Toward a Paperless Office
A paperless office doesn't necessarily mean an office entirely without files. Instead, the process itself should be paperless, disseminating information electronically. Paper should be used largely as a backup, and as another way to archive.
Grants managers from three grantmaking organizations discussed the process of going paperless and what software solutions they found worked best for their organizations’ needs. Karin Bishop, from the Virginia G. Piper Trust, said that when making the transition to a paperless system, awareness of staff comfort levels, and a set of naming and use conventions can go a long way toward a smoother adoption. She also suggested investing in larger monitors, a good quality scanner (to digitize paper documents), and an off-site backup.
Roweena Naidoo, program manager at the Women's Foundation of Colorado, uses CyberGrants, but recommended to attendees that they evaluate all programs and follow up their selection with as much training as possible.
Henry Bromelkamp, who moderated the discussion, added that going paperless has the potential to save money, in addition to being more environmentally conscious. Software and additional memory costs are likely to be offset by savings in postage, printing, and storage space. “Don't go through this process unless you can save money,” he said.