Connecting Up Australia has created a capacity benchmarking tool for organisations wanting to know how they measure up in IT capability alongside comparable other organisations in the sector

"Are We There Yet?" lets you benchmark your technology capacity against almost 1,000 nonprofits who completed their detailed survey in October 2008. As more and more nonprofit organisations use the AWTY benchmark tool online, the richer the benchmark data will become.

They are about to add a section that also allows you to benchmark your efforts to be 'green' and environmentally responsible.

The real point of 'Are We There Yet?' is that it helps you answer the question of 'What Now?' Once you complete the survey they direct you to resources that will help you get to the next stage.

So how does this work?

1. Click the 'Are We There Yet?' button at the bottom of this page.

2. Complete the benchmark survey and click Submit. The Organisation and Email fields are optional but we'll need your email address if you want your report emailed to you.

3. After you hit the Submit button, your detailed benchmark report will be displayed, showing how your nonprofit organisation compares to other nonprofits of a similar type and size. You can print this report or email it to yourself by clicking the relevant button.

4. Click Next Steps at the bottom of the page and read some cases studies about how donations obtained through the Donortec program have assisted nonprofits.

5. Click Directory at the bottom of the Page and see the service providers and products that other nonprofits in your category are using. (The top grouping are those most commonly used but they are not in set order because these change over time.)

There are so many efforts under way to help NFPs gain more from their investments in IT, many of them little more than harangues about how others are doing this or that, often with the implication that you should to.  "Are We There Yet" at least has a go at helping you figure out where your start line is.

If you give it a whirl, leave your evaluation of it in the comments for the rest of us.

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