Locality Switch

If you’re a not for profit group in Australia (such as Community Radio), and can’t quite afford to buy the software you need, then this is for you! DonorTech is a organisation which provides software and hardware to not for profit groups for a tiny sum of money:

DonorTec provides donated software and hardware from companies such as Microsoft and Cisco to eligible Australian non profit groups with Income Tax Exempt Status (ITE). Via this program you can get the latest products each year e.g. Microsoft Windows Vista

If you’re strapped for cash, then this is just what you need. No more *cough* illegal software. No more borrowing that copy of XP from a friend. This is the real deal!

Their catalog of software is extensive: from Windows XP and Vista through to Windows Server 2008, Office 2007, Expression Web, etc. The list goes on. There is also a great list of hardware from Cisco, but at the time of writing, they don’t have any readily avaliable.

However, there are certain rules, particularly in regards to the Microsoft products. You can only order once a year, and but within a 24 month period, you can not order more than six software titles, and you can not order more than fifty licenses for each title.

There’s also a couple of other gotchas, but overall it is a very nice program. Did I mention how much they charge for their products? Windows XP costs $11 per licence, and Windows Server 2008 only costs $48. CALs also sell for around $3.

How can they do this? All of the software and hardware is donated by the suppliers.

The key to this is: planning. You need to plan not only how many licenses for each product you will need now, but also in the next 24 months. Develop a long-term strategic plan. But remember, plans are only guesses; I think it is best to over-order slightly, to cover all bases.

Finally, you need to ensure you have an ATO recognised Income Tax Exemption (ITE). Luckily, our government makes it very easy to check out your accreditation status through the web.