The Use of Mobile Technologies in Romanian Nonprofits

Steliana Moraru, PhD Candidate

National University of Political Studies and Public Administration

Strategica International Academic Conference

Bucharest, 2-3 October 2014

Towards a mobile world, nonprofits included

• Strategic approach for nonprofits: IT planning; budgeting, staffing, and training; Internetand website capabilities and use; the measurement of IT effectiveness; board support andinvolvement in IT decision-making; and leaders’ understanding of it;

• Mobile technologies - mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, SMSs, applications, pictures,videos, and the near instantaneous ability to upload and share information on to theinternet or within the personal online network

• 10 primary domains in which technology can have a major impact in the sector- many ofthem are related with the mobile technology and derivate tools (TechSoup Global, TheGuardian, 2013)

A trend called mobile technologies

• starting point- natural disasters (Bhagat, Loeb, Rovner, 2010, Reiesgord, 2011, Yates and Paquette, 2011, Smith 2012)

• increased efficiency, greater impact upon the community, fundraising prowess, budget management, and eliminating or at least mitigating developmental barriers

• changes in the way the donors interact with the nonprofits

The rise of the apps

• The Raiser’s Edge

• SofterWare’s Donor Perfect

• FrontLine

• M-Pesa

Source Afritorial.com

Source

Frontlinesms.com

The Romanian case

• An increasingly interest in the area of mobile for nonprofits, both from companies and from nonprofits;

• Mobile for Good (Vodafone), social apps (ITNT), World through color and sound (Orange), Voucherry;

• SMS campaign donations – www.donatie.ro ;

• Challenges faced in their nonprofit in terms of ICT - inadequate IT system, insufficient training for IT staff, lack of funding, and integrating data from different systems (TechSoupRomania, TechSoup Global, 2012)

Research steps

•wanted to give a better understating about the mobiletechnology usage in Romanian nonprofits, and future plansregarding the integration of technology in their activities;

•Research conducted online, through a self-administeredquestionnaire, between 15th of June and 10th of July 2014;

• 106 respondents

Nonprofits profile overview

Main activities areas- education (11%), youth development (9%), environment protection (9 %), services for

disadvantaged persons (9%), arts and culture (6 %);

Localization – Bucharest (59 %), Cluj (3 %), Bacau (3);

Branches – 1 branch (83 %), 1-5 branches (13 %), 6-10 (3 %), more than 15 branches (2%);

Employees – no employees (34 %), 1-5 employees (36 %), more than 20 employees (13 %);

Volunteers – 1-5 volunteers (26 %), 6-10 volunteers (24 %), more than 20 volunteers (29%);

Budgets – medium budget 160 000 Euro, the top three biggest sums mentioned as annual budget are 5, 000,000 Euro,

3,000,000 Euro and 2,000,000 Euro;

Position in the organization (of the nonprofit representative) Executive Directors (24 %), project managers (12%),

board members (8 %).

Technological profile

• 92 % of the respondents said that they use ICTs in their work

• Hardware – laptops ( 63 %), desktops (50 %), smartphones (52%), tablets (42 %);

• Bring your own device- 42 % encourage their team to follow this trend

Main activities- mobile technology

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Email

Sending/receiving SMS

Social Media tools

Create/Share documents

Communication tools

Tools for document editins

Use of maps and geolocalisation…

Banking application

Team management

A walk among special apps

eLearning

Special apps

eLearning

Graphic design,

programming

Screen sharing

Remote access

Web audience

monitoring

Data base management

Source http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/tablet-pc-amp-cloud-computing-17821434

To have or to have an app

9 %

Have an app built for their nonprofit

45 %

Do not have an app, but they want to build

one in the next 3 years

36%

Do not have an app and they do not want to

build one in the next 3 years

To have an app

Adept Foundation-

Discover Tarnava Mare

React Association-

Controllin

Legal Resources Centre,

EPAS, Eruption anti-

corruption Movement-

Infocorruption

Ecoteca Association-

Waste Management

Romania on bycle

Association –

Romanian on bycle

SMS campaigns

12 %

Had a SMS campaign

49 %

Did not have a SMS campaign and do not intend

to implement one in the next three years

35 %

Did not have a SMS campaign and they do intend

to implement one in the next three years

SMS campaigns

My Bistrita, my secret

Daily information for local farmes

Foreign citizens rights in Romania

Oltenians for olteniansDaily news

Perceived impact

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Easier acces to online information

Increased the efficiency and communication withthe team

Better work time management

Increased organizational development

Increased the efficiency and communication withthe beneficiaries

Increased work time flexibility

Increased the organziational capacity todissemante their achievements

Conclusions

• Romanian nonprofits use technology mainly for increasing their efficiency andcommunication purposes, but they also all likewise used them to raising funds, teammanagement and volunteers; afford assistance or specific activities related with heirmission;

• raised questions about the efficiency of having an organizational app;

• local nonprofits have not yet fully given the credit and explored additional optionswhen it comes to mobile;

• nonprofits perceive technology rather as administrative tools, focused on the basicways to employ ICTs;

• not many of the respondents believe IT can have a bigger impact in areas likeresearch, donations, or stakeholder relationship management;

Thank you!

steliana.moraru@gmail.com

www.stelianamoraru.ro