What can we do for your organization?

DharmaTech offers two programmatic solutions to address the most common technology challenges faced by nonprofits: technology infrastructure and outreach.

1) The Technology Infrastructure Program provides organizations with stable, affordable computer networks that support and enhance their operations and programs. The program can generally be implemented for a new group in 1-6 weeks, depending on the organization’s size, maturity, and complexity. Benefits: In addition to improving an organization's overall efficiency and helping to reduce long-term operational expenses, a solid technology infrastructure provides the foundation for an organization to mature.

Specifically, the program includes:

• Planning: strategic technology planning and budgeting.
• Basic Technology Infrastructure: hardware tune-ups, software configurations (organizing software CDs and licenses), network architecture, file and data management, automatic onsite backups, security (antivirus, spyware, firewall), server management, and documentation.
• Advanced Technology Infrastructure: offsite backups and remote access to the network.
• Onsite Support: includes onsite computer and network maintenance on regularly scheduled dates; we partner with a local company, Universal Systems, Inc., to provide these services.

2) The Technology Outreach Program provides organizations with "open source" websites and databases that are affordable and easy to use and maintain. The program can generally be implemented for a new group in 10-16 weeks. Benefits: Using integrated technology systems, this program helps strengthen an organization’s fundraising, outreach, membership, and advocacy work.

Specifically, it includes:

• Website: utilizes a website content management system (CMS) that allows an organization whose staff members have basic word processing skills to easily update and manage their website content with “real-time” publishing. An advocacy organization can keep its constituency informed with up-to-the-minute news and action alerts, and can send out HTML newsletters and other e-communications.
• Database: utilizes a constituent relationship management (CRM) system – a database for centralizing and managing information about an organization’s members, donors, activists, and other constituents. The website and database are integrated, and the systems can scale as the organization grows. This integration allows an organization to quickly inform and mobilize its constituency. Both the website and database use “open source” software, which provides high-level functionality that is free and eliminates ongoing licensing, maintenance, support, or upgrade costs. It is web-based, so it can be accessed with any type of computer, by any number of people, at any location.

What is open source software?

Open source software is free computer software that allows users to use, change, improve , and redistribute it freely. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner and emerged as part of a movement to democratize and decentralize technology so that everyone has access to it.