Ernie Jenkins had skillfully managed to avoid using computers his entire life. Then he met information technology consultant Debra Adamson.

"I made many good arguments about why I didn't need to use a computer," Jenkins laughed, "but her arguments were better. She helped me understand why it was important and how it would improve the organization."

Jenkins is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of the nonprofit Westside Association for Community Action (WACA) in Illinois. Jenkins was content to go on offering services to the community without the benefit of technology, but when it came time for WACA to restructure the way it does business, technology became an important part of their strategy to improve communication between service organizations, and Jenkins couldn't hide from computers anymore.

WACA was the pilot site for the restructuring of state service agencies in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Health Services, like many state agencies, is in the process of reorganizing itself and the agencies it does business with to make service agencies more responsive to the needs of their clients. In the past, services were delivered in a fragmented way. With the reorganization, services are becoming more integrated.

Adamson, president of Adamson Consulting, Ltd., was called in not only to bring WACA out of the technological dark ages but also to participate in planning and act as a mediator between WACA and the state. With 15 years of IT experience, there wasn't an IT problem that could faze her, but Adamson was initially apprehensive about branching off into management consulting.

"It was a real departure for me," Adamson noted. "I wouldn't have tackled it if I didn't have a business analyst on staff."

Working for a nonprofit was also a change for Adamson. But, just as Jenkins rose to the occaision to become proficient with computers, Adamson flourished in the face of a challenge, successfully helping WACA develop a strategic plan for the future.

"Debra helped us get a handle on what we were trying to do," Jenkins said. "Getting started is hard. We were looking at the whole pie, which can become daunting. She helped us cut it into more manageable pieces. "

When Adamson came in, WACA had a few older computers, limited ability to do word processing, no communications strategy, and no database capabilities. "Before we could get them integrated with the state, we had to get them organized like a business," Adamson said. "Then we had to do a lot of tech planing, ensuring effective communications and that everything was Y2K ready."

Technology was a key part of enabling WACA to reach its goals of integrating services, sharing information, and improving client management. WACA's technology plan encompassed hardware, software, networking, and Internet connectivity. Among their goals were to improve the phone system and create a tech center to train teens and welfare-to-work clients. Adamson completed implementation of the 12 networked computers for the training center and is still at work training the technology-shy WACA staff how to use these computers and software programs.

Adamson also tackled WACA's deficient phone system. WACA had two phone lines in different sections of the office and no voice mail. "People were hollering all over the place, trying to track someone down the let them know they had a phone call -- it was a mess," Jenkins said. "Now our staff can just call in to their voice mail to get their messages, they don't have to return to the office if they're out on calls. The system Debra came up with is less frustrating for us and our customers."

The final area for improvement was to get networked with other state agencies. WACA has 50 member organizations, and they want to be able to share information and learn from one another. One proposed idea is to have all the member organizations pitch in on a web site. This way all the agencies can disseminate information in an economically efficient way, and "with everyone pitching in, the cost of maintaining a website wouldn't burden one organization," said Jenkins. The parent interactive web site is now operational and online.

There were many improvements over the course of the restructuring, but the process was not an easy one. "Change can be a little painful: when you've been doing something one way for such a long time it's difficult to learn that you could have been more efficient all along."

Another challenge they faced was the hectic schedule of a nonprofit agency. "It's hard to find the time to strategize when you still have all the daily nuts and bolts you have to deal with," Jenkins said. "Debra was very patient. She was a tremendous help. She kept us focused. She was able to conceptualize what we needed to do, and her knowledge of systems was so important. Her approach was nonthreatening and always encouraging, which reduced the pain of change."