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Community IT offers free webinars monthly to promote learning within our nonprofit technology community. Our podcast is appropriate for a varied level of technology expertise. Community IT is vendor-agnostic and our webinars cover a range of topics and discussions. Something on your mind you don’t see covered here? Contact us to suggest a topic! http://www.communityit.com
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Learn how to manage valuable data every day at your nonprofit. Director of Data and Systems at the Greater Washington Community Foundation in Washington DC, Jenn Walen, discusses her role in managing data policies and training and supporting nonprofit staff in keeping data clean and organized. Jenn stresses that you need a single source of truth, s…
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Community IT is starting a new series today: Nonprofit AI. Midweek we will share 10-15 minutes of updates about AI and nonprofits - including current news stories, tips, definitions, use cases, frameworks, and resources. Whether you are an AI novice wondering how to catch up quickly, or an AI early adopter always looking for a new tool you can use …
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Community IT CEO Johan Hammerstrom walks through how to think about your nonprofit IT budget at any time, but particularly if you anticipate facing steeper challenges and may have to scale back. What are the three “buckets” of your IT needs, and how can you best manage your costs while keeping efficiency and functionality? What is a nonprofit IT bu…
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Senior staff at Community IT share what happened in nonprofit IT in 2025: AI and non-AI. What tips and advice have you missed? Top Nonprofit IT Stories of 2025 As is our tradition, we asked some of our senior staff to talk about the most important nonprofit IT stories of 2025. This year, Carolyn gave them two categories – something in AI – or somet…
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Are you the tech helper in your family? In your office? Community IT intern Jack Woodard on lessons learned over years of helping less-tech-savvy people learn the technology they need to do what they need and want to do. Takeaways on How to Be a Tech Helper Be patient People who are having trouble with tech get very frustrated, and they also get ve…
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What scams are circulating and how can you protect yourself and your organization? Nonprofit Cybersecurity expert and Community IT CTO Matt Eshleman runs through common scams and new tactics that we are seeing at nonprofits and simple steps you and your staff can take at this time of year to be better protected. Takeaways on Nonprofit Cybersecurity…
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Johan Hammerstrom hosts the podcast this week, interviewing Carolyn Woodard on her nonprofit IT management capacity growing pet project. 100% of nonprofits struggle with IT management capacity – whether it’s optimizing limited budgets, selecting the right tools, or building sustainable tech staffing models. Or just knowing where to turn for trustwo…
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Why a 2025 technology equity guide for nonprofits? Part 1 covers introductions and a deep discussion on the issues of equity in the technology your nonprofit staff use and how they use it. Part 2 delves into questions of funding tech at nonprofits and touches on creating technology tools and applications that can disrupt inequity in our communities…
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Why a 2025 technology equity guide for nonprofits? Part 1 covers introductions and a deep discussion on the issues of equity in the technology your nonprofit staff use and how they use it. Part 2 delves into questions of funding tech at nonprofits and touches on creating technology tools and applications that can disrupt inequity in our communities…
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Technology Association of Grantmakers held their 2025 Conference in Atlanta. Jenny Huftalen and Carolyn Woodard attended and share the takeaways and trends in philanthropy for tech. The takeaways: Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG) convenes members bi-annually to share knowledge and experiences on technology used at foundations and funders…
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What Do Nonprofits Need to Know About Penetration Testing? Nonprofit Cybersecurity expert and Community IT CTO Matt Eshleman explains what penetration testing is, why some nonprofits may need it, and why other nonprofits may not, or may not need it until after a basic assessment and vulnerability scanning. Do you have someone urging you to get expe…
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October is ESOP Employee Owner Month An Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP, is a legal structure used in the U.S. to create an employee-owned company. Essentially, an ESOP is a type of retirement plan that invests primarily in company stock, holding the assets in a trust for the staff. Community IT is 100% employee-owned. This structure means o…
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A Panel Discussion with Matthew Eshleman and Ian Gottesman. In part 1, Ian and Matthew discuss an approach to cybersecurity for nonprofits, taking the first steps, and 3 steps you can take to prevent at least 80% of attacks. In pt 2, they talk about making cybersecurity training more engaging, and lessons learned this year. They finish by taking au…
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A Panel Discussion with Matthew Eshleman and Ian Gottesman. In part 1, Ian and Matthew discuss an approach to cybersecurity for nonprofits, taking the first steps, and 3 steps you can take to prevent at least 80% of attacks. In pt 2, they talk about making cybersecurity training more engaging, and lessons learned this year. They finish by taking au…
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Today Carolyn talks with Johanny Torrico about her recent promotion to an executive position that the Community IT Board created for her: President and Chief Operations Officer. This conversation provided an opportunity to delve into Johanny’s strategic vision for the company’s future. We explored how the new position was created to recognize her r…
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Nonprofit Cybersecurity expert and Community IT CTO Matt Eshleman offered his take on these trends. Listen for expert advice on avoiding new computer viruses and making sure your organization is protected from Attacker-in-the-Middle attacks on MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), particularly for important accounts like your Executive Director and CF…
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How to Rescue a Nonprofit Technology Project with Change Management pt 2: with Debbie Cameron
