Revised January 8, 2020

A free resource for nonprofit organizations, NGOs, civil society organizations,
charities, schools, public sector agencies & other mission-based agencies
by Jayne Cravens
via coyotecommunications.com & coyoteboard.com (same web site)

Recruiting Computer/Network Consultants

(paid or volunteer/pro bono)

Mission-based organizations (nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, and public sector agencies) sometimes need to recruit computer/network consultants, paid or volunteer/pro bono, because their employees don't have the needed expertise for a project - making the web site mobile ready and/or accessible, creating a database to manage volunteer information, creating an app for clients to use, etc.

At a mission-based organization, employees' or core volunteers' lack of high-level "tech" expertise can leave them feeling at the mercy of such consultants, paid or volunteer. Staff, despite their own expertise in a what the organization or agency is concerned with - health care, child welfare, environmental management, community outreach, human resources management, microfinance, theatre arts, emergency logistics - can feel a sense of both awe and fear about tech consultants, and that whatever the consultant says goes. Staff may feel unable to understand, question or challenge whatever that consultant recommends.

What can mission-based organizations do to recruit the "right" consultant, whether paid or volunteer, for "tech" related issues, one that will not make them feel out-of-the-loop or out-of-control when it comes to tech-related discussions or the delivery of tech-related services?

First: write a detailed description of what it is you want as a result of this consultants' work. What will success look like for your organization as a result of this consultant's/these consultants' work? Think less about how to get there are more about what the end result should look like - for every user of the system or tool to be developed. Then sketch out how many hours a week you expect the consultant to work, how many weeks you expect the consultant to commit to the job, documentation the consultant will be required to produce, how long you expect the consultant to support what they develop, etc. This must be in writing, to ensure that, once you do choose a consultant, he or she knows exactly what you want and expectations are clear. You can edit it with the consultant you choose, of course.

Only after you have the task description in writing are you ready to recruit:

Contact other organizations of a similar size and budget to yours, to seek recommendations for possible candidates (remember, both paid staff AND volunteer consultants), and to gather success AND horror stories. Ask the staff what they liked about a tech consultant they may recommend, what the results of this consultant's work was, and what advice they might have that could help you prepare to work with such a consultant. Even if you end up looking for consultants elsewhere, you will have a better understanding of what a successful tech-related consultancy looks like -- and what kinds you want to avoid.
Post a notice to your web site saying that you are looking for this particular tech consultant. Be as detailed as possible about what you want the tech consultant to accomplish, per the detailed task description you wrote before you started recruiting.
Send an email to all of your current volunteers, including your board of directors, letting them know about this position. Include the URL of the job description on your web site.
Use social media - your Facebook page (and ask your staff and volunteers to share your messages), Facebook groups, your Twitter account, the subReddit for your city, the volunteer section of Craigslist if your city has such, etc. Your message should point back to the page on your web site that details the paid consultant or volunteer need. But don't just say,
That message isn't at all enticing. It doesn't motivate me at all to want to volunteer with an organization. By contrast, check out this tweet from @GoGirlGo4IT, or Go Girl Go for IT, of Melbourne, Australia, "A fun, free, interactive IT careers showcase for Secondary School Girls Years 8-11":

Celebrate #IVD by becoming a volunteer with Go Girl.
We are a very friendly bunch. And we dance while we work. bit.ly/w4cvQa

I *love* this message:
- I knew from the Twitter account name that this org has something to do with girls and IT - a subject that I'm passionate about.
- They need volunteers, but instead of saying "We need volunteers", they leveraged International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development as a recruitment message
- They throw in a fun comment like "And we dance while we work."
Contact your local Web designers group, computer user group, web accessibility or user experience (UX) group. A search of a Web directory like Google, Bing or MeetUp can help you find these groups - type in something like web designers association and the name of your city, or the nearest big city. Email these groups with a description of of the web design assignment, noting if you are looking for a contractor or volunteer.
Whatever third-party online recruitment tool that's most used in your area.
Send the position announcement to area university career centers, university volunteer centers, and specific university departments related to computers and technology.
Look for local chapters of national organizations for women working in technology. You can also look for local chapters of national organizations for anyone, men and women, working in tech, of course, but I recommend women-focused groups in particular because women are so under-represented in technology careers, and focusing recruitment efforts on women-focused groups can help your organization play a role in creating more opportunities for women in tech.

If that doesn't result in candidates for your position, have a look again at your position description. Are you asking too much of a candidate in terms of time? Are you asking too much of a volunteer - do you need to make the position paid in order to be able to get someone who has the expertise and will need the financial support in order to provide the time required? Do you need to break the assignment up into smaller tasks, and recruit a team rather than just one volunteer? Does the task just look like a long list of work to do, never mentioning how this work benefits the nonprofit or the community it serves?

