The Community Foundation Technology Initiative is a comprehensive, field-wide plan developed by the Technology Steering Committee. Its goal is to build community foundation readiness, capacity and infrastructure over a 3-year time frame. The plan proposes carefully selected improvements to current systems and, at the same time, provides the catalyst needed to drive development of “next generation” core system software. The priorities of the Technology Initiative reflect an important finding of the TSC: improvements to each of the three main components of the Technology Roadmap (core systems, Web presence, and accountability) must be moved forward simultaneously and with equal energy.  The TSC requires that any improvements to current (or legacy) systems will be made using open architecture guidelines and Internet-based development techniques that connect to the legacy systems as well as bridge to the next generation core system software.

The Atlas Data Bridge is an ambitious and far reaching project that has been underway for 18 months (for a general description of the project, see the webcast, The What and Why of the Atlas Data Bridge). The Data Bridge works to provide the behind-the-scenes programming necessary for different systems to talk to each other.  They will open foundations core systems.

Webcast: Atlas Databridge Update November 29, 2007  2:00 PM ET Click here to register..

The Data Bridge supports the development of custom, specialized applications that make use of FIMS, FoundationPower and Blackbaud data, such as an on-line event management system or a donor “find and give” application that will present a common interface for FIMS, FoundationPower and Blackbaud systems.

Internet interfaces are applications that connect data in a foundation’s core system to the authorized constituents who want to use that data (for example, Advisor Xpress links donors to information about their charitable funds).  Internet interfaces also allow workflow applications that give foundation employees easier access to information, better information tracking mechanisms and links to other office productivity applications such as the Internet, email, Microsoft applications, and phone systems.

Key insights have emerged from the work on the Data Bridge project to show a spot light on specific foundation business needs that are under-served by the market as a whole. 

It Works!

The very good news about the Atlas Data Bridge is that the initial client for the Atlas Data Bridge (Baton Rouge) has agreed that the system works and is now planning to bring the system online and into production. This project includes implementing:

• The Atlas host data base and web services structure.
• A FIMS adapter to allow FIMS to talk to the Atlas data base.
• A Sphere adapter to allow Kintera Sphere to talk to the Atlas data base.

Also in the good news category, scheduling has begun for implementation at a second FIMS client site.  The Data Bridge project will be considered complete after the third FIMS client is operational. Timeline for this is third quarter 2007.

• The three clients together will represent the two major versions of FIMS within the installed base, and will have provided a degree of experience with differing foundation practices.
• In order to deliver this project, certain functions have been pushed out to a later version.  These include, for instance, how to track merged records across platforms.
• Work is proceeding to connect the first third party provider to the platform in order to exchange data.

No FoundationPower client has been scheduled yet for implementation. There has been a reluctance to create expectations of timelines before the FIMS product was completed. The adaptation of the adapter to FoundationPower is considered to be a project that will require weeks, not months. Target for the FoundationPower early adopter is also third quarter.

Key Differentiator:  How will the Data Bridge help address fund management?

Most of what foundations do is much the same as other organizations, be they for profit or not for profit.  In such cases, such as convening a meeting, tools developed for the broader market are directly applicable to the foundation space, and indeed are probably better/ faster/ cheaper than anything serving only the field.

But there are things that are different and knowing what they are can help us focus resources and brain power on how to address them. The first among these is what has affectionately been dubbed: “the fund object”.

There is a particular way foundations relate to clients through funds that really is different from most businesses.  Sure, a store can be said to relate to customers through its products, and a bank through its accounts, but there is something different about foundation funds.  In a way they exist as a separate entity unto themselves, potentially receiving donations from multiple parties, being invested in multiple instruments, and being disbursed to multiple grantees.

The term “fund object” is used to describe a collection of requirements that revolve around a “fund”.  Funds as a business entity include attributes describing their name, related system fund ID, type of fund, history (such as date established), and instructions such as investment objectives, and fund purpose (both as clear text and codified by geography, constituency, and field of interest). The P/L of a fund is reflected in the history of fund statement data (balances), as well as in gifts and grants.  Funds include relationships with individuals, where roles can include donor, fund adviser, professional adviser, etc.  The fund object also includes relationships of funds to payees, be they designated in the trust document or through a process of grant a request.  They can even include relations between funds.

The administration of the “fund object” goes beyond accounting.  From the perspective of the Atlas Data Bridge: