Outsourcing Helps Nonprofits Focus on the Bottom Line

Since its inception in 2000, the nonprofit TechBridge has been focused on its core mission: helping other nonprofit organizations better serve the community by leveraging their individual technology needs.

With its outsourced IT program, called Scheduled Services, TechBridge ensures nonprofit groups can focus on their missions and not on their technology. Launched in 2005, Scheduled Services provides basic and ongoing regularly scheduled computer servicing and network support to help maintain a stable and productive computing environment with reduced downtime. Fixed monthly fees are discounted on a sliding scale structure and are all-inclusive, allowing for easy budget planning.

According to Alissa Cook, director of client development for TechBridge, nonprofit organizations as a whole are "anywhere from five to 20 years behind in technology." Focusing on their missions while operating on a shoestring budget means "they let [technology] go because ... they don't realize how it can help them more efficiently deliver their mission.

"We come in and tell them, 'Here's what you need, this is what it will help you do, and here's how much it will cost,' " said Cook.

Some organizations may require monthly visits, while others may need weekly or twice-weekly visits. During the scheduled visits "we have a checklist we follow," said Cook, "and a list of tasks we go through to make sure their systems are running at optimal levels."

Clients also present for review questions or problems. They are able to call or e-mail TechBridge for more urgent tech support as part of their monthly fee.

Fees range from $57 to $85 per hour, depending on the operating budget of the organization, and are computed into a monthly rate, said Cook. Clients save on average 40 percent to 50 percent over retail costs.

"We had been working off volunteer services for so long that any price tag would bring sticker shock," said Julie Smith, deputy director of Georgia Justice Project, a Scheduled Services client. "I do believe in TechBridge's mission. We're paying for quality service, access and tech support."

Smith said that her office has also approved a proposal for "a major network upgrade" from TechBridge.

"It's very thorough and helpful to a non-tech office ... They're going to help us get to our best place."

Other savings come in the form of partnerships TechBridge has with hardware and software companies, including Microsoft Corp., Dell Inc. and TechSoup.org, a nonprofit organization that facilitates the donation of hardware and software to other nonprofit groups.

"We pass the discount straight on," said Cook.

"We called TechBridge because we knew we needed a network upgrade," said Smith. With 20 to 25 computers on hand, "we'd outgrown our in-house and volunteer knowledge and abilities. We knew they could do an assessment and help us link to [discounted] resources. We wanted the scheduled visits for the things that could wait plus the on-call service for things that can't wait."

"Their initial work was great, but what I love about them the most is their ongoing support," said Carol J. Thompson, executive director of Heritage Sandy Springs, a nonprofit group that preserves and promotes the cultural identity of Sandy Springs. "It's a real comfort, as we expand, to know they are our tech support. We are not the most tech-savvy office."

"They are a part of our team," she said. "They have come to understand our operation and our needs ... I just can't say enough."

Christy Nilsson, personnel and support services senior director of the Chattahoochee Nature Center, said that her organization initially contacted TechBridge to help the nature center become a network environment with on-site servers. Nilsson said that the establishment paid a project fee for the venture but was so impressed with the transaction that she soon signed on as a Scheduled Services customer.

"I wear a lot of hats," said Nilsson. "It's important that everything is where it needs to be and runs like it should run ... TechBridge serves as a second set of eyes for me."

She credits TechBridge with the nature center's smooth transition into network hosting -- growth that might not have been possible without its help.

"They were definitely a big part in us being able to move in that direction. Paying the market rate would have been almost impossible," she said.

"I can personally support the [Chattahoochee Nature Center's] mission by focusing on other areas of my job. It's really great to know you have somebody you can call on who can lead you in the right direction."