But we have a website!

When having conversations with my fellow NGOs around ICT and their organizations use of it I often get the response: "we have a website, but it really needs work..." or "we have a website but we don't have the time for these kind of things...". I have a lot of sympathy for them because they toil away daily doing things that many are not willing to do and often with great personal investment. But because I also worked for large corporates where structures and systems are everything, I sort of can see both sides of this coin. My gut tells me that NGOs often work so far out of the mainstream of society, both in terms of recognition as well as access to resources, that we sometimes are overly cautious when something new arrives.
 
A few months ago I attended a MobileActive conference and was utterly stunned by the level of organisation and efficient use of ICT by this organisation. Yes, they come from the North, I know! But to see how this conference operated, how the resources were circulated and how the learning was shared gave me a vision of how more effective NGOs can be IF they get access to the right kinds of websites and other ICT tools. In Africa, the reality is stark around this access, so believe me I don't just banter about it in a frivolous manner. I just think if we start breaking down both the physical as well as the mental barriers around this and do it collectively, our sector will be much for the better.

Until next time - surfs up!