Impact

AUD Social Cooperative & Microsoft: Using the Cloud to Make a Difference for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

For people who are deaf and hard of hearing, some common scenarios pose challenges. Examples include classroom settings, professional meetings, or presentations of certain sizes that are not equipped with the accommodations required to address their needs.

However, the AUD (Auditory Universal Design) Social Cooperative is working to support communication and social participation for people who are deaf and hard of hearing in South Korea. This work is accomplished by offering a real-time captioning service provided by trained stenographers who work both on-location and remotely.

AUD created an app called Sharetyping using Microsoft Azure. With this app, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can sit any distance from a speaker and read real-time captioning of the speaker's presentation directly from a tablet or smartphone.

Using the Cloud to Make a Difference

Azure is a cloud-based platform offered by Microsoft that has the ability to power a myriad of operations across a variety of industries. In the case of AUD, Azure is used to power the Sharetyping app. AUD no longer relies upon on-premises servers — which the organization used prior to learning about the Microsoft Azure service offering through TechSoup's content.

"The shift from server-based to cloud-based enabled AUD to provide the Sharetyping service in a faster and more effective manner," said Wonjin Park, founder and president of AUD. "Before using Azure, the Sharetyping app platform was powered by a Cafe24 server, which is widely used in South Korea."

A Better Future, Thanks to Azure and TechSoup

By switching its IT operations to the cloud, AUD increased its capacity to support more users accessing the Sharetyping service. "With the help of Azure, AUD is expecting to expand the Sharetyping service to the areas outside of Seoul," Wonjin explained. "At present, real-time captioners provide the Sharetyping service to support communication access for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. We are hoping and working hard to provide the Sharetyping service through artificial intelligence in the future."

He also pointed out that receiving $5,000 in donated Microsoft Azure credits has allowed his organization to increase its scope. It now has the ability to help people who are deaf and hard of hearing around the world.

"TechSoup has made it possible for AUD to invest more in the public interest activities to support deaf and hard-of-hearing people as much as the cost saved through the program," Wonjin said. "Above all, it became possible to provide stable and high-quality service not only in the Seoul area, but also in the local area and overseas."

B!KE & Intuit: Keeping Gears in Motion at a Community Cycling Hub

Die-hard enthusiasts might invest in bikes costing several thousands of dollars. However, a properly tuned refurbished bicycle can provide an equally viable way to get around town at an affordable price. Cycling is one of the most accessible forms of transportation, but for one Canadian nonprofit, it's much more than that.
B!KE is a community cycling hub operating in Peterborough, Ontario, since 2006. As a cycling education and support organization, B!KE offers the roughly 90,000 people in the surrounding area an opportunity to learn bicycle repair, maintenance, and riding skills. Its downtown shop sells parts and refurbished bikes while serving as a drop-in repair and education center. And its Pedal Power program teaches fifth-graders bicycle safety at an early age.

Pedaling to Empower

"We believe that the bicycle is a tool for personal empowerment, but it also has huge implications for the environment, for health, and for social equity," said Teegan Moss, B!KE's executive director. "The bicycle can be something that levels the playing field across certain sectors of society and brings people together in a really unique way."

For Moss, teaching people to ride and repair bicycles is a way to promote a healthy and sustainable mode of transportation. And at the same time, it empowers communities to use physical tools and practice self-reliance. "Once people understand how easy it is to fix a bike, it creates a sense of 'I can do it,'" she explained.

QuickBooks: A Powerful Tool for Nonprofits

B!KE is funded by membership dues, small parts sales, and various grants and donations. But in order to be considered for large funding amounts, organizations need to generate clear and accurate financial reports. And although it has always used QuickBooks for its accounting, B!KE reports that using QuickBooks Premier Nonprofit Edition 2018 has improved its ability to secure grant funding.

