Nonprofits Show Technology in Action

What does technology in action look like? In September, we asked nonprofits and libraries to show us exactly how technology activates their organization and helps fulfill their mission.

They had a chance to win free services from Karma Store, a new technology group that helps nonprofits easily show donors the work they do through responsive web design, dynamic infographics, and photo updates.

We received many wonderful entries on Facebook through Woobox, using the hashtag #TechInAction on Twitter and Instagram, and by good old email. Each entry was more compelling than the next, showing us that nonprofits are putting technology in action in incredibly different ways.

From Canada to Lesotho

And the entries came from all over the world, from our own backyard San Francisco to Canada and even as far as Lesotho, Africa!

In Canada, this is how the Neil Squire Society, a nonprofit that empowers Canadians with physical disabilities through the use of computer-based assistive technology, puts technology in action:

"They can't see the screen. They feel it and hear it. Technology such as screen readers and braille displays allow people with vision loss to access computer technology," says Chad Leaman, director of development at NeilSquire Services.

Laptops to Lesotho, an organization dedicated to opening doors of opportunity for the people of Lesotho by giving XO laptops to children, shows us that we can put technology in action from the very first time we interact with it:

"Who can't relate to these students in Lesotho, Africa, as they explore one of the laptops donated to their school by Laptops to Lesotho Inc.," says Janissa Balcomb, president of Laptops to Lesotho Inc.

And the Winner Is...

We were inspired by the incredibly compelling photos we received, but we had to choose just one winner, and GETSET-GO won our votes!

They showed us that technology is not just computers and that the best way we can put technology in action is both by empowering others to use it and by building community around it.

"Often the best technologies don't look like a 'computer.' At our Women's Library in Cambodia, interactive, user-friendly technologies, like this 'computer pen' that teaches reading and pronunciation, enable women to learn at their own pace, without feeling intimidated or embarrassed," says Daniel Ostenso, president of GETSET-GO.

"At the GETSET-GO Women's Library in Cambodia, technology inspires exploration and collaboration. Women who were denied basic education in their youth can now access online education from some of the best schools in the world and open doors to a better life," he adds.

A New Web Presence and a Better Way to Connect with Donors

We are excited to see GETSET-GO, a nonprofit using technology to empower girls and women in developing countries, get the web presence they deserve! With a new impact page, a way to send photo updates to donors, and the marketing muscle of Karma Store, GETSET-GO will continue to put technology in action.

Want your nonprofit to shine and attract new donors? Talk to the wonderful folks at Karma Store by emailing them at info [at] karmastore [dot] org.

Top image: People using computer-based assistive technology (Neil Squire Society)

Second image: Two young men using a donated XO laptop in Lesotho, Africa (Laptops to Lesotho)

Third image: Two young women using a computer pen in Cambodia (GETSET-GO)

Bottom image: Group of young women using laptops in Cambodia (GETSET-GO)