33 Fun, Useful, and Totally Random Resources for Nonprofits
[tweetmeme] The number of low-cost or free, web-based resources and tools available to nonprofits today is astounding. So much so that many nonprofit professionals are overwhelmed by the all choices – and as the Mobile Web and related start-ups continue to grow, prepare to be mind-boggled by all the new technology options available to your nonprofit in coming years.
1. 2dCode :: 2d-code.co.uk
A comprehensive blog about all things related to Quick Response (QR) Codes, Augmented Reality (AR), and Near Field Communication (NFC). Based in the U.K., 2d Code is a must read for the early adopters.
2. 4096 Color Wheel :: ficml.org/jemimap/style/color/wheel.html
A handy little tool when designing a YouTube channel, Twitter profile, MySpace page, blog, etc.
3. Addictomatic :: addictomatic.com
A social search tool that allows you to easily track mentions of your nonprofit on social networking sites, blogs, and websites. Simply enter your nonprofit’s name and Addictomatic then creates a page of all your search results for easy future reference.
4. Alexa Top Sites :: alexa.com/topsites
This website tracks what sites are the most popular in the world today. In addition to the list of global top sites, you can also view top sites by country.
5. BlogPulse :: blogpulse.com
A search engine for blog posts, this service illuminates the most popluar blog topics by day, week and month. Be to search for your nonprofit to know how and where your brand is buzzing in the blogosphere!
6. BrainyQuote :: brainyquote.com
A directory of quotes by famous people, this websites list thousands of inspirational quotes useful for Tweeting and Facebook Status Updates. A good quote is certain to garner your nonprofit Retweets and thumbs up on Facebook any day of the week.
7. CheckFacebook :: checkfacebook.com
This site provides an incredibly useful breakdown of Facebook users by age, gender, and location. It also pulls in a feed of most recent Facebook news and illuminates in real-time the fastest growing countries using Facebook.
8. Cinchcast :: cinchcast.com
This tool turns your smartphone or desktop computer into an audio recorder that allows you to easily share audio messages and podasts with your supporters. You can either broadcast live (think of it as your own radio station) or host the messages on the Cinchcast server for later listening. Cinchcast is ideal for nonprofits that are advancing their communications into real-time reporting while on location from fundraisers, conferences, protests, etc.
9. Creative Commons on Flickr :: flickr.com/creativecommons
A great source for images for your nonprofit’s website, blog, e-newsletter, and social networking profiles.
10. DailyFeats :: dailyfeats.com
A website (mobile app coming soon) that allows users to check-in while doing good deeds. From eating healthy to volunteering at local nonprofits, users earns points that can then be redeemed for rewards or special discounts offered by partner businesses.
11. Dipity :: dipity.com
This website allows users to build visually appealing interactive timelines using video, audio, images, location, social media, and timestamps. Nonprofits can use Dipity to create timelines that highlight their organizational history, current events, and special campaigns.
12. FrontlineSMS :: frontlinesms.com
A free, open-source software program that enables users to send group text messages from computers or mobile phones. It must be downloaded and is available only to nonprofit organizations. Used widely throughout the globe, FrontlineSMS has empowered a texting revolutionat the grassroots by nonprofits in developing nations and has become a beacon for social good in mobile technology.
13. Google Internet Stats :: google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/internetstats
A collection of economic and media trends and stats. Very useful to social media practitioners and bloggers.
14. Google Mobile :: google.com/mobile
A mobile app that allows you easily conduct mobile searches by simply speaking into your phone using their new “Speak Now” technology. Additionally, the app serves as hub to all other Google Apps, such as Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Reader, Voice, Maps, etc. It is a must download!
15. GreatNonprofits :: greatnonprofits.org
A user-generated charity review site that’s ideal for nonprofits that are too small to get officially reviewed by Charity Navigator or the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, your supporters can write reviews for your nonprofit that you can then link to on your “Donate Now” landing page. That said, you should also monitor this site (and others like it) for the rare rogue review.
16. GroupMe :: groupme.com
Part-website, part-smartphone app, this tool enables free group texting between small groups of people. You can either manage your group online or on your mobile phone. Groups currently are maxed at 25 members, but in time will likely grow and perhaps even enable one-to-many group texting for free or at a very low-cost. GroupMe is useful for managing small teams of volunteers or for real-time communications between staff and volunteers during events.
17. HelpAttack! :: helpattack.com
This website allows your supporters to pledge to donate with each Facebook Status Update or Tweet they post on Facebook or Twitter. Donors can pledge as little as $.01 per Status Update or Tweet, and set monthly maximums for total donations. Partnered with Network for Good, if your nonprofit is already in the NFG database, then you have a profile on HelpAttack! that you can sign up to claim and and update.
18. IconsPedia :: iconspedia.com/pack/social-me-1467
A great source for free icons to use on your website, blog, Facebook Page, in your e-mail newsletter, etc. In fact, I used them for this blog (see upper-right), but please ignore the silly photo in the Fotolia ad. It’s a throwback from social networking circa 2006.
