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How To Get Out Of Overwhelm And Manage Projects Brilliantly (While Saving Money On IT)

It’s a special kind of relentless attack faced by Boards and ED’s; the persistent, crazy, chaotic assault on your time and attention. No one is immune, and every organization deals with it.

Some leaders handle the constant pressure on their attention brilliantly, keeping the team organized and highly productive. But most people struggle with this and feel crushed and overwhelmed by all the things they have to keep track of and do. This goes double if your group is in growth mode and not “standing still” or casually strolling through its existence. 

Add to this a remote workforce, and it can be intensely difficult to wrap your head around all the projects, to-dos, deadlines and funder-related deliverables you and your leadership team must manage.

While we as an IT company cannot tell you what projects are most important, we can absolutely help you and your team stay far more organized and give you tools to keep the  people on your team properly aligned, prioritizing the right work and focused on the things you want them to focus on. We can also help you organize communication to lessen the chances of a dropped ball or a communication failure, which is by far the #1 reason why problems happen in business and charities alike.

One of the tools we recommend to clients wanting to get more operational control and clearer communication is Microsoft Teams. There are a lot of reasons why this is a “super tool” for productivity and organizational alignment, but as a bonus, it typically ends up saving our clients quite a bit of money on technology, because it replaces other applications, like Slack, Zoom and dozens of popular project management software, putting all of it into one lower-cost, more secure and more tightly integrated system.

Let me share just a few of the cool features you’ll love in Teams. Keep in mind that this list is far from complete. Microsoft Teams has over 1,900 applications you can pick from to integrate into a Teams Channel to organize information, workflow, tasks, deadlines and documents.

Canadian Data Residency for Office 365

Canadian Residency: As part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, charities located in Canada can request that their data also be stored in Canada. This allows you to stay compliant with any requirements from funding agency or governmental contracts. 

Posts: The “post” feature works a lot like Slack in that it will allow you to post questions, reminders and status updates to everyone on that Team regarding that project. This not only keeps ALL communication for a project in one place, but it creates a history and alerts everyone on the team to what’s going on. This feature can save a lot of money for anyone using a paid tier in Slack since it’s native and included in Microsoft Teams.

Integrating Apps With Teams

Tasks By Planner And To-Do: This section of Teams is one of our favorites because it allows you to create “complex” to-do lists where you can assign each item to one or more people; have a progress status, priority and due date; add documents and files; and create a checklist of all the things that need to be done. Better yet, team members who are responsible for the project can provide status updates and check off items that are completed so you know where you are with any particular project.

true remote file sharing and hybrid workspaces

File Sharing: Being able to access everything securely, and easily, has been the dream for years now. Teams has a file management function which can eliminate the need for servers, allowing your team to work remotely while maintaining access to all their files and data. It uses a very familiar interface, has an incredibly shallow learning curve, and is included in Teams.

Video Conferencing: While Teams is not as slick as Zoom, it does have some features that make it better for team collaboration and projects. The biggest advantage over Zoom is that you can hold a video conference, and the recording of the meeting – along with all of the notes, files and links – will remain in that Team for easy reference later on. This can be extremely helpful for people who might not have been able to attend a meeting, making it easy for them to find and watch the recording, and it also retains a record of critical conversations. Plus, it eliminates expensive Zoom licenses for all employees because it’s included in Microsoft 365.

No Cost Software For Charities

Free For Charities: Of course the most compelling argument is that Teams, as part of Microsoft 365, is free for charities. Depending on the size of your group, this can translate to literally thousand of dollars per year. 

If you want to see a demo of Teams or do a cost analysis to see how implementing this can save your organization money on Slack, Zoom and other project management software by combining it into one application, click here to schedule a brief call.

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Rosetta Stone! As always, we’re here to decode the language of IT and give you the tools to make informed decisions.

Today’s topic is a little bit drier than many, but it’s an important topic that gets to the heart of Canadian nonprofit organizations. today we’re looking at email etiquette for board members of charities, non-profits, and associations. While it may seem harmless to use your personal or work email for board-related business, there can be some serious risks to consider. So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let’s get started.

There’s a lot of reasons why a board member should not be using email from their work or personal lives, but there are three that are important above all others… so we’re going to focus on those.

