November, 2009

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11 Holiday Gift Programs that Benefit Nonprofits and Make the World A Better Place

Nonprofit Tech for Good

If you are reading this now, then of the world’s 6.8 billion people , you are likely one of the lucky ones. You have Internet access, a computer, a roof over your head, and likely planning some holiday shopping this year. By spending consciously, your consumer power can change the world. Did you know that in the United States more than 70% of holiday gifts end up in the landfill within 6 months?

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Ideablob says “Goodbye”

Amy Sample Ward

For the last week, there’s been a rich discussion about Causes and the way that it abruptly, without much notice, left MySpace (deleting all of the related content, connections, communications, etc.). (To dive into the conversations about Causes, visit my earlier post , or posts by Marshall Kirkpatrick , Ivan Boothe , Beth Kanter , and Joe Solomon.).

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Same crap, different day

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

I’m warning you – this is snarky. I was only vaguely following the brou-ha-ha over Causes leaving Myspace. Only vaguely because I don’t really keep close track of the goings on in the Social Networking space: it’s not my passion. I use them a lot, both for work as well as for personal use. I know they are becoming an increasingly important tool for nonprofits in communicating with their constituents, and so I do keep them in my peripheral vision, for sure.

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Bookshare to Convert Open Content Textbooks to Accessible Formats

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Just spent a week in Washington DC doing all kinds of things, including actual lobbying (it's fun!) as well as meeting with our Bookshare funders at the Department of Education. One of the coolest meetings was with Under Secretary of Education, Martha Kanter, who headed our local community college here in California before getting the appointment. She and her senior policy adviser, Hal Plotkin, are huge fans of Open Educational Resources (OERs), having been involved in starting that movement in

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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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Social Media Strategy: A Small Nonprofit's Experience

NetWits

Our social media strategy series continues with Mickey Gomez from the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County. Let’s start by pointing out that the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County (VCSHC) is a small nonprofit clearinghouse for volunteerism that connects potential volunteers with local nonprofit and governmental agencies. Their annual budget is approximately $150,000 and there are only two (2) full time employees.

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Embracing Social Media Presentation from the 2009 Arc of the US Convention

NCE Social Media

I am happy to say the Embracing Social Media presentation was well attended (standing room only!) and we had some great questions and insights from audience members. The slides and video from the presentation can be found below. If you are a regular reader of this blog you have seen this video before. Tags: Education and Training Tools #arc09 achieva arc of greater pittsburgh parlerai socialmedia socialnomics the arc of the us.

More Trending

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Ideablob says “Goodbye”

Amy Sample Ward

For the last week, there’s been a rich discussion about Causes and the way that it abruptly, without much notice, left MySpace (deleting all of the related content, connections, communications, etc.). (To dive into the conversations about Causes, visit my earlier post , or posts by Marshall Kirkpatrick , Ivan Boothe , Beth Kanter , and Joe Solomon.).

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Online Alumni Communities in the Age of Social Media

Robert Weiner

I received the following email from a listerve. The topic of closed alumni communities versus social media is on the minds of a lot of university staff, so I'm posting this along with my response. I'd like to hear from anyone who is using the social networking function of Blackbaud Net Community. We are purchasing Net Community for some of the other things it offers, and we're trying to decide if we should pursue social networking through it or use Facebook, etc.

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Auto Taxonomy Updates for Call Centers

VisionLink

'We have released an updated version of our auto-update solution to ensure that the categories through which you manage your resource directory are aligned with the ever improving AIRS taxonomy. For more information about activating this feature switch on your VisionLink CommunityOS system, please contact our help desk. This is part of a wide range of efforts to ensure compliance with the AIRS standards.

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Cause Marketing and Social Media go Hand in Hand

NetWits

Have you started to think about using cause marketing at your nonprofit? Do you know how to create or implement a cause marketing strategy? Maybe you’re a seasoned cause marketing professional? I’m not sure why you’re here, but I know that that Joe Waters ( @joewaters on Twitter) from Boston Medical Center (BMC) will bring something of value to the table for you.

