iWith.org Report 2011
Improving the World Using Information Technology to Help Organizations
iWith.Org
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Index 1) Who Are We?
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2) Important Events in 2011
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3) Who participates in iWith.org?
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4) Our finances…
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5) In 2012…
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6) Contact us…
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Who Are We? iWith.org is a non-profit organization. Its mission is to enhance both information technology and communication as tools for the unity and improvement of society. Our Principles and Objectives Are: ✦
To help non-profit organizations with new technologies
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To encourage communication between organizations
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To bring new technologies to the general public
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To promote new technologies as useful and positive tools
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To create a network of experts in information technology The main beneficiaries of iWith.org are non-profit organizations.
Workers and volunteers of these organizations are improving the effectiveness of their work, expanding their radius of attention, and responding faster. Thus, we are indirectly helping the recipients of our beneficiaries. This involves organizations fighting for human rights, environmental protection, sustainable development, child welfare, health care, cultural promotion, and poverty. We believe that knowledge is a gift to be shared, so we publish our information, experience, and knowledge on the internet. Organizations are encouraged to participate in our programs by sharing their knowledge 3
and publishing it for free public access via the internet. We hope that our impact on society is global.
Our Programs During 2011:
Ab·core
is a program of internet services designed to adapt to
the needs of non-profit organizations. By participating in the Ab·core program, organizations can administer an effective website and can efficiently do so without any prior technical knowledge. This year, we have used new technologies to create and maintain internet platforms for more than 250 projects. This enabled the receiving NGOs to create networks, get stronger support, and improve financing. iWith.org has joined in the process of training and consulting, publishing websites, and providing technology to achieve the goal of making the best use of the network. We would like to introduce you to some highlighted projects that iWith.org has invested in this past year: One new project that we’re working on in the area of sustainability i n c l u d e s h e l p i n g a n o r g a n i z a t i o n c a l l e d Re t o r n a ( h t t p : / / www.retorna.org). RETORNA is a non-profit organization composed of social partners, businesses, and environmental NGOs. These all aim to
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promote sustainable patterns of production and consumption while promoting the maximum recovery and recycling residue levels. Fundació Iris (http://www.fundacioiris.org), which aims to promote all things that benefit people with mental disabilities, is another project that we have adopted this past year. It specifically encourages professional training and education to achieve social integration, employment, and residential care for their clients. We are also pleased to be working with Sathi Sansar (http:// www.sathisansar.org). The organization’s mission is to work on sustainable development on behalf of disadvantaged and marginalized children in Nepal (mainly those with disabilities). Their main objectives are to provide rehabilitation, specialized training for therapists and teachers, the promotion of family and social integration, and to support awareness of disability issues in the global community. Another project that we’ve been working with is Ictib.org (http:// ictib.org). This is a non-profit organization that promotes land stewardship as a strategy to conserve the natural and cultural landscape of the Balearic Islands. It is comprised of a network of organizations, associations, foundations, local authorities, companies, and individuals who work together towards this goal. Not only does ictib.org promote land stewardship through legislative, fiscal, economic, and social
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institutions, but it also supports and advises training tools for professionals and volunteers.
Ab路consulting
is a program of technical consulting with
information and communication to beneficiaries, as well as non-profit organizations that approach us. This year Ab路consulting executed more than 50 advisory processes for non-profit projects in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. In addition, we share solutions, tips, and technology tools that are useful to public in the Bocatics portal (http:// www.bocatics.org).
There two main projects that we consulted with over the course of 2011. Teaming.net (http://www.iwith.org/news/es_ES/2012/01/16/0001/ iwith-org-difunde-teaming-net) is a project that hopes to transform the manner in which people involve us in their projects. One of the objectives of Teaming.net Online is to help people in need. In order to achieve this, monetary contributions are critical. In the web, people create their own groups (or join those of others) to support different social causes contributing one euro per month from each paycheck. UNESCO Catalunya (http://www.unescocat.org) aims to become a reference in managing diversity and is committed to the essential values of human rights, peace, cultural plurality, biodiversity, and 6
communication between cultures. This program works to bridge intergovernmental platforms based on the principles of sustainable development, social cohesion, national identity and democracy. iWith.org is always interested in the views of the international community. Therefore, we put together a survey to discover more about people and their opinions on solidarity. Help us to address the issues that matter most to you (including those concerning the planet, your country, and your community) by taking this survey: http://survey.iwith.org/en/.