As for screening candidates:

For paid positions or high-responsibility volunteer positions (where the volunteer will be in charge of an entire project, supervise employees or volunteers, etc.), look for candidates who have worked with organizations or departments that are the same as the size of your organization or department -- similar numbers in staff size, budget, geographic area served, etc. A consultant who has a lot of experience with large, well-funded organizations may not have the skills and expertise needed by a small agency with very limited resources; someone with a lot of nonprofit and volunteer experience might be better suited for a task than someone with only for-profit experience at large high-tech companies.
Be committed to the idea of talking to at least three candidates for paid positions or high-responsibility volunteer positions. Talking to more than one candidate will help you further identify your needs in a consultant, and will give you a more clear understanding of qualities you do want, and don't want, in a consultant.
In the interview with each potential consultant, tell the candidate about your tech needs and ask how he or she would approach them, or what the candidate's thoughts are about what it is you want regarding technology or support. Does the candidate explain his or her approach in a way you can understand? Do you feel like the candidate is really listening to you?
Ask candidates if they think your description of how long the task will take, and how much you are asking the person to do in the particular time period, is realistic and, if now, how he or she would alter the Terms of Reference.
Don't be bedazzled by jargon. Just because a candidate uses words or phrases that sound like he or she is in-the-know does not mean the person really is the expert you need. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification at any point. And when the candidate is giving you clarification, consider how he or she makes you feel. You are getting insight into his or her work style -- do you like it?
Ask for samples of work for paid positions or high-responsibility volunteer positions, such as a technology plan the person authored, or a smart phone app he or she developed. If confidentiality is an issue, ask the person to insert a "dummy" name for the real name of the organization for which a written plan was developed, and a "dummy" name for any software or hardware recommendations the consultant feels are proprietary. If the work sample is a piece of software or app, ask the candidate to do a demonstration for you.
Tell the candidate that the chosen consultant must document ALL of his or her work, with an eye to someone being able to step in at any point if the consultant cannot continue. Ask the candidate how he or she feels about this, and what the person's experience with such has been in the past. If possible, ask for an example of documentation this person has done (see previous bullet).
Ask the candidate how he or she will include the organization's employees and volunteers in the tech development or upgrade process, as opposed to the consultant working entirely independently.
If the consultant is going to work on your web site, tell the candidate that you have a commitment to web accessibility, and you expect the designer to make sure accessibility is built into the web site from the get go (appropriate use of alt tags, tables labeled and marked up appropriately, no menus that require someone to hold down two keys at once, excellent color contrast, pages that render correctly on tablets and smartphones, etc.). If the consultant balks, or says it's too expensive, look for another consultant.
If the candidate represents a company or group, make sure the person you talk to in the interview is the person who is actually going to do the work.
Ask candidates for references and CALL THEM. In particular, ask questions regarding the candidates ability to meet deadlines, to document his or her work, and to train others.
If the consultant is going to work remotely, you can still do all of the previous steps, via phone or live video conferencing, but ALSO do some interaction via email. Pay attention to how quickly candidates respond to your emails, how well they write, and how well they communicate via the written word. How the consultant acts via remote communication processes is an excellent indication of how he or she would act during the actual consultancy.
If the consultant is going to have access to private information about paid staff, volunteer or clients (home addresses, social security numbers, pay rates, ages, etc.), do a criminal background check on any seriously-considered candidate, and put the final candidate through a confidentiality workshop to affirm your organization's policies on such. If the consultant balks, find another candidate.
Watch out for inappropriate agendas and conflicts of interests. For instance, is the consultant promoting a specific software or hardware solution because he or she, or one of your board members, will benefit financially from the sale of such?
You may want to put the following list, which starts with "A good tech consultant, whether paid or working pro bono (as a volunteer) will...", on a separate paper and give it to each candidate, and ask each candidate his or her feelings about each point.

The goal in the interview process is to get a sense of how this person works. The interview should give a good indication of this person's work style, and ability to explain tech-related information and approaches.

If you are looking for a consultant for a paid project, be careful that during the recruiting and interview process that you are not asking candidates for free consulting. Many consultants have felt that an hour or so interview ended up being a free advice session, as the organization quizzed the consultant about various possible tech needs and approaches, took notes, and then was able to implement the consultant's "free" recommendations without involving the person further.

A warning to those of you in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland): your laws are very strict regarding volunteer engagement. Unlike in the USA and most places, you will have to emphasize repeatedly to candidates that you have no expectation for them to stay for a certain amount of time, for them to make any kind of commitment - even to get the task done, etc. Here's more regarding your restrictions in the UK re: expectations and written agreements with volunteers.

