Social Hour at Structure Brewing
Invitation by RE Sources.
On Monday, 12/4/23, we enjoyed a networking event at Structure Brewing, graciously hosted by RE Sources. The gathering featured a diverse array of organizations, primarily non-profits, fostering connections and collaboration to advance shared objectives. Attendees spanned sectors, including waste management and government representatives, creating a dynamic environment of organizations working collaboratively toward common goals.
“Our IT team is a single employee and they are stretched pretty thin”
As we held many conversations over the course of the evening a pair of phrases became quite common.
Our IT team is a single employee and they are stretched pretty thin.
We do not have an IT team and have looked into assembling one.
Budget constraints were a recurring theme in every discussion. Operating on tight margins, these organizations face challenges in hiring dedicated technologists or assembling a support team for their technology needs. Whether considering contractors, part-time staff, or managed service providers, the financial limitations pose hurdles to accessing the necessary support.
An underserved sector.
Non-profits are instrumental in offering acknowledgment and support to diverse causes, spanning social, educational, or environmental initiatives. Given their reliance on fundraising for capital, non-proprofits often operate on slimmer budgets compared to for-profit organizations. This creates a distinctive challenge where they require expert support to stay operational but may face financial constraints that make such assistance difficult to afford.
Drawing from personal experience, in the pre-"cloud" era, non-profit clients often assembled their infrastructure using donated equipment and free solutions, creating a "good enough" system that, unfortunately, introduced significant shortcomings in their workflows and cybersecurity. In today's cloud-centric landscape, the reliance on donated equipment, at least for backend infrastructure, is diminishing. However, the shift to the cloud, while more cost-effective initially, introduces complexities and connectivity challenges that can be daunting and expensive to manage.
How do we help?
In a time where cyber incidents are escalating, the approach to sharing knowledge shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all solution. While we recognize the need for revenue to sustain businesses, it's crucial to ensure that non-profit organizations can access technology expertise without being hindered by financial constraints. We believe in a model that empowers all organizations, irrespective of their financial standing, with the information needed to succeed in managing their technology stack effectively.
How is Hightower helping the non-profit space?
After the social hour, we reflected on the best method for our organization to move forward. We looked at offerings from many solution providers in the technology space and we believe we have some answers to alleviate the financial barrier.
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To ensure pricing can feel competitive for non-profits we have committed to providing a flat 30% discount to our services.
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Given the lack of a technology team or one very overworked individual, we will strive to provide you with configuration documents in the event you wish to take on the configurations yourself to keep costs low.
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All non-profits that purchase a Gap Assessment will also receive a bundle of office hours to ensure they receive continued guidance for an extended period of time.
As our organization matures, we will continue to reassess these three pillars and to better serve the non-profit industry.