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Change Management Lessons with Debbie Cameron Build Consulting Partner Debbie Cameron and change management expert in a webinar on when you can rescue a nonprofit technology project using change management techniques. In part 1, Debbie describes the philosophy of change management and how these techniques work in helping the people at your organiza…
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How to Rescue a Nonprofit Technology Project with Change Management pt 1: with Debbie Cameron
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Change Management Lessons with Debbie Cameron Build Consulting Partner Debbie Cameron and change management expert in a webinar on when you can rescue a nonprofit technology project using change management techniques. In part 1, Debbie describes the philosophy of change management and how these techniques work in helping the people at your organiza…
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Do you have important files in your nonprofits’ Google Drive that are associated with their owners’ personal gmail address? Google lets you migrate those files to Shared Drive so your organization never loses access to them. Google Workspace is fantastically easy for nonprofit start ups to set up and doesn’t take a lot of technical know-how to mana…
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Vanguard Communications’ Chief of Innovation Brenda Foster shared tips and practical advice on getting started using generative Artificial Intelligence AI tools at your nonprofit in a way that matches your mission and values. Learn how to prompt, when and how to use AI tools, and when not to. Learn how to evaluate the outputs and feel good using AI…
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Vanguard Communications’ Chief of Innovation Brenda Foster shared tips and practical advice on getting started using generative Artificial Intelligence AI tools at your nonprofit in a way that matches your mission and values. Learn how to prompt, when and how to use AI tools, and when not to. Learn how to evaluate the outputs and feel good using AI…
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Does your nonprofit know what to do when a staff person clicks on a suspicious email and instantly regrets it? David Dawson is a Senior Engineer at Community IT on the escalation team for our help desk. Recently he led the response to a cybersecurity incident at a nonprofit client. In this Community IT podcast, he answers Carolyn’s questions about …
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Peter Campbell is the principal consultant at Techcafeteria, a micro-consulting firm dedicated to helping nonprofits make more affordable and effective use of technology to support their missions. He recently published a free download powerpoint on Managing AI Risk and had time to talk with Carolyn about his thoughts on developing AI policies with …
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On September 30th Microsoft will only support a new unified multi-factor authentication control configuration. What does this mean for your nonprofit? In March 2023 Microsoft announced that after September 30th, 2025, they would no longer automatically support “legacy” multi-factor authentication controls in the Microsoft 365 Entra ID and General A…
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Learn how to run this valuable training tool from Community IT Chief Technology Officer and resident cybersecurity guru Matthew Eshleman, who explains how to carry out a cybersecurity tabletop exercise for your nonprofit and why this type of active testing is so valuable to your security planning. In pt 1, Matt and Carolyn go over what a tabletop e…
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Learn how to run this valuable training tool from Community IT Chief Technology Officer and resident cybersecurity guru Matthew Eshleman, who explains how to carry out a cybersecurity tabletop exercise for your nonprofit and why this type of active testing is so valuable to your security planning. In pt 1, Matt and Carolyn go over what a tabletop e…
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Most nonprofits will be asked about vulnerability scanning when they renew cybersecurity liability insurance or complete an annual audit. Do you know what it means and what you should do to comply? The takeaways: There is no one-size-fits-all vulnerability scanning app for your entire organization. You will need to do vulnerability scanning on vari…
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Many nonprofit staff are facing increased stress and multiplying concerns about privacy, security, and vulnerabilities. What should you be tackling first in this new political environment? The takeaways: Most attacks are still financially based: criminals want you to wire money to the wrong account. The good news is that cybersecurity basics that p…
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NOTE: The Microsoft policy on the end of their donation program for the free and discounted Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium and E1 licenses for qualified nonprofits is shifting frequently, and we are working to keep you updated. Please check for the most recent blog or podcast from us to ensure you have the most recent update. This podcast pr…
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Board.dev Co-Founder and CEO Alethea Hannemann on how to recruit tech leadership to join your nonprofit board, and why you should have tech leaders an/or a tech committee on your board helping your organization to grow and thrive. In part 1, Alethea presents research on the benefits of board members with tech experience and gives two case studies. …
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Board.dev Co-Founder and CEO Alethea Hannemann on how to recruit tech leadership to join your nonprofit board, and why you should have tech leaders an/or a tech committee on your board helping your organization to grow and thrive. In part 1, Alethea presents research on the benefits of board members with tech experience and gives two case studies. …
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When do your licenses renew? What kind of free or discounted licenses do you have? What are your options? Microsoft announced in the spring of 2025 that after July 1st two classes of nonprofit discounted licenses would be changing. Steve Longenecker, Community IT’s Director of IT Consulting, explains how the license discount and donation program is…
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Are you worried? In part 1, Nura and Carolyn covered introductions, policies, and resources on three main categories you may be worried about - cyber, data, and staff safety. In part 2, they go over budgeting for IT when your budget may be up in the air, what to move into the "nice to have" and what needs to stay in the "must have" column, resource…
