May, 2012

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Must-Read Reports for Nonprofits

Nonprofit Tech for Good

The eight reports listed below are just a small sampling of the research available to nonprofits about online communications and fundraising, social media, and mobile technology. These reports are, however, some of the most valuable in terms of insight, useful and practical data, and how-to advice. Many of these reports are published on an annual basis, so please be sure to bookmark this post and I’ll keep the the list updated as new reports are released.

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Pinterest for Nonprofits: 5 Tips for Raising Money with “Pins”

NetWits

I have to admit when the whole Pinterest thing started, I thought to myself, “Oh great, now the internet is making me feel guilty about not putting my kids pictures in cute little scrapbooks.”. I just couldn’t see the business application. Nor could I see how the nonprofits I work with would have time for yet another social network to their already hard enough social media struggle.

Money 249
professionals

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Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America spread #GoSilent across the web for Memorial Day

Amy Sample Ward

If you’re in the US today, there’s probably little chance you didn’t know it was Memorial Day – from the specials on TV, to local events, to remembrance stories, and even community gatherings, it’s hard to miss the message of today’s holiday. I had planned to take the day off from work to remember and reflect on the service of those in my family (my grandfather, now passed), and in my community.

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50 State VOAD Community

VisionLink

'Pleased to report that Ray, Rene, Joanne, and I are attending the annual conference of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) here in Norfolk, Virginia. This is the 20th annual conference, and befitting the theme, Mountains to Sea , VisionLink is proud to release its 50 State VOAD Community project. As a national NVOAD partner, VisionLink is contributing a web site for every state VOAD, as well as the enterprise system behind the scenes to integrate and unify every one

Community 238
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The Retention Ripple Effect: Nonprofit Staff and Donor Dynamics

Speaker: Andrew Olsen, CFRE - EVP, Fundraising Solutions at DickersonBakker | Kat Landa, CFRE, CSD - SVP, Talent Solutions at DickersonBakker

Across the nonprofit sector, organizations invest heavily in donor retention efforts, yet the struggle of cultivating lasting relationships remains. While attracting new donors is crucial, the lack of repeat donors poses significant financial risks. Through a comprehensive analysis of industry data, experts argue that there is a direct correlation between donor burnout, donor retention, and the talent retention crisis.

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Funding Innovation for Skoll Social Entrepreneurs

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

I was recently at the Skoll World Forum, probably the best conference in the world for meeting with top social entrepreneurs. As a longtime member of the Skoll community, I prize this week for the opportunity to talk frankly with peers about our biggest mutual challenges. Peer learning is the most valuable opportunity for a field that has no operator's manual -- like social entrepreneurship!

Fund 154
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Lame spam of the day: CitiBank Account Alert

Robert Weiner

This type of phishing scam is common as dirt, but this example is particularly lame. First, it includes the sections of CitiBank's standard notices that would normally include the account holder's name and the last 4 digits of the account -- but they're blank. Then there are some typos. But the really lame part is that the links at the end (Contact Customer Service, View Our Privacy Statement, Add Us to Your Address Book) point to americanexpress.com.

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More Trending

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7 Secrets to Increasing Online Fundraising Results and Wowing Donors

NetWits

Download the complete 2011 Online Fundraising Report to learn more about the 13% YoY growth, double-digit growth since 2009 and the top reasons your nonprofit should invest in its online fundraising program. Download the report now! . Online Fundraising has become a popular and successful method for nonprofits trying to increase revenue and acquire new donors.

Results 230
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Book Review and Giveaway: The Eight Principles of Sustainable Fundraising

Amy Sample Ward

In our work, regardless of the the cause we are passionate about it or the job title we have, we have to recognize that it isn’t all about the “function” of our work. Do you work in a communications department? It isn’t always about social media. Do you work on the development team? Well, it isn’t always about fundraising.

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Have You Hired Your Interns Yet?

VisionLink

'I would like to challenge our customers and our suppliers to make this the summer to get serious about hiring interns. Three benefits come to mind: First, you can increase your productivity at low cost. Our high schools, colleges, and graduate schools continue to prepare young people who are in fact dedicated, focused, and capable. And yes, while the overall state of our educational system needs serious repair, there are many young people who can offer the ability to get good work done.

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Bookshare Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary at Google

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Bookshare, Benetech’s pioneering digital library for people with print disabilities, celebrated its 10th birthday last night with a terrific party that was attended by many of our long-time friends and supporters. The event was hosted by Google on its campus in Mountain View, California, which is home to some of the most cutting edge technologists in the world.

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How to Design a Seamless & Personalized Digital Donor Journey

Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio

The average nonprofit uses five or more different software platforms to create their donor’s journey, making the experience clunky and disjointed. If you want to design a magical online giving experience for donors, making their journey as seamless as possible is key. In this webinar with expert Tim Sarrantonio, you’ll learn the fundamental steps to create an immersive and personalized online giving experience for your donors.

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Lame spam of the day: messages from YouTube

Robert Weiner

I've seen several flavors of this spam lately. The formatting is pretty good -- not the usual lameness. It's the content that's lame. This site says they're from an online pharmacy. Version 1: Sender: YouTube Service (service@youtube.com). Subject: YouTube Service sent you a message: Your video has been approved. Text: YouTube Service has sent you a message: Your video has been approved.

Spam 122
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11 Excellent Examples of Nonprofit Avatars

Nonprofit Tech for Good

Every second of every day nonprofits around the world are posting status updates, tweets, and messages on social networks attached to avatars with cropped art work and/or unreadable text. Would you ever send out a print or e-mail newsletter, or sign off on a business card with a cropped or visually-defective logo and text so small that it was indecipherable?

Avatar 229
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Top 4 Online Fundraising Tactics Your Nonprofit Can’t Live Without

NetWits

Download the complete 2011 Online Fundraising Report to learn more about the 13% YoY growth, double-digit growth since 2009 and the top reasons your nonprofit should invest in its online fundraising program. Download the report now! . In our 2011 Online Fundraising Report we learned that every sector surveyed experienced double-digit growth since 2009 , including roughly 13 percent* in the past year.

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Great reads from around the web on May 9th

Amy Sample Ward

I come across so many great conversations, ideas, and resources all over the web every day. Here are some of the most interesting things I’ve found recently (as of May 9th). You can join the conversations in the comments, or click through to the original posts to find what others are saying. To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks).

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Nonprofits Are Leveraging the Cloud, but Does It Have to Be So Complex?

Effectively managing cloud technology is getting more complex. From cybersecurity concerns, vendor lock-in, cost increases, or lack of transparency on costs, it can quickly get out of control. Knowing what you can control and finding a platform that’s built with nonprofits in mind is key.

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AIRS Conference: NextGen 2.11

VisionLink

'With a reception tonight, we roll out an important discussion with our 2-1-1 colleagues, "NextGen2.11," the intentional work to move 2-1-1 operations into the center of community-wide information and referral (not only for those in need or crisis - but for all looking for community-based services), and to bring to the 2-1-1 community a series of revenue generating, and operations-sustaining opportunities.

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UpEnergy: cool for-profit social enterprise

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

The rise of for-profit social enterprises has been quite exciting. Although I'm firmly on the nonprofit side with Benetech (because we focus on big issues where the market is failing), it's definitely easier to get funded sustainably if you have an exciting and invest-able business plan. Evan Haigler is a social entrepreneur I've known for years. He's made a big difference in the area of clean cook stoves and carbon credits, spinning his nonprofit group ImpactCarbon out of UC Berkeley years ago.

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Blackbaud – Convio merger expected to close this week

Robert Weiner

The Department of Justice signed off on Blackbaud's acquisition of Convio last week, and it looks like the deal will close this week. This is just the beginning of the story. I expect that it will take at least several months, and probably several years, before the dust settles and we know what's left behind. David Lawson has been arguing that Common Ground is a goner and clients will be pushed to eTapestry.

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Video Interview with Heather Mansfield: Top Three Social Media Tips for Nonprofits

Nonprofit Tech for Good

Until recently, I have gone to exceptional lengths to avoid getting video recorded. I have always felt very uncomfortable in front of a camera and even more so watching myself recorded. I’m usually the person behind the lens. Know what I mean? In fact, one of the reasons that I have pursued a career in nonprofit technology, ironically, is that I can do it in solitude and mostly in the comfort of my own home.

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Nonprofit Technology Kick Start: Free World Class Board Meeting Software

Looking for cost reductions for your nonprofit? Why not consider modernizing with a digital board management system that's designed to work with remote meetings, with immediate cost reductions if you still distribute paper packets to members? Get going in less than an hour on a fully hosted cloud solution built on the latest technology that runs on any device - from desktops to tablets and smartphones - without any installation.

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5 Ways to Empower Your Crowdsource Fundraisers

NetWits

Crowdsourcing has become a popular term in recent years, but the word has only been around since 2006. It’s popularity has made the word commonplace when you interact in social networks. It’s also spreading around the fundraising and nonprofit world. Some people are starting to call it “Crowdsource Fundraising” But haven’t we been doing “crowdsourcing” for a little longer than 5 years in the event fundraising space?

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Friday Food for Thought: Watching the Game Film (for Nonprofits)

Amy Sample Ward

This guest post is from Jacob Smith , the co-author of The Nimble Nonprofit. I’m really excited about this new comprehensive, honest resource for nonprofit leaders, and hope you’ll check it out ! I asked Jacob to write a guest post here to get us all thinking, and hopefully talking. Would love to hear your thoughts! —– For professional football players, the six days between games are jammed with practice, gym workouts, and travel.

