TechSoup Global seeks a partner in Kenya to offer packaged TechSoup programs to qualifying NGOs in Kenya. TechSoup Global will offer the resources of its TechSoup Global brand and program to a Kenyan NGO who will co-create and offer a version of the TechSoup program, locally branded and available to eligible NGOs in that country.

Interested parties should contact Mike Yeaton, myeaton@techsoup.org

Overview

TechSoup Global provides knowledge and resources to nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) around the globe. We help them choose, implement, and sustain the essential technology needed to serve their communities. We forge partnerships between unlikely allies to address the unmet technology needs of these organizations. TechSoup Global helps nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and charities outside the U.S. and Canada obtain donations of essential technology products. This offering is modeled on TechSoup's TechSoup Stock service (www.techsoup.org/stock), which distributes donated and discounted technology products to qualifying organizations in the U.S. and Canada for a small administrative fee. TechSoup Global administers the international program in partnership with corporate donors (including Microsoft, Cisco, and Symantec) and a network of local NGOs.

Operating Model

TechSoup Global packages expertise, process and technical infrastructure to enable a partner to quickly deliver a scaleable, cost-effective TechSoup program.

A Partner NGO is responsible for:

• Localizing technology product donation program content for website and collateral

• Conducting outreach to identify and qualify (with the assistance of web-based tools) organizations that could benefit from participation

• Processing product donation requests, collecting administrative fees in local currency and retaining records of recipient ‘s legal status

• Uploading organization and order data into TechSoup’s processing systems

• Providing local NGO capacity building programs, as appropriate, to increase the impact of the product donations, such as customer service, trainings, online advice and community-building activities

• Collecting case studies and metrics to report on the effectiveness of technology assistance provided by the local TechSoup program

TechSoup Global is responsible for:

• Centrally administering relationships with technology providers to ensure a comprehensive catalog of technology product donations

• Sharing rich web content for product catalog, articles, reviews and online community as well as collateral materials

• Adapting and sharing proven “business” process and planning tools, practices and expertise

• Maintaining centralized technology platform with APIs and Service Oriented Architecture to support order fulfillment interfaces with corporate product donors, easy ‘plug-in’ by Partner NGOs to applications and content management

• Providing single point-of-contact for training and account management for Partner NGOs

• Providing centralized and regional reporting on program impact

Sustainability/Funding

In the U.S., TechSoup Global sustains its work by charging recipients of technology product donations an affordable administrative fee. Where sustainable, this administrative fee model will be used to cover all ongoing program costs and will be shared between TechSoup and the Partner NGO. By leveraging the practices and assets of TechSoup, partners can ensure the majority of ongoing monies generated through the local TechSoup program will stay in the country served. Options for covering one-time setup costs will be jointly explored with a Partner NGO and may include seeking local, regional or corporate grants, matching funds or venture philanthropy.

Partnership Selection Criteria and Process
Potential partners interview with TechSoup or partners, complete an application and provide references. Applications are reviewed against a weighted set of selection criteria and applicants notified of final status and next steps. Selected criteria include:

Mission – focus on, or compatible with, information and communications technology (ICT) for development

Organizational Capacity - financial sustainability, infrastructure (people, space, systems), management capacity and board support

Outreach - geographic reach and knowledge of small and medium-sized NGOs in the country or region

Technology Infrastructure - website or technologies for outreach and connection to the communities served

“Soft” Partnership Skills - willingness to share information, ‘best practices’ and assets with other Partner NGOs in the network and TechSoup

Drive for Results - a tolerance for risk/ambiguity and a flexible and fast orientation to decision-making which supports program innovation and results

Measuring Partnerships

Program metrics include technology products distributed, adherence to recipient qualification guidelines, supplemental services provided locally to support the best use of the product donations and, ultimately, case studies and metrics on local organizations’ mission impact.