I haven’t blogged much about technology as it relates to eliminating global poverty, mainly because it’s hard for me to do so without talking about the organization for which I work. As has been discussed in the past by Todd Biske, James McGovern and others, corporate bloggers have to be careful to separate our own opinions and stances from those of our organization. Thus, it makes it tricky to talk much about our employers in much detail.

However, I think that putting a gag on myself regarding all issues related to global poverty is a bit extreme. Furthermore, I think that I’m in a reasonable position as an Enterprise Architect working for a non-profit that serves nearly one million children in poverty around the world to try to bring to bear a technology and EA perspective that is shaped by using those tools in that fight against poverty.

I think it’s a perspective that is needed, mainly because some people that I encounter in the EA space are surprised to hear that my organization has any kind of IT organization, much less one with an Enterprise Architecture group. I believe a common assumption is that when the main concern is the bottom line and profit, innovative and mature IT is acceptable, if not vital. The unspoken subtext, of course, is that non-profits have no business dealing with (too much) technology strategy and innovation because we do not deal in profit or competitive advantage (I actually think we do deal in competitive advantage, just not in the way you might think… more on that another day). However, a robust and healthy IT organization that is fully aligned to its business is even more important in the non-profit world, simply because the stakes are higher. Not in terms of profits and jobs, but in terms of lives and quality of life. And I honestly don’t think that I am dramatizing the issue here, though please chime in if you think I am. I am quite passionate about the subject and might need a cooler head from time to time.

I enjoy the fact that James McGovern increasingly uses his blog to raise our awareness about poverty and to influence others to give to worthy causes. My desire is to add a dimension to my own blog that takes a step beyond “knowing“ and “giving” to what we are “doing” with technology in the name of wiping out poverty around the globe. And not just in my organization, either. I think that there are many organizations and individuals out there doing amazing things with technology where the benefit is not a  personal bonus or a shareholder dividend; it is a child who can read and write, a mother who can start a business to feed her family, or a saved life.

Thus, I plan to, from time to time, post articles, links and thoughts under the banner of “Using Technology to Fight Poverty.” I might even, on occasion, discuss the work my organization is doing because I am sure that there are those out there interested in where we are going with technology. Furthermore, we know that there are thousands of brilliant people involved in technology that already support our cause and would be interested in knowing what more they can do to help us. However, please keep in mind that anything I discuss around these topics is and always will be solely my opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of my employer. That actually goes for anything on my blog, but it bears repeating.

So, keep and eye out for some more posts with this heading. This should be fun…