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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

Danielle Damante

University of Arkansas
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

Introduction
The site I chose for the strategic planning project is the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma
Area. This is a non-profit organization that runs an after-school program during the school year
from late August to the end of May. This site also runs a summer from for roughly 6-8 weeks,
depending on funding at the time. The school program runs from 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. after
school and during the summer, the site opens from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Additionally, this site
has around 140-190 children that attend the after-school program and the summer program. The
site runs about 10 staff and 5 office employees. The Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area is in
need of updated technology for children to do homework during the after-school program. This
site serves lower socioeconomic families. A majority of these families do not have the means to
purchase computers, tablets, or smartphones for their children, or even themselves, to complete
any homework assignments at home. This site needs the technology to help serve this group of
people and help them succeed at school, during their after-school program. Strategic planning
will help the process of attempting to implement this technology need appropriately without
spending large amounts of money at one time.

Introduction: Rational
Long term, this Club needs technology that will serve the kids as best as possible.
Currently, the Club has computers that run a little slow and do not contain the appropriate
software to help them complete simple school tasks. I have spoken with Elaina, the CEO, and
they are hoping to gain multiple technologies from this strategic planning project. Also, Elaina
spoke of slowly implementing the technology so that they don’t run into spending large amounts
of money at once. The needs for technology are wireless internet for the kids to log on to from
their own devices, if they have them, and also better wireless for the computers they already have
or hope to gain. Tablets would also be a nice addition for the Club so the children can check
them out and do what they need and check them back in. The most important part of this is that
the Club needs someone to come in and train the staff so that they can appropriately help the
children when needed. So, in simpler terms, we want to get better internet first, maybe even a
server for the site. Then try and find new computers, or tablets, for the children to use. Updated
office software needs to be installed on any new technology as well. Getting computers will take
a while as grants need to be found and submitted.

Tech Vision: Stakeholders

Elaina is eager to see what technology needs her site needs. She’s also very interested in
what new technologies her Club could use. Elaina and I will be able to communicate face to face
and over the phone. Additionally, Elaina oversees the sites everyday activities and plays a role in
making sure the Club stays open and funded. She has the ultimate say, besides the board
members, on this project and could make or break it.
Secondly, there is Amanda Gregory, the office manager. Amanda doesn’t hold much
power, but she helps keep everything organized for the Club. Amanda’s organizational skills,
along with bookkeeping, allow us to see where the Club is at. Her position can really help to
move the project along and see it into the future.
Third, we have Tammy Dahlem. Tammy helps write grants for the Club. These grants
bring in a good amount of money to the site to help cover programming, food for the kids,
games, and other miscellaneous things. Tammy can help bring in funding for new technologies
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

and to help better the technology the Club already has. Tammy really is a key stakeholder in this
project. If we cannot receive or find funding, then it will break this project.
Fourth, a key role in this project, is the Operations Director, Katherine Miles. Katherine
is second in command at the Alma BGC. Katherine oversees the site when Elaina is not there,
due to other business or meetings. Katherine assists with writing grants, assists with
programming for the children that attend, does the scheduling for all events, and oversees
projects with the CEO, Elaina. Katherine is the staff member that I will be directly with. We will
be able to communicate through email, text messaging, and face to face meetings. Katherine is
an important stakeholder in this project and will help see it through to the board members.
The last two stakeholders for this project are Linda Smith and Deb Barrett. These two
women are officers for the board. They, along with other board members and officers, help to
determine if the Club receives this new technology. These two women will be hard to track down
to discuss things with. I will most likely get one or two meetings. However, Linda will be more
available than Deb, so I will have to plan accordingly on what I discuss when I get the chance to.
These are key people we need to monitor closely and keep informed in order to have great
success.

Tech Vision: Overview of Vision

To come up with a technology vision statement, I brainstormed with everyone except
Deb and Linda, the two board members. Together we discussed the needs and opportunities the
Club has in regard to technology. We also discussed the benefits of obtaining all of this
technology over the course of 3 years. Together we put together the following technology vision
statement:
The Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area will provide high-quality learning experiences and
opportunities within our after-school program. The children attending the Club will have access
to updated, current technologies that are cost-effective, and that provide all the opportunities
needed for school activities and non-school activities. The role of the technologies provided will
be to serve lower children of lower socioeconomic families and provide them with the
appropriate technology for educational purposes. The trained staff will provide knowledgeable
assistance to the children on technology use when needed.

Tech Vision: Long Term Needs

As stated previously, this organization helps students and children of lower income
families. Most of these families cannot provide adequate technology to help their children
complete school assignments outside of school. Therefore, the long-term goal, with the
assistance of technology, is to help the children have a place where they can complete school
assignments. This will help them feel more confident and be more successful throughout their
school career. Furthermore, we are hoping to establish proper technological knowledge through
proper training for the staff to pass down to the children. The following is a list of technologies
needed to help this long-term goal.

