I am writing this column in the middle of Snowmaggedon Part 2 from the cozy chair in my toasty family room and I am SO grateful for the preparations that the NPower DC Tech team has made for just this kind of situation. The best move was co-locating our servers in a secure hosting environment all the way out in Texas. It wasn’t cheap to implement and it costs us something each month, but we know that things like email and client support systems will be up even with the snowy deluge. And with clients to support and funders reports to do, it is wonderful to be able to access our email from anywhere.

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Read about how Urban Alliance, an award-winning DC area nonprofit, turned to NPower for help when they had to move locations on short notice and create a tech infrastructure from scratch. In the words of Urban Alliance, “NPower understands the unique needs of nonprofits. We did a move on a real tight budget because it wasn’t something we had planned for. The whole NPower team was great about finding cost-effective solutions.”

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We wanted to share this primer that TJ Rainsford, our Director of Technology prepared for some of our clients recently explaining the difference between the various Microsoft tech donation programs—Tech Soup, Microsoft Direct Donation Program, and Charity Open Licensing.

Tech Soup
Tech Soup is a software and hardware distribution channel for qualified 501(c)3 organizations. Qualified organizations can purchase Microsoft and other software manufacturer licenses at significant discounts over retail and other licensing programs. Software availability and associated discounts are dependent on each software manufacturer's program. (Note: Just because you qualify for Tech Soup DOES NOT mean you qualify for each manufacturer's discount program. Microsoft’s restrictions are explained here on Tech Soup.

For Microsoft products, qualified non-profits can purchase up to 50 licenses of up to six titles once every two years for a small administrative fee per license. In order to make the most of this purchase option, organizations should combine all of their Microsoft purchases under one order every two years. Organizations should also be aware that Microsoft purchases through Tech Soup include Software Assurance, allowing organizations to upgrade to the latest version of the purchased software if the latest version is released within two years of the original purchase.

Microsoft Direct Donation Program
NPower clients who meet certain restrictions may also qualify for the Microsoft Direct Donation Program (MSDDP). This program, run through Tech Soup, functions the same way as Tech Soup but qualified non-profits can receive six software titles every two year at no charge. Many NPower clients have taken advantage of this program over the years but the increasing restrictions are making difficult for some organizations to qualify.

Charity Open Licensing
For additional purchasing of Microsoft software beyond Tech Soup and MSDDP, organizations can choose to purchase any Microsoft software at substantially reduced costs versus manufacturer suggested retail price through the Microsoft Charity Open Licensing (MSCOL) program. Typically, organizations can see a discount of 65 to 80% off of retail pricing on the overwhelming majority of Microsoft software under MSCOL. While these discounts are not as aggressive as the pricing available on Tech Soup, MSCOL still represents a severe discount for standard Microsoft software. However, should organizations wish to take advantage of Microsoft's Software Assurance, additional charges may apply.

Our friends at the wonderful technology resource for nonprofits, Tech Soup have dedicated February to one of our favorite topics—backup. Check out their website for:

• A thoughtful article on Your Nonprofits Backup Plan including some easy step-by-step directions.
• Information about ordering the professional grade backup and recovery tool, Symantec Norton Ghost 15.0

As part of its efforts to Strengthen Nonprofit Organizations through Information Technology, Microsoft is hosting a series of free webinars to help nonprofit organizations explore how Microsoft tools can help them be more efficient and effective in their work. Designed specifically with nonprofit users in mind, the webinars will be free of charge, but space is limited and pre-registration is required.

The next webinar, Free Online Tools for Nonprofits! Improve Collaboration with Microsoft Online Tools, is scheduled for March 16th at 10:00am PST. Registration is not open yet, but will be tweeted from @ngoconnection and posted on Facebook once registration has begun. The webinar will highlight free online tools to help nonprofits communicate and collaborate with ease, including Windows Live SkyDrive (25GB of free online file storage!), Windows Live MovieMaker, Windows Live Groups, and more.

Follow @ngoconnection on Twitter or visit Facebook to get updates about this and future webinars.