Nonprofit Tech for Good

MAY 29, 2012

Last month I donated online to 25 of my 32 Favorite Nonprofits in celebration of reaching the benchmark of following 100,000 nonprofits, nonprofit staff, and nonprofit service providers on Twitter. Usually I donate to one or two nonprofits at a time, but to go through a list of 25 nonprofits in less than 90 minutes made it abundantly clear that many nonprofits still need to tweak their “Donate Now” process to maximize online donations and their social media ROI.

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Campaign Online Fundraising Social Media 252

NetWits

MAY 8, 2012

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.

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Amy Sample Ward

MAY 28, 2012

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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VisionLink

MAY 8, 2012

'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

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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 7, 2012

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!

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Nonprofit Tech for Good

MAY 24, 2012

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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Report Convio Blackbaud Benchmark 252

NetWits

MAY 30, 2012

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! In today’s connected world — where seemingly everyone is using their smart phones to update social networks, check email, and pump out hundreds of text messaging a week — direct mail can look a bit outdated to some nonprofits looking to raise money in support of their mission.

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Amy Sample Ward

MAY 7, 2012

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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Review Fundraising Knowledge Management Comment 198

VisionLink

MAY 14, 2012

'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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Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

Foundation

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 2, 2012

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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Robert Weiner

MAY 8, 2012

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.

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Nonprofit Tech for Good

MAY 7, 2012

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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Content Ideas Nonprofit Interview 249

NetWits

MAY 17, 2012

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.

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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!

Giving

Amy Sample Ward

MAY 6, 2012

My latest contribution is up on the Stanford Social Innovation Review opinion blog. You can read the post and join the conversation on the SSIR blog , or read the post in full below. —– The first week of April was like an annual family reunion for the nonprofit technology community as the 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) converged on San Francisco.

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VisionLink

MAY 21, 2012

'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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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 27, 2012

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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El Salvador Profit Nicaragua Liberia 133

Robert Weiner

MAY 7, 2012

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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Convio Blackbaud System Database 138

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.

Donor

Nonprofit Tech for Good

MAY 14, 2012

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?

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Avatar Examples Kiva Asia 231

NetWits

MAY 15, 2012

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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Online Fundraising Haiti Retention 230

Amy Sample Ward

MAY 11, 2012

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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Game Evaluation Broadcast Nonprofit 132

VisionLink

MAY 20, 2012

'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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Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 15, 2012

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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Images Student Accessibility Content 133

NCE Social Media

MAY 25, 2012

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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Spam Social Media Platform Twitter 117

Nonprofit Tech for Good

MAY 7, 2012

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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NetWits

MAY 9, 2012

Pinterest for Arts and Cultural Organizations, really? I have 1021 pins. 1021.I knew I had a solid interest in Pinterest , but this confirms it – full blown obsession. I wonder how long it took me to pin so many things. If I sent someone 1021 text messages, I could probably be given stalker status. Good thing I’m not alone: Pinterest is now the no. 3 social network in the US (behind Facebook and Twitter).

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Arts Culture Organization Museum 206

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