Projects The following are some examples of recent successes: DonorsChoose.org brings donors and teachers together so donors can provide resources that public school classrooms lack. After setting an ambitious goal of serving schools in all 50 states within the next two years, DonorsChoose realized they needed a new software platform to support the growth. Partnering with Alexander Interactive, Czar Solutions was chosen to manage the redesign and deployment of the nonprofit’s new web application on a more powerful technical architecture. The project improved and streamlined core business processes as well as added new functionality such as dynamic content management so DonorsChoose can grow while keeping costs down. The Harlem Hospital Center Pediatrics Division had been gathering specialized information about its patients and residents for years. Now, it needed a better way to store that information to meet its reporting requirements and to improve the services it could provide. Czar Solutions developed a custom application to store HHC's information and to enable department staff to review the data with ease, saving them hours of work each month. Czar Solutions was hired by NPower NY to research and recommend a new software solution for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill - Metro NYC chapter. NAMI had outgrown its homegrown collection of spreadsheets and Access databases and wanted a consolidated package to manage its contact and membership information as well as improve its fundraising capability. Czar Solutions reviewed over 30 software packages and facilitated the final software selection. Once the package was chosen, Czar Solutions helped NAMI through the process of data cleansing, configuring the new software and migrating its existing software to the new system. Small business is still important business. Freebird Books opened its doors in January with the hopes of being the place where you can spend the afternoon sipping drinks and browsing for books or to go hear local writers give readings. Behind the bookshelves was still the task of running the business. Freebird enlisted Czar Solutions to replace its paper notebook ledgers with a custom Access cash register to track daily revenues and taxes. Future enhancements have already been planned to gradually computerize all of Freebird’s money transactions. Support local business in Brooklyn at www.freebirdbooks.com When United Way International wanted to build a Global Philanthropy Portal, it chose Czar Solutions to manage the project. The project had three goals: To rebuild UWI’s public web site. To create a web interface to Aptify, its donor and grant management system, that would handle meeting registrations for UWI’s World Assembly. To start to build an extranet to connect donors and United Way member organizations to relevant grant information. Czar Solutions managed a team of offshore developers to build the Portal using ASP.NET, Aptify, and SQL Server. During the project, Czar Solutions also worked with UWI on several other significant tasks: assessing and outlining the technical architecture; discussing how technology could realize UWI’s 5 year vision; researching online credit card vendors; and helping plan and run the World Assembly for 200 guests from 38 countries. Check out United Way International’s web site at www.uwint.org, and make a donation to a wonderful organization that helps charities around the world. The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies sent out a request for help in assessing the state of its technology, and Czar Solutions answered the call. With an on-site technical assessment, we were together able to answer questions such as: Can the entire Center be upgraded to DSL access? Would wireless access work given the layout of the campus? How could BCBS better keep track of class registrations and housing?  Were new computers needed? BCBS has since used the assessment to implement some of the suggested changes and is optimistic that it will be able to do more as budget and time allow.