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Are you worried? The current situation for the nonprofit sector is highly changeable and changing fast. Every day there’s a new worry turning up around your mission, your funding, and your future. Where does your IT fit into this new world? Is your IT strategy flexible, and have you revisited your IT planning, performance, and policies? As you exam…
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A week in the life of the On Site Support Team - what do they do? We’re inordinately proud of our On Site Support Team (OSST), who work with clients who need IT help in person, particularly at the nonprofit schools we serve in the DC area. So many of us work remotely - but many nonprofits do work that can't be remote, and many of them need IT suppo…
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New auditing requirements SAS145 require nonprofit auditors to consider IT risks in addition to financial risks and mitigation. Learn from Darren Hulem, cybersecurity guru and senior manager in risk advisory at GRF CPAs and Advisors on the new requirements and how they may impact cybersecurity at your nonprofit. Darren also explores and describes o…
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Media expert and self-taught "AI Evangelist" Brenda Foster spoke to Carolyn about ways to help nonprofit staff explore and begin using AI tools to work smarter, calling AI your new assistant. In addition to serving as Vanguard Communications’ Chief of Innovation, she is a communications researcher and strategic planner who has shaped direction and …
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2025 Nonprofit Cybersecurity Incident Report: Keeping Your Nonprofit Secure Community IT CTO and cybersecurity expert Matt Eshleman delivered our annual report on trend lines and took questions live and online in this popular annual webinar. In part 1, Matt discusses the landscape and background of cybersecurity attacks nonprofits face now, goes ov…
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2025 Nonprofit Cybersecurity Incident Report: Keeping Your Nonprofit Secure Community IT CTO and cybersecurity expert Matt Eshleman delivered our annual report on trend lines and took questions live and online in this popular annual webinar. In part 1, Matt discusses the landscape and background of cybersecurity attacks nonprofits face now, goes ov…
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In today’s interview, Carolyn talks with Tiff Parker, an IT Business Manager at Community IT. They talk about her background, how she got into a technology career, and what brought her to Community IT in this role. Tiff reflects on her early interest in GIS Geo Information Systems mapping, her years as an “accidental techie” at a nonprofit with inc…
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What does the future hold for nonprofit technology from one of the giants in the industry? Ryan Ozimek, founder of Soapbox Engage and long time nonprofit IT thought leader, reflects on the trends and topics from this recent conference for the sector from Microsoft – particularly the embrace of AI and the potential of AI tools to impact the nonprofi…
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Ian Gottesman is CEO of a coalition of 200+ NGOs and 20 major IT companies working together to improve cybersecurity for the nonprofit sector (NGO ISAC). He has decades of experience in executive roles in nonprofit cybersecurity in a variety of organizations. In these challenging times for the nonprofit sector generally, many nonprofits are taking …
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Which platform would you choose if you were starting a brand new nonprofit tomorrow? Learn the differences, how to choose, and when to contemplate changing platforms in this webinar with Community IT Innovators CEO Johan Hammerstrom and Director of IT Consulting Steve Longenecker. Johan and Steve together have over 40 years of experience in nonprof…
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Which platform would you choose if you were starting a brand new nonprofit tomorrow? Learn the differences, how to choose, and when to contemplate changing platforms in this webinar with Community IT Innovators CEO Johan Hammerstrom and Director of IT Consulting Steve Longenecker. Johan and Steve together have over 40 years of experience in nonprof…
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Do you have a technology tool that just isn’t working? How do you get at the root of the issue and find solutions? Sometimes IT staff and directors and executives get really into the cool details of their technology tools without considering the whole organization needs and tolerances. And sometimes executives and leaders want to change IT tools on…
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Are your staff as ready as they can be for the next attack? Our cybersecurity training team manages hundreds of clients and shares our knowledge on what works to keep your staff prepared, not just scared.Matt Eshleman, our CTO and cybersecurity expert answers your questions on how to manage frequent, timely, and engaging training. Part 1 covers the…
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Are your staff as ready as they can be for the next attack? Our cybersecurity training team manages hundreds of clients and shares our knowledge on what works to keep your staff prepared, not just scared.Matt Eshleman, our CTO and cybersecurity expert answers your questions on how to manage frequent, timely, and engaging training. Part 1 covers the…
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A week in the life of the Help Desk Team Ever wonder what it takes to be a help desk analyst, or what our Help Desk Team does in a typical week? We’re inordinately proud of our Help Desk Team, the first and usually only point of contact for most staff for most clients. Listen to this presentation on a typical week and learn about the teamwork, expe…
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Shauna Dillavou is the co-founder of Brightlin.es, a security firm working with the nonprofit sector to prevent vulnerabilities. She is a seasoned intelligence analyst with decades of experience working for the US government. She formerly was part of a team locating cartel associates by their online traces, and founded Brightlines to reverse-engine…
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In this interview from December 2024, Director of Marketing Carolyn Woodard talks with Ramunda Lark Young about her journey from growing up in Tulsa Oklahoma to working in Washington DC to founding an online Black bookstore during the 2007-2008 recession. In addition to a website where you can find curated lists of books to fit any interest, Mahoga…
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