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Ab·soo is our training program that offers information and courses on new technologies and how these can be applied in the daily management of NGOs. Ab·soo program does not only include courses, but we also offer our expertise to NGOs to help them prepare their own online training and make agreements with international institutions to bring training to all sectors of the population. Internet courses are used as a tool for communication with donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. It is aimed at people who have an interest of responsibility for the communication of the organization or fundraising, as leaders, volunteers, or communicators. With this resource, associations and NGOs can improve their communication network. This year we offered a course “The Web as a Communication Tool with Donors, Volunteers, Beneficiaries, and Other Stakeholders.” This was a two weeklong course that helped NGOs and other organizations improve their communication networks. Another activity that iWith.org offered was “The Use of Technology to Understand, Attract, Serve, and Retain Members.” One session is half and hour in length and creates the framework to teach associations the latest trends in communication and to review the use of new technologies 8
and social networks in order to better understand and create value in their sectors. After completing this course, iWith.org organizes an open session called “Understanding the Legal Risks of the Web and Social Networks in our Organization.” This was a free event to all students and took place in November. The second program is an hour in length and creates a practical framework for communication-oriented internet recruitment and reviewing the use of technologies and social networks.
Ab·join
is a program in which we channel our knowledge of
information technology and communication to help develop projects. In these cases, iWith.org acts as a technological partner, providing the leading organizations with support and tools until the goals of the project are realized. Our latest work with this program was with the Fundación Rigoberta Menchú Tum (http:www.frmt.org). This foundation works towards recuperating and enriching human values to create world peace. The base of their mission is to enhance ethic, political, and cultural diversity to the world to create justice and democracy, especially for indigenous people and natives. Xarxanet.org (http://www.xarxanet.org/international) is a network of volunteer groups in Catalonia. It is an internet project launched to provide current information and establish means of interaction between citizens and associations. By working together, the organizations are jointly managed and provide information and resources.
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Important Events in 2011.... Move ‘N Go: 10 years of iWith.org This year we celebrated ten-year anniversary here at iWith.org with a celebration called Move ‘N Go on October 8th. We invited several different NGOs that we work with to come and speak a bit about what their organizations do. We also presented the campaign “Become a member and get a pair of Springboost.” In celebration, Springboost gave us a gift that we shared with the iWith.org community. All associates of iWith.org had access to Springboost-for-Solidarity and could buy what they wished at a discounted price. In addition, Springboost contributed a portion of their proceeds to the.org project. We also created a CD in collaboration with Music Xray. This very special CD can now be yours at this link: http://www.iwith.org/ movengo.html. We would like to give a special thanks to all the artists, Kotadama, Sam&Nate, Gone by Friday, Rose of Jericho, Yami Lee, Parabelle, Ceilí Moss, Ariel S. Lee, New Nobility, and Skytone, who participated in the creation of this CD. We would also like 10
to thank all of the volunteers, workers, friends, organizations, and beneficiaries who made this 10th anniversary possible. We participated in the Fourth XECMón Conference which took place in January and lasted two days. In February we participated in an Information Technology Debate. We argue to improve information technology skills in social services in Catalonia. In February iWith.org also spoke at a book presentation of Good Practice in Action: Civic, Community, and Voluntary about volunteering and technological resources in the community as a whole. iWith.org participated in two educational seminars in February and April, organized by OCSA and PIMEC, where we gave a lecture, “Using New Technologies to Attract, Involve, Serve, and Retain Partners.” We explained the opportunities and challenges that new communication technologies present in the modern environment. 11
Globalization and technological changes have given rise to new challenges for companies. In the midst of a recession and a time of less aid, many organizations are having difficulty attracting and retaining their ! members. This seminar has taken another step towards creating value in communication with members. With about twenty associations in attendance, this event gave a practical framework for internet communication aimed at attracting members to organizations and maintaining the loyalty of these members.