19. Instagram :: instagr.am
A free, fun mobile photo-sharing iPhone App that turns your mobile photos instantly in art. Users simply take a photo with their iPhone and add special editing and art effects with one tap. The app then allows you to share your photos on a photo-by-photo basis on Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter. Additionally, if your specify a location with your photos, you can opt to also share your photos on Foursquare.
20. Internet Archive Wayback Machine :: web.archive.org
This resources is always good for a laugh. Simply plug in your nonprofits’s website URL and you can seen cached versions of your site going back to 1996. Love it!
21. Museum of Me :: intel.com/museumofme
A Facebook app that creatively displays you and your Facebook friends in a virtual museum. While at first it may feel a little narcissistic, it is a clever and moving exhibition of your Facebook life – and one of the few Facebook apps I have recommended that anyone add on Facebook.
22. oneforty :: oneforty.com
An online database of third-party social media apps and software, there are thousands of free tools listed in categories ranging from photos and videos to music and games. Hundreds of the apps are useful to nonprofits and in most cases all that is needed is a Twitter login and a little creative thinking.
23. Qwiki :: qwiki.com
A search engine that “knows millions of things” about people, places, and history, Qwiki takes the information from your Wikipedia Page and converts it into a more visual format complete with audio, video, digital photography, and the ability to “Improve This Qwiki.” If you haven’t done so already, it would be wise to search for your nonprofit on Wikipedia to see if anyone has created a page for your nonprofit, because that now means you also have a page on Qwiki.
24. Square :: squareup.com
Part-smartphone app, part-hardware device, Square enables the processing of credit card payments on your smartphone. Great for farmers’ market vendors, silent auctions, and fundraisers on the go!
25. SupporterWall :: supporterwall.com
A website that allows nonprofits to set up web-based SupporterWalls of which spots of varying sizes and donation amounts can be purchased by your supporters.
26. SwipeGood :: swipegood.com
A fundraising tool that allows donors to automatically round up their debit or credit card purchases to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to the nonprofit of their choice. It’s built on the simple concept of donating your loose change to charity and thus far almost 400 nonprofits have signed up and been approved.
27. TwitSprout :: twitsprout.com
A fun, colorful way to track your nonprofit’s growth and activity on Twitter. Currently in beta, TwitSprout also allows you to easily convert your Twitter data into a PDF-format for easy sharing with others.
28. Twitter Mosaic :: sxoop.com/twitter
A website that allows you to create an image with a mosaic of your Twitter Followers’ avatars. Useful for web campaigns, Twitter Mosaic also provides the ability to create t-shirts that include your nonprofit’s Twitter name and your mosaic of Followers.
29. USTREAM :: ustream.tv
This tool allows nonprofits to easily create Web-based Internet “TV” stations. Even more amazing, their smartphone and tablet apps allow you to broadcast live from anywhere, anytime… for free. Live-streaming is ideal for reporting live from conferences, fundraisers, and protests. Definitely a trend to keep your eyes on as Internet TV begins to penetrate our living rooms in coming years.
30. Viddy :: viddy.com
A smartphone app that allows users to easily record, edit, and share videos in just a few taps. The design is slick, the functionality is cutting-edge, and the reviewers are raving. For mobile social networkers, Viddy is a must-download.
31. WeePlaces :: weeplaces.com
A tool that allows you to creatively showcase your Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook Places check-ins. If your nonprofit organizes speaking tours, hosts many events, or uses location-based communities for activism campaigns, WeePlaces is a unique way to visualize and share your check-ins on a web-based map with your Fans, Followers, and Friends.
32. What The Trend :: whatthetrend.com
An online database of what is #trending on Twitter with user-generated definitions of related hashtags.
33. Worldometers :: worldometers.info
A website that provides world statistics updated in real-time in categories ranging from world population to stats about energy and water consumption.
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- 33 Fun, Useful, and Totally Random Resources for Nonprofits « Nonprofit Tech 2.0 Blog :: A Social Media Guide for Nonprofits « CCC
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Nonprofit Tech 2.0 Blog :: A Social Media Guide for Nonprofits 
Wow! This is great. Thank you for posting this. As my non-profit is fairly new, I am constantly looking for useful tools. I will certainly use many of these sites right away.
I love this Heather, thanks for posting! 🙂
Great Resource Thanks for Posting!
Thanks for all these cool tools and resources we are going to have to look into using them specially the swipegood resource. My two non-profit clients are going to love them and you!
Thanks for all the information. Lots of great new ideas for our nonprofit. For example, we just finished a coin drive but with SwipeGood we could take it to a whole new level!
Thank you; great list!
As usual such a time-saver in the jungle of tools out there…thanks, You made my day…
Thanks for all the great resources! Although I have been in the nonprofit world for a long time, I am new to the social media venture and am drinking in every resource I can find.
Great post! really helpfull resource!
I’d love to add one for building influencer programs and supporter management:
http://www.sparkpointstrategies.com
Check out MuseumApp. An app on your IPAD where you can develop your own virtual museum exhibition kiosk! Only $5.99 compared to those $20,000 gargantuan kiosks. Check us out on an IPAD near you or on our Facebook here—> http://www.facebook.com/pages/MuseumApp/119116861518076
We are still in our first phase, so much work will be done. Being a museum curator myself, I wanted to incorporate the IPAD within our classic car museum yet could not find an app that would work with what we wanted…so instead my brother and I decided to build one. Check it out.
May I add one I just launched that assists nonprofits to find in-kind donations for fundraising events, DonationMatch:
http://donationmatch.org
DonationMatch facilitates matches much like a dating site…but we’re “hooking up” in-kind donors with verified nonprofits. Hope this helps!
Renee
Thanks Heather! Really useful. I add one thing about Square – we used it for a fundraiser and we were able to collect donations EXCEPT, they don’t give you the donor name. (They give you the amount and the location where it was processed.) So, you can’t follow-up or send a thank you. It would be nice if Square added an option for the purchaser/donor at the time of the transaction to opt-in to sharing their contact info with the nonprofit.
And Cauzoom.com! raise money through buying gift cards!
Here is more information to add to the jungle of resources. Another alternative to bringing in some funds.
http://www.freenonprofitfunding.org
What a fun and very informative list. Nonprofits, please also consider http://nonprofit.causecast.org/ for your chance to be part of fully-sponsored cause marketing campaigns. Your free membership is waiting!
Interesting list – thanks for sharing.
12 more here: http://12most.com/2011/08/12/12-free-online-tools-live/ and others often at http://www.getlucid.net/blog/
I’d suggest another one for your list. IdeaEncore Network (www.IdeaEncore.com) is an online information exchange for nonprofits and those who serve them. Anyone can browse and download tools, templates, samples useful to nonprofits. It’s a place where nonprofit professionals upload files and links for free (or for a small price)
Thanks for the helpful list for nonprofits!
Thank you for the list is very good and for all the articles/advice.
Do you know some useful resources for document management and/or software that you tried and are very good
Google Docs is a great place to store documents and it is accessible right from your Google account! They also provide templates.
Thanks for posting, these are really useful tips!
You also can add http://www.netsuite,org. We donate NetSuite (accounting, ERP & ecommerce) to nonprofits. Our donor management configuration was recently reviewed by Idealware – http://www.idealware.org/reports/consumers-guide-low-cost-donor-management-systems
This is a wonderful list full of helpful resources, most of which I never even knew existed! I’m especially interested in BlogPulse as we are looking for ways to increase exposure for our blog. Also, WhatTheTrend was helpful for finding “trending topics” on Twitter. Thanks for these excellent resources.
Excellent resource for n0n-profits. Thanks for posting!
thanks for posting this, it was great.
Lots of great things here – my mind is already spinning at how Adventures in Preservation can use some of these tools. Thanks!
Thanks for this great list of resources! I’d like to add one more. Check out doodle.com: http://ow.ly/7HS0e – it’s a great way to schedule a meeting time when all (or most) of your attendees are available. Best of all Doodle is a free tool – you don’t even have to register!
Great article! Thank you so much for sharing!
Would you mind if I added my own offering to this list? I have a website http://www.localmobil.com that helps non-profits create a complete mobile app, including donation links, photo-video- event galleries and a lot more for only the cost of hosting.
We can help them, do it all or simply provide our “wysiwyg” platform that is non-coding and simple to use.
Some samples http://www.dinnerinthedark.localmobil.com, http://www.foodbank.localmobil.com, are available for your review. The food bank app was created to allow local restaurants to provide a link from their own mobile web apps for diners to donate using their mobile phones to a food bank that does not have a “mobile optimized” website.
Any assistance or questions I can address, please don’t hesitate to call me personally at 440-544-6530
Regards…
jim Simpson
thank you so much for sharing these tools. Most of them come so useful.
Great post. Please add http://www.aplossoftware.com to your list. Aplos is simple, low cost fund accounting software for nonprofits. In addition to being easy to setup and use the base product starts at only $11.99 per month. We have a special passion for nonprofit startups and donate software to those organizations.
Useful. Thanks. I created a website using Weebly and it is sort of primitive. The advantage s are that it was easy to create and free for educators. Has anyone other than me used it and what has been your experience using WordPress?
I could have created the same site with Dreamweaver, but the nonprofit would need a license and some expertise with the software.
Since the nonprofit staff need to be able to make updates, add photos, change menu, and post events I am looking for web design soft that is easy for staff members who are not particularly adept to use, so I don’t have to do all the updates.
WordPress.org all the way! 🙂
If any nonprofit with staff that are “web savvy” needs a mobile web site (cross platform) feel free to use http://www.localmobil.com, with only a hosting fee (per URL). Any site being developed with an “.org” extension we drop pricing for to $20. LocalMobil is wysiwyg and the interface is simple to use, provides QR codes, redirect scripts, analytics and more. Email us if you have questions at info at localmobil dot com.
I love blogpulse.com It actually is a great tool to help network.