 Wireless Internet/New Server

 Properly trained staff on Microsoft products.
 Correct staff in the tech room to help with certain subjects
o Thinking of implementing a rotation schedule so children know which days to go
to receive the best help in a certain subject or topic they need help with.
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

 New computers
o The current ones will work for now. But will need to be upgraded in the next year
or so.
 Updated software
 Tablets to checkout to do homework and other assignments on. These would strictly be
for schoolwork for the children. No gaming will be allowed, unless its educational and
provided by the teachers.

Tech Eval: Questions Asked & Data Gathered
1. What technology does the Club currently have in regard to software and hardware?
a. Through questioning the CEO, other office staff, and the floor staff we were
able to get some basic data gathered to find out more about the technological
needs of the Club. Currently, the children have older computers that have
hard-wired, slow internet. These computers are mostly used for the children to
play games. The computers have older version of Microsoft Office, and not
much else. Additionally, the Club’s computers have internet that comes from
being hard-wired. The office staff obtained new computers right before the
start of this project, so we will not be too concerned with getting them new
ones. However, they do need updated internet and wireless access points
within the organization. Wireless internet access points would enable them to
purchase tablets for the children to use around the club in various rooms to
work on assignments.
2. What is the population using this technology?
a. To gather data for this question, I monitored who used the Club Tech Room
for a week. A majority of the population using this technology is students ages
7 to 12. However, we are hoping with the purchase and installation of wireless
internet we can really reach the older populations that want to use tablets and
phones for homework.
3. How many people are able to use the technology?
a. The tech room currently has 12 computers, but usually only about 8 work
properly and consistently. Usually 2 or 3 freeze and can’t be used for a while
due to being rebooted. Sometimes the internet is just overwhelmed that
websites won’t load which causes the computer to then freeze or the children
to become uninterested in actually trying to use the technology.
4. How often is the technology being used?
a. The tech room is used almost every day. This depends on staffing and if we
have enough working to “open” the room.
5. What is the technology being used for?
a. This data was gathered by observing the tech room myself. The computers are
mainly used for gaming websites for the children. Rarely do kids actually try
to do homework. This is because our firewall prevents them from using the
school websites usually. This is where wireless internet could be useful. The
students could use their own device to do their assignments and not have to
worry about firewall.
6. What will the technology help accomplish?
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

a. The new technologies will help the children to be more successful in school.
The students will have a place where they can come and know that they will
be able to complete homework or other assignments that aren’t homework.
Additionally, they will benefit from knowledgeable staff to help train them on
using the newer software and the computers properly. Additionally, this will
help take the strain off of the parents who knowingly cannot provide proper
technology for their children to complete their school tasks. Ultimately, this
will help open so many doors in regard to technology usage and having the
children learn new things with it.
7. Are there things that the technology is not allowing to get accomplished?
a. The technology is currently not allowing the students to access and complete
school assignments.
8. What do we want the technology to help accomplish, or what are we hoping for with
the technology?
a. The organization is hoping for new computers and wireless internet to help the
students access school work and to provide them with the ability to use smart
phones and tablets to play games if they wish. Also, we are hoping to teach
the children to use computers properly and open up more programs within the
organization from the Boys & Girls Club of America that promote computer
literacy like coding, website design, etc.

Tech Eval: Eval Findings

The data gathered gave the general consensus that there are positive attitudes toward obtaining
new and updated technologies at the Club. Overall, the office staff, floor staff that interacts with
the children, and the children feel as though new technology, especially computers and wireless
internet, is needed to increase availability to children who don’t have technology at home.
Observations made by me and Katherine revealed that children mainly use the tech room with
computers to play games or visit semi-educational websites and there is not a large interest in
using it for schoolwork. However, I feel these attitudes can change with the right person
involved and the right technology to help engagement. Additionally, there is no staff members
that are adequately trained to assist the children with Microsoft Office software and other aspects
of helping with homework. This is something we’ve brought to the attention of the board
members and are working together to change.

