Archive for the ‘Capacity Building’ Category

• Nice @Deloitte! Enjoyed your Cloud Computing: A Collection of Working Papers

  Date: 2010.03.31 | Category: Capacity Building | Response: 1

  Deloitte recently published some thinking their team has been doing on the pros and cons of businesses moving their IT infrastructure to the cloud. Levitra pill Over the counter viagra The introduction sets the stage nicely: “cloud computing represents a different way to architect and remotely manage computer resources”.

  Good start. We completely agree. Levitra pas cher Viagra levitra

  What I liked most about the article is that the authors ABSOLUTELY believe that services in the cloud are robust enough for big enterprises. Online levitra They do however caution that organizations should take their time migrating to the cloud, using the same type of decision-making and patience they would use for any significant change. Purchase viagra

  Tomi Miller and George Collins highlight four key considerations when developing, then implementing a cloud strategy. These are:

  1. Next generation data centre management – a low-risk opportunity and significant cost savings for companies.  Transitioning existing systems to the cloud offers opportunity to outsource non-core functions for most businesses. Brand viagra Kauf von viagra
  2. Architectural planning, simplification and transformation – logical next step in the service-oriented world is to consider the best software selection and approach: “Build versus Buy versus Lease” (as software development decisions).
  3. Policy-oriented business and risk management – scaling business operations requires harmonizing within and across external networks and value chains.
  4. Cloud management – as cloud tools evolve, so too does each organization’s approach to managing how much to adopt and when. Cheap viagra online

  How does this apply to our work Levitra contraindicaciones ?

  Our office has been gazing down the horizon of where technology is going, especially in the cloud. Purchase viagra online Viagra for women Prospecto levitra Kaufen viagra Our conclusion is there is no other single more powerful and disruptive force facing Canada’s nonprofit and voluntary sector than the rapid change in technology. Viagra sale Levitra achat Not the massive demographic shifts. Viagra alternatives Not the downturn in the economy. Not even all cumulative deficits of our municipal, provincial and federal governments. Viagra sin receta Levitra prix pharmacie Not 10 tsunamis or earthquakes that all happen at once (well, maybe). Nothing is going to change the landscape more than technology. Viagra bestellung Pastillas levitra

  However, most funders and charities are not taking a strategic approach to the pros and cons to technology, let alone the cloud. We hope to galvanize a conversation about this, starting at NetChange week, scheduled for June 7th to 11th, 2010 at MaRS. We are going to be giving a keynote address at the conference about cool tools and processes.

• Not Letting a Crisis Go To Waste: Tim Brodhead speaks up

  Date: 2010.03.26 | Category: Capacity Building | Response: 0

  The Philanthropist magazine has gone online! In its 23rd volume, the quarterly journal is for people interested in Canada’s nonprofit community. Viagra bestellung The editorial board consists of several Canadians who have spent a lot of time in the sector, including Lynne Toupin (HR Council for the Voluntary Sector), Peter Broder (Muttart Foundation), John Hodgson (Blake, Cassels & Graydon) and Ed Waitzer (Strikeman Elliott).

  The feature article in Volume 23, No 1 is by Tim Brodhead, President and CEO of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. Kauf von viagra His article On Not Letting the Crisis Go To Waste: An Innovation Agenda for Canada’s Community Sector, is a great read for anyone interested in social innovation. Viagra levitra Pastillas levitra

  

  Click to Read "On Not Letting a Crisis Go to Waste: An Innovation Agenda for Canada's Community Sector"

  As you may know from reading some of our posts, Levitra contraindicaciones our team has identified technological change in the 21st century as the single largest disruptive force facing our sector. Brand viagra Levitra prix pharmacie Tim shares some of our view by stating “for established organizations, technological innovation is frequently viewed  more as a problem than a source of creativity.”

  Our team went “all in”,  if you don’t mind the poker analogy;  investing the time to understand the new cloud computing environment, then adopt new technology tools, then build competency in using them. Viagra for women Levitra achat

  While we still have a lot to learn and implement, this process of learning and adopting new technology has sparked creativity in our organization like never before. Viagra alternatives

  Why? I could cite several reasons, but I’ll share what my colleague Jen Grebeldinger told me a few weeks back:

  “With the burden of too little time and not enough money, many organizations in the charitable sector continue to be reactive in how they organize themselves and their core operations. But the perception that it’s too time-consuming to integrate new, efficient processes just exacerbates the problem.

