Blackbaud Pruning & Improving Its Orchard | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

Blackbaud Pruning & Improving Its Orchard | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

Get Engaged at npEngage | Nonprofit Trends with Steve MacLaughlin | a Blackbaud Blog

Get Engaged at npEngage | Nonprofit Trends with Steve MacLaughlin | a Blackbaud Blog: Change is the one constant and this blog is no exception. Today, Blackbaud launches an excited new site called npENGAGE that will take things to a whole new level.

Medium, Twitter Co-Founders' New Site, Will Open to Public Next Year - Lauren Goode - Media - AllThingsD

Medium, Twitter Co-Founders' New Site, Will Open to Public Next Year - Lauren Goode - Media - AllThingsD: The trio touched upon varying aspects of the future of digital content production and distribution, topics that would probably be boring to normal folk but enthralled the who’s-who of New York’s tech and digital media scene.

A few key points: Williams would like to keep Medium relatively high-quality, though he recognizes that, in publishing, low barriers to entry feed the content machine by making people feel good, thus spurring them to share more content (Instagram, Williams noted, is a key example of this). Also, he believes more and more media consumption will come via networks and platforms instead of individual websites.

Willie Matis – Turning your STAFF into online advocates

Willie Matis – Turning your STAFF into online advocates: Turning your STAFF into online advocates


Have you ever noticed that sometimes it is easier to get external supporters to be better advocates for your cause than your very own staff??

Improved customer engagement via social media a key goal for marketers | TMA Resources

Improved customer engagement via social media a key goal for marketers | TMA Resources: Organizations of all kinds – private and public, corporate and nonprofit – are increasingly striving to utilize social media. Facebook, Twitter and other social networks can offer significant benefits to organizations, while ignoring these channels can lead to missed opportunities.

5 Ways to Make LinkedIn Board Connect Work for Your Nonprofit | Beth’s Blog

5 Ways to Make LinkedIn Board Connect Work for Your Nonprofit | Beth’s Blog: Note from Beth: Last week, I wrote about the launch of LinkedIn’s Board Connect tool that helps nonprofit identify potential board candidates through searching the networks of their board members on LinkedIn. In the comments, there was some thoughtful discussion about best practices for identifying, screening, and cultivating board members. Geri Stengel who has written guest posts about LinkedIn on this blog offered to share some tips. An excellent addition to my collection of curated LinkedIn resources.

3 Reasons Your Blog Needs to Get More Visual | Social Media Today

3 Reasons Your Blog Needs to Get More Visual | Social Media Today: . The growth of visual engagement

The deeper trend though across social media is towards visual engagement:

Based on an analysis of 10,000 social marketing campaigns, Wildfire found 6 core practices that helped produce superfans on Facebook. The use of images as one of the six ways to improve engagement.
Dan Zarella likewise reports that posts with photos gets more likes, comments and shares.
Similar figures are reported by an infographic from mBooth; but they also highlight that 42% of all Tumblr posts are photos.

LinkedIn as a Multi-Dimensional Fundraiser’s Resource - Resource Center - AFP

LinkedIn as a Multi-Dimensional Fundraiser’s Resource - Resource Center - AFP: When LinkedIn launched in 2003, most professionals saw it as little more than an online resume—those days are long gone. Nicknamed the “Facebook of Business,” it has evolved into a highly productