Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

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Evaluation and being a learning organization

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

In this article, Gale points to an interesting shift within her organization (the Packard Foundation): “Over the past four years we have been shifting from evaluation for proof or accountability (“Did the program work?”) Some of it is well worked out, and some is nascent. But it should be. It’s a tough balance.

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Evaluation and being a learning organization

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

In this article, Gale points to an interesting shift within her organization (the Packard Foundation): “Over the past four years we have been shifting from evaluation for proof or accountability (“Did the program work?”) Some of it is well worked out, and some is nascent. But it should be. It’s a tough balance.

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What is “organic” software?

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

I was perusing the program for a local “green&# event, when I noticed a full page advertisement for Firefox, saying that it’s software was “ 100% organic.&# Too bad the metaphor doesn’t go both ways, because then organic and fair trade food would be free, too. But I think it works. I kind of chuckled.

Software 100
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Can open source software save organizations money?

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

Next year, given what is likely to be a grim funding year, nonprofit organizations are going to be hunting for ways to save money on technology. There are, of course, arguments that IT budgets should be, at least, level funded during slim times, but the reality is that organizations are going to reduce budgets across the board.

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Social Media ennui

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

I certainly have followed and friended lots of organizations on these networks (particularly on Twitter, but also some more personally relevant to me on Facebook.) I understand how the varied APIs work, and have to keep on top of whether I should be using a “like&# or a “share&# button for Facebook. Can it be demoted now?

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Got Research?

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

One of the great things about the nonprofit technology field is the collection of nonprofit organizations that provide what is often called “Intermediary&# services to other nonprofits: information and resources that help nonprofit organizations do the work they do in the world, by helping them make good technology decisions.

Research 141
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Open Source vs. Proprietary: Nonprofit CRM

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

Organizations use this tool to track donors, send out newsletters, track the success of campaigns, track who is engaged with the organization in what ways, etc. It’s been around for a while now, and is used by many organizations, some quite large (like the Wikimedia Foundation.) Net/MS SQL Server.)