TechSoup

TechSoup Global

Founder(s)	Daniel Ben-Horin
Type	Nonprofit technology
Founded	1987
Location	San Francisco
Origins	CompuMentor Project
Key people	Founder and Co-CEO: Daniel Ben-Horin Co-CEO: Rebecca Masisak Co-CEO: Marnie Webb
Area served	Global
Focus	Technology
Revenue	US$27 million
Employees	200
Website	www.techsoupglobal.org

TechSoup Global, founded in 1987 as The CompuMentor Project, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides technology assistance to other nonprofit organizations in the United States and in 35 countries. Based in San Francisco, TechSoup Global offers a wide range of programs and services that help nonprofits and libraries use technology to achieve their missions. TechSoup Global runs TechSoup.org, a technology website for the nonprofit sector and TechSoup.org Product Donations, a technology product philanthropy service for nonprofits.

History

TechSoup Global's founding organization CompuMentor was created in 1987 when Daniel Ben-Horin (today a co-CEO of TechSoup Global) was inspired by the participants on The WELL, one of the very first online communities, to create a program whereby those with technology skills (“mentors”) volunteered on often intensive projects to assist nonprofit organizations gain a foothold with new information technologies.

In 2008, CompuMentor formally announced that it had changed its name to TechSoup Global to reflect the organization's evolution to a group which serves nonprofit institutions and NGOs around the world.

Today (as of December 31, 2010), TechSoup Global is the largest not-for-profit provider of technology assistance services to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), libraries, and other civil society organizations (CSOs) worldwide. More than 138,000 unique, monthly visitors from 190 countries visit the TechSoup Global internet sites for technology information, training, and support. These users are able to read articles and other educational content plus participate in webinars, forums, and both online and in-person community events in order to collaborate, share best practices, make good technology decisions and maximize their impact.

Programs

TechSoup.org

TechSoup.org, is a web site serving nonprofits that provides training webinars, community forums and other resources about the use of technology in nonprofit organizations and public libraries.

TechSoup.org Product Donations

TechSoup.org Product Donations, originally known as DiscounTech and later as TechSoup Stock, is a technology product philanthropy service for nonprofits which was launched in January 2002. It is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Microsoft product donations, and helps to connect nonprofits and libraries to over 430 different product donations from 45 donating partners (including Cisco, Symantec, Sun and Adobe). These partnerships have enabled it to build a social enterprise that, for a small administrative fee, verifies CSOs and matches them to the donated technology products they need.^{[1] [2]}

GreenTech and the Refurbished Computer Initiative

GreenTech and the Refurbished Computer Initiative are programs in which refurbished corporate IT equipment is made available at low cost to nonprofits and low-income families. (In 2007, the initiative was awarded a $500,000, two-year grant by the California Emerging Technology Fund, building on a 2004 grant by The Full Circle Fund). ^[3]

Nonprofit Commons in Second Life

TechSoup Global’s efforts in Second Life began in 2005 with the founding of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life and today (October 2010) include four virtual locations and membership spanning 400 organizations in 62 countries. ^[4] (TechSoup Global’s Online Community Manager was lampooned by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show after her testimony before a U.S. Congressional Subcommittee on Commerce and the Internet in 2008.)^[5]

TechSoup Global Network

The TechSoup Global Network is a program which helps connect nonprofits from outside the U.S. to donations of software, technology products, and services. Fundacja TechSoup is the first separately incorporated “regional hub” established by TechSoup Global. It employs a staff of six in Warsaw, Poland, and supports activities in 16 European countries (as well as playing a key role in supporting the global partner network overall).

Through 35 TechSoup Global Network Partner NGOs and regional affiliates, the TechSoup technology donation program is now (December 31, 2010) available to community-based organizations in a total of 35 countries in addition to the United States, including: Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. See TechSoup Global Network

GuideStar International

In 2010, TechSoup Global and GuideStar International, a U.K.-registered charity that promotes transparency and civil society organization reporting, combined operations in order to strengthen their respective capacity-building programs for civil society. The two organizations share a mission to benefit global civil society through the provision of technology, information, and resources.^[6]

NGOsource

NGOsource, a project of the Council on Foundations and TechSoup Global, is an equivalency determination information repository service to help U.S. grantmakers streamline their international grantmaking procedures.