Tech Needs: Questions Asked & Data Gathered

1. Can you tell me specifics on the technology needs for the Alma Boys & Girls Club?
a. Specific Technology and why?
i. Wireless internet for the children to use on their personal devices. More
importantly wireless internet can be faster which is what the site really
needs.
ii. Computers- The computers in the tech room are becoming slow and
outdated.
iii. Trainings- To promote computer literacy within the Club that the staff can
pass down to the children.
iv. New Server- To help computers and internet run more efficiently
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

v. Tablets- So the children can use them freely about the Club to work on
assignments or for other methods of learning.
vi. Microsoft Office Software- The club needs more software licenses to
obtain on the current computers and newer computers to allow the
children to complete assignments or do other things.
b. Internet needs?
i. See above.
c. Different technologies for different age groups?
i. The older children (12-17/18) need computers they can use within their
rooms. However, smart tablets would be more beneficial for these ages
due to them being able to go where they are most comfortable in the Club
and work on schoolwork. The younger children just need the tech room to
be supervised and assisted with whatever tasks they are doing.
d. What do you currently have on site?
i. Hard wired internet, 12 computers in the tech room, 7 newer office
computers, 2 Samsung tablets that are rarely used.
2. Who, besides current upper management, has the ability to help the club reach better
goals for technology? Are they the sole person who determines the budget?
a. The board members have a major say in what goes on at the organization. Usually
they are not on the same page as the office members. There is an ongoing struggle
with having the board realize the Club needs certain things, even if they don’t
think so. The board, along with Elaina the CEO, maintain and discuss the budget.
3. If you could prioritize your technological needs, what would they be? Are you able to
give reasoning for the prioritization?
a. Wireless internet- faster and more efficient for the children
b. Server
c. Computers
d. Training
e. Tablets
f. Microsoft Licensing

Tech Needs: List of Needs

1. Stronger and faster Internet

2. Trainings for Staff
3. Wireless internet for the whole site

Action Plan:
I. Introduction
This action plan helps the stakeholders identify certain gaps within the Club that need to be
addressed in order for the strategic planning process to occur and be successful. These gaps are
areas that need to be addressed and dealt with accordingly so the gap can be closed, and the
children can benefit from this plan and the Club as a whole can move forward with new
technology implementation. This action plan will further discuss how the stakeholders within the
project are going to close these gaps. The following areas will be addressed:
 Hardware/Software
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

 Staff Development
 Facilities/Maintenance
 Financial Planning
II. Action Plan
a. Hardware/Software
i. The site will use the company TechSoup, a nonprofit tech marketplace, to
obtain low-priced software needs for the organization. This company has
the Microsoft software that the Club can install on the new computers if
we are able to obtain them, along with software like Adobe, QuickBooks,
and other Windows programs. Additionally, we will be using TechSoup to
help the site obtain new hardware too. Long-term, the organization will be
looking to TechSoup to help assist in the majority of the strategic planning
process in regard to obtaining software/hardware and training.
b. Staff Development
i. The staff hired within the organization, not counting the office staff, lack
training in the specific technology the club already has. Tech soup has
courses for nonprofit organizations and their staff to take classes that help
better their understanding of technology and certain software programs.
Additionally, TechSoup has classes that help further knowledge on various
aspects of technology, which would be extremely beneficial for both floor
staff and office staff to take.
c. Facilities/Maintenance
i. The facilities, for the most part, support the needs of the club. If anything,
they could use more space to implement new technologies. This would
make the room more comfortable and user friendly. However, we are
mainly focused on getting new technologies for the club. In regard to
maintenance, an office staff could be trained through online courses or
even OER’s to help maintain the tech implementation we will be covering
over the plan of 3 years. This person could be trained and further train
anyone else who is potentially going to take their place.
d. Financial Planning
i. Financial planning is the hardest aspect to cover with nonprofit
organizations. Realistically there is no actual budget here for new
technology. However, we have been allotted 1,000 to start with. This is all
about creating a budget directed for new technologies through donations
and grants. For this project, we have compiled a list of grants we can apply
for using https://www.wholewhale.com/tips/tech-grants-nonprofits/. This
website covers a wide variety of companies and organizations that help
provide funds for nonprofit organizations wanting to grain new
technologies for their site. This is how we plan on closing the gap for
financial planning.
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

III.Documentation

As you can see, we are left in the negative for this project. We will attempt to make up this
negative through grants and donations. This is what we have discussed as a team and we firmly
believe that we can make it happen, especially over the course of 3 years.

IV. Timeline

First 6 Months: (Katherine, Tammie, Amanda, Danielle, Elaina)

 January 2020: Club reopens. Begin strategic plan implementation by meeting with
stakeholders and going over the basics and timeline.
 February 2020-April 2020: Begin researching grants and possible donors to help with
obtaining new technologies. Monitor progress, interview staff and find out viewpoints on
new technologies. Have meetings with stakeholders and keep up to date on SP. Pre-
surveys for the students, parents, and staff for the whole organization.
 May 2020-August 2020- Not much can be done during these times due to the club being
closed for the summer program. This strategic plan covers the after-school program and
not the summer. However, during these months we can continue to research and pull
grants together.
One Year
 September 2020-December 2020: If grants are obtained for the new technologies put
them to use by applying them to new computers. This will require prior research on the
best, but most cost-effective computers to bring into the Club. Additionally, we can see
about using the grants on tablets. Work with TechSoup on obtaining wireless internet and
new internet hardware. Keep researching the best, new technologies available to the Club
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

