By Albert Costill, Search Engine Journal, August 2, 2015
Technology has made volunteering or giving a monetary donation to our favorite non-profit organization as convenient as possible. As technology continues to advance at an increasingly speedy rate, we can expect to see more opportunities for non-profits to reach donors and the people they help.
For example, mobile devices will help non-profits engage with supporters and more effectively communicate with volunteers and staff members. Big data and analytics are being used to learn which channels are the most effective in reaching donors or how to plan fundraising events.
The Cloud provides cheaper alternatives to services that were normally too pricey for non-profits. Software will be able to enhance the user experience. And social media networksprovide access to donors, supporters, volunteers, and patrons.
Non-profits aren’t just using technology to help their causes, though. They’re also innovating the tech sector themselves. Take the following ten non-profits, in no particular order, as an example of charitable organizations who are making a difference in the tech sector.
1. Enlearn
One of the challenges that have educators have long-faced is differentiating classroom instructions for students with various skills and abilities. That’s where Zoran Popović, a University of Washington computer science professor, comes in to save the day.
Following five years of developing computer learning games that can adapt to the skills of players, he founded the Seattle-based non-profit Enlearn. With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Enlearn offers students interactive and adaptive content that shares real-time data with their teachers to show what’s working and what’s not. This data can be used by school districts so they can invest in the proper curriculum and technology.
Developing computer algorithms for learning games isn’t what makes Enlearn unique from other learning platforms. Enlearn’s technology can be used for individual students, small groups, the entire classroom, and even the teacher by making continuous recommendations that motivate students and improve engagement.
Read the full article here.
