Web site pushes for nonprofit, IT sectors partnership

The Website (http://techsoup-taiwan.org.tw/) should further ensure that small- and medium-sized NGOs have access to the technology products they need to operate at their full potential.

“It is a win-win-win situation” for NGOs, potential donors and Techsoup as the system provides easy access to islandwide donation programs, while making the process of philanthropy more efficient and popular, Antony Chiang, business systems architect at Techsoup, told The China Post.

Given that Taiwan GDP is 60% technology based, he added that the new Chinese-language interface was “very promising.”

By the end of fiscal year 2007, Techsoup had distributed US$251 million in retail value of technology product donation, which equaled to US$239 million in potential savings for NGOs, noted Chiang.

As of June, the Techsoup Global Network has served the NGO sector in 18 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, South Africa and Hong Kong.

Techsoup donor partners include top software and hardware makers such as Symantec, Cisco systems, Adobe, Intuit and Microsoft.

“We hope to enable (NGOs) to help people who need support,” said Hope Ong, corporate affairs director at Microsoft Taiwan Corporation.

She stressed that Microsoft hasn’t set a budget ceiling for its donations, but “guidelines” that limit the number of licenses per software to 50.

“Microsoft has enabled us to establish a Website providing information to elderly people in precarious situations,” said Dr. Cheng L. Chan, chairman of the Thanksgiving Foundation Taiwan.

Also, the foundation’s Website works an Internet sharing point system provided by Microsoft at special bargain price, less than one fifth of its retail value.

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