and what grants can be obtained to help make them a reality. Keep with group meetings
and individual meetings. Keep staff informed.
Year 2
 January 2021-March 2021: (Katherine, Tammie, & Danielle)
o Keep finding grants for technology.
o Obtain grants if possible
o Find donors for technology integration
o Keep with group discussions & informant interviews
o Continue technology implementation (new software for computers, training)
o Begin implementation of new technologies for Club based on needs and what has
been brought in for the needs. (Server, wireless internet)
 April 2021-May 2021: (Katherine & Danielle) This is when we are hoping to obtain
wireless internet and have it installed and accessible by the children. It will be a big
project in order for the wireless internet to be accessed throughout the Club.
 August 2021-December 2021: (Danielle & Katherine) The goal by this time is to have
new computers throughout the whole club, along with some in other rooms for the
students to utilize. The goal is to have them equipped with all Google instruments that are
used at their schools along with Microsoft Office products for assignments.
 Keep up with meets the first week of every month to note progress and any issues that
have come about.
 Continuously research grants and donors to keep this plan going.
 Keep board informed with progress.
Year 3
 January 2022-March 2022: (Katherine, Tammie, & Danielle) Obtain new technologies
wanted like smart tablets for each room.
 April 2022-May 2022:( (Danielle) Note progress. Do possible exit interviews. If
additional things are needed at the club, evaluate and incorporate them into the plan if
possible.
 August 2022-December 2022: (Danielle & Katherine) Observe use of technologies.
Interview and survey children to see how they are enjoying new technologies and if they
feel it is beneficial to them. Finish exit surveys and interviews regarding strategic plan
process over the years.
** It is to be noted that this timeline can change at any time due to funding or any other
unforeseen circumstances. This most likely will take way longer than 3 years. This is the best
possible timeline under the best circumstances. **

Evaluation Plan
1. Method #1
a. To evaluate if the plan is staying on track and the needs are being met, Katherine
and I will be holding meetings to discuss all components of the process. These
meetings will be held face to face or over the phone, whichever is more
convenient at the time. A checklist with room for notes will be sent ahead of time
to visually annotate the discussion that was held. This document will need to be
opened on a computer and have notes typed in if possible. An example of the
document is below:
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

b. Timeline for meetings and interviews: ((Implementation)

i. Katherine (Director of Operations) and I decided that meetings will be
held on the first and last day of every month and any additional meetings
will be held when needed by scheduling. This is easiest for her, due to a
demanding schedule, and I to remember and schedule far out. We will use
a calendar to document all meetings held for documentation incase we
need to go back to them. For the interviews, I will be able to do the same
thing with a majority of the stakeholders except for the two board
members Deb and Linda. These two individuals will be contacted the day
they hold board meetings. The first Thursday of each month and by
chance there are any more throughout the month, randomly due to other
club concerns or needs. I will be notified by Katherine and I have been
allowed to come in early and speak with them or interview them if
possible. See Table 1.
c. Method #2:
i. For the second method of evaluation, I will conduct interviews with the
stakeholders. The following questions will be used to conduct the
interviews:
1. How do you feel the project is going so far?
2. Are there any concerns?
3. Are we able to start getting feedback from the board on beginning
to obtain new technologies?
4. Are we working well with TechSoup to get the new technologies
needed that they are able to provide us with?
5. Is the staff cooperating with the project? Are they still excited
about this new transition?
6. Are there any setbacks we need to address? Any positive
feedback? Please elaborate.
7. I know the budget is very tight and not flexible. How do we feel
about the budget so far? Can we get any more funds? Can we
contact donors and try to receive donations for this project?
8. How are the grants going? Have we submitted more? Have we
been rejected or given any feedback on the current proposals for
funds?
9. Do you have any questions or concerns for me that I can help
with?
10. What do you feel is the next best step if different from the timeline
we have written out?
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

References

Cassidy, A. (2006). A practical guide to information systems strategic planning (2nd ed.). Boca
Raton, FL: Auerbach Publications.

Miles, K. (n.d.). Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from
https://www.almabgc.com/.

Witkin, B. R., & Altschuld, J. W. (2006). Planning and conducting needs assessments: a

practical guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publ.
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Strategic Plan for New Technologies at the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area

Table 1:
Component Are we on How are we Additional
Addressed: track? (Circle doing? comments or
One) What can we questions
do better?
Any setbacks?
Any positive
feedback?
Hardware/Software: Yes or No

Staff Development: Yes or No

Facilities/Maintenance: Yes or No

Financials/Budget: Yes or No

Timeline: Yes or No

Other: