The effective use of technology has become vitally important to a nonprofit’s ability to achieve its mission. Yet as nonprofit technology needs increase, so do the many software options available to meet those needs. How are nonprofits supposed to choose among the many choices and identify the solution(s) that is/are right for them? Well, an organization in Portland, Maine seeks to solve this problem.

Idealware, founded and directed by Laura Quinn, offers reviews and articles about software of interest to nonprofits. The organization takes a “Consumer-reports-style” approach, providing relevant, unbiased, and authoritative information on various software programs. The organization offers product comparisons, recommendations, case studies, and software news. Ultimately, the goal is to enable nonprofits to better understand the pros and cons of various software programs.

Idealware achieves its mission in two ways. First, it publishes reports and articles on topics related to constituent databases, websites, email and advocacy, and office productivity. Second, it offers online seminars, some of which have focused on building and editing websites, integrating various software systems, and understanding website analytics. Many of the resources available at www.idealware.org are free of charge. For additional information on Idealware, you can read Laura Quinn’s Blog here.

At Great Bay, we know how important technology can be to our grantees’ efforts. At our 2006 Annual Conference, we were fortunate to have as a guest speaker Victor d’Allant, who is the Executive Director of Social Edge, an online forum for social entrepreneurs sponsored by the Skoll Foundation. Victor introduced our attendees to cutting-edge online communication tools, such as Blogging, Tagging, and ‘Flickring.’ His presentation was so well received that he’ll be back again this December to update us all on recent developments in the world of online technology.

Great Bay has provided financial support to organizations already utilizing technology to achieve both social and business goals. Information Technology Exchange (led by Chris Martin) and MaxImpact Institute (led by Ben Ocra) are two examples. ITE has recently implemented an Open Source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system by the name of SugarCRM. Chris notes that the system has had a positive impact on his organization’s internal productivity, as well as its ability to build and strengthen relationships with customers and constituents.

So, how are you using technology in your organization?