Do you need some new technology products but just can’t afford them?

Here’s the answer!

TechSoup provides donated software from companies such as Microsoft to eligible New Zealand Charities, voluntary and community groups with charitable status. Via this non-profit program you can get all the latest Microsoft products, with more donors coming soon.  This is an exciting programme to assist New Zealand Charities, voluntary and community groups to build their ICT capacity, one that has already assisted organisations world-wide to make huge savings in their operations!

Eligible organisations are required to pay a small administrative fee to cover the costs of the program. Whilst the administrative fees vary, non-profit organisations stand to make savings of between 92-96% on typical retail prices.

The TechSoup New Zealand Programme is brought to you by Community Information Strategies Australia Inc, trading as Connecting Up Australia www.connectingup.org  in partnership with the not-for-profit technology capacity building organisation TechSoup Global (http://www.techsoup.net.nz/about-techsoup)

To benefit from TechSoup firstly you need to register your organisation via the on-line registration form.  To be eligible your organisation will need to be registered as a charitable organisation under the New Zealand Charities Act 2005. If your organisation is eligible, you will be notified within five working days and will then be able to place your donation request(s) on-line.

TechSoup New Zealand donation partners have varying entitlement guidelines, including the frequency at which donation requests can be placed. For example Microsoft state that each qualified charity, voluntary and community group may request up to six titles, and up to 50 licenses per title per two-year period from.   The program is not based on a monetary basis, rather it is limited by the number of titles and licences you are able to order.  For full information on the eligibility and entitlement criteria have a look at the website.

Once you receive approval to proceed to the ordering stage, you will be able to select the products you would like to order and to pay a small administrative fee, via credit card, via Paypal or by cheque, to have your orders fulfilled.

Connecting Up Australia’s Josh Goodwin says many charitable and voluntary organisations do not have the luxury of their corporate counterparts who often possess an allotted budget for Information Communication Technology (ICT) development.

“The TechSoup New Zealand Programme has been specifically designed to meet non-profit ICT needs so that vital funds can be invested into core activities rather than expensive IT software and hardware upgrades.

“In today’s current economic climate, now more than ever TechSoup New Zealand is transforming the way charitable organisations are interrelating amongst themselves and their corporate counterparts.  The standardising of operating systems and the installation of server products are now commonplace amongst charities who previously could only have imagined implementing such projects,” says Josh Goodwin.

Some New Zealand organisations have already benefited from TechSoup and here’s what they have to say about it:

“I would like to thank Microsoft for their commitment to the charitable and voluntary sector. Your support (via TechSoup New Zealand) enables us to have a good system to support our work in the community.”

Te Hauora Runanga O Wairarapa

“I think TechSoup is fantastic. We have already received our first order of Microsoft product which is making a big difference to our in-house design work for resources and marketing.”

Big Buddy Mentoring Trust Chief Executive Richard Aston

“For the first time in fifteen years all our computers can talk to each other with a common operating system Windows XP and a common work platform, Office 2007. This means that staff can now share documents, collaborate and interact more on the work they are doing.” NZ Federation Voluntary and Welfare Organisations Director Peter Sykes

For information on all aspects of the TechSoup programme, including the current range of products on offer, visit http://www.techsoup.net.nz

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