Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology
FEBRUARY 15, 2011
As a user and developer of WordPress since 1.x something, and a developer and user of Drupal since 4.7, I figured that with the release of Drupal 7, this would be a great time to do a comparison of the two. If you want a really detailed look, please read the very exhaustive, recently released, updated Idealware report on OpenSource CMS , which includes Drupal, WordPress, Joomla and Plone.
NetWits
FEBRUARY 2, 2011
Building your online presence can be difficult. It takes patience, diligence, perseverance, some technical know-how and a lot of time. When you take a minute to think about all the hours you’ve put in you begin get an idea of what it’s costing you. With that in mind I’m sure you’d like to make sure you’re focusing your efforts in the right direction in order to achieve the best possible return on the investment of your time and money.
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Amy Sample Ward
FEBRUARY 28, 2011
I’m in Austin, TX, today engaging with librarians, digital curators, and technologists working at the nexus of communities and knowledge at the Electronic Resources and Libraries annual conference. You can follow along with the sessions today through Wednesday using #ERL11. I had the distinct honor of presenting the opening keynote and after talking with librarians supported in the TechSoup for Libraries program, part of the Community-Driven Innovation team at TechSoup Global, I’m ex
Nonprofit Tech for Good
FEBRUARY 14, 2011
People are often surprised when I say that if given the choice, I would choose 10,000 e-Newsletter subscribers over 10,000 Followers on Twitter, 10,000 Fans on Facebook, or 10,000 Friends on Foursquare… combined. Any day of the week and without hesitation. And though some reports claim that email use is dropping , others claim its use is steady and even on the rise.
Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand
Do you really know your donors? Not just what they give, but who they are? 👥 In this interactive session, we’ll break down how nonprofits can use behavioral indicators (affinity, recency, frequency, and monetary value) to build prospecting segments that go beyond wealth screening and actually align with donor identity. You’ll walk away with practical strategies to move beyond basic demographics and cultivate supporters based on how they already engage with you!
Robert Weiner
FEBRUARY 11, 2011
A member of the PRSPCT-L listserve (for prospect researchers) asked "What do other institutions do to regulate or “police” data entry work, specifically when you have multiple users with authority to make updates?". It's a tough problem. Here are a few approaches (other than locking down data entry): Policies. You need clear data entry standards. Security.
Nonprofit Technology brings together the best content for nonprofit technical enthusiasts from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
I saw a call for a ColdFusion developer on an email list I’m on, and I couldn’t help but think about technology choice and change, particularly in the website world, and how nonprofits deal with technology change (or, don’t deal with it.) ColdFusion has been around for 15 years (more than a century in Internet time), and although it has improved and developed, technologically, it has been surpassed by its successors (including PHP, Java, Python, RubyonRails, and even.NET.
NetWits
FEBRUARY 16, 2011
The day or week after a website launch, someone will inevitably notice that they can’t find the site on Google, Yahoo, or Bing. This might seem comical since there are thousands of websites launched each day, but it also shows a underestimation of what is required to be found online. However, this isn’t as funny when your organization’s site has been online for a while and is still not being found.
Amy Sample Ward
FEBRUARY 1, 2011
Last year, I had the unique privilege to help facilitate The Local Philanthropy Workshop with the TechSoup Romania team. It was a lot of fun, and as much as I was asked to share some of my knowledge and ideas, I learned a great deal from the local participants. The social media/technology landscape in Romania is very interesting – with a diverse set of issues, struggles and opportunities.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
FEBRUARY 8, 2011
First impressions are very important online, and the four nonprofits listed below have gone out of their way to make a strong one upon potential new Facebook Fans. Beyond the obvious graphic design work, what’s exceptionally clever is that they have created long vertical profile pics that when cropped in Status Updates produce a solid, square avatar that’s seen by their Fans in their News Feeds.
Speaker: Jennifer Hill
Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Wild Apricot
FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Here is our round-up of free webinars for non-profits and other membership organizations that we've gathered for the month of March. We found over 24 webinars on topics such as: building capacity with Boomer volunteers; social media metrics and benchmarking; project management for non-profits; and numerous leadership and fundraising sessions. So be sure to look through the list to see what might interest you or others in your organization.( read more ).
Robert Weiner
FEBRUARY 1, 2011
I just wrote a guest blog post for NTEN on the topic of moving from an accidental techie role to a leadership role. Last July, Holly Ross wrote that it was time to retire the phrase "accidental techie". She said, "it's not very nice to call anyone an accidental anything. What's really gotten under my skin lately, though, is that as long as someone is an 'accidental' techie, they're going to have a heck of a time being taken seriously.".
Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology
FEBRUARY 27, 2011
“Nothing endures but change&# – Heraclitus. Sometimes, change happens when we’re not looking for it, or we don’t really want it. Sometimes changes that we don’t want lead us to places that make more sense for us. This is one of those times. I’ve been struggling with health issues (life-altering, but not life-threatening, thankfully) for almost 6 months.