  While it’s been exciting to watch our productivity increase (and reduce the amount of time I spend on redundant admin tasks!), it’s been doubly exciting to see how these Cheap viagra online tools allow us the time to think big about how we are contributing to the space and how we are delivering our programs.

  And, most importantly particularly in our sector, our ‘strong core’ affords us flexibility to also think about what is on the horizon, how do we get there, and who are the people that can add value.”

  We’ve referred to this ‘strong core’ as Organizational Pilates, a whole new management approach to embracing the ickness of innovation for long term resilience and adaptability. Levitra pill Prospecto levitra Over the counter viagra In the coming months we are going to be presenting a radical approach to budget planning, administration and reporting for charities. Viagra sale Kaufen viagra

  This journey feels a little like writing new software code. Purchase viagra online The old code is buggy, and full of security leaks. Levitra pas cher The methodology was not driven by any one technology tool, but enabled because of it. Online levitra Viagra sin receta Purchase viagra Stay tuned.

• Think Globally, Act Locally

  Date: 2010.01.25 | Category: Capacity Building, Technology | Response: 0

  “Think globally, act locally.” It’s a phrase th at Brand viagra has been used in many contexts, but commonly conveys the desire to change the world Viagra sale one community at a time. Viagra bestellung  This expression popped into my head when I was reading about some global initiatives that are harnessing creativity, supporting its growth and facilitating its distribution in really innovative ways. Kauf von viagra

  When I read about what they are doing, I thought to myself, “we’re on the right track!”  Looking back at Anil’s thoughts on Open Architecture, Amanda’s writing on information sharing and transparency, I can’t help but come to that conclusion. Over the counter viagra Pastillas levitra  This isn’t meant as a pat on our own backs but rather to continue the dialogue on how we deliver programming and how we could do it better. Purchase viagra

  Thinking Globally

  Take NetHope [www.nethope.org], for example.  Among other projects, they have an Innovation for Development (I4D) program which seeks to extend existing best practices and scale solutions for broader impact in developing countries. Viagra levitra  If we distill this approach down to a local level, the theory is the same: how do we aggregate existing best practices within the non-profit sector to better serve our community Kaufen viagra ?   And how do we then share theselearnings with the thousands of other charitable organizations Viagra alternatives ? For us (Framework), one way is our use of  smart technology (primarily web-based) to share how we operate with the world. Viagra sin receta That is, adapting existing technology to our needs and then letting everyone else know why and how we did it.

  Another element of NetHope’s work is building telecommunications infrastructure where they either don’t exist or have been destroyed as a result of natural disasters. Levitra prix pharmacie Cheap viagra online  The idea being that in both cases the infrastructure will enableNGOs to collaborate, share information and better aid people and communities in need. Purchase viagra online  This idea that we can better deliver services if we can collaborate and communicate is fundamental to our work. Levitra pas cher  You can read about our collaboration strategy in an earlier post so I won’t get into it here, but essentially where NetHope’s connectivity initiatives help build a technical workforce in remote areas of Africa, for example, our infrastructure allows us to efficiently collaborate with partners and stakeholders across Canada.

  Finally, The Rockefeller Foundation, a huge granting body in the United States, has identified the need for open and user-driven innovation models to solve big issues like poverty and global warming through their “Advancing Innovation Processes to Solve Social Problems” stream of funding.  There are a lot of great questions that came to mind from reading their Key Outcomes:

  • How do we foster partnerships with our many stakeholders in order to better deliver Timeraiser programming? 
  • What new technology will help us enable our users contribute to our processes Levitra contraindicaciones ?
  • How can we quickly capitalize on a creative idea from a volunteer in Calgary Levitra achat ?
  • And finally, when we think we have a great piece of knowledge, how do we share it with other like-minded NGOs Viagra for women ?

  Acting Locally

  There are a lot of interesting ideas and models out there about how to collaborate, use technology and share best practices.  Some have big outcomes like saving humanity and Prospecto levitra saving our planet. Levitra pill Online levitra  But how they are applied is certainly relevant and transferable to organizations working on local issues like housing in Vancouver’s East End, the development of green spaces in Toronto, securing healthy food for poor families in Hamilton, or planning a Timeraiser in Calgary! 