A good tech consultant, whether paid or working pro bono (as a volunteer) will:

Talk to your employees, staff and clients in such a way as to help them understand the solutions or approaches he or she is offering. The person won't "talk down" to staff per their relative lack of technology knowledge compared to him or her.
Will learn your organization's system, and be able to talk about its strengths and weaknesses. The consultant will offer a variety of suggestions for improvements, not just one suggestion to throw out all systems and start over with something else (that may be one of the suggestions, but should not be the only one).
Will provide you with more than one option to choose from, and an informed assessment of the strength and weakness of each.
Will respect your budget and staffing limitations.
Will respect your deadlines.
Will work to build capacity in your organization, not to build increasing reliability upon the consultant. He or she will include staff in the development or upgrade -- not merely present the finished product after weeks or months of working alone.
Will document ALL of his or her work, with an eye to someone being able to step in at any point if the consultant cannot continue.
Will provide regular updates, in writing, and will not become defensive when asked for more detailed information about his or her work so far.

Finally, respect the consultant's time: high on the list of complaints from consultants, including volunteers, who try to help mission-based organizations with technology issues is that staff at the organization don't provide the consultant adequate task and need descriptions, don't provide enough face-to-face time with the consultant, don't start meetings on-time and aren't actually ready to work with a technology consultant and, therefore, can't undertake the consultant's recommendations or allow the consultant to proceed.

Much of this advice goes for if you are going to have a One(-ish) Day "Tech" Activities for Volunteers such as a hackathon, where volunteers are going to create apps, a web site, or other product for your organization. Of course, you cannot do the screening for every participant as outlined above, but much of the other advice is applicable.

Volunteer management mistakes to avoid in IT projects is also worth a read. A lot of times, when volunteers are engaged to help a nonprofit or charity regarding an IT project, things don't go well. This resource from CompuMentor, hosted on my web site, can help prevent those common frustrations. Also see CompuMentor's for Working with IT Volunteers. Here is the 1996 version of the CompuMentor Volunteer Handbook for its mentors and the update 2009 handbook on recommendations for IT volunteers to work with nonprofits here. Don't let the dates on these make you think these are outdated; much of the advice is still excellent, for both those volunteering in ICT projects and those nonprofits and others that will work with them.

Check out Taking control of your web site when you aren’t the web master, a blog of advice for those nonprofits that find themselves at the mercy of an all-controlling, intimidating and uncooperative web master (it's shocking how often this happens).

Dos & don'ts for technical assistance volunteers / volunteers donating expertise: ICT volunteering gigs don't always work out, leaving both volunteers and programs frustrated and disappointed. The advice on this page will help everyone involved have a more worthwhile experience.

But What If You Need To Let the Consultant Go?

Sometimes, you need to let a tech staff member or consultant go, even when that person is a volunteer (if the volunteer is not meeting the requirements of the written job description, isn't following your policies and is engaging in activity that is detrimental or destructive to the organization, he or she needs to go). When firing a consultant, in addition to appropriate human resources practices, and regardless of the reason you are letting the person go (even if the split is, in your mind, amicable), make double sure you cut off the person's email address at your organization and network access at the same time you hand the person his or her walking papers, and have changed ALL passwords the person might know.

Also see:

Webinar on Finding and Involving Tech Volunteers
Recorded in April 2009, this presentation with slides and audio is a recording of a live webinar I did for TechSoup. It explores how to effectively involve volunteers in computer and Internet related tasks at your organization, including ways to identify tech-related assignments, ways to support volunteers in these assignments, and, of course, methods to recruit and screen such volunteers. Nonprofit staff members can feel a sense of both awe and fear about tech volunteers, and this can lead to misunderstandings and frustrations on the part of both parties. This webinar will help nonprofit staff stay in control of tech volunteering tasks so that the finished assignment meets the nonprofits' needs and the tech volunteer has a satisfying experience. It's less than an hour long.

Short-term assignments for tech volunteers

One(-ish) Day "Tech" Activities for Volunteers
Volunteers are getting together for intense, one-day events, or events of just a few days, to build web pages, to write code, to edit Wikipedia pages, and more. These are gatherings of onsite volunteers, where everyone is in one location, together, to do an online-related project in one day, or a few days. It's a form of episodic volunteering, because volunteers don't have to make an ongoing commitment - they can come to the event, contribute their services, and then leave and never volunteer again. Because computers are involved, these events are sometimes called hackathons, even if coding isn't involved. This page provides advice on how to put together a one-day event, or just-a-few-days-of activity, for a group of tech volunteers onsite, working together, for a nonprofit, non-governmental organization (NGO), community-focused government program, school or other mission-based organization - or association of such.

Tech Volunteer Groups / ICT4D Volunteers

Non-IT Staff Taking the Lead on the Exploration of Technology Use
IT professionals, acting as IT managers or consultants, play an essential role in helping mission-based organizations use technology to meet the goal of the organization. That said, however, an IT professional is not always the best person to *lead* at a nonprofit organization regarding use of information communications technologies (ICTs) to meet the organization's mission and help staff members do their jobs.

Discuss this web page, or comment on it, here.

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