We at GroundWork Group are very happy to report that the GroundWork Group IT In A Box Managed Service Offering is available for our membership and we (GroundWork Group ourselves) are fully operational utilizing the service offering. IT In A Box (ITIAB) is a professionally managed web-based technology solution for nonprofits of all sizes that supports and provides hardware, software, network infrastructure, e- mail, security, upgrades, backups, anti-virus software and business continuity. It is a complete information management package that takes the day-to-day stress of Information Technology (IT) out of the hands of nonprofits. ITIAB can be viewed as an IT department for nonprofit organizations.

The two main goals of the GroundWork Group ITIAB Managed Service Offering is to:

1. Provide expanded and cost effective technology capability to nonprofit organizations and
2. Positively impact the community through improved operations at nonprofit organizations.

ITIAB accomplishes these goals and solves many of the fundamental problems associated with managing software applications on the client PC itself. This managed technology infrastructure has been proven in the for-profit sector to be more reliable, easier and less expensive to manage and maintain than a local client PC, but it is not widely used in the nonprofit sector.

A single nonprofit organization can find it difficult to accumulate enough cash to invest in adequate technology. The nature of the shared environment of ITIAB gives nonprofits access to high-level technology for far less money. Throughout the analysis and development of ITIAB, we have learned much and have created a technology solution that meets the needs of nonprofits at an affordable price.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Stephanie Neighbarger at 614-884-7780 ext. 108.

GroundWork Group ended our third year yesterday. Wow, how time flies! We have made much progress as we now serve 130 plus organizations, but we still have a ways to go to develop into the premier provider of technology, education and application solutions for the nonprofit community.

As we move into our fourth year, we are excited to report that our merger with CIVIC has gone extremely well and our combined organization is positioned to move forward in a significant manner. We have plans to continue to extend our offerings to serve our members. I would like to share with you our plans for the upcoming year.

From a technology solutions perspective -

• Introduce GroundWork Group IT In A Box (ITIAB) Managed Services to the nonprofit community
• Develop and introduce an Information Technology Security service offering to reduce the risk of security issues for our member organizations
• Further enhance our Technology Assessment, Advancement, and evaluation Process (TAAP) service offering

From an education solutions perspective -

• Make our Third Annual Members Conference on October 17th, be our best as The Ohio State University's President Gordon Gee.our keynote speaker, helps us drive our theme of "Utilizing Technology to Help us Work and Collaborate Together in a More Effective Manner"
• Introduce a class that will help all individuals that serve on Nonprofit Boards to identify ways in which technology can help their nonprofit
• Continue to offer relevant educational opportunities throughout the year

From an application perspective -

• Introduce a Blast Email service offering to make managing electronic communication easier
• Introduce an Online Fundraising/Registration service offering to make it easier and more convenient to market constituents over the web
• Further enhance the CIVIC Solution from a customer perspective, continue to make the offering more user friendly

From an overall standpoint -

• Perform a benefit and impact evaluation on our own organization to continually make sure we are relevant and focused on providing the most effective solutions to all of our constituents.
• Evaluate how we can roll out the the concept of GroundWork Group to other locations within the State of Ohio

Again, we want to thank everyone that is involved with us and has helped us take a dream to reality. Please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime. John