On June 12, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) released a Preparedness Bulletin updating residents on the upcoming hurricane season.  Though June has historically been the calmest storm month of summer, GEMA is urging Georgians to prepare themselves in advance.  Residents, however, are not the only community members who should gear up for the upcoming months.  Local nonprofit organizations also need to prepare and organize for a potential disaster in order to better serve the community.

In 2005, when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, community members were unable to receive aid by local nonprofits because many of them were also affected by the storm.  According to the Urban Institute, many charities were physically destroyed while others lost all of their data; only 19% of nonprofits remained fully operational in the New Orleans metropolitan area 6 months after the hurricane.

To avoid the possibility of losing client information, many nonprofits are moving to technologically sophisticated online data management software.  The big reason for this shift is that the most secure data is now web-based.  One of the primary features of web-based software is that the data it contains is stored and backed-up in a data “warehouse” location hundreds of miles away.

Until recently only the biggest nonprofits could afford to buy online software systems. In an effort to help smaller nonprofits, an Austin, Texas software company recently launched a low-cost online data management product called “Apricot” that is specifically for agencies those with annual budgets of $750,000 or less.  In addition to the disaster recovery aspect of the software, Apricot offers highly secure data collection and client tracking and reporting capabilities.

Every community depends upon their local charities--especially in times of crisis.  Online software tools, like Apricot, have arrived to help them protect their sensitive data and provide security when disaster strikes. For more information on safeguarding nonprofits, visit: www.apricot.info.

About Community TechKnowledge

Established in 1999, Community TechKnowledge (CTK) provides a suite of web-based software applications, reporting tools, and supporting services to over 3,500 nonprofit, government and United Way organizations serving the human services sector. By offering completely secure database solutions that manage and report all types of client activity, CTK helps nonprofits to efficiently track program outcomes and the impact of human services and funding on communities.