Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

One strategy through which some development projects become more self-sustainable is leveraging or sometimes even creating information and communications technologies (ICT). 

All sorts of ICTs can be put to use and made the most of by different initiatives looking to increase their self-sustainability:

• Nowadays, having a website and a social media profile plays a key role in an initiative’s overall visibility –in a very basic sense, an online presence helps others know that it exists in the first place. This is why many projects get beneficiary, volunteer and donor engagement by using these platforms to explain what their project is about, what makes it different from others, why it is important, what its objectives are and how anyone can contribute to achieving them. These platforms also encourage photos, videos, infographics, animations and all kinds of resources that tell the project’s story in a more compelling way. Thus, initiatives can approach new audiences more readily and get new collaborators to diversify their funding sources and negotiate their interests and priorities more freely.
• Rating systems or comment sections can help gather opinions from communities, users or participants so that initiatives can improve, change and adapt through their suggestions and feedback. This makes projects more relevant to more people and allows them to gather input that could make their solutions more comprehensive. 
• Online courses, webinars or videos can help train and empower local participants to be actors in their own development on a more equal footing. 
• Paid advertisements and publicity on social media allow initiatives to promote their efforts and make their different collaborations, events or activities “go viral” (which can range from concerts and fundraising marathons to campaigns to recruit new volunteers). This visibility helps initiatives find new and varied sources of support, each of which will bring about knowledge, ideas, materials, time, etc.
• E-mails, videoconferences, online work forums, etc. help streamline work processes and improve communication among the different members of an initiative. This helps prevent the duplication of efforts, leverage resources and ensure that different work areas support each other. In addition, these tools allow remote work and can help a project become decentralized, i.e., not all decisions are made in the same headquarters. And remote work can also help form new collaborations or networks with other initiatives, and thus scale projects by taking them to different regions or populations. 
• Initiatives’ results and budget management can be published and disseminated on social media, websites or through mailings to collaborators, volunteers, donors and beneficiaries. This transparency fosters trust in all participants, encourages them to continue contributing and can make it easier for more people to join in. 
• Online fundraising platforms make donations quick, easy and safe. Some of these tools are used to put together crowdfunding campaigns where different people and organizations can contribute according to their own means. Others allow initiatives to receive donations through their websites. Using them may expand the initiative’s resources, making them less dependent on just one or a few sources of funding.