Subject: Nonprofit and Nongovernmental Technology Assistance Providers (Circuit Riders) - General Discussion

Description: Nonprofit and Nongovernmental Technology Assistance Providers (Circuit Riders) - General Discussion

Riders is a community of non-profit (NPO) and non-governmental
(NGO) technology assistance providers -- Circuit Riders. The
topics range from best practices in providing services to
issues regarding specific technology.

Here is a description of circuit riding from nonprofit
technology support provider and analyst, Marc Osten:

"A Circuit Rider is someone who provides technology
assistance to the nonprofit sector. The help a Rider gives
varies from helping to set up a local area network (LAN) to
coaching an Executive Director to advocate for technology
funding to the board. Part technology cheerleader, evangelist
and skilled technologist, Riders come in many forms. In
some cases foundations fund several Riders to service their
grantees. Riders sometimes are housed within existing
technology support provider organizations. Many Riders
operate as independent consultants and in some cases a
community of nonprofits might pool resources and hire a
Rider. The circuit riding community grew out of the U.S.
progressive social change and environmental movements,
as well as other technology assistance efforts. The Riders
hold an annual conference, The Round-Up, and also currently
engage in a strategic planning process to determine some
coordinated future actions."

Information on activities and events is at:

http://www.nten.org

Art McGee
Circuit Riders List Administrator