• New support for the cloud

  Date: 2010.01.14 | Category: Capacity Building, Technology | Response: 0

  We heard some exciting news this week. Google will be launching additional support for web-based storage (all file types).  This is big news for Framework. Online levitra Brand viagra Viagra sale Levitra contraindicaciones Purchase viagra Prospecto levitra We are working to be an open-data organization that focuses on creating information once, distributing it widely, and accessing it anywhere. You’ve heard us mention this model before. Viagra for women Over the counter viagra Kaufen viagra Pastillas levitra With the additional file type support by Google Applications, it provides us Viagra alternatives additional flexibility in how we openly create and share data. Levitra pas cher  We’re excited because as Google users, we now have the flexibility to create Cheap viagra online Google sites that include filing cabinets with any type of attachment or file. Viagra levitra Levitra prix pharmacie We can also embed files using our Box.net folder, giving us additional features such as user roles, website embed tools, and endless storage space. Purchase viagra online

  I am a big fan of Box.net. Their response to Google’ s announcement remind Viagra bestellung s me why. Viagra sin receta Kauf von viagra In a timely blog post, Aaron Levie (Co-Founder and CEO) wrote about Box.net’s excitement over Google’s announcement as an overall win for Cloud Computing, and that the increased Google support  utlimately enhances Box.net’s services. He also acknowledged that additional services from popular providers like Google drives wider adoption of web-based services as a whole. Levitra pill  The willingness to work together in a collaborative, positive nature and to support integration between applications is a quality I admire about technology companies such as Box.net. Sharing data openly and collaboratively is an important quality of the non-profit sector, and it is complimented by service providers who uphold similar values.

  Exciting things are in store for the “cloud” in 2010, and we’re glad to be a non-profit organization using the best resources Levitra achat to allow us to focus on mission-related activities.

• Create Once, Distribute Widely, Access Anywhere

  Date: 2009.11.11 | Category: Capacity Building | Response: 0

  We have had a couple great days moving forward in the Cloud Computing space.  Recently we launched our Timeraiser Box account (Enterprise version) that allows us to share, distribute and collaborate on files Levitra pas cher from anywhere. Brand viagra We also integrated EchoSign with Salesforce.com.  Stay tuned for a more detailed Echosign post, as we are very excited to tell you about the significant productivity gains with EchoSign.

  But first – to the genius collaborative tool that is Box.net. Box.net gives us amazing flexibility and transparency – we are working in the cloud using Google Applications and Salesforce.com, but there was always the “desktop files” element.  What about agency logos, PhotoShop files, ZIP’d folders full of images (stored on several computers)?

  Even as a non-profit who is almost entirely ‘in the cloud’, there are times when we have to collaborate with others who aren’t, so what do we do to share / move / download their files Pastillas levitra ?

  Box.net is the answer. Levitra contraindicaciones Even better, it’s integrated with Salesforce.com, so we don’t have to leave the SFDC environment Purchase viagra to access and share files. Viagra sin receta Viagra for women

  With 100GBs of storage, we can store all files that can be downloaded, edited and shared with others (or kept private for staff only). We can invite collaborators who can edit / move / upload files of their own. Viagra levitra  Another key advantage of Box.net is the ability to embed folders on a website (check the “Resources” page of this blog for an example!). We can literally take our box anywhere. Our detailed description of why we decided to get an Enterprise Box.net licence and our observations of similar online storage tools is here.

  Let me give you a real-world example of how this tool is strengthening our Organizational Core. I saw a Tweet from Rebecca at United Way looking for help on a slideshow for Saturday’s Rouge event. Since I’m a secret slideshow fanatic, I was happy to help put Viagra sale together this project. Levitra pill Purchase viagra online Kaufen viagra  Seeing as we’re in different organizations, how would Rebecca send me the 20+ images (40 MB file), docs, movie files and instructions Cheap viagra online ? What would I do with all those files after Levitra prix pharmacie ?

  The obvious answer would be a ZIP file by emai Levitra achat l, but that can be a lot of work on both our ends (email size limits, effort to extract, etc). Plus, the files are only on my local HD, so when I want to work on the presentation from home, I’d have to save the original (huge) email and download the files twice.

  Box.net solved the issue – I invited Rebecca to collaborate on a folder, she uploaded all the necessary slideshow files in minutes, and now they’re available for me to use from anywhere. Kauf von viagra If another co-worker asked about a correct United Way logo, I could invite her to view the logos without having to dig for that lost email or bug Rebecca to send it again. Sharing files couldn’t be easier. How long would this have taken over email Online levitra ?

  

  It is the perfect example of our mantra, create once, distribute widely, access anywhere. Box.net ensures that our organization’s knowledge is highly organized and available anywhere – to anyone. Over the counter viagra Prospecto levitra Viagra alternatives It allows us to share non-confidential information as openly as we can, giving us more time towards causes that are important to us, and way less time searching for – and sending – versions of files over email. Viagra bestellung