How to choose the right IT for your development organization

In the era of remote working, cyberthreats, data protection, and artificial intelligence, development organizations need the right information technology systems to operate effectively and safely. But NGOs struggle to find enough money to spend on technology, and the right tools do not always exist for what they need. As a result, chief technology officers and IT directors face a complex task in getting it right. Steffen Kølbek, the global head of IT at the Danish Refugee Council, points to the potential impact of enterprise resource planning systems — software that supports organizations in their everyday operation activities by identifying what resources are needed and where they are needed. “Pair this with open source digital era technologies in areas of AI, machine learning, and predictive modeling and we can make a real transformation of the NGO sector," he said. But the sector, he said, is held back because it lacks access to strong digital skills that could support and innovate around these systems. Donors are not always keen to invest money in what are considered administrative functions, he explained, but in a competitive market, staff with strong digital skills can be relatively costly. 2018 data revealed only 31% of NGOs understood the risks, biases, and limitations of the data and tools they use. Many nonprofits don’t understand the total life cycle costs of technology systems, which means they can be less well equipped than companies when it comes to procuring the solutions to power their work into the future, said Lance Pierce, the CEO of NetHope, a consortium of nonprofits, technology companies, and funding partners. At Pact, budgetary limitations stand in the way of growing the IT team, Keith Fleming, director of IT, shared. “For the most part we do ok, but there is a general sense of being on a razor’s edge. If we go into crisis mode for whatever reason, other areas need to be prioritized down.” Compounding the issue is a lack of available technology to support development organizations in their operations, Pierce said. Those gaps are unlikely to be filled when the sector is too small for mass market tech companies to want to invest in and too fragmented for more specialized products, he added. Monitoring and evaluation is one example of where this plays out. “It’s such a niche sector for charities [that] you get minimal M&E applications that can interact and meet the needs of an organization,” said Shaun DeAllie, global IT infrastructure architect at WaterAid. Amid such a landscape, how do CTOs and IT directors choose what technology their development organization needs and ensure they’ve got the right environment for roll out? Devex asked the experts for their advice on what factors to consider. “It's absolutely fundamental that [any technology] works under the most dire of circumstances where connectivity cannot really be guaranteed.” --— Steffen Kølbek, global head of IT, Danish Refugee Council Will it address my organization’s needs? In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many NGOs latched on to technology to quickly plug the in-person gaps they were experiencing. Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams saw an increase in user numbers as staff sought to maintain communication. Going forward, people will continue to work differently and the technology invested in today will need to evolve to various working styles, Pierce said. He identified two current trends he believes “nonprofits must come to grips with.” The first is confronting the digital fragility of an organization. According to the CyberPeace Institute, over half of NGOs have been a victim of a cyberattack. COVID-19 is thought to have exacerbated such risks. “There are social technologies as well as digital ones, which, when blended, can be a cost-effective way of managing many of these threats,” Pierce said. For example, Dashlane provides nonprofits with a discounted rate to access their password manager and digital wallet. The second major trend, Pierce said, is NGOs’ quest for trusted information. They require comparative and reliable data to measure the impact of their activities and must run external awareness raising campaigns free from disinformation or misinformation. Nora Lindström, senior director of information and communications technologies for development at Catholic Relief Services, said CRS has invested significantly in systems to collect data on its programs. It now has the quality and quantity of data it needs to use machine learning to identify what works, and make future improvements. “For example, in Malawi, we have devised a data collection and analysis scheme to measure and predict resilience among households prone to food insecurity one to two months out,” she said. Will it work for everyone, everywhere? Access to the internet can be a challenge for NGOs, which often work in remote areas, and in and around conflict zones. This could render an expensive technology that’s reliant on connectivity redundant. This is why “it’s absolutely fundamental that [any technology] works under the most dire of circumstances where connectivity cannot really be guaranteed,” Kølbek said. For example, the data collection program, KoBo toolbox, can be used offline with the option to upload collated data at a later point. Many are also watching for progress in low Earth orbit satellite-based connectivity, which Kølbek said, could revolutionize connectivity in remote areas. The connectivity element comes