Revised with new information as of February 25, 2008

 
Finding a Computer/Network Consultant (paid or volunteer/pro bono)

 
Staff at mission-based organizations (nonprofits, civil society organizations, and public sector agencies) have a great deal of expertise in a variety of areas, such as health care, child welfare, environmental management, community outreach, human resources management, microfinance, and on and on. But, often, such staff do not have expertise in computer hardware, software, and technology-related networks. That means that staff at such organizations often have to rely on consultants, either paid or volunteer, for such expertise. Staff's lack of high-level "tech" expertise can leave them feeling at the mercy of such consultants. Staff can feel a sense of both awe and fear about tech consultants -- that whatever the consultant says goes. Staff may feel unable to understand, question or challenge whatever that consultant recommends.

What can mission-based organizations do to recruit the "right" consultant, whether paid or volunteer, for "tech" related issues, one that will not make them feel out-of-the-loop or out-of-control when it comes to tech-related discussions?

• Contact other organizations of a similar size and budget to yours, to seek recommendations for possible candidates (remember, both paid staff AND volunteer consultants), and to gather success AND horror stories. Ask the staff what they liked about a tech consultant they may recommend, what the results of this consultant's work was, and what advice they might have that could help you prepare to work with such a consultant. Even if you end up looking for consultants elsewhere, you will have a better understanding of what a successful tech-related consultancy looks like -- and what kinds you want to avoid.

• Look for candidates who have worked with organizations or departments that are the same as the size of your organization or department -- similar numbers in staff size, budget, geographic area served, etc. A consultant who has a lot of experience with large, well-funded organizations may not have the skills and expertise needed by a small agency with very limited resources.

• Be committed to the idea of talking to at least three candidates, even if this is going to be a volunteer/pro bono situation, and even if you are already rather sure which candidate you are going to go with. Talking to more than one candidate will help you further identify your needs in a consultant, and will give you a more clear understanding of qualities you do want, and don't want, in a consultant.

• In the interview with each potential consultant, tell the candidate about your tech needs and ask how he or she would approach them, or what the candidate's thoughts are about what it is you want regarding technology. Does the candidate explain his or her approach in a way you can understand? Do you feel like the candidate is really listening to you?

• Don't be bedazzled by jargon. Just because a candidate uses words or phrases that sound like he or she is in-the-know does not mean the person really is the expert you need. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification at any point. And when the candidate is giving you clarification, consider how he or she makes you feel. You are getting insight into his or her work style -- do you like it?

• Ask for samples of work -- a technology plan the person authored, for instance. If confidentiality is an issue, ask the person to insert a "dummy" name for the real name of the organization for which the plan was developed, and a "dummy" name for any software or hardware recommendations the consultant feels are proprietary. If the work sample is a piece of software, ask the candidate to do a demonstration for you.

• Tell the candidate that the chosen consultant must document ALL of his or her work, with an eye to someone being able to step in at any point if the consultant cannot continue. Ask the candidate how he or she feels about this, and what the person's experience with such has been in the past. If possible, ask for an example of documentation this person has done (see previous bullet).

• Ask the candidate how he or she will include the organization's staff in the tech development or upgrade process, as opposed to the consultant working entirely independently.

• If the candidate represents a company or group, make sure the person you talk to in the interview is the person who is actually going to do the work.

• Ask for the candidates references and CALL THEM. In particular, ask questions regarding the candidates ability to meet deadlines, to document his or her work, and to train others.

• If the consultant is going to work remotely, you can still do all of the previous steps, via phone or live video conferencing, but ALSO do some interaction via email. Pay attention to how quickly candidates respond to your emails, how well they write, and how well they communicate via the written word. How the consultant acts via remote communication processes is an excellent indication of how he or she would act during the actual consultancy.

• If the consultant is going to have access to private information about paid staff, volunteer or clients (home addresses, social security numbers, pay rates, ages, etc.), do a criminal background check on any seriously-considered candidate, and put the final candidate through a confidentiality workshop to affirm your organization's policies on such. If the consultant balks, find another candidate.

• Watch out for inappropriate agendas and conflicts of interests. For instance, is the consultant promoting a specific software or hardware solution because he or she, or one of your board members, will benefit financially from the sale of such?

• You may want to put the following list, which starts with "A good tech consultant, whether paid or working pro bono (as a volunteer) will...", on a separate paper and give it to each candidate, and ask each candidate his or her feelings about each point.

The goal in the interview process is to get a sense of how this person works. The interview should give a good indication of this person's work style, and ability to explain tech-related information and approaches.

A good tech consultant, whether paid or working pro bono (as a volunteer) will:

• Talk to your staff in such a way as to help them understand the solutions or approaches he or she is offering. The person won't "talk down" to staff per their relative lack of technology knowledge compared to him or her.

• Will learn your organization's system, and be able to talk about its strengths and weaknesses. The consultant will offer a variety of suggestions for improvements, not just one suggestion to throw out all systems and start over with something else (that may be one of the suggestions, but should not be the only one).

• Will provide you with more than one option to choose from, and an informed assessment of the strength and weakness of each.

• Will respect your budget and staffing limitations.

• Will respect your deadlines.

• Will work to build capacity in your organization, not to build increasing reliability upon the consultant. He or she will include staff in the development or upgrade -- not merely present the finished product after weeks or months of working alone.

• Will document ALL of his or her work, with an eye to someone being able to step in at any point if the consultant cannot continue.

• Will provide regular updates, in writing, and will not become defensive when asked for more detailed information about his or her work so far.

What About Recruitment of Tech Volunteers?

A pro bono consultant isn't a bad idea for project specific tasks with specific start and end dates, such as evaluating various database software packages and making a recommendation, for instance. It's not the best choice for ongoing tech support, because tech volunteers usually have full-time jobs that are their priority, so you will get them only when they are available.

In addition to asking other nonprofit organizations in your area for recommendations, you can also:

• provide the task description to your board of directors and ask them if it would be possible to circulate it among the IT staff at their employers, to see if any might be interested in volunteering

• put a notice in your newsletter to current volunteers, asking them if they could also circulate the information to family, friends and co-workers

• put a notice on your web site

• list the volunteering task at any online site for recruiting volunteers, such as VolunteerMatch, Idealist, even CraigsList for your area.

But What If You Need To Let the Consultant Go?

Sometimes, you need to let a tech staff member or consultant go, even when that person is a volunteer. In such a case, in addition to appropriate human resources practices, and regardless of the reason you are letting the person go (even if the split is, in your mind, amicable), make double sure you cut off the person's email address at your organization and network access at the same time you hand the person his or her walking papers, and have changed ALL passwords the person might know.

Also see:

Short-term assignments for tech volunteers
There are a variety of ways for mission-based organizations to involve volunteers to help with short-term projects relating to computers and the Internet, and short-term assignments are what are sought after most by potential "tech" volunteers.

Non-IT Staff Taking the Lead on the Exploration of Technology Use
IT professionals, acting as IT managers or consultants, play an essential role in helping mission-based organizations use technology to meet the goal of the organization. That said, however, an IT professional is not always the best person to *lead* at a nonprofit organization regarding use of information communications technologies (ICTs) to meet the organization's mission and help staff members do their jobs.

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