Multinational
Overview
Thanks to the growth of global interconnected technologies, international businesses and NGOs are reassessing current business models to take best advantage of these transformations. Advances in information analysis, cloud applications, data visualization, interactivity, and translation are just some of the technologies international organizations can leverage to sustain global business and advocacy campaigns.
Core Issues
- Globalization and increasing interconnectivity can lead to increasing service delivery and supply chains disruption, requiring more comprehensive data visualizations to quickly identify and reduce risk.
- Organizations seeking to expand internationally want to know if their local success can be replicated abroad, and seek strategies to assess and implement technology tools that will work overseas.
- Sustaining a multinational approach can requires significant resources, driving leaders to seek out efficient, cost-effective technologies.
Our Approach
FivePaths brings to each project its experience with globally expanding businesses and NGOs. We help to pinpoint strategies and choices that target the context and culture of new global markets. Our team ensures web and data systems support this strategy, working to localize and internationalize systems, as well as to support local adoption to ensure a solid footing.
Profile: TechSoup Global
TechSoup is a trusted technology resource that offers a variety of information and services for the nonprofit sector. Services include technology assistance information via Techsoup.org, philanthropy programs such as TechSoup Stock, and campaigns to assist organizations in harnessing social web technologies through Netsquared.org.
Challenges
TechSoup Global is expanding their offerings internationally, offering a comprehensive package of technical assistance and channel development to help regional NGO networks succeed in delivering software product and technology services. Helping new international teams shape and adopt new technology tools is key to the program’s success. TechSoup needed a partner with a unique combination of expertise in web development, program management, and CRM planning and implementation in an international context.
Solutions and Impacts
Our team has worked on several parallel paths with TechSoup. We provided conceptual and strategic advice establishing a technology framework to support the international network of NGOs. This work included market research into the capacity of international "telecentre" networks, and analysis on how this informs the shape of the technology framework. We worked collaboratively to plan and implement a multilingual shared learning portal using Drupal CMS tools. We developed a program to provide CRM planning and selection support, and authored tools, best practices and worksheets to form a curriculum which we implemented directly to NGOs. We have also facilitated several capacity building sessions with both US based nonprofits and international NGOs on technology topics, including web development, CMS, CRM and technology management practices.
As their programs grow, TechSoup continues to rely on FivePaths for both strategic guidance, technology implementation and ongoing support.