2011 Winners

In late 2010 and early 2011, TechSoup Global and Microsoft Corporation jointly sponsored the Microsoft 2011 Technology for Good Contest. Below are the winners of that contest, which was open to nonprofits and public libraries in Washington State. The contest aimed to highlight the stories of how these groups are using Microsoft software to help them create real community impact in Washington.

And the winners are...

Increased Efficiency = Bigger Community Impact

Seattle Works

About the organization:

Seattle Works is a Seattle-based nonprofit. Their mission is to connect volunteers, develop emerging leaders, and inspire dialogue.

How they're using Microsoft software for impact:

"We have engaged our board using Microsoft SharePoint Online. Our board is comprised of smart, talented and very busy individuals. The time that they spend on behalf of Seattle Works is time we want to maximize and use wisely. In response, we've given the board their own SharePoint site where they are able to collaborate with each other and have instant access to the information they need, all without additional log-ins or in-boxes clogged with emails. It's important that the board has a place to collaborate that is separate from the staff's space and SharePoint has given us the perfect solution that meets everyone's needs with ease."

Read Seattle Works' full contest submission

Preserving Stories about the Japanese American Incarceration during World War II

Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project

About the organization:

Densho is a Seattle-based nonprofit. Their mission is to promote awareness and critical thought about civil liberties, especially during national distress, through the preservation and examination of the Japanese American experience during World War II.

How they're using Microsoft software for impact:

"Densho created a digital strategy to collect, preserve, and display the personal stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II. Densho captured its materials digitally and posted to a public website. Not having a physical museum keeps costs low and allows Densho to concentrate on collecting content (over 450 interviews, and 10,800 photos and documents on its website) and sharing it broadly (over 150,000 website visitors from all 50 states and 123 countries.) A wide range of Microsoft products are used to: plan projects (Visio, Word, Excel, Outlook); produce the interviews (Excel, Word); process the interviews (Excel, Word, Access); organize the interviews (SQL Server); display materials on the web (SQL Server, ASP.NET, Visual Studio); and share materials in the classroom (Powerpoint, Word)."

Read Denosho's full contest submission

YWCA Seattle, King & Snohomish County - Technology for Good

YWCA Seattle, King & Snohomish County

About the organization:

The YWCA of Seattle, King, and Snohomish County is a nonprofit organization. Their mission is to advance the quality of life for women of all ages, races and faiths, and their families. In support of this mission, the YWCA provides services to meet critical needs, promote self-sufficiency, reduce violence, eliminate racism and achieve equal opportunities for all people.

How they're using Microsoft software for impact:

"In 2008, the YWCA Seattle, King & Snohomish County consisted of 32 geographical locations over two counties. Although the organization was using technology (Office, XP, and a few legacy applications), only a handful of the locations were networked and there was no collaboration and no sharing of information. And although they were using electronic tools and PCs, the work was in essence being done manually. After we brought all the locations into the Active Directory network, we implemented an intranet utilizing Windows SharePoint Services (which we've since upgraded to SharePoint 2010). The ability to bring all locations into a centralized medium for information, document sharing, and collaborative tools has revolutionized this organization. We've converted approximately 50% of our paper forms to InfoPath "smart" forms, and through the use of SharePoint, InfoPath, and VBA, we've automated many processes. No longer do we have the disparate "islands" in our agency. Now staff in one county that works in a particular field such as Domestic Violence is able to collaborate with the DV staff in another by sharing good ideas, standardizing their approaches and becoming much more efficient."

Read the YWCA of Seattle, King and Snohomish County's full contest submission

Awards

Each of the winners will receive some awesome goodies including: a $5,000 unrestricted cash grant, up to $100,000 worth of donated Microsoft software, consulting services donated by NPower Seattle, and more!

Thanks again to all of the organizations that took the time to share their stories of using technology for good!