Enterprise 2.0 - Special Needs for Non-Profits, Community Groups and Associations

Whether you voted for him or not, you have to be impressed with the Obama campaign's mobilization of volunteers over the Internet. They did it with enterprise software and, although the budget wasn't exactly tight, that is the case with a lot of non-profits, associations and community groups. If that includes you, here's what to look for in enterprise 2.0 software.

• Easy to deploy: Non-profits, associations and academic institutions are often short of resources. Funding always seems to fall just short of what's needed, and sometimes their workers are volunteers. You might often find yourself in a position of needing a techie - but you just don't have one. You need something that's ready to go, out of the box.

• Intuitive and easy to use: You never know what level of technical skill members are going to have. Nevertheless, you need them up and running as fast as possible - without extensive training and without tech support. Enterprise software with a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface is imperative.

• Inexpensive: Although some non-profits have plenty of money, they generally want to, and are expected to invest it in their cause, not administration. They need all the same features, functionality and security of private corporations, but the lower the cost, the better. Check out SaaS, software as a service, solutions - a good one can solve the financial problems (and the need for technically-savvy staff.)

• Accessible from any location: Members of community groups are obviously located in the same general area, but other associations and non-profit groups are often global. They need to communicate and connect from anywhere, anytime.

• Accessible through any type of Internet connection: Enterprise solutions that only easily accommodate high-speed broadband are not going to work. Many members will be using dial-up or even their phone.

All of the other collaboration software features and functionality are, of course, needed - task management, project management, workflow solutions, virtual assistant capabilities, intranets, extranets, wikis, and so on. But without the above, your enterprise solution just won't get used, and you won't get your money out of it.

To be really effective, associations, community groups, non-profits and academic institutions have to use the latest technology wherever possible - and that includes enterprise solutions. You might not be running for president, but that doesn't mean you don't need that kind of efficiency.