Technology Focus and Strategy

Over the first four years of grantmaking, CTF grants focused on infrastructure and access. Many of the grants seeded community technology centers or launched training programs that provided access to technology for underserved communities. In 2004, CTF funding evolved and shifted its focus on supporting programs that helped communities create, share and leverage content, media and distribution, such as digital storytelling, through technology strategies. From this experience, we can illustrate both of these strategies in this diagram of a Community Technology stack—with the first years focusing more on the top two layers and the most recent years increasing the emphasis to the bottom two layers. !http://www.zerodivide.org/sites/default/files/images/stack1_0.gif! Technology initiatives are comprised of each of the layers of this stack. What has become clear is that CTF cannot serve the entire "market" of nonprofit technology needs—from the very basic capacity issues to the most cutting edge technology. As we look to 2007 and beyond, what are the questions we are to ask to develop a CTF technology strategy? * What the technology areas CTF should focus on and how is the landscape different now than in 1998 when CTFC was first started? * How do we best apply a technology investment strategy that leverage and focuses CTF’s overall community investments? What the technology areas CTF should focus on and how is the landscape different now than in 1998 when CTF was first started? When CTF first started in 1998, the term digital divide had just entered the lexicon, Amazon and Netscape were new startups, and 56k dialup was still considered the standard for data transmission. "O’Reilly Media":http://www.oreilly.com (in a recently "published report":http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/web2report/chapter/web20_report_excerpt.pdf) offers a snapshot of technology indicators and drivers that they believe is leading to a shift in technology and Internet usage: * One billion people around the globe have access to the Internet * Mobile devices outnumber desktop computers by a factor of two * Nearly 50 percent of all U.S. Internet access is now via always on broadband connections How might these drivers translate into opportunities and principles that CTF can leverage in the near and long-term future for the benefit of undeserved communities and nonprofits? * Even though there are still gaps, access to the Web, email or text messaging is reaching critical mass. * Broadband is the new standard for access to the Internet. It also represents a new indicator of the digital divide. * Always-on Internet access and “always with you” devices create new opportunities for technology to integrate with community usage patterns. How do we best apply a technology investment strategy that leverage and focuses CTF’s overall community investments? h3. Recommendations for technology principles In addition to identifying technologies, an equally important process is identifying the characteristics that the technologies have in common that can lead to greater likelihood of success for CTFC grantees. * Select technologies that have existing network effects or that facilitate greater network effects; * Select technologies that capitalize on web services in innovative and useful ways; * Select technologies that have a fundamental commitment to standards-based design with an emphasis on open standards and universal design; * Select technologies that enable data and content to be easily put in and easy to get out to eliminate the risk of lock-in; and * Select technologies that are increasingly targeting the small and medium business market as this increase the affordability for the nonprofit sector. h3. Recommendations for technology areas of focus # Focus on web services, applications and online communities, including: ** Next generation of web applications (also known as social media) that have greater functionality, interactivity and replicate previously desktop/LAN based applications ** Investing in appropriate open source applications/platforms that provide greater ease of use and functionality for the nonprofit sector ** To greatest extent possible, leverage existing platforms and functionality that have momentum in industry and are targeting consumer and small/medium business markets # Focus on mobile and wireless devices and services—primary use devices that enable content, communications, and collaboration to be accessed and utilized anywhere: ** Cell phones ** MP3 players ** Video game platforms # Focus on Community Wireless, developed and run by community initiatives, or Municipal Wireless where there is a leveraging role that nonprofits can play in ensuring that underserved communities have receive the benefit of municipal wireless: ** Always accessible affordable or free broadband Internet ** Addresses the “access” and “infrastructure” layer of technology ** Opportunity for place-based content distribution h3. These strategies seen together can highlight a series of sweet spots for CTF’s community investment strategy. !http://www.zerodivide.org/sites/default/files/images/stack2_0.gif! Instead of having to address the A to Z of an organization’s technology capacity and capability, CTF can effectively leverage the decentralization and mobility of technologies such as cell phones and the Web (and the underlying open APIs offered by web services) to reduce the need for a significant investment in the infrastructure layer. Instead, we can push CTF’s resources and our grantees energy down the stack as much as possible, allowing a prioritization on two things: (1) maximize the interchange between community data/content and applications; and (2) focus on appropriate outreach and training so communities can apply and invoke the usefulness of the technology for community good.