$1M in pro bono tech services to help not for profits be amazing-er

The TCS Community Innovation Program delivers in-kind services valued collectively at $1 million, helping NFPs to lift their digital presence and increase their impact.

Drawing on reports that less than 25 per cent of not for profits (NFPs) have a digital transformation or IT improvement plan, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and solutions organisation, has launched nominations for the fourth edition of its pro bono Community Innovation Program. 

The program includes TCS’ offerings and deploys TCS’ expertise to lift the digital presence of a select group of NFPs, enhancing their capabilities and increasing their impact. 

Community Innovation Program 2019 award recipient, Food Ladder, opted to develop a new online platform to deliver learning programs and aggregate data. The impact was quickly noted – operations scaled up and more remote communities were reached. 

With the onset of the pandemic, while companies were succumbing due to the pressures of quarantine, travel restrictions and general disruptions to business, Kelly McJannet, CEO and co-founder of Food Ladder, noted that the website allowed them to “overcome the limitations caused due to the global pandemic”. 

This level of impact corroborates the Infoxchange survey which found 44 per cent of NFPs listed updating their website as a top priority last year.

So what’s the hold-up on amazing NFPs increasing their digital presence or harnessing technology for operations? Infoxchange surveys point out that the major roadblocks span from funding, access, staff capability and expertise on investment. 

TCS as a leading brand, has utilised its own resources to deliver its Community Innovation Program. This means recipients can access the expertise of TCS’ developers and technology specialists, allowing the delivery of services valued at $1 million for the 2022 recipients, alleviating many of the costly tech challenges NFPs face today.

Charitable Recycling Australia, a 2019 TCS Community Innovation Program recipient, used the program to focus on scaling its Impact Calculator, a customer tool which measures recycling impact. Omer Soker, CEO of Charitable Recycling Australia, said the updated and deployed Impact Calculator has allowed them to “reach a wider audience, through [its] network, customers and [its] members, and communicate the benefits of charitable reuse”.

Given the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership reports that NFPs that trial a wide use of digital technologies operate more efficiently, there’s no time like now for NFPs to begin their digital transformation. 

Join the ranks of Charitable Recycling, Food Ladder, as well as Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF), PanKind, Hello Sunday Morning, Royal Hospital for Women, and more. 

If you are an Australian or New Zealand based NFP, this is for you.

Submissions close 10 April 2022.