Donated Dell 745's - Policy on use for Wards, Stakes & FHC..?

Discussions around the setup, operation, replacement, and disposal of clerk computers, not to include using MLS
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daverich
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Donated Dell 745's - Policy on use for Wards, Stakes & FHC..?

#1

Post by daverich »

I have a local hospital that has a surplus of 2-3 year old Dell 745 machines. That is a bit newer than the boxes we have been getting from the Church.

What is the policy on acquiring some of the donated machines and using them for Ward Clerks, Stake Clerks and Family History Center machines..? Anything against that in Tech Policy..?
russellhltn
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#2

Post by russellhltn »

The policy is quite clear. Policy and Guidelines for Computers Used by Clerks for Church Record Keeping

"Ward and stakes may not accept or use donated computers for Church record keeping."

The FM group should be replacing computers on a 5 year (give or take) cycle. However, they might have to be reminded in time for them to add it to their budget.


Now computers for the FHC is a different story. You can read the details in the FHC Computer Policy
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allenjblodgett
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FHC Computer Policy

#3

Post by allenjblodgett »

Voluntary donations of computer hardware or funds to buy new computers can be accepted, but donations should not be solicited.


The Family History Department discourages accepting donated equipment that needs to be repaired or upgraded. Also there are some relatively low standards for the computers donated:

[quote]
[align=left]• Pentium 4
• 1 GB of memory
• 40 GB of hard disk capacity
• DVD/CDRW drive
• 3.5" high-density disk drive
• Windows XP
• 101 enhanced keyboard[/align]
• 17" VGA monitor
[/quote]
russellhltn
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#4

Post by russellhltn »

AllenBlodgett wrote:Also there are some relatively low standards for the computers donated:

The very next sentence:
"Please contact the FamilySearch Support Office for the most current minimum standards."
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WongwiraphabKa
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#5

Post by WongwiraphabKa »

What is the policy regarding accepting a donated laptop which is neither for MLS nor FHC use, but for other activities such as for powerpoint presentation during firesides, for doing software webcast, or for ward activities like karaoke or ballroom dance for older folks? (I'm not kidding. Seriously, the bishop is a musician and he has really asking from some member who is well to do to donate a laptop for those recreational activities)
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aebrown
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#6

Post by aebrown »

wongwiraphabka wrote:What is the policy regarding accepting a donated laptop which is neither for MLS nor FHC use, but for other activities such as for powerpoint presentation during firesides, for doing software webcast, or for ward activities like karaoke or ballroom dance for older folks? (I'm not kidding. Seriously, the bishop is a musician and he has really asking from some member who is well to do to donate a laptop for those recreational activities)

As long as it's not for record keeping or FHC use, I would think a laptop would not particularly fall under the computer policies (except to the extent it may connect to the meetinghouse network, of course). So it would be no different from a donation of something else, like a camp stove, bulletin board, vase, or an all-expense-paid youth trip to Cancun. The bishop has to decide how such proposed donations fit within the policy (see Handbook 2, 13.2.8) regarding funding:
Stake and ward budget funds should be used to pay for all activities, programs, and supplies. Members should not ... provide materials, supplies, rental or admission fees, or long-distance transportation at their own expense.
If the "donation" is simply an attempt to slide around the funding guidelines, the bishop should probably deny the request. If it's actually a donation of some item that would be given away to some other entity anyway, then the bishop needs to use his best judgment.
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#7

Post by russellhltn »

Here's what I was able to find. Regarding computers:

Handbook 2 21.1.11 states:
The stake president oversees the placement and use of computers in the stake. Guidelines for obtaining and managing Church computers are available from Church headquarters or the assigned administrative office. These guidelines provide information about matters such as hardware and software, donated computers, Internet connections, repairs, disposal of computers, stolen or damaged computers, security, and use by members.
The published guidelines I've seen from CHQ only cover MLS and FHC computers. At minimum, I'd think that the responsibility for things like Antivirus and updates would fall on the unit and it wouldn't qualify for anything the church provides. If stolen, it might not be replaced.

But it does seem to me that the Stake President should be consulted as it seems to me that he is responsible for all computers in the stake, not just the MLS and FHC computers.

The bigger concern to me is that it sounds like the bishop is planning to solicit for a donation. There might be other guidelines, but the best one I can find is Handbook 2 21.1.38
The established programs of the Church provide financial assistance for worthy individuals and appropriate causes. Church assistance is administered by bishops, who are familiar with the circumstances and can prevent duplicate assistance and abuses. Therefore, members should not solicit additional financial assistance from Church headquarters or from local leaders or members.

If members receive such a request for funds, they could respond by saying that they have contributed in their own wards to provide funds for assistance according to established principles of Church welfare.
While it covers funds, I don't see why soliciting members for equipment would be any different.
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foteaic
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Re: Donated Dell 745's - Policy on use for Wards, Stakes & FHC..?

#8

Post by foteaic »

Hello,
I would love to know if a FHC old computer might be donated to a Church member and what is the policy concerning it? The member that I am thinking of is a special needs member in our branch.
Thank you.
russellhltn
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Re: Donated Dell 745's - Policy on use for Wards, Stakes & FHC..?

#9

Post by russellhltn »

foteaic wrote:I would love to know if a FHC old computer might be donated to a Church member and what is the policy concerning it? The member that I am thinking of is a special needs member in our branch.
In the Family History Center Operations Guide, under "If we are cleaning out the center, what do we keep, and what do we discard?"

"Computers, printers, and other computer-related hard ware that is working but is being replaced by the Family History Department", it says

"The stake president may authorize older computers and printers to be placed in the homes of local stake members. The computers must be scrubbed of all software (use the free downloadable program from http://www.dban.org) before making the transfer. The recipient is responsible for obtaining an operating system and other software. Otherwise, dispose of older computers and printers through your local facility management office."

So yes, with proper authorization, just the computer hardware can be given to a member - but it must be scrubbed of all software including the OS. Depending on the age of the computer, it may still have a license sticker for Windows XP (obsolete) or Vista. I doubt if it's licensed for Windows 7.
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