Nonprofits are under unprecedented pressure to produce better results with more clients, for less money. To shed light on how organizations are meeting this challenge, MAP for Nonprofits commissioned a study by Idealware to investigate how Minnesota service providers are using technology to innovate their service delivery, with an eye to factors that foster innovation. Based on a survey of 180 nonprofits and in-depth research with more than a dozen innovative organizations, we've developed a four-part framework as to how nonprofits can define ways to use existing and affordable technologies to address their own organization's needs. We'll present the framework, case studies on how organizations are currently innovating, and give participants an opportunity to brainstorm innovations for themselves.

1. Unleashing Innovation:
Using Everyday Technology to
Improve Nonprofit Services

2. Introductions
Laura Quinn, Idealware Amy Wagner, MAP for Nonprofits

3. Session Objectives
 S ae eerho h w in eoa o po s r
h r rsac n o M n st n n rf ae
it
uin t h o g t d le sr e
s g e n l yo e r ev s
c o iv ic
 Poid a rm wr f uin eeya t h o g
rv e f e oko s g vr ye n l y
a r d c o
t in oa a dim rv sr e
o n vt n poe ev s
e ic
 H h h sm ea p s fu cs
ig l t o e xm l o sces
ig e

4. Research Process

5. Research Process
 Definition Phase: Expert
Interviews, Literature Review
 Broad Survey: 179
Minnesota human service
nonprofits

6. Research Process
 Follow-up Interviews:
 C o ntacte d 31 p e o p le
 C o nd ucte d in-d e p th
p h o ne inte rvie ws with
1 3 o rg aniz atio ns
 Id e ntifie d nine case
stud ie s

7. Key Findings

8. Innovating with Everyday Technologies
People often think of innovation
as futuristic, cutting-edge
technology, but our research
found that many are innovating
with straightforward
technologies.

9. Innovation Can Be Low Cost
Many Minnesota nonprofits
successfully use existing
technology to innovate in
more subtle ways,
implementing solutions that
are often both low-cost and
effective.

10. Innovating Services Is Within Reach
picture
Innovation through
technology is within
the reach of any
nonprofit.

11. A Framework for Innovation

12. Case Study: Domestic Abuse Project
“Those were often
last-minute phone
calls saying, ‘I need D AP p ro vid e s th e rap y and
to go to court, me,’”
ad vo cacy fo r p e o p le who
and I need this
information to take
h ave e x p e rie nce d d o m e stic
with me.” ab u se , and wo rks clo se ly
with p aro le o ffice rs.

13. Case Study: Domestic Abuse Project
They modified the
organization’s existing
case management system
— an online database— to
allow probation officers to
look up program
attendance for
themselves.

14. Diving Into the Framework

15. A Framework for Innovation

16. Identifying Needs
 Five of the 13 nonprofits
used a formal planning
process to define the needs “It was never a
they ultimately addressed. board decision
where we sat
 For the others, innovations down and looked
were a solution to day-to- at communication
day issues rather than models or
needs identified out of anything like that.
It was just a way
planning projects. to meet a need.”

17. A Framework for Innovation

18. Understanding Technology
 Five mentioned that
knowledge about existing
technology was a major
factor in their innovation.
 Another seven mentioned
that lack of knowledge, or
lack of effective
technologies, was a
difficulty or hurdle for them.

19. POLL
[Add Readytalk Poll]
Do you feel that you’re generally aware of the
technologies that could help your organization?
-Yes, definitely
-Probably most of them
-Some of them
-No, not really

20. W and Email
eb

21. Reporting and Evaluation

22. Emerging Technologies

23. Case Study: HOW Family Center
A
“We’d always
communicated with H O W A e nriche s live s
them by email, but thro ug h m e nto ring fo r
they’d more or less
stopped responding.”
ch ild re n, fam ilie s, and
co m m unitie s. O ne o f th e ir
p ro gram s wo rks with h ig h -
sch o o l ag e m e nto rs.

24. Case Study: HOW Family Center
A
The program manager
noticed that the “It’s definitely
students responded increased our quality
quickly to text of services.
Sometimes.. A mentor
messages, making that
can even see their
a cheap and easy way to mentee that day.”
reach them.