The use of QuickBooks has allowed B!KE to present its financials in a way that's professional, concise, and aligned with good accounting practices. Moss noted: "It's a great tool for not-for-profits to produce balance sheets and surplus and deficit reports that meet generally accepted accounting practices … it also allows us to effectively track and report on our income and expenses." Additionally, B!KE integrates QuickBooks with its point of sale system, which Moss reports to be extremely helpful in matters of inventory and different types of expenses.

"Honestly, you can't apply for any major grant without well-produced financial statements. So for many not-for-profits, having access to software like QuickBooks is the difference between obtaining grants or not," she explained.

Better Accounting Means Better Decision Making

Moss reports that B!KE helped get 3,500 people on a bicycle last year. And TechSoup's Intuit Donation Program, which B!KE accessed through TechSoup Canada, was critical in providing access to the accounting software it needed. With the hurdle of creating detailed financial reports taken care of, Moss and the folks at B!KE are able to focus more on building bikes — and serving their community.

"B!KE's mission is to empower people to travel by bicycle," Moss said. "QuickBooks is a tool that supports B!KE in making good financial decisions. Because of the support that it provides, B!KE is able to maintain a viable long-term financial plan, empowering more people to ride bikes."

Hivos & NGOsource: Empowering Equitable LGBTI Access to Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa

For Hivos, humanist values come first. When the Netherlands-based organization came to life in 1968, its founders were inspired by the concepts of individual freedom, self-determination, and personal responsibility. These values are very much a part of Hivos' work 50 years later. It partners with activists, civil society organizations, and artists in 33 countries across the globe to implement creative solutions to persistent global problems.

In the 1990s, Hivos was the first organization in the Netherlands to support the few openly LGBTI activists in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and build a strong LGBTI movement.* This work — funding, capacity strengthening, and facilitating networking and cross-regional learning — increased the strength, diversity, and visibility of LGBTI communities and their organizations.

Global Data and Validation Services Help Hivos Diversify Its Funder Base

Hivos first completed the equivalency determination (ED) process with NGOsource in 2013, which established it as equivalent to a U.S. public charity. In FY 2018 alone, six funders requested EDs for Hivos via NGOsource, and two of them did so more than once.

Having the NGOsource ED gives Hivos easier access to U.S. funding, diversifies its donor base, and reduces the organization’s administrative burden of repeating the ED process for each foundation. All of this contributes to the organization's efficiency and financial sustainability.

NGO Tech Marketplace Offerings Support Hivos' Cross-Border Work

Through TechSoup Nederland, run in collaboration with SOCIALware asbl, Hivos received software with a fair market value of more than US$35,000. The offerings enable Hivos to optimize information work and facilitate remote collaboration with its partner organizations in Africa. Anja Panjwani of Hivos summed it up.

"It enables us to supply more colleagues with laptops, which has greatly improved our flexibility in working and also our connectivity between the regions where we work. We can now work in different places, including home, at different times, while still being securely connected with all the Hivos systems and having access to all our files. Especially since we work with offices in different time zones, that has had a great positive impact on our work."

Better Services for Communities in Need

Hivos has put its funding and technology resources to good use. Through its KP REACH program, Hivos collaborates with AMSHeR. This coalition of 18 LGBT-led organizations across sub-Saharan Africa addresses the disproportionate effect of the HIV epidemic on LGBT individuals.

Despite progress made in the Southern African region in response to the HIV epidemic, high-quality, stigma-free HIV and sexual reproductive health services are very limited for most key population groups — MSM (men who have sex with men), sex workers, and transgenders — despite their increased need for access.

The KP REACH program supports on-the-ground staff who work to ensure improved access to medical services for these key population groups. As a result of this work, sexual diversity is becoming more accepted by medical professionals. And members of the LGBTI community therefore have more access to needed medication and other vital health services.

TechSoup thanks Anja Panjwani and Roman Baatenburg for their contributions to this story.

*Hivos uses the term LGBTI communities to mean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex persons that identify with one or more gender identities and expressions (SOGIE). Hivos chooses the term communities because they share their SOGIE diversity.

Japan Association for Refugees & Symantec: Keeping Japan's Refugee Data Safe

During a refugee crisis, it's often difficult for families and individuals seeking asylum to find safe passage to accommodating nations. Those fortunate enough to find a welcoming country face the challenge of navigating an unfamiliar culture and a complicated system of services available to them.

For many refugees who have made their way to Japan, this process is indeed challenging. Japan became a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention in 1981. Today, the Japan Association for Refugees (JAR) is committed to improving the way in which the country handles its asylum seekers.

According to its website, JAR fulfills its mission in these ways.

• It facilitates the needs of refugees and asylum seekers to provide relevant legal and social assistance.
• It advocates for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers through government bodies, local authorities, and media relations.
• It advances policy analysis and information exchange on refugee and related issues to build a more active and effective network with concerned parties and nongovernmental organizations.

A Need for Robust Data Security

JAR supports more than 700 refugees each year, and each participates in an intake interview that gathers extensive personal information to better serve the refugee's needs. As a result, the organization is entrusted with a great deal of highly sensitive data, and it needs to take advanced security measures to prevent cyberattacks.

"Information security is one of the most important elements of the organization because of the nature of the business that supports individuals who escaped ... the risk of persecution," explained Mr. Masaru Yoshiyama, director and secretary general of JAR. "Today, as the threat to information security increases, while the number of personnel that can cope with [it] is limited, we needed a solution that can ensure safety efficiently."

The Solution Through Symantec

For nearly six years, JAR has used Symantec Endpoint Protection, acquired through TechSoup Japan (which is operated by Japan NPO Center), to address its security needs. The software helps combat security risks that can easily go undetected without it.

Because Symantec Endpoint Protection protects the organization at the level of individual computers, it's a comprehensive defense against malware that could ultimately compromise the organization's entire network. Endpoint Protection also allows the IT team at JAR to monitor these devices remotely to ensure that everything is running the way it should.

Mission: Improvement

Like most nonprofits, JAR operates under a limited budget. Prior to participating in the TechSoup product donation program, it was difficult to acquire all the security products necessary to protect JAR's digital information.

"We appreciate TechSoup for providing us with very low cost IT products and services which usually require a great amount of cost," said Yoshiyama. "This makes it possible to build up a coherent information protection architecture for the refugees. At the same time, we are able to reduce the management cost because TechSoup offers one-stop service for various products."

JAR has about 30 employees and many interns, each of whom uses an individual PC. And many of the organization's data — including all the refugee information — is accessed with those PCs.

"Failure to protect the personal information of every refugee we support will directly lead to the harmful risk for the refugees. Therefore, by introducing Symantec Endpoint Protection to all client PCs and servers, we minimize such risks and make it possible to support refugees without risks," Yoshiyama noted.

In this way, improved data security directly benefits the safety and well-being of hundreds of refugees each year, as JAR works to provide them with as smooth a transition as possible amidst challenging circumstances.

Mainspring Conservation Trust & Veritas: Securing Precious Land with Data Backups

Over the years, some of the most pristine land in the U.S. — land with high conservation value — has been recklessly destroyed. And the damage occurred because of careless residential and commercial construction projects, harmful industry practices, or other negligent actions by human beings.

But North Carolina's Mainspring Conservation Trust does everything it can to protect lands within its purview. Established in 1997 as the Nikwasi Land Trust, the organization has grown over two decades to protect an ever-expanding area throughout seven counties in North Carolina and Georgia. Employees and volunteers call its region the "heart of the Southern Blue Ridge" mountains.

"Our mission is to conserve the waters, forests, farms, and heritage of the Little Tennessee and Hiwassee river valleys," said Dennis Desmond, Mainspring's land and easement stewardship coordinator.

