I was recently at the offices of a large NFP client. Walking through, I couldn’t help but notice all the paper flying about. Like the stock market floor after a bad day on Wall St there were sheets everywhere.
So it may be impossible to go completely paperless but it’s a direction we should all be moving in. CTK has done the math and has confirmed that paper files are taking large bites out of the money, time and (perhaps most importantly) resources of NFPs. Not to mention that pricey square footage - 9sq ft per 4 drawer file cabinet.
Reducing the paperweight of the office is just one of the key benefits of moving to the cloud. Convenience is one thing but, and without getting too green-y, our environmental impact needs to be considered too – with a single office in Australia using 10,000 A4 sheets of paper and 50% of that going directly to landfill. Ouch.
Here’s a great breakdown of the steps required to go paperless. The process also allows for that spring clean that never happens as often as it should. Take the time to dump the utility bills and meeting minutes from 2007 in the recycling bin and whip out the scanner to upload those truly important paper documents (you’ll be surprised at how few there are).
Human IT is currently going through a B Corp certification; B-Corp is a new movement that is changing the face of industry as we know it. B Corp stands for Benefit Corporation and it was created based on the belief business practice and humane operations don’t have to be exclusive from one another. The audit is based around 5 categories including how we operate, how we treat our staff and our environmental impact.
One of the requirements is to have a paperless office and we on the way to implementing that component. The advantage of having this certification is to show your audience, employees and beneficiaries you are considerate of the impact your operations can have on the wider community.
Going paperless in not only an environmental advantage, it can encourage your organisation to be much more efficient and be the start of journey of moving to the Cloud. Here’s an article on how NFPs can save money and time by moving to the Cloud.
We live in a digital age, the use of paper is becoming obsolete, it's time to stop living in the past and move on. You will benefit from the cost savings and ever evolving efficiency of the Cloud. Whilst society and the wider community will appreciate your contribution to creating a better world for the future.
