Nonprofits & Tech Leaders Converge for Tech for Social Impact Day 2019

Nonprofits Harnessing the Power of Tech with Microsoft’s Tech for Social Impact Day

AKA Enterprise Solutions recently collaborated with Microsoft to host a Tech for Social Impact Day (TSI Day) on January 22, 2019 in New York. Here, global leaders at Microsoft and nonprofit organizations met to take part in a groundbreaking event.

The express goal of TSI Day was to give innovators in the nonprofit sector a chance to learn more about how technology can help them achieve their goals. Nonprofit leaders also had the opportunity to exchange stories and learn from one another regarding industry best practices.

Justin Spelhaug, General Manager of Microsoft’s Tech for Social Impact Group, delivered the keynote speech at TSI Day. His speech centered around how organizations can ensure that security, privacy, and ethics are appropriately integrated and prioritized as part of a larger social impact strategy. Spelhaug identified four things that every organization needs in order to implement an effective Tech for Social Impact strategy:

● Digital Inclusion: Work with underserved populations to provide them with up-to-date job skills
● Digital Transformation: Leverage the latest in tech to achieve organizational goals
● Engagement: Engage employees to realize an organization’s mission
● Trust: Build trust with customers, governments, and partner organizations

Spelhaug offered LifeWorks as a prime example of how to implement a TSI strategy. As an AKA customer, LifeWorks has utilized the power of Dynamics 365 ERP to advocate for more than 4,000 families. Learn more here:

TSI Day also featured several expert panels moderated by Katie Leonberger, President and CEO of CRE.

The first panel, “Harnessing the Power of Data: How to Help Your Non-Profit Provide Evidence Based Outcomes and Manage Resources, Funding, and Reporting to Better Support the People You Serve,” centered around the idea of tracking metrics in order to gauge project outcomes -- thus making it easier for organizations to continue receiving the funding they need. Panel members included leaders from LifeWorks, the International Rescue Committee, and the Commit Partnership. As a community organization focused on education, the Commit Partnership is using predictive analytics to keep track of funding, improve educator training and retention, and offer better educational consulting services.

To learn more about the Commit Partnership, check out the video below.

“To Protect and Serve: How Nonprofits Can Gain and Maintain the Trust of Beneficiaries, Donors, and Volunteers by Guarding Their Information Against Any Threat or Disaster,” another panel featured at TSI day, focused on protecting valuable data from potential disasters and other security threats. Expert panel participants included contributors from Americares and Médecins Sans Frontières U.S.A. (MSF). Also known as Doctors Without Borders, MSF is a medical humanitarian organization that provides assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. They leverage Azure Services to create a global tenant, allowing MSF to collaborate seamlessly across the globe. To find out more about Médecins Sans Frontières, click here.

Finally, the panel “Making Connections that Serve Your Mission: How Nonprofits Can Break Down Barriers to Better Support Donors, Volunteers, and Beneficiaries” looked at how appropriate technology can improve communication with volunteers, donors, and beneficiaries. Representatives from Americares, an organization that offers medical supplies and health services to those suffering from poverty or disaster, discussed the ways they’re utilizing technology like Microsoft Power BI Pro and Dynamics 365 ERP. These solutions have helped them make better organizational decisions while managing to simultaneously reduce their reliance on various IT resources. Want to find out more about Americares? Click here.

You can watch video recordings of the keynote and panel discussions here.

AKA works with nonprofit organizations around the globe to provide them with the solutions they need. Click here to learn more.

Is your organization ready to harness the latest technology to achieve its goals? Click here to contact AKA today.

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