ac...

A tech-savvy team is essential for nonprofit organizations that want to thrive in the digital age. How do you go about developing the technology skills of your staff? In this post, I will briefly explain how to pinpoint which technology skills folks need, assess current skill levels, provide training that doesn’t stink, and nurture a… Continue reading Developing staff technology skills in your ...

Our Digital Inclusion Fellowship has supported 95 community leaders in launching and expanding digital literacy and technology access programs in local communities, building power with regional coalitions, and supporting direct training for nearly 50,000 people. Fellows have been in major metropolitan areas, suburbs, and rural locations. Yet, regardless of the location, we’ve consistently seen ...

Twilio.org shares insights from its inaugural State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report exploring how digital communications are used to make an impact. The post How digital engagement is changing nonprofit program delivery appeared first on NTEN.

What does the future hold — for our sector, for technology, for our communities, and for ourselves? I honestly don’t know. But what if we changed the question: what do we want the future to hold? I have a lot of answers to that. And so do the NTEN staff and board. We recently had… Continue reading NTEN welcomes four new board members The post NTEN welcomes four new board members appeared first ...

The Click That Cost A Quarter Million Chris works in the accounting department at a nonprofit organization called ImpAcme. Chris has made it a monthly ritual to grab a pencil and print out a donations report to reconcile donation payments across all the bank accounts. This process takes about half a day, and Chris does… Continue reading Nonprofits don’t need to spend a quarter million in tech t...

Do you use Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or other tools like this in your organization?  If the answer is yes, you’re using Software-as-a-Service or SaaS. SaaS tools can be an incredible way to boost the productivity of your workforce while removing many administrative and maintenance headaches associated with self-hosting software. But just because they’re easy… Continue reading Cyberse...

Data is connected to many conversations about technology, programs, evaluation, and planning for nonprofit staff. In 2020, we conducted a survey to explore where there were trends, opportunities, or challenges for staff collecting and using data strategically in their work. How did they collect data, who had access to it, and how was it used… Continue reading Take the Data Empowerment survey Th...

“The internet is a powerful and necessary tool. It is vital that the internet is affordable and accessible to all people.” These words are the foundation of NTEN’s core beliefs. We see the impact that internet access has on people every day through our programs and have been supporting digital equity leaders around the U.S.… Continue reading Broadband is a human right The post Broadband is a hu...

The last couple of years have been transformational for the digital inclusion space. As jobs, schools, government services, social gatherings, and everyday tasks moved online, a recognition emerged that digital access and skills are critical in our society. In addition, there is increasing momentum to acknowledge affordable, reliable broadband as a human right. We saw… Continue reading Welcome ...

In 2020, the Center for Inclusive Innovation, an organization fiscally sponsored by NTEN, began a research project to assess both pandemic crisis-based and longer-term efforts to mitigate digital disparities. This project documents the experiences of more than twenty organizations that attempted to adapt or improve strategies and services to address the digital divide during the… Continue readi...