Mainspring currently owns and protects over 1,300 acres in the region. It also has negotiated conservation easements on approximately 10,000 acres of land. Conservation easements are legally binding agreements to permanently restrict development on a given property.

After they are protected, the areas are often made more environmentally stable through tree planting, and Mainspring also conducts soil and stream restoration projects. But rather than completely restricting the land, Mainspring remains an advocate of responsible use of these natural resources for farming, hiking, swimming, hunting, and just "appreciating the beauty of it all."

The Need for Secure Record Keeping

A large part of Dennis' job is keeping accurate records, because many of the nonprofit's conservation agreements are valid in perpetuity. Maintaining conservation easements requires that the documents between Mainspring and the landowners remain secure for decades to come. To back up these files, Dennis and his IT team use Veritas Backup Exec 16, acquired through
TechSoup's Veritas Donation Program.

"Keeping good records over time is very important to us, so having a good backup system is a key part of that," Dennis explained.

Prior to using Veritas' backup service, all of Mainspring's digital data was stored on a single on-premises server (a large, physical computer) at its headquarters. And although paper documents are still stored both in the office and in a fireproof storage facility off-site, this form of data backup alone is problematic for several reasons.

First, there's the relative ease with which a staff member could accidentally delete files stored on the local server. Additionally, in the event of a disaster in which the server, the office, and the off-site facility were destroyed, there might be no way to recover the lost data.

Using a cloud-based backup product like the one offered through Veritas provides an added layer of security for these precious documents that is unattainable through physical redundancy systems. Veritas Backup Exec 16 also performs scheduled backups on a daily basis, so secured information is constantly updated as time progresses.

Protecting Data to Conserve Land

Mainspring is the steward of both the surrounding natural region and the documentation needed to keep it protected.

"As time goes on and a property changes hands, a new landowner, either through ignorance or willful intention, will sometimes violate the terms of the easement," Dennis said. "It's important to be able to show the condition of the property 20 years ago versus what the condition of the property is now. Having those records is particularly important, especially if it becomes a legal matter."

"Having these written descriptions, having these photographs, these maps, and being able to refer to them back through time will help guarantee that the lands will be protected into the future," Dennis stated.

MAKAIA & Caravan Studios: Fighting Air Pollution with Citizen Science

Air pollution severely impacts the quality of life of millions across the globe and disproportionately affects low-income populations. Access to clean air is essential for survival, and communities are severely disadvantaged without it.

One community organization in Medellín, Colombia, is addressing this issue head-on by creating a community-based digital air quality improvement project. MAKAIA, a member of the TechSoup Global Network, is a Colombian nonprofit that strengthens the capacity for social development through technology, innovation, and international cooperation. MAKAIA partnered up with several organizations in order to achieve impact with the project that will create impact within the community and beyond. Among other local and global organizations, MAKAIA teamed up with the Public Good App House, produced by Caravan Studios, a division of TechSoup.

In order to counteract the issue of poor air quality, community members must first understand the extent to which air pollution is affecting them. Unfortunately, evidence has shown that some governments don't make an effort to share such negative data with their citizens, leaving many exposed to risk factors they don't know about.

That's where MAKAIA comes in. Through the citizen-powered air quality improvement project, communities use innovative technology to solve their most pressing issues.

MAKAIA has employed a device that wirelessly measures and transmits air quality information, providing citizens with real-time information to stay informed on conditions affecting them. Ten of these monitors were placed in libraries and community centers throughout Medellin. MAKAIA focused on public areas to capture information about air that a majority of the community breathes.

This project engages local residents to assist with the implementation of new technology that, in turn, will support better health for their community. Participants are also equipped with skills to extract the air-quality data and perform data analysis and visualizations.

Through the program, citizens have gained ownership of environmental data that empowers them to advocate for environmental policy improvement. It also provides community members with meaningful engagement with cutting-edge technology, along with the opportunity to improve their own technical skills.

This project demonstrates the success of building upon local networks that empower citizens to solve problems affecting their own communities. The project is seen as a pilot with the potential to be replicated in other regions. MAKAIA hopes to build upon the TechSoup Global Network to leverage local success and inspire action in communities around the world.

Adapted from: https://blog.techsoup.org/posts/how-nonprofits-and-libraries-can-use-open-data-to-lead-to-cleaner-air

Meet and Code: Challenging the Gender Gap of the Tech Workforce

It's not a secret that the gender gap continues to persist in technical fields, especially computer programming. Achieving equal representation requires the creation of opportunities for underrepresented groups, so that they can discover how technologies can be a part of their lives.

Kharkiv IT Cluster is a nonprofit organization based in Ukraine that works on growing the local IT community and developing an IT ecosystem that supports education and city infrastructure. One of the Cluster's main focuses is inspiring a passion for coding in women as an important part of educational development in the region.

For this purpose, the Cluster hosted an event called "Django Girls" in October 2017 as part of the Meet and Code initiative. Meet and Code combats inequalities by encouraging young people to learn coding skills and to consider a career in technology. The initiative in Ukraine is implemented by GURT Resource Center in cooperation with TechSoup Europe and the German TechSoup Global Network member Haus des Stiftens, with financing from SAP.

Because the event was created for women with little to no experience in programming, workshop organizers made sure thаt presented information was accessible and easy to understand. Participants followed a tutorial on the basics of coding with support from coaches. The participants were able to ask questions throughout the workshop, which fostered a sense of curiosity and desire to learn more.

As the name "Django Girls" suggests, the workshop focused on HTML, CSS, Python, and the Django web framework. By the end of the event, participants left with not only a higher understanding of coding but with a completed web-based project of their own. This tangible takeaway motivates participants to pursue coding, whether by incorporating it into their current work or by pursuing a new career path.

The program's success has encouraged previous participants to return as coaches, being an inspiration for other budding programmers. Combined with other projects under the Meet and Code initiative, workshops such as Django Girls are contributing to a new learning environment for women that encourages them to pursue technical careers.

University of Economics & TechSoup Ceska: Rethinking Classrooms for Social Good

A comprehensive education calls upon students to think critically about the skills and knowledge they acquire, as well as ways that they can apply their learning to real-world settings.

Through a partnership with TechSoup Czech Republic, one course at the University of Economics in Prague is taking a unique approach to hands-on learning that benefits both its students as well as the community. The class teaches students how to create and handle individual applications within the Office 365 cloud service. As part of their coursework, students have the option of partnering with an NGO to teach staff how to more use Office 365 more effectively at their organization.

The program works to address knowledge gaps that nonprofits may have when using technology at their organizations. Office 365 is a powerful tool for NGOs, but many do not have the resources or knowledge to fully take advantage of all that it has to offer. This is where TechSoup and the University of Economics come in.

TechSoup Czech Republic facilitates the partnership between students and NGOs to help organizations with their digital transformation. Various Czech NGOs who received technology tools from TechSoup have participated, including the Association of Parents and Friends of Disabled Children and the Czech Alzheimer Society.

NGOs submit an application through TechSoup Czech Republic describing the issue they're having trouble with. This information is then provided to the university by TechSoup. Based on the NGOs' requests, the professor pairs students in the course with one of the NGOs. Along with a supervising professor, students in the course work with their partnered NGO and assist them with the set up and implementation of Office 365.

Now starting its fourth year, the program has had a remarkable impact for students and nonprofits alike. To date, 29 students have each helped an NGO to implement Office 365. NGOs get the support they need to boost their operations and work towards their missions, and students receive a unique opportunity to demonstrate and apply their knowledge in the community.

The students' ability to contribute to social good resonates with many of the participants well beyond the course. Though the program lasts just one semester for the students, most choose to stay with their partner NGOs beyond the required term and continue to empower these organizations with their knowledge.