“The work that goes into helping new Australians also helps the broader Australian community to understand and accept how important migration is for Australia. So, in that sense, the broader Australian community is as much a beneficiary of our work as the new arrivals themselves.

“Without good quality technology we wouldn’t be able to do as much, or do it nearly as well.”

Speaking from his office in Canberra, Settlement Council of Australia Chief Executive Officer Nick Tebbey has just summed up the importance and impact of donated and discounted technology on the work of an organisation that affects the lives of millions of Australians every year, whether they realise it or not.

“For us it’s crucial that people take us seriously and respect the communications we produce. Being able to put high quality reports and submissions together using the latest software and technology is vital for maintaining our credibility, and this is only possible through Connecting Up’s donated and discounted technology program.

“The recent Scanlon Foundation report found that 85% of Australians believe multiculturalism is good for the country, and those perceptions would not be possible if people were not being made aware of the many benefits that come from migration.

“Without Connecting Up, our budget would not allow us to get the Microsoft and Adobe technology products that we depend upon. We would be working with limited user licences and less quality applications, and that would have serious negative consequences as the quality of our messaging about migration suffered.”

Mr Tebbey’s words are a testimony to the critical importance of effective technology for even the most people-centric of Australian non-profits.

As the peak body for the Australian Settlement sector, the Settlement Council is one of the most important advocates for, and supporters of, newly arrived migrants.

“The Settlement sector has a central goal to support new Australians as they build their lives in Australia,” he says. “We work with government, media and other partners to advocate for and produce the best settlement outcomes.

“These are people who have chosen to come to Australia, or have been forced to. Sometimes they are some of the most vulnerable people in the world, and they really need support to establish themselves and become contributing members of society.

“Our role as the peak body representing the sector is to ensure good collaboration and capacity building that puts migrants in the best position to make a positive social and economic contribution to Australia.

“If we are not seeing and sharing the social and economic contributions that migrants make, then we don’t receive the support we need.”

Which brings Mr Tebbey back once again to the importance of effective technology … and also to the organisations who provide that technology through Connecting Up.

“What’s great to see is not only that big organisations like Microsoft and Adobe are willing to support the non-profit sector, but that they are willing to come together to do it in a centralised way through Connecting Up,” he says.

“It’s really important to us that there is a central place where we can go to access support for non-profits. In the non-profit sector we are relatively time poor, so we appreciate the time savings that come from having this centralised support, and even more so when it’s from another non-profit.

“It makes a difference to know we are working with an organisation that gets us and the priorities we are working towards. Without Connecting Up, many of us wouldn’t know where to start.

“Even if we could get some of the technology cheaper in another way, there’s a level of support that comes from this kind of understanding that is incredibly valuable. It’s really important to us.”

Asked if his organisation takes advantage of services beyond the Donations and Discounts program, Mr Tebbey shares that his staff have also been using Connecting Up’s Capability Building services by participating in a number of webinars.

“One of my staff members recently completed a social media boot camp series, which she said was really valuable. This has equipped her with a strategic approach to social media, which is really beneficial,” he says.

He’s also familiar with the Connecting Up Conference, and is enthusiastic about the ‘Transform’ theme for next year’s event at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is focused on helping hundreds of non-profit delegates to achieve a successful digital transformation.

“This is such an important area for our sector, and it’s great to see Connecting Up taking the lead,” he says.

About Connecting Up

Connecting Up Inc was established in 1981 as Community Information Support Service of SA Inc. (CISSsa). CISSsa was established as the peak community information agency in South Australia, providing essential community services information in a variety of print and, later, electronic formats. CISSsa later changed its name to Community Information Strategies Australia and is now Connecting Up Inc.

Connecting Up’s purpose is to help our fellow not-for-profits leverage the digital world to positively impact their communities. The digital world is ever expanding beyond IT software and hardware, digital marketing, fundraising to new and innovative service delivery and understanding / measuring impact.

We have a long history of affordable software, hardware, educational events and more recently group consulting. We believe that not-for-profits with the right tools and skills can and do achieve great things. We work in partnerships with over 40 organisations to deliver high quality products and services specifically meeting the nuanced needs of the not for profit sector.

Connecting Up's and TechSoup New Zealand’s services are available in Australia, New Zealand and throughout the South Pacific. In addition, Connecting Up also helps to develop relationships with business, community and government sectors for the development of the not-for-profit sector.