Athena Software presents “North America NGO’s at IT Crossroads: Applying Lessons Learned” at Making Links 2005 Conference Australia
October 21, 2005

Athena Software is pleased to announce that Greg Stanley Horn of Athena Software has been invited to present a talk entitled "North America NGOs at the IT Crossroads: Applying Lessons Learned” at the Making Links 2005 conference Nov 12-13 2005 in Sydney Australia.

Recent years have seen a number of important changes in the NGO operating environment in North America. Some of these changes involve tightened or diminished funding flows from traditional governmental sources, increased demands for accountability and demonstration of performance and outcomes-based results, increased demands for inter-agency collaboration and partnerships, expansion of services across geographically distributed areas, heightened inter-agency competition for resources, shifting conceptions of client-centred service delivery and the move to the implementation of standardized data requirements both within and among NGOs. These industry-specific changes have emerged at the same time that significant advances in the information technology industry have created new opportunities and challenges in the realm of data security, client confidentiality, electronic data interchange, and migration to new technologies - all within a context of limited "in-house" technical and financial resources.

Greg will focus on how North America NGOs are meeting today’s challenges using well-thought out, planned and executed integrated information technology strategies.The lessons learned from the deployment of these strategies include the benefits of rationalized and coordinated ("de-fragmented") agency operations, a focus on outcomes and performance-based operations/ data gathering and analyses activities, new models of collaboration and inter-agency partnerships, the challenges and benefits of moving to third generation Case Management applications, and the formulation and benefits of a coordinated communications strategy that is informed by integrated IT practices.

About the Presenter Greg Stanley-Horn of Guelph, Ontario Canada has over 13 years experience working in the NGO sector in a variety of capacities: front-line work with high-risk adolescents, community development project design and management, advocacy, research, consulting, community health centre planning and advocacy and information technology.

About Athena Software The Athena client management system has been approved by the New South Wales Government Preferred Supplier Panel. The fully integrated case management and client information solution will be used by the New South Wales Human Services Better Service Delivery Program (http://bsdp.hsnet.nsw.gov.au) to help welfare and community agencies share information and improve services to clients. The Program makes use of Internet technology to provide agencies with the tools to communicate with one another, to provide faster, more accurate referrals and to work with clients more effectively.

Hyro (www.hyro.com), a strategic partner for Athena products and services in Australia, selected Athena’s client management software (www.athenasoftware.net) as the best solution to offer the New South Wales government. HYRO is also responsible for the infrastructure that enables agencies to communicate client information securely and locate the most effective resources using ReferralLink and ServiceLink. Athena will be offered as a licensed product or a subscription bureau service. Athena will be integrated with ServiceLink and ReferralLink to enable human services organizations to leverage the resources that the Human Services Better Service Delivery Program have established for the benefit of the sector. Being on the NSW Panel of Approved Suppliers provides human service organizations with the confidence that Hyro’s solution meets a wide set of requirements and is competitively priced.