Email For A Departed Board Member

The first is around continuity and persistence. If a board member leaves the organization, what happens to all the email they have stored on their personal account? Does the organization have access to it? If the transition is not friendly, then it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the organization will never again see the email that was sent by the departed board member.

Privacy For Board Emails

The second main area is around privacy and conflict of interest. For example, if you’re working on a grant application which is sent from a board members private work email system, that work email system may be seen by the funding agency as directly associated with the charity. By using personal or work emails, The organization may not know who has access to the mailbox. There are so many ways this can go bad, so quickly, and so easily.

Board Email Security And Protection

The third issue that we’ll talk about today is around information security and protection. Emails that are stored in the organization email system will also be subject to cyber security controls and protection measures that are in place for the organization. this can include among other things, measures like a litigation hold or data retention policies. Not to mention things like organizational policies around data backups multi factor authentication, or other measures put in place to make sure that the organization’s email remains secure.

When you consider that there are many options for charities to gain access to corporate-class email systems that carry zero cost for the organization, there are a lot of reasons why Board policies that prohibit personal email are a great idea. And as I said these are only three reasons… realistically There are a lot more reasons out there, but these are the ones that we see as the most important.

Protecting Your Mission with Robust Email Infrastructure

Nonprofits have a unique approach to conducting board business… As a former Board member myself, I understand this We believe in encouraging board members to use official emails as a way of protecting the important work that’s done by organizations all over BC. So, let’s keep the conversation going and make our nonprofit organizations even stronger. Drop us a message at www.HumanITCompany.ca and let’s chat about the best way to secure your emails as a charity.

That’s it for this episode of ‘The Rosetta Stone.’ If you have a tech term you want us to decipher. drop it in the comments below. Like, subscribe, and stay curious with The Human IT Company. Until next time!”

Nothing Lasts Forever

Charities and nonprofits are starting to get into budgeting and planning time. As I write this, it’s mid January 2023 which means many charity budgets are starting fresh in approximately 75 days. I know from personal experience that this is peak time for executive directors to start looking at IT budgets, and IT planning.

An important part of planning and budgeting for computer expenses is lifecycle management. So we created a blog post over on the main site addressing that very issue… Go take a look, at The Human IT Company blog page, and you may get some clarity.

“We often get asked “how long do computers last”… Surprising to absolutely no one, the answer is “It depends”…”

 

Free Wheelin’

Hi everybody, Jeremy here, managing director of The Human IT Company, your trusted source for IT service and support in greater Vancouver and southwestern British Columbia.

This is our first video of the new year, and I know from experience that this is the time of year when executive directors of charities start looking at their budget plans to take effect in April. As a Board member myself, I know from experience that the consistent challenge is to stretch your funds as far as possible. Since IT support is often seen as a cost center from the admin budget, anything you can do to stretch, or save, on your IT services costs is worth another look.

How Charities Can Save On IT Costs

A couple tricks you may or may not know about how charities can save money on IT costs

– Contact software companies directly. Many companies have unpublished discounts, that offer eligible organizations access to their products for free or at a discounted price. I’ve seen situations where software is offered for free in exchange for a partnership agreement, and we regularly see a 30% discount offered for registered charities, that’s offered simply because someone picked up the phone and called to ask the company.
– Use open source software. Open source software is freely available for anyone to use. This means that charities can use open source at no cost. Some popular examples of open source software include the Linux operating system and the LibreOffice productivity suite. Sometimes there is a bit of a learning curve, but when the cost is 0, it may be worth investigating depending on the requirement and the budget of the organization.
– Register with organizations that provide software donations. There are a number of foundations and organizations that specifically provide software donations to charities. TechSoup Canada is one example – they offer a wide range of software donations to eligible Canadian charities, including those located in Vancouver. The amount of software that you can get is amazing, and you even have access to enterprise class systems like Office 365 at no cost.
– Lastly, try working with an IT company that is familiar with charities. The needs and requirements of charities are vastly different than those of commercial businesses; the right IT solution provider knows this, and will work with you to meet the budget and reporting requirements of the organization, the Board, or the membership.

By taking advantage of these opportunities, charities can obtain the IT solutions they need without spending a lot of money. If you’d like to know more about how to get started with any of these, or for some links to some of the products and services mentioned here, leave us a comment below, or send us a message through our website at www.humanitcompany.ca and we’ll show you how to start saving money on your admin IT budget. Thanks for watching and have a great day!

