NPTech Initiative in its second year: Toward the digitalization of NPOs through collective impact SpecialNews

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Posted on August 14, 2024

The Japan NPO Center launched the NPTech Initiative last year to help NPO staff improve their IT skills. NPTech stands for “Non-Profit Technology” and aims to enhance NPOs’ use of digital technology.

The initiative offers online training sessions by IT companies that participate in it. Companies included in the first year (2023) were NTT Data Group, Dell Technologies, Intel, and TIS. ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) joined the initiative as a participating IT company this year. The National Women’s Education Center (NWEC) entered this program as well to expand its training to gender equality centers it caters to across Japan.

a training session by NTT Data employee

One of the main distinctive features of this program is that we are proceeding with a collective impact approach, in which NPOs and companies bring their strengths and know-how to the table and collaborate. As noted above, instructors who are employees of the participating companies lead each training session. For example, in a session on IT terminology, an NTT Data employee explains it in an easy-to-understand manner for NPO staff who are new to IT.

The trainings focus on the overlap between each company’s IT expertise and the IT needs of NPOs in their day-to-day business operations. Other topics covered include basic computer knowledge & types and selection of computers, data storage, security, and IT trends. One hundred forty-four organizations participated last year, and as many as 80% of the NPOs responded that they found the seminar informative, and 78% thought they would be able to make use of the seminar content, indicating a high level of satisfaction with the program.

Although they are competitors in their everyday business, the most exciting aspect of social contribution activities for these IT companies is the ability to work together in a scrum to support NPOs.

 

Original text by Eiji Ueda (JNPOC’s Deputy Managing Director) originally posted on July 25, 2024; translated by JNPOC.

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