Technology on a mission at TechForward 2018

Box.org had the opportunity to join a couple hundred nonprofits and tech for good peers at Tech Forward to discuss and share how technology can change the way that mission-focused organizations work. We heard many great presentations over the two days that we spent together. A couple of talks really stood out. Tris Lumley of New Philanthropy Capital discussed how tech won't save us and that it's up to us to harness and decide how to use technology for good in a way that is collaborative, user-driven, and co-created. Marnie Webb of Caravan Studios discussed the six technologies she thinks are worth us watching including cloud computing, AI, Distributed Ledger Technologies, and IoT. 

Technology on a mission at TechForward 2018

One of our favorite parts of the event was having the opportunity to present one of the Technology Innovation Awards. The Technology Innovation Awards recognize those who have plans to make an impact in their community through innovative technology projects and awards a $10,000 grant towards their project. We were honored to present the award to Support Center for Child Advocates whose mission is to advocate for victims of child abuse and neglect, with the goal of securing safety, justice, well-being and a permanent, nurturing environment for every child.

With their award grant, Child Advocates will create their new initiative, the Digital Locker Program, which will provide their young clients and others in the child welfare system with an electronic system for storing their most valued documents - birth certificates, school transcripts, health records, and ID - which commonly go missing during transitions in their journey. We're thrilled that they're embarking on this important cloud content management elevation!

Technology on a mission at TechForward 2018

Finally, we were honored to be on the closing panel discussing how corporate and foundation investments fit in the social sector alongside friends from NetSuite, Blackbaud, GiveLively, and the Tony Wells Foundation. We discussed how the landscape of the sector has changed over the years, how corporations and nonprofits can build strong relationships, and how companies determine their CSR strategies and the "correct" amount to profit off nonprofit products (spoiler alert: there is a spectrum of opinions on pricing models for nonprofits). 

Technology on a mission at TechForward 2018

It was amazing to learn more about the work that the attending organizations do and to hear more about the varying phases of their digital transformation. We're proud to be a part of this ever-growing and collaborative tech for good community. Thank you to Tech Impact for hosting this incredible event. We have so much to learn from our nonprofit friends and peers and are excited for the continued discussions.

We proudly donate and discount Box CCM for nonprofits at Box.org.

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