NGOsource was conceived by grantmakers as a quick, reliable, affordable, and easy-to-use web-based service to help U.S. grantmakers evaluate whether an NGO outside of the U.S. is the equivalent of a U.S. public charity. NGOsource is expected to dramatically improve the efficiency of international grantmaking and inspire a significant increase in cross-border philanthropy. ^[7]

NetSquared

NetSquared is an initiative which aids individuals and communities in using web-based tools, and gives financial support for social action projects.^[8] It was launched in 2005 and now (December 31, 2010) includes active Net Squared Local monthly meetups in 79 cities in 25 countries including: Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Amsterdam (Holland), Asheville (North Carolina, US), Atlanta (Georgia, US), Austin (Texas, US), Bamenda (Cameroon), Beirut (Lebanon), Bryan (Ohio, US), Buea (Cameroon), Canberra (Australia), Cape Town (South Africa), Charleston (South Carolina, US), Chicago (Illinois, US), Douala (Cameroon), Guayaquil (Ecuador), Hamburg (Germany), Houston (Texas, US), Johannesburg (South Africa), Kumba (Cameroon), Lafayette (Louisiana, US), London (England), Los Angeles (California, US), Minneapolis (Minnesota, US), Montreal (Canada), Nairobi (Kenya), New Orleans (Louisiana, US), New York City (NY, US), Paris (France), Philadelphia (PA, US), Phoenix (AZ, US), Portland (Maine, US), Portland (Oregon, US), San Francisco (California, US), Seattle (Washington, US), Silicon Valley (California, US), Sydney (Australia), Taipei (Taiwan), Tampa (Florida, US), Tokyo (Japan), Toronto (Canada), Traverse City (Michigan, US), Triangle (North Carolina, US), Vancouver (Canada), Warsaw (Poland), Washington (D.C., US), and Wilmington (Delaware, US). See NetSquared

Impact

From January 2002 when the technology product donation service began through now (December 31, 2010), TechSoup Global has provided more than 138,000 organizations with computer software, hardware, application services and complementary content and community services. Products and services valued at more than US$2.2 billion have been put in the hands of CSOs (as of December 31, 2010), resulting in great savings to the civil society sector and freeing precious financial resources.

In FY10, TechSoup distributed $453,871,287 worth of product donations to organizations in 36 countries (including the U.S.). As of December 2010, the TechSoup.org website receives 188,000 unique visitors per month from 190 countries.

TechSoup’s comments continue to be sought by the media with regard to nonprofits and social networking. On December 13, 2009, San Jose Mercury News columnist Chris O’Brien’s list of “The Influencers of Silicon Valley” highlighted ten Silicon Valley leaders, including TechSoup co-CEO Marnie Webb, who is described as “…instrumental in building links between corporations, volunteers and nonprofits to get technology into the hands of community organizations that don't have many resources or expertise.”^[9] In the wake of the Haitian earthquake in 2010, TechSoup Global co-CEO Marnie Webb was interviewed on Chicago Public Radio and in USA Today.^{[10] [11]}

See also

• Nonprofit technology
• Daniel Ben-Horin
• Rebecca Masisak
• NTEN
• NTAP
• e-Inclusion

References

1. ^ “When Tech Innovation Has a Social Mission” by John Markoff, The New York Times, April 13, 2008
2. ^ “TechSoup sees upside for nonprofits in downturn” by Julian Guthrie, The San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, March 22, 2009
3. ^ “TechSoup Refurbished Computer Initiative” Full Circle Fund Spring 2008
4. ^ “A comprehensive story on TechSoup's work in Second Life” MSNBC, January 10, 2008
5. ^ “Damn you Tenby!” The Daily Show, April 7, 2008
6. ^ "GuideStar International and TechSoup Global Combine” The Nonprofit Quarterly April 15, 2010
7. ^ "The Council on Foundations-NGOSource” The Council on Foundations July 28, 2010
8. ^ "NetSquared 2009: Making the Virtual Proximal” The Huffington Post June 4, 2009
9. ^ “The Influencers of Silicon Valley” by Chris O’Brien, San Jose Mercury News, December 13, 2009
10. ^ “Using Mobile Technology and Social Media to Transform Disaster Relief” Chicago Public Radio March 4, 2010
11. ^ “Technology, social networking transforms giving” USA Today April 13, 2010

External links

• "Technology for Local Empowerment," Third Global Forum on Telecentres Daniel Ben-Horin opening remarks at conference in Santiago, Chile, April 5, 2011

• “Non-profits cope with the recession” Audio interview with TechSoup Global co-CEO Marnie Webb (and with the S.F. Food Bank) November 30, 2009

• Video of Daniel Ben-Horin Day 2 Keynote at the Telecentre-Europe Summit 2009, Istanbul October 15, 2009.

• “Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship Conference" May 4, 2009 at George Washington University. Mr. Ben-Horin was invited to speak by Stephen Goldsmith, Vice Chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

• The Chronicle of Philanthropy publishes Daniel Ben Horin's predictions for 2008 "Read"

• An informal chat with Daniel Ben-Horin at the ConnectingUp 2007 conference "Listen"

• An audio interview with Daniel Ben-Horin by Sean Stannard-Stockton from Tactical Philanthropy "Listen"

• An audio interview with Daniel Ben-Horin by Dominique Piotet from L'Atelier BNP Paribas in San Francisco: "Listen"e-Inclusion