TechSoup.org Adds Online Technology Store

San Francisco, CA - February 13, 2002 -TechSoup.org, the technology Web site for nonprofits, today announced the launch of DiscounTech, an online technology store just for nonprofits. DiscounTech was created in collaboration with leading technology providers to deliver technology products and services the way nonprofits need them: affordably and easily.

DiscounTech brings together some of the key players in the high-tech field for the first time. At launch date, DiscounTech had already signed partnerships with ten premier companies: Akiva, B2PCommerce Corp, eTapestry, Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU), Lotus, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), NetIQ Corporation (NASDAQ: NTIQ), Ontero, SmartForce (via the SmartForce e-Learning Foundation, S.E.L.F.), and WebGecko. Additional backing for the site is provided by Blackbaud. The corporations' willingness to come together in support of the nonprofit community reflects a new trend in the collaboration between the nonprofit and high-tech sectors.

Matt Florence, Director of TechSoup, emphasized the importance of TechSoup being jointly backed by tech industry leaders: "Since its inception, TechSoup has successfully encouraged tech companies to work together in order to provide nonprofits with easier, more affordable access to all aspects of technology. Through DiscounTech, nonprofits get access to a range of products and services that work with and build on each other. The potential of a collaboration like this is enormous for the nonprofit sector."

DiscounTech opens with a broad range of deeply discounted software and also offers a web-building ASP solution. The catalog will expand soon to include an even wider variety of products and services, including hardware and training. The new store provides technology products solely to nonprofits without charging access or membership fees. Products currently available have been either donated to TechSoup or have been made available to TechSoup users at specially negotiated discounts.

As a result, DiscounTech offers the best possible prices for nonprofits -- up to 90% off the retail price. For example, Microsoft Office XP Professional is available on DiscounTech for $60.00, compared to $579.00 retail price.

"DiscounTech could not have launched at a better time," said Marc Osten, principal of the Summit Collaborative (www.summitcollaborative.com) and a nonprofit technology expert. "When budgets are tight and demands for their services are rising, nonprofits need technology products that streamline operations to better help people in need. But the products must be affordable, of good quality, and easy to access. That's where DiscounTech makes a difference."

DiscounTech is a natural next step towards fulfilling TechSoup's mission of providing the first comprehensive technology Web site for the nonprofit sector. Since its launch in May 2000, TechSoup has empowered close to 700,000 nonprofit staff to make informed decisions about technology by creating an authoritative, highly interactive and user-friendly resource. In addition to researching a wide range of tech topics, nonprofits can now purchase software and other technology products at the best possible prices. They can then visit the community message boards to discuss implementation with peers and experts.

DiscounTech builds on CompuMentor's 13-year history in providing nonprofits with low-cost software. During this period, CompuMentor fulfilled the software needs of more than 15,000 nonprofits nationwide. DiscounTech replaces this program and expands it by offering a greater variety of products and services, as well as easy access to related information on TechSoup.

Products offered through DiscounTech

With the launch of DiscounTech, Microsoft made the commitment to exclusively use DiscounTech as the distributor for software donations outside of the Microsoft in-house program. Guidelines for software donations directly from Microsoft can be found at www.microsoft.com/giving. (Nonprofits in the state of Washington can obtain products directly from Microsoft.) The following products will be available through DiscounTech at launch time:

• A variety of Microsoft software, including
  • Office automation suites for PCs and Macs (Office 2001 for Mac, Windows XP Professional
  • PC operating systems (Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows NT Server v. 4.0)
  • PC Web authoring tools (FrontPage 2002)
• Nonprofit accounting software and nonprofit web-building software from B2P (NonprofitBooks and Nonprofit WebBuilder)
• Office automation suite and spread sheet tools from Lotus (Smart Suite v9.7 and 1-2-3, Millennium Edition)
• Web developer's tools to improve web site performance from WebGecko (APGen 2.1 and ASPCache 1.1)

The following products and services will be available soon:

• Message board creation tools (Akiva)
• Donor management and fundraising software (eTapestry)
• QuickBooks Pro2002 accounting software (Intuit Inc.)
• Web analytics services (NetIQ Corporation)
• Intranet/Extranet Web sites (Ontero)
• Access to custom online learning; ranging from basic computer proficiency to IT training (Smart Force)

(For a complete listing of products and product specifications, please visit www.techsoup.org/discountech/). The product offerings will expand as additional leading technology providers partner with TechSoup.

B2P, Blackbaud, and NetIQ Corporation each sponsor a specific TechSoup content section.

About TechSoup

TechSoup (http://www.techsoup.org), a nonprofit Web site created by CompuMentor (http://www.compumentor.org), empowers nonprofits to succeed in the Digital Age by providing timely and targeted technology information. By offering free information and resources for technology products and services combined with expert knowledge, TechSoup provides other nonprofits with the tech know-how and solutions they need to more efficiently and effectively achieve their missions. Through DiscounTech, its new online technology store, TechSoup offers access to deeply discounted tech products and services just for nonprofits. TechSoup partners with high-level tech organizations such as CNET, and with other leading nonprofits such as NPower. TechSoup's weekly e-newsletter, By the Cup, is distributed to more than 15,300 subscribers.

About Marc Osten

Marc Osten has twenty years experience as an activist, educator, and innovator in both the nonprofit sector and educational institutions. He specializes in Internet strategy, the strategic use of technology, and organizational development. He is committed to developing collaborations, and developing learning communities to improve nonprofit effectiveness and power. He works as the Principal of the Summit Consulting Collaborative, a nationally recognized leader in developing programs for foundations, management and technology support providers and nonprofits.

The DiscounTech Partners and why they support DiscounTech
About B2PCommerce Corp

B2PCommerce Corp is a leading provider of technology solutions, which meet the unique business needs of nonprofit organizations. B2P designs, markets and supports specialized solutions to improve performance for the small to mid-sized organization. Products include NonprofitBooks(tm), a nonprofit accounting interface to QuickBooks® Pro, and Nonprofit WebBuilder(tm), a system to build and maintain a Web site. B2P is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

"B2PCommerce is proud to partner with TechSoup and CompuMentor, leaders in technology advice for nonprofits, to introduce innovative, affordable technology solutions to the nonprofit sector. TechSoup's launch of DiscounTech complements B2P's mission to develop affordable new nonprofit technology products and bring them to the nonprofit sector efficiently."
- Jason Saul, CEO, B2PCommerce Corp

About Akiva

Akiva is an innovator of idea management software and services that help organizations propel ideas into results. Akiva's products and services help organizations connect ideas from employees, customers, suppliers and industry groups to dramatically improve business performance for rapid innovation and reduced expenses. The company provides number-one selling WebBoard Conferencing Server and ChatSpace Community Server, professional services and enterprise solutions for financial, educational and the community marketplace. Akiva's software and services enable users to communicate in multiple languages and can be used on a variety of client devices. For more information, visit http://www.akiva.com.

"Our WebBoard conferencing software provides non-profit organizations with an important tool to interact with each other, their members and constituents. Before DiscounTech, it was difficult for us to adequately address the real needs of the non-profit sector. DiscounTech provides a powerful solution to enable this product, and other important enterprise software applications, to be affordably deployed by non-profit organizations. Akiva applauds the efforts and innovation of DiscounTech and CompuMentor in addressing the needs of those in this area of our industry."
- Eric Olinger, CEO and President, Akiva

About Blackbaud

Blackbaud is the leading end-to-end data management and technology solutions provider for the nonprofit community, offering software, services and e-solutions. More than 13,000 nonprofit organizations use Blackbaud solutions to achieve success in fund-raising, financial management and education administration. Founded in 1981, Blackbaud has 650 employees and is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, with offices in Glasgow, Scotland, and Sydney, Australia.

"TechSoup's new DiscounTech offering is a terrific resource for nonprofits. As a company that's spent the past 20 years exclusively committed to helping nonprofits implement and leverage the power of technology, Blackbaud is very proud to help sponsor this new resource. We're committed to doing our part by making our own special offers available on DiscounTech throughout the year. So stay tuned!"
- Robert J. Sywolski, President and CEO, Blackbaud, Inc.

About eTapestry

Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry.com is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. Nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes using eTapestry.com do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

"eTapestry is delighted to be participating in TechSoup's DiscounTech program. By bringing together the top high-tech providers, DiscounTech gives nonprofit organizations the technology tools they need to be successful."
- Jay Love, CEO, eTapestry

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) is the leading provider of financial software and Web-based services for consumers, small businesses and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including Quicken®, QuickBooks®, Quicken TurboTax® and Quicken Loans® simplify personal finance, small business management and payroll processing, tax preparation and filing and home loans.

Founded in 1983, Intuit has annual revenue of more than $1 billion and reaches 25 million customers with nearly 6,000 employees in 13 states and four countries. More information can be found at www.Intuit.com.

"Intuit is proud to support DiscounTech and the nonprofit organizations that use their services. Intuit's QuickBooks Pro is easy to use software that will help the nonprofits with their accounting needs. Intuit works to promote economic empowerment and, helping nonprofits with their finances is one way we can support that initiative."
- Laura Castaneda, group manager of Intuit's community impact group.

About Microsoft Community Affairs

Microsoft Giving, a program of Community Affairs, is committed to empowering people-especially those in underserved and disadvantaged communities-to discover and realize their potential. This is accomplished by building community, expanding opportunities through technology access, developing a diverse technology workforce, and by strengthening nonprofits through technology. In 2001, $215.6 million in cash and software were donated to more than 5,000 nonprofit organizations. www.microsoft.com/giving.

"DiscounTech is the right way to deliver technology products to nonprofits. It combines products with information about how to choose and use them. So nonprofits get technology solutions not just software. That's our goal at Microsoft. And that's why we have decided to donate our software exclusively through DiscounTech. We encourage other technology providers to join us in building this valuable resource for the nonprofit community."
- Jane Meseck, Community Affairs Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation

About NetIQ

NetIQ Corporation (Nasdaq: NTIQ) is a leading provider of e-business infrastructure management and intelligence for all the components of an organization's e-business infrastructure - from back-end servers, networks and directories to front-end web servers and applications. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with development and operational personnel in Houston, Raleigh, N.C., Bellevue, Wash., and Portland, Ore. For more information, please visit NetIQ's Web site at www.netiq.com or call (408) 856-3000. For more information about WebTrends, the e-business intelligence product line from NetIQ, please visit www.webtrends.com or call (888) WEBTRENDS.

"NetIQ is delighted to partner with TechSoup to provide leading WebTrends web analytics technology to non-profit organizations. We're proud to extend our commitment to the non-profit community by offering TechSoup and its members our real-time web analytics service, WebTrends Live."
- Rand Schulman, Senior Director, WebTrends product management, NetIQ

About Ontero

Founded in December of 1999, Ontero was created to provide tools and processes that facilitate and manage the flow of information, which allow organizations to increase their effectiveness through seamless collaboration. Creating and maintaining a communication portal with conventional web technologies is often a costly and frustrating experience. The limitations of existing techniques consume valuable administration time and discourage contributors from keeping the information current. Ontero InfoCentral is an innovative software platform that solves exactly this problem. It provides a self- administered portal in which members of the organization can easily contribute and manage content in a secure and efficient way.

"I believe this powerful partnership between Ontero and TechSoup.org will allow organizations to gain access to technologies that were once beyond their reach. As a high-tech company, we are proud to assist nonprofit organizations in expanding their outreach and provide their members with further support and information, by contributing our InfoCentral Platform."
- Eran Goren, V.P. of Business Development, Ontero

About SmartForce

SmartForce, the world's largest e-Learning company, provides integrated enterprise e-Learning solutions. SmartForce e-Learning is available as a fully hosted Internet environment through an Internet rental model. With more than 2,500 major corporate customers, SmartForce e-Learning solutions bring the power of the Internet to the critical training business process. SmartForce e-Learning environment is also used by leading companies worldwide to provide the infrastructure to support their e-Learning initiatives. The company, which has more than 1,500 employees worldwide, has corporate headquarters at 900 Chesapeake Drive, Redwood City, Calif., 94063. Phone: 650.817.5900. Fax: 650.817.5061. Web site: www.smartforce.com.

About the SmartForce e-Learning Foundation (SELF)

In an effort to promote workforce empowerment in historically underserved communities, SmartForce created the SmartForce e-Learning Foundation (SELF). SELF works in partnership with established nonprofit organizations and community technology centers focused on workforce development. SELF grants blocks of scholarships to these organizations, providing access to SmartForce e-Learning to their underserved constituencies. Through SELF, SmartForce is addressing the workforce empowerment issue, putting powerful resources into the hands of the historically underserved.

"Given SmartForce's long-standing commitment to partnering with community organizations, it is only natural that we join forces with DiscounTech as it works to provide nonprofits with not only technology, but with the tools to use it. We are very pleased to offer the same caliber of learning to individuals through DiscounTech that we provide our Fortune 5000 clients in the pursuit and ultimate achievement of their business, career and personal goals."
- Greg Priest, chairman and CEO, SmartForce

WebGecko

WebGecko Software is a leading Web application performance company, based in Seattle,Washington. WebGecko develops powerful tools and provides specialized consulting services to help customers streamline Web development and improve Web site performance and efficiency. WebGecko's products APGen™ and ASPCache™ are sold at http://www.webgecko.com.

"WebGecko has been working with CompuMentor for years to make our products available to nonprofits. We are excited to continue our support through DiscounTech because nonprofits not only gain access to a wide range of products at great prices, they can also use TechSoup as an educational resource and a platform for sharing ideas with other developers. In return, we feel great knowing that nonprofits that use our software can provide a better service and spend more time focusing on their core mission."
- Jim Vanderslice, Co-founder, WebGecko