[NGO] Five Observations about NGOs and Plone

[Martin Aspeli]

Hi Jon,

Thank you for that. :)

> Second observation: A lot of what NGOs need from Plone is very, very  
> similar
> to what non-NGOs need.
>
> While nonprofits are not always "early adopters" of technology, an
> increasing number are becoming quite sophisticated, and smaller  
> nonprofits
> are often nimble enough to move quite quickly to adopt new practices if  
> they
> really believe in their value.

...

> Third observation: NGOs and open-source have compatible values.
>
> Many NGOs value openness, sharing and community, just like open-source
> advocates.  While most NGOs aren't "software ideologues" they are  
> generally
> receptive to the kinds of collaborative relationships that open-source
> software developers seek, and are often more than willing to share and  
> share
> alike.

This to me is a big part of the existence of this list. NGOs it seems are  
more open about their needs and about their weaknesses, and more willing  
to share their mistakes as lessons learnt rather than embarassments. At  
Ploneability, Oxfam GB did this wonderfully. As Paul said, the lessons  
Rommily & co shared would probably be worth £1000/hour had that same  
knowledge come from someone like my present employer. :)

We, the Plone community, and the Plone-NGO community have a lot to learn  
 from each other. And we can try to organise ourselves around some tasks  
that may end up improving Plone itself as well.

> Fifth observation: One of Plone's greatest assets is its stable, mature  
> and
> sophisticated community.  If you haven't yet read Martin Aspeli's masters
> thesis on the Plone community, I can't recommend it highly enough.
> (http://dissertation.martinaspeli.net/)

*blush*

I'm just glad someone read it :)

Martin