Group Serving Hard-to-Hire Men Gets Boost from Donated Technology
M.E.N.S. Wear Inc. (Making Employment the Next Step), or MWI, serves men from low-income communities who face barriers to gainful employment and self-sufficiency. MWI provides career readiness and training, mentoring services, and computer technology training as well as professional dress advice to hard-to-employ men in the greater Atlanta area.
Despite being an organization that focuses on job readiness for the 21st century, MWI struggled for years with a weak technology infrastructure. The group relied on paper documentation, which was difficult to share internally and externally. That began to change when MWI received a donation of Microsoft Office Small Business. The Microsoft software has enabled the group to develop a solid technology foundation to communicate with clients, community partners, and board members. MWI has used Microsoft Office to build a website and send branded emails, which has helped to raise awareness of its services. An online application process has enabled community partners to refer potential clients at any time. The online application also makes it easier to download client data and track client progress. Microsoft Office has also helped MWI sharply reduce paper use and waste by creating and saving documents digitally.
