About the NPower Network
} The NPower Network (www.npower.org) is a national network of community based nonprofit organizations providing superior quality, mission supporting technology assistance to local nonprofits. Our mission is to help other nonprofits put technology to work expanding the reach and impact of their work building healthy, vibrant communities.
} Seattle was home to the first NPower affiliate, started in 1999, but through a partnership with Microsoft, the Network will expand into twelve new communities by the end of 2003. At present, the Network has affiliates in Atlanta, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Portland, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In early 2003, the NPower Network will add an affiliate in Arizona.
2003 SBC Excelerator Project
} Through an additional $500,000 grant from the SBC Foundation in 2003, NPower and SBC will continue building the technology floor of small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations while also working to raise the technology ceiling – by helping inspire, inform and empower nonprofits to realize the potential of technology as a mission-enhancing tool.
} Through the 2003 grant, the NPower Network will engage in a mix of resource development and service delivery including the following:
· Guides to Technology as a Service Tool that will highlight technology innovation by nonprofits in each of SBC’s four focus areas; community development, education, arts and culture, and human services
· Technology Innovation Summits to inspire and educate nonprofits about the potential of technology as a mission-support tool
A second edition of the resource CD
2002 SBC Excelerator Project (www.npower.org/sbcexcelerator.asp)
} Thanks to a $1 million grant from the SBC Foundation in 2002, the NPower Network and its collaborative partners are currently building the technology fluency of community-based organizations in SBC’s 13 state service areas.
} The collaborative partners on this project include four affiliates of the NPower Network (NPower Seattle, NPower Michigan, NPower Indiana, and CompuMentor) and three sister organizations (IT Resource Center, Great Valley Center, and TechRocks).
} Some of the services and resources available to nonprofits in SBC’s service states as a result of this grant include:
· Nonprofit Necessities: The Technology Series, a technology resource CD-ROM for nonprofits
· Technology management and planning training for nonprofits through Technology Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders workshops
· Tech Fitness Day Toolkits to assist communities in hosting a volunteer technology day of service to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations
· Additional hands-on consulting, training opportunities, and hardware scholarships provided by the collaborative partners for nonprofits in California, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.
· -ROM Nonprofit Necessities, with a focus on technology innovation