Wired for Change: Strengthening Community Clinics Through Collaborative Information Technology shares the evaluation findings of the Community Clinics Initiative's (CCI) Strategic Investments Program. CCI has funded information technology (IT) projects since 1999; however, with the initiation of the Strategic Investments Program, CCI shifted its funding strategy by emphasizing a more collaborative approach. This report provides a background of the Program and its six grantees on pages 3 to 14. The accomplishments and challenges of the IT projects are summarized on pages 15 to 27 and lessons learned about necessary components to a successful IT collaborative project are discussed on pages 28 to 40.

The report brief, Wired for Change: Investing in Collaborative Information Technology, focuses on the top lessons learned for successful IT collaboration and offers issues to consider when designing or implementing similar projects. This report and summary will be of interest to:

Funders - If you are thinking about or already making grants to help nonprofits embark on collaborative IT projects, this report offers important lessons about how to support nonprofits in accomplishing these goals. Specific grantmaking recommendations are documented on page 8 of the report brief.

Nonprofit Leaders - If you are considering or already undertaking collaborative IT projects, this report contains important lessons to help your organization prepare for and deal with challenging problems that may arise during the course of the project. The lessons learned from this evaluation focus on choosing the right technology, planning an intentional collaborative process and facilitating the process of change management within your organization. Page 7 of the report brief offers key questions to answer as you plan for and pursue collaborative IT projects.

Technical Assistance Providers - If you are considering or are currently providing technical support to organizations involved in a collaborative IT project, this report provides guidelines about what issues grantees are most likely to encounter in the course of their project. Page 7 of the report brief offers questions to consider and to assess readiness as organizations take on collaborative IT projects.