 

Content Filtering DNS For Charities

As you undoubtedly know, running a charity or non-profit in Vancouver isn’t always easy. There’s a ton of work to be done, and it can be tough to stay focused on your mission when there are so many distractions out there. That’s where content filtering DNS comes in. Combined with effective IT Support, these tools can help keep you and your team on track, so you can focus on doing good in the world.

What is Content Filtering DNS?

Content filtering DNS is a fancy way of saying “software that controls what websites your employees can access on their work devices.” It’s kind of like a bouncer at a club, but for the internet. You set up some rules (like “no social media during business hours” or “no adult content ever”), and the system makes sure that those rules are followed. That way, your employees can stay focused on their work instead of getting sidetracked by cat videos or whatever else is out there on the web.

Why Use Content Filtering DNS and IT Support for Charities and Non-Profits in Vancouver?

There are plenty of good reasons to use content filtering DNS and seek IT support for your Vancouver charity or non-profit:

  1. Productivity boost: By blocking access to non-work related websites or distracting content, your employees will be more likely to stay focused on their tasks and be more productive. And when your team is more productive, your can do more good in the world..
  2. Protect against security threats: Some websites or types of content may pose security risks to your organization, such as phishing scams or malware. Content filtering DNS can help protect against these types of threats, while IT support can provide additional security measures to keep your charity safe.
  3. Comply with industry regulations: Depending on your industry, there may be regulations or guidelines that require certain types of content to be blocked. Content filtering DNS can help ensure that your charity is in compliance with these regulations.
  4. Employee morale: By providing a safe and appropriate online environment for your employees, you can improve employee morale and create a positive work culture. And when your team is happy, they’ll be more likely to do their best work.

How to Implement Content Filtering DNS and IT Support for Charities and Non-Profits in Vancouver

Implementing content filtering DNS and seeking IT support is pretty straightforward for Charities and Non-Profits in Vancouver. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Determine the types of content and websites that should be blocked or allowed based on your organization’s needs and industry regulations.
  2. Choose a content filtering DNS provider and sign up for their service.
  3. Configure the content filtering rules according to your group’s needs.
  4. Research and compare IT support companies in Vancouver to find the best fit for your organization.
  5. Implement the content filtering DNS service on your company-owned devices and sign up for IT support services.

Content filtering DNS and IT support are essential tools for charities and non-profits in Vancouver looking to protect their data and assets, comply with industry regulations, and improve employee morale. By using these tools, you can keep your team focused on their work and ensure that your group is running smoothly.

If you’d like a hand getting started, or finding some help deciding which content filtering option is best for your charity or business, then just send us a message and we’ll help you find an option that meets your requirements and budget. So don’t wait – start protecting your charity and boosting productivity today!

 

Looking Into The Crystal Ball – 2023

Hi everybody Jeremy here managing director of the Human IT Company, Vancouver’s most responsive IT company and your number one choice for a small business computer support.

As I record this, it’s the middle of December 2022. And surprising to absolutely no one is that all the media outlets are putting out articles with predictions for technology in 2023. The problem though is that many of these articles are geared towards companies that have hundreds or even thousands of employees… According to the Canadian government, in December of 2020 there was approximately 1.2 million businesses in Canada. Of that number, just under 98% of them were small businesses with between 1 and 99 employees. That makes it difficult for these articles to have meaning and context for your average Canadian small business or charity. To that end, I’d like to give you our suggestions for technology in 2023, focused on small businesses

Number one on the list is efficiency. When we have conversations with our customers they’re wanting to make sure that they’re getting the greatest bang for their buck. They want to get the greatest use out of what they already have instead of just throwing money at problems. Of course, with everything going on in the economy and with rising interest rates it’s not surprising that businesses are wanting to make sure that, if they have to spend money, it’s being done wisely.

Item number 2 on the list is scalability. Traditionally when you think of scalability you only think of getting bigger. But our customers are asking us about solutions that can scale quickly and easily both upwards and downwards, based on economic factors market conditions or other factors. A lot of these discussions are around cloud-enabled tools

The third item we get a lot of questions about is flexibility. When the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, a lot of businesses had to do a hard pivot just to survive. The question that we often see from our customers now when we propose a solution is “how flexible is this solution? Can this solution be adapted to work in other ways, or are we going to be locked into this one path?”.