under one of the initial questions Kølbek asks when considering the uptake of any new technology: “Does it run in the context where I need it?” which he follows with questions around the credibility of the organization behind the technology and whether it will bring about the benefits needed. To ensure staff can use the technology and that it works well with existing systems, Lindström suggested the end user be a part of any decisions around digital tools. What will implementation look like? When it comes to rolling out a new program, “the classic ‘travel around the world and train everyone’ approach isn’t going to fly for us anymore,” Kølbek said, given remote working and climate change concerns. Instead, DRC deploys webinars, live meetings, and video-based training to reach as many people across its 43 operating countries. “Our communication and collaboration platform is the only way we can reach everyone and supply adequate training, follow up, monitoring and assistance to all our staff in the field,” he said. Pierce warned “highly effective technology deployed in a fragmented or organization-centric way can often make the situation for the people you are trying to help worse.” This is where NetHope comes in. It runs various working groups — such as that on AI, blockchain, and other emerging technologies — to explore the responsible and sustainable adoption of various technologies in the sector. Organizations including Christian Aid and SOS Children's Villages have also shared lessons on the need to design responsibly and to have a high-quality content library when rolling out chatbots in their African operations. “As far as technology decisions and investment itself is concerned, the adage, ‘it takes a village’ applies here,” Pierce said. He advised NGOs to benchmark against organizations of similar size, reach, and operating models to learn lessons around what has worked. Lindström highlighted the importance of taking into account what technology choices fit the digital maturity of any local partners the NGO works with to deliver services. “The whole development sector is undergoing a fair bit of soul searching at the moment around how we can better advance local leadership,” she said. “Increasingly, these discussions are also entering the tech space and we’re having discussions around how to build the digital skills of our partners, how to approach the use of technology in programming in partnership, and how to support local digital ecosystems.” As part of CRS’ malaria programming, it has worked to build skills in the use of District Health Information System 2 because this is the technology of choice for many health ministries, including Guinea, Niger, Mali, Gambia, and Burkina Faso. For WaterAid, Deallie said, partnering with international suppliers such as Microsoft, Cisco, Google, Amazon, and Otter makes integration of any technology a lot easier. They offer real-time support, which is helpful, he said, given WaterAid’s operations are based in places in various time zones. Is it climate-friendly? Increasingly, more NGOs are considering how to reduce their carbon footprint, DeAllie said, especially when it comes to data storage. “There is a massive trend now pushing from the on-[premises], in-the-office server rooms to cloud technology, which is much cheaper,” he said. Historically, CRM systems have been stored on physical servers in data centers that use a substantial amount of electricity. Cloud storage can be more cost-effective, and is accessible anywhere without a dependence on hardware, DeAllie said. Donor management tools like Salesforce, DonorPerfect or Little Green Light can operate on the cloud, as can Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Slack. As well as improving accessibility across an organization, the platforms often allow for the integration of other tools such as email, calendar, and online chat and can also make websites easier to use. Oxfam Hong Kong reported a 600% increase in page views on its main fundraising day after transitioning to cloud platform, Microsoft Azure. In remote locations, however, physical storage may still be needed. In places like this, WaterAid considers whether solar energy could be an alternative to diesel-powered generators, or if servers could be swapped for laptops. Is there adequate security around it? With more technology implementation comes the need for more security to protect the digital rights of beneficiaries and users, said Kølbel. “We need to pair digital trends up with a very secure IT security posture and that is a little bit new to the sector,” he said. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation states that all organizations must take steps to protect any personal data collected. “This evidently involves investments in actual technology as well, but more than anything it is again a question of people having the right skills, the appropriate processes being in place, and overall advancing a culture of responsible data practices,” Lindström said, adding that CRS has endorsed the Principles for Digital Development and have internal responsible data values, principles, and guidelines. For NGOs and other development organizations, technology remains a challenge. With limited funding, limited skills, unique needs, and a challenging operating environment, the development sector has particular barriers to overcome when it comes to technology. However, despite the limitations, experts believe it is possible to develop the right tools and approaches to develop a successful technology stack.