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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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Video Fridays #23 Calling All Videos!

NCE Social Media

YouTube Direct is a a free tool of YouTube that allows you to ask your constituencies to upload videos on your own website. Similar to what many news websites offer, you can ask your webpage viewers to upload their videos. You are able to review the videos before they get posted to your site, so you can catch any spam or any videos that might not meet HIPPA or your professional standards.

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Nonprofit Organizations on Google Wave

Nonprofit Tech for Good

I was fortunate enough to get two Google Wave invites last week (thanks to @nonprofitdaily and @donortools ). It’s a good thing because I messed up the first invite and attached it to my personal Gmail account. When in fact, I wanted to attach it to a newly created “NonprofitOrgs&# account, as in nonprofitorgs@gmail.com. Now, I am still figuring out how Google Wave works.

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New on SSIR: Letting Technology Lead

Amy Sample Ward

My latest post for the Stanford Social Innovation Review is up and I hope you’ll dive into the conversation with me! A recent event has brought up some huge red flags for me around data, around communities, around social impact, inclusion and even more. It’s a case of letting technology lead (or, rather, the people behind the technology) instead of the communities on the other end.

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Schools using social media but not for fundraising

Robert Weiner

I spent the last 3 days at the CASE District VII conference, for schools in AZ, CA, Guam, HI, NV, and UT. Social Media was a big topic this year, with workshop titles like "Maximizing Social Networks and Online Resources in Alumni Relations", "Now That Facebook and Twitter Aren't Enough: Integrating Social Media into Your Advancement Toolkit ", and "Making Community Real in a Virtual World" Speakers and attendees reported heavy use of Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter,

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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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Coordinated Assistance: 400 Members Strong

VisionLink

'More than 400 disaster relief agencies, making up the nation''s first and largest partnership of independent relief organizations, uses VisionLink technology to support their work. Is your community prepared? You can join today. Born of the lessons from 9/11, the Coordinated Assistance Network helps disaster survivors gain access to coordinated and coherent support services.

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13 Twitter Search Examples for Nonprofits

NetWits

Twitter search is a pretty amazing resource that most have yet to tap into. Why do I think it’s amazing you ask? Well, because it’s nearly real time and driven completely by humans. Twitter search isn’t searching web pages and it doesn’t take days/weeks for your tweets to show up in the results. If you want to find out who’s talking about nonprofit work in your area within the last month or even today you can.

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Twitter Lists

NCE Social Media

Twitter unleashed its lists to the general public last week. You can put people you follow into a list. You can also see who has placed your Twitter feed into a list. John Haydon , a social media nonprofit expert thinks that Twitter lists will positively impact your nonprofit. Lists will completely change how we use Twitter: * Users can follow a list without having to follow all the users on that list. * Third party applications will use lists in fun and interesting ways. * Sites like Listorious

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HOW TO: Use Twitter Lists to Promote Nonprofits and Causes You Care About

Nonprofit Tech for Good

Twitter’s new Lists are a great way to organize your followers, and with a little intention and a dose of good will, Twitter Lists can also be used to promote your favorite nonprofits and the causes you care about. Here’s how: 1) Create a “Favorite Nonprofits&# List. Lists can say a lot about your character and what’s important to you.

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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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New on SSIR: Letting Technology Lead

Amy Sample Ward

My latest post for the Stanford Social Innovation Review is up and I hope you’ll dive into the conversation with me! A recent event has brought up some huge red flags for me around data, around communities, around social impact, inclusion and even more. It’s a case of letting technology lead (or, rather, the people behind the technology) instead of the communities on the other end.