NetWits
FEBRUARY 17, 2011
We wrapped up the “ 9 Essential Elements for Online Success ” webinar series this week and are thrilled at the level of participation we received! By popular demand, here are the presentations for you to review and download: 1. Target and Connect (Email, SEO, and Mobile). Check out the associated blog posts: The Big 3: SEO, Email and Social. Download Slides. 2.
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Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.
Amy Sample Ward
FEBRUARY 21, 2011
My friend, Mazarine Treyz , is an accomplished woman: She is passionate about life and supporting nonprofit organizations. She’s worked in development offices of all sizes and has recently put her years of experience and training down on paper in The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising. I’m also excited to announce that I’ll be giving away a copy of the book for free to a reader!
Nonprofit Tech for Good
FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Nonprofits have been utilizing social media for five years now (beginning with Myspace and YouTube in 2006), and while most at this point have invested the time and resources into designing a solid, visually distinct, social media-compatible avatar, many nonprofits still make the very common (yet completely obvious) mistake of using a cropped logo as their avatar in their social media campaigns.
Wild Apricot
FEBRUARY 14, 2011
Hooking new members for your nonprofit takes the right bait, offered patiently and repeatedly, not to mention the challenge of landing them when you do get a bite! But the best tools and most canny tactics won’t be effective if you’re casting for new members in a fished-out pool.( read more ).
Beneblog: Technology Meets Society
FEBRUARY 20, 2011
Elaina Todd, an environmental planner who develops social marketing campaigns with the nonprofit conservation group Rare, is profiled in our most recent case study for Benetech’s Miradi software. Miradi, is used by nature conservation practitioners around the world to design, manage, monitor and learn from their projects. The free and open source software, which is a joint venture between Benetech and the Conservation Measures Partnership (CMP) , guides users through a series of step-by-step int
Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand
Is your organization ready to build a recurring giving program that not only sustains but also propels your mission forward? 🚀 In this new webinar with industry visionary Tim Sarrantonio, we’ll guide you through the critical steps to establishing and scaling a successful recurring giving program. Whether you’re starting fresh or enhancing an existing program, this session will provide the strategies you need to deepen donor relationships and secure long-term support!
Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology
FEBRUARY 19, 2011
This epic battle between Open Source software (or Free software) and proprietary software is coming to a close. Some might argue that FOSS won the battle. Others would argue that proprietary software won. I’m going to argue that both won, and both lost. The Desktop. About 10 years ago, the very big FOSS vs. Proprietary battle was between Linux and Microsoft.
NetWits
FEBRUARY 1, 2011
Given the amount of communication platforms that are available these days, how much time are you devoting to putting together your email content? Do you have a habit of simply copying some direct mail text and wacking the whole thing out the door? If you’re not taking the time to consider the message as well as the medium, your emails may not be conveying the messages you think they are.
Amy Sample Ward
FEBRUARY 24, 2011
Yesterday, I had the huge honor and pleasure to present the keynote at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits ‘ NPTech Conference, eStrategy in an iWorld. It was a terrific conference, with people from all areas of the state and all areas of the sector. There were interesting conversations at every turn and I also had requests to share my notes and slides.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
FEBRUARY 28, 2011
Many nonprofits are experimenting with text-to-give fundraising, but thus far results have been mixed. Nonprofits that have the resources or connections to tap into media, celebrity or large e-mail lists have done well, but many others are simply breaking even (or not). One reason may be that the online promotions of text-to-give campaigns have been mostly limited to text-only KEYWORD and SHORTCODE pitches, such as “Text TIGER to 20222 to donate $10!
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.
Wild Apricot
FEBRUARY 2, 2011
Raising money can be an arduous task. As a small member-based or non-profit organization, you know that it can feel like pulling teeth to find the funding necessary to reach your goals. This guest post by Ja-Naé Duane, explains how you can leverage your social networks to raise money.( read more ).
Robert Weiner
FEBRUARY 1, 2011
Idealware is updating its 2009 report on low-cost donor databases. If you're a database vendor and want to be considered, fill out the survey at [link] I assume their criteria will be similar to what they used last time, which was a starting cost of less than $4,250 in the first year and at least 100 active clients (see the report for the full criteria).
Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology
FEBRUARY 21, 2011
I hope that everyone reading this blog has heard of OpenOffice.org. OpenOffice.org is a free and open source cross-platform office suite, which can read and write MS Office.doc,xls, and.ppt files. It actually has more to it than that, there is a drawing program, a database, a math equation editor and more. It has been in development as OpenOffice.org since 1999, when Sun Microsystems bought the code from a company called Star Division (remember StarOffice?
NetWits
FEBRUARY 6, 2011
There’s been a lot of talk about mobile throughout the last few years, but it seems that many of us still struggle when it comes to creating a website that can be read easily by mobile browsers. If you are looking to create a site that can be easily read by mobile surfers, take a quick peek at the following checklist to make sure that you’ve got everything covered: Create a seperate mobile site.
Advertiser: Digital Ocean
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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