Each day this week on our blog we are highlighting a finalist for The Washington Post 2010 Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. 

Meet Post Award Finalist Byte Back

Byte Back improves economic opportunity for low-income residents of the Washington D.C. area by providing computer training and employment readiness skills. Byte Back’s services range from basic computer literacy skill development to computer certification courses for those pursuing a career in the Information Technology field. Byte Back’s staff includes seven full-time and three part-time employees in additional to two Americorps members and more than 100 volunteers. The organization’s budget is approximately $624,000.

Q & A with Post Award Finalist Byte Back

1. What does this award mean for you and your organization?
   
   To be a Finalist for the Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management means the world to Byte Back. For years we have attended this event, which we consider to be a crash course in Best Practices. We had a rough few years from 2006 to 2008, when we had five executive directors in two years and consequently lost significant funding sources. Since then we have worked hard to meet the growing needs of the low-income community, and are thrilled to be recognized in this way.
   
    
2. What have you learned through the application process for The Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management?
   
   This process itself is grueling, but we are glad we went through the effort. The questions are quite different from the kinds of questions asked in a grant proposal. The emphasis is on management, not programs. While attempting to tackle each question, we sometimes discovered that we were doing something that we were not even conscious of.  The process helped us to articulate our methods and in some cases, to improve them. We hope that making it as a Finalist will bring new opportunities to Byte Back, and more importantly, to our students.
   
    
3. What advice would you offer for other nonprofit leaders/organizations striving for excellence in nonprofit management?

• The mission of the organization and the needs of clients/students should be foremost on the minds of staff, board members and volunteers. This is how the right decisions are made. 
• Planning is essential, but organizations also must remain flexible to the changing financial situation and changing needs of clients/students.
• Revenue diversification is an essential tool for the survival and growth of an organization.
• Professional development for staff, board members and volunteers creates a positive team which is ever-growing in talent and skills. Investing in the development of each team member conveys the message that they are a valued member of the team. There are many inexpensive ways to provide professional development, including cross training among team members and pro bono consulting through organizations such as Taproot, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise and the Districts Strengthening Communities Fund. Byte Back sets aside 1% of our budget for professional development.

Learn more about Byte Back:

• Web site
• Twitter
• Facebook

Watch the finalist video produced by Re:Act Media.