The annual SANGONeT “ICTs for Civil Society” Conference is the premier ICT event dedicated to the work of the NGO sector in Southern Africa.

The 6th Annual SANGONeT Conference (#SANGO10) will focus on “Fundraising in the Digital World”.

The conference will be held in three parts - the main event will be held from 1-2 September 2010 in Johannesburg, followed by one-day seminars in Durban on 3 September 2010 and Cape Town on 6 September 2010.

At a time when many South African NGOs are struggling to secure sufficient funding and other resources to sustain their work, raising money through the Internet, mobile phones and other online applications is gaining international importance. This is particularly evident during high-profile events such as disasters, political campaigns and targeted multi-channel media efforts that draw attention to a particular cause or campaign. The challenge for NGOs, fundraisers and other development stakeholders in South Africa is to ensure that they are prepared to embrace and maximise current and future opportunities presented by a fast changing digital world.

The 2010 SANGONeT conference will explore these issues by drawing on the experience of local and international experts, showcasing innovative projects, facilitating the transfer of skills and reflecting on NGOs' future technology needs and requirements.

Learn about the 2010 version of Microsoft Office and what the new features can do for your nonprofit

Microsoft Office is a productivity suite that’s largely ubiquitous in work environments around the world. Qualified nonprofits can request donated Office packages through SANGOTeCH, paying only a small administrative fee. Office 2010, the latest version of Office for Windows, will be available in June, 2010.

Is your nonprofit ready for a move to Office 2010? Will any of the new features benefit your organisation? Will an upgrade to Office 2010 impact compatibility with older versions of Office or other productivity suites? In this article, we’ll briefly outline the new features in Office 2010. Next, we’ll discuss the package’s touted collaboration features and discuss how they might change your organisation’s workflow. Finally, we’ll look at compatibility issues with older versions of Office.

The SANGOTeCH programme aims to assist NGOs by providing software and hardware for very low fees in conjunction with ICT donor partners (currently Microsoft, Cisco, Mailshell, Bytes of Learning and recently ICWFD), as well as by supporting NGOs to make the most of their ICT purchases and infrastructure. The SANGOTeCH programme is brought to South Africa by SANGONeT in partnership with TechSoup Global.

Here is how it works:

Organisations should first check their general eligibility for the programme. If your organisation fulfills these requirements, then check the specific eligibility requirements of our initial donor partners, Microsoft and Cisco. If you qualify for at least one of these, then register for the programme.