In March we attended a meeting with fellow organizations that promoted the European Year of Volunteering 2011 in Catalonia. In April AISEC chose iWith.org to participate in the Educational Forum for the Second Congressional CDL. AISEC believes that iWith.org has high moral standards and a lot of experience in helping young people start and develop their skills and careers. 12
At the fourth international meeting on recycling, iWith.org was invited to Cosmocaixa to speak about what is happening on the internet and how it affects the world of recycling. Ramon Bartomeus presented a report on new ways in which social networks can be used. iWith.org has become involved with many environmental protection projects and therefore the report highlighted important experiences such as those of ACESER or RETORNA.
On July 6th we took part in the conference Citizenship 4.0—An Open Platform for Citizens. It is a process focused on detecting and enhancing citizens’ initiatives that make a critical impact on the use of information technology in Catalonia. We attended with the goal of discovering new, innovative social projects. In July we also attended a presentation on education that aims to establish cultural connections between schools around the world through food, games, stories, and songs. In addition, we attended the Second Congress of European Volunteers. Henry Canet from Casal deis Infants (House of Children) spoke about the serious economical situation of certain neighborhoods that we will have 13
to confront within the next five years. Susana Szasbo from France Benevolat (France Benevolent) spoke about the necessity of volunteers to maintain passion for their organization’s goals, even in times of adversity. For the eighth consecutive year, iWith.org ran the Digital Card Contest, which allowed NGOs to submit Christmas card designs. We then posted them through a special delivery system that allowed the public to share these cards with own personal networks.
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Who Participates in iWith.org? iWith.org is a global project that has beneficiaries in many countries. Our job is to target the non-profit organizations, and through them, we support all those who are beneficiaries.
The logos of some of the organizations that we work with 15
As you can see, iWith.org has many beneficiaries and partners world wide which allows us to have many connections in different parts of the world.
International and Student Volunteers: IES Abroad teamed up again with iWith.org to provide internship experiences to students that are studying abroad. IES Abroad is an organization in which students can decide to live, study, and work in a foreign country. It focuses on building international relationships in the business world. iWith has also partnered with other study abroad programs including CEA Global Education, and the University of Dreams. 16
Aside from these study abroad programs, iWith.org also has new international volunteers. Young adults from the United States, Greece, Poland, Mexico, Italy, and Hungary come to work with us through different international programs.
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iWith.org is a professional organization with many collaborators. iWith.org also has a number of contributing volunteers that bring our organization new energy and ideas. This benefits the the NGO’s overall because there are more members of the iWith.org team helping around the world.
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Our Finances....
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In 2012...... We will continue to work with information technology and communication to help non-profits make the world better. Goals: Focus efforts on helping more organizations use the internet through ✦ Ab·core. Increase our services related to internet communications, and work ✦ much closer to non-profit organizations. Increase the participation of international volunteers, fulfilling the ✦ agreements during 2011 with American and European institutions. Continue to engage in new technologies to help improve the world, ✦ and bring our expertise to industry conferences and forums, where our voice can be useful. Continue the training for people related to the organization ✦ iWith.org and help nonprofit organizations to make a better world. To help NGOs maintain good financial standings by the promotion of ✦ Teaming.net, helping organizations obtain Google grants, and managing public campaigns. ✦ donations. 19
Rely less on public money and emphasize more private
Contact Us..... Switzerland: Case Postal 35 1270 Trelex Switzerland Spain: C/ Cucurulla n째9, 2째2a A 08002 Barcelona Spain
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www.iwith.org info@iwith.org
Tel: +41 22 533 0131
Tel: +34 93 380 4975