25. A Framework for Innovation

26. Connecting Needs and Technology
The majority were inspired or
supported by something outside of
their organization. For example:
Work of a similar nonprofit “A fund ing
 Speaker at conference
o rg aniz atio n ch o o se
u s as an inve ste e ,
 Formal or informal peer and alo ng w ith th e ir
conversations d o llars cam e
e x p e rtise .”
 Funders
 Technology expert/consultant

27. POLL
[Add Readytalk Poll]
W hich of these have most inspired you with new ideas in
the past?
-Conference
-Conversation with peer(s)
-Reading about other organizations
-Consultants
-Classes

28. A Framework for Innovation

29. Effecting Change in the Organization
It’s not enough to just have an idea.
Six organizations defined innovations
that required very little financial support.
However, few interviewees said their
innovations required very little staff time.
Staff training and support were also key
factors mentioned to help a project
succeed.

30. Effecting Change in the Organization
Four interviewees
mentioned a culture of
change or generally positive “We’re always
asking if there’s a
disposition toward better way of doing
innovation as helping things, if someone
factors for implementing else is doing
something we can
their projects.
replicate, or if
someone on staff
has an idea we
should be pursuing.”

31. Case Study: United W of Olmsted County
ay
“O ur d e sire to g e t
co m m u nity-le ve l info Th e y wo rk to unite
and track u nd up licate d p e o p le and re so urce s
nu m b e rs re ally d ro ve and im p ro ve live s in the ir
u s to lo o k fo r a
co m m unity.
te ch no lo g y answ e r.”

32. Case Study: United W of Olmsted County
ay
By creating a shared
community database with a
scannable photo ID for
clients, they dramatically
Connecting a
speeded up intake forProviders
each
organization, and allowed
them to track data across
organizations.

33. A Framework for Innovation

34. W does success look like?
hat
All 13 organizations said they saw at
least some noticeable benefit as a
result of technology solutions they’d
recently implemented.
W categorized the benefits as
e
substantial for nine of these.

35. W does success look like?
hat
There was more effect on quality of
“It’s over-and-above
services than cost savings.
changed the way we
12 reported some positive impact on instruct people. It’s
made them feel
the quality of their organization’s
better about
services.
themselves, and
Six reported a cost savings. improved the quality
of education and
training we provide.”

36. Case Studies: Lifetrack Resources
“A lot of these
families are at home,
or can’t travel… We
knew they needed
the information we
were presenting but
we needed a way to By recording and close-
get it to them.” captioning seminars, they were
able to provide their information
for parents of deaf children to a
much wider audience.

37. Case Studies: Lifetrack Resources
“The trainer came up
with the idea of
having a blog to
present an
opportunity for As part of their support for job
students to practice seekers, Lifetrack set up a blog,
their writing skills… named “At Y Service,” to let
our
and work on students share their own
networking.” experiences in the area of
customer service.

38. W Does It All Mean?
hat

39. Recommendations for Nonprofits
 Sat it yu n e s
t wh o r ed
r
 I nifeis gt h o g s
d t x t e n l ie
e y in c o
 F miaiz yusl it aaa l
a ilre o r f h vil e
ew b
t ho g s
e n l ie
c o
 P l o t e es
u in us id a
l id
 C nid r t tgs a
os es ra in m l
l
 G t u- f ms f n b ad
e b yin r t f d o r
o aa
 B d e f b t c s a ds f im
u g to oh ot n t f e
r at
 M aue n b ilo sces
esr a d ud n u cs

40. Recommendations for Funders
 E c ua e ra iztn t c nid rh ir
n o rg og n a s o o s e te
io
n e s s u h s eh o g s
ed a m c a t n l ie
c o
 H log n a n u d r a deis g
e ra izt s n es n x t
p io t in
t h o g sF miaiz yusl it aaa l
e n l ie. a ilre o r f h vil e
c o ew b
t ho g s
e n l ie
c o
 S p ot o sl gs u trs oh l
u p rc nuin t c e t e
t r u p
og n a n in oa
ra izt s n vt
io e
 Poid cosp l a n p otnie
rv e rs- oin t o p r its
l io u
 E c ua e n vte ss f x tg
n o rg in oa ue o eis
iv in
t ho g
e nl y
c o

41. To learn more…
 Find the fu ll re p o rt at
m ap fo rno np ro fits.o rg /inno vatio n
 Th ank yo u!