The 4th the point we often get asked about is connectivity. Business owners are wanting to make sure that their staff have the ability to work from anywhere… Not just work from home, but work from anywhere, whether that be a conference, a customer location, home, or the office. We’re seeing that business owners are wanting to make sure that their team has access to all their data regardless of the location. We’re also seeing questions being asked about connection speeds at the office. Whether it’s new faster types of Wi-Fi, or taking advantage of faster Internet connection speeds offered by the ISPs, being able to connect to the data, the Internet, or each other is generating a lot of interest.

The final item we get asked about a lot is sustainability. A number of business owners have expressed concern to us about making sure that parts are properly recycled, as well as finding ways to reduce their overall carbon footprint. Some of those questions are around refurbished equipment, or remanufactured consumables like printer cartridges. Even when businesses talk to us about hybrid work models for their teams, sustainability and environmental factors are often part of the driving force behind these questions.

So there you have it, our list of small business technology priorities for 2023. Of course this is just coming from our conversations with our existing customer base… No one has a crystal ball, no matter how much they might think they do. But if you’d like to have more discussions about any of the above points, feel free to leave us a message in the comments, or send us a message at www.HumanITCompany.ca, or give us a call at 604-336-8133 and we’ll be happy to look into the crystal ball with you. Thanks for watching and have a great day.

Warm, Fuzzy, Feelings

Hey everybody, Jeremy here, Managing Director of The Human IT Company, Vancouver’s best outsourced IT company, and one of the few outsourced tech support companies that specializes in charities, non-profits, and associations.

I’m recording this today a few days before U.S Thanksgiving, which means we’re also about a week away from Giving Tuesday. First we have Black Friday, then we have Cyber Monday, but then we have Giving Tuesday. And as an organization that deals with a lot of Charities, non-profits and associations, and as a board member myself of a non-profit, I can tell you that Charities are in fact different. To work at a charity, the people are different, the people care in a different way. Charities are there to make the world a better place. They’re trying to right the wrong, they’re trying to help the downtrodden, they’re trying to address the injustice, they’re trying to be the voice for those who have none, and the work that they do is invaluable.

Realistically, if we look around the world at the economy, world events, business, politics… I mean, let’s be honest, it’s a bit of a shit show out there right now. And so we need these organizations more than ever, because really that’s all they’re trying to do is make the world a better place, they’re trying to help us all so that we have maybe one less thing to worry about, or maybe we have to worry not quite as much, because we know that somebody is looking out. Looking after trying to do work in support of those initiatives that matter to us.

So here’s my ask this year… instead of blowing your entire budget on Black Friday or Cyber Monday maybe put aside $20 maybe $50, maybe $75, or more if you can afford it, and hold on to it to giving Tuesday. Find an organization that’s doing something that’s meaningful to you, whether it’s social work,  whether it’s environment, animals, human rights, children, medicine… There’s so many organizations that are trying to make the world a better place. Give them a few bucks. 

If you’re not sure who to talk to leave us a message in the comments, visit us on our website www.humanitcompany.ca send us a message there, or give us a call at 604-336-8133 and we can hook you up with some Charities that are doing amazing work. We can help you find a group that is doing something that’s meaningful to you. So this year maybe we can all make the world just a little teeny tiny bit of a better place. Thanks for watching have a great day.

 

We often get asked why we enjoy working with charities, non-profits, and associations so much. The answer is very simple… Because helping them makes us feel good. Back in 2012 as part of a strategic planning process we decided to make charities and non-profits one of three key verticals. And the simple truth is that at the end of a day working with charities we feel like we’ve accomplished something positive. In fact, we even made that part of our 10 year vision statement… That by December 31st of 2031, we will have made the world a better place by helping those who help, champion, or support others. They are the stars, and we will work to be the best possible supporting cast for 250 charities, associations, and nonprofit groups.

So for any charity, nonprofit, or association in Greater Vancouver, the CRD, the Mid-Island area, the Fraser Valley, or in fact anywhere in BC or even anywhere in Canada… you have an ally. We’ll provide the tools so that you can do what you do best, which is to make the world a better place. We’ll do what we do best, which is to provide outstanding IT support that’s fair, easy to understand, and completely transparent. Because that’s The Way IT Should Be Done.