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United Airlines customer service success story

Judi Sohn

It’s 10:30 pm Eastern and I’m trying to force myself to stay awake until at least 11-11:30 pm to reset my body clock. It’s been a whirlwind week. While I’m trying to stay awake a little longer, here’s a story of how United Airlines did something very right. My trip home from Dreamforce was a bit of an adventure. It started raining just as I left the Moscone Center on Friday morning.

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Powerful Portal Permissions

VisionLink

'We''ve released new tools to control user access by Portal. Now you have even more tools to control who can see what, when, how and why. Using VisionLink''s portal technology, you can create entire systems for particular stakeholders--perhaps it''s your board of directors, or those working on a literacy project, or for a group of housing specialists.

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Watch for Roadblocks: The Road to More Successful Online Fundraising

NetWits

I was honored to present a webinar for Fundraising Success Magazine with Rob Gerth, Communications Director of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The topic was Web Design for Optimizing Fundraising Functionality: Transforming Obstacles into Opportunities. Since there are so many things to consider when mapping out your online fundraising strategy it can be overwhelming to know which direction to go.

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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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Thanksgiving 2009

NCE Social Media

Here is my top ten list of socialmedia things I am thankful for this year. 10. Many Arc chapters have joined the socialmedia-sphere in 2009. 9. All of the games on Facebook. 8. Open APIs and deals between social media sites. 7. News organizations that continue to use social media even though there isn’t revenue in it. 6. People are still trying to figure out how to raise money through social media. 5.

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How Nonprofits Can Easily Accept Credit Card Payments on Mobile Phones at Fundraising Events and Over the Phone

Nonprofit Tech for Good

A few weeks ago I was at a fundraising event that had a silent auction. So many fabulous items had been donated, but unfortunately bidders could only pay in cash or by check. I haven’t had more than $5 in my pocket for years and I can’t even remember the last time I carried a checkbook with me. So, I opted out of the silent auction. My guess is many others did too for the same reason.

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Great reads from around the web on November 18th

Amy Sample Ward

I come across so many great conversations, ideas, and resources across the web ever day. Here are some of the most interesting things I’ve found recently (as of November 18th). 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). 2010 Nonprofit Te

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When Nonprofit Websites Go Bad

Wild Apricot

I’ve just visited 100+ nonprofit websites to update a major resource list, and 3% of those nonprofits just got crossed off the list. Their sites have been hacked and infected with malicious software - and the nonprofits don't even know about it. Are you sure your own website is safe for visitors? ( read more ). Tags: Non-profit technology nptech Best practices websites security.

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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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New Quarterly Progress Report for HMIS

VisionLink

'We are pleased to announce the release of the updated and compliant Quarterly Progress Report (QPR), the newest addition to the CCM/HMIS reporting tools. The QPR is designed to meet the new reporting requirements for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The QPR was built in compliance with the standards and documentation released by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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#Tweetsgiving Rocks

NetWits

If you’ve ever wondered how to do fundraising using social media as a core part of your nonprofits strategy I suggest you check out what the folks at EpicChange are doing with Tweetsgiving ( about ). It’s amazing! Maybe your wondering what Tweetsgiving is? Well, it’s simply a global celebration that aims to change the world through the power of gratitude.

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GiveMN Raises $14 Million Online in 24 Hours!

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

I think I want to change Garrison Keillor's well known descriptor of Lake Wobegone.  It goes "Minnesota from"where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." Let's add  "and where the charitable donors are extraordinarily generous." Earlier this week, I wrote about giveMN.org as an example of local and regional online giving initiatives.  GiveMN a new online resource that hopes to encourage

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Nonprofit Tech 2.0 Launches Mobile Website

Nonprofit Tech for Good

Designed in Dreamweaver and updated weekly, Nonprofit Tech 2.0 has launched a mobile Website for those who like to read Nonprofit Tech 2.0 on the go. The URL is: www.nonprofitorgs.mobi. The design is intentionally very simple so it’s easy to read on smartphones and mobile phones. The mobile web’s growth is exploding as well as the use of social networking sites on the mobile devices.

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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.