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AIRS Conference: VisionLink Users Group Reception

VisionLink

'The 2012 AIRS Conference kicks off today, and all VisionLink customers are invited to join several VisionLink staffers (including yours truly), this evening from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Click here for more information. You can find us in the Gallier A/B Suite on the 4th floor. For those of you not familiar, AIRS (the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems), has as its mission to provide leadership and support to its members and Affiliates to advance the capacity of a Standards-driven Information

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Benetech’s New Image Description Tool Improves Accessibility of Graphical Content for Students with Print Disabilities

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Benetech has long been a pioneer in providing innovative services to people with print disabilities. This week, Benetech’s DIAGRAM Center has announced the release of an open source web application for creating and editing crowdsourced image descriptions in books used by students with print disabilities. The Poet application developed by DIAGRAM helps level the playing field by making otherwise inaccessible graphic content available for students and other readers who cannot read traditional book

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Donor Engagement Guide: 8 Key Steps to Better Retain and Engage Donors

Are your donors your biggest fans, or are you lacking donor loyalty? The truth is, your donors have expectations of what their relationship with your organization should look like. This ebook will help you learn how to live up to those expectations!

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Lame spam of the day: Amazon cancelation

Robert Weiner

Lame lame lame. This doesn't look remotely like an email from Amazon. And of course it's not for a product I ordered. Would someone really click this? Previous incarnations of this spam have led to a Canadian online pharmacy, and the hyperlinks in this one lead to a site in Canada. Sender: order-update@amazon.com. Subject: Amazon.com - Your Cancellation (147-911-9683).

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11 Excellent Examples of Nonprofit Avatars

Nonprofit Tech for Good

Every second of every day nonprofits around the world are posting status updates, tweets, and messages on social networks attached to avatars with cropped art work and/or unreadable text. Would you ever send out a print or e-mail newsletter, or sign off on a business card with a cropped or visually-defective logo and text so small that it was indecipherable?

Avatar 171
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Improve Online Donor Retention with these 5 Proven Follow Up Techniques

NetWits

Download the full Multichannel Fundraising Report. to learn more about the turn to online fundraising, the need for a multichannel approach and how direct mail is still alive and well. Download Now! Online donors are a generous group. In fact, online donors are worth a lot more than offline donors. Typically they’re first-time donors who shell out nearly double the amount that offline first-time donors do - to the tune of $62 versus $32 on average, according to our 2011 Multichannel Fund

Technique 201
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Spamalot?

NCE Social Media

Let’s talk about spam and social media. Not the canned meat delicacy but the nasty unwanted stuff. When you think of spam you probably think of email. But social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. are also avenues for spam. . A story by Bloomberg Business Week states that as many as 40% of all social media accounts are spam.

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Nonprofit Technology Adoption: Why It Matters and How to Be Successful

Organizations like yours are increasingly realizing that technology adoption is only as good as the technology you choose. Statistics from a 2014 NTEN study show that seriously investing resources in training for your staff corresponds to higher adoption and ultimately technology effectiveness. In this report, we’ll give you a high-level overview of how to get your organization in shape for technology adoption and best practices for facilitating this critical process.

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PQMD: Medical Surplus Recovery Organization Planning

VisionLink

'Lori Warrens, the executive director of the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD), VisionLink''s Lois Ann Porter and others are on-site today planning the upcoming Medical Surplus Recovery Organization (MSRO) Conference to be held at the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta this July. MSROs from across the country will join PQMD , the U.S.

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Three Reasons Kids Need Digital Literacy and Citizenship Education

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

Photo by WhiteAfrican. Note from Beth: By the time you read this post, I’ll be in the air enroute to Rwanda for a training project. As a parent of wired kids, I think teaching digital literacy is very important for parents to do. Here’s some great advice from my colleagues at CommonSense Media. Three reasons kids need digital literacy and citizenship education — and three ways to provide it – Guest Post by Emily Esch.

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Blackbaud’s acquisition of Convio is a done deal

Robert Weiner

Blackbaud completed its purchase of Convio. The next adventure starts today, as we wait to see what the future holds for their various systems.

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11 Blog Content Ideas for Nonprofits

Nonprofit Tech for Good

Initially a reluctant blogger, I launched Nonprofit Tech 2.0 in August 2009 and within a few months came to the conclusion that blogging had been the missing piece in my social media campaigns. That first month Nonprofit Tech 2.0 received 13,000 visitors. It was much more traffic than I would have ever thought possible, but thanks to the burgeoning “Nonprofit Organizations” communities that I had built on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, launching a blog was much easier in 2009 than it

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Achieving Organizational Transformation: Pathways to Success

Association executives—and hopefully their boards—know that they are facing perilous times. Driven by the pace of cultural and technological change, they are experiencing major disruptions in the traditional business models that used to guide organizational growth strategies.orgSource offers a straightforward approach to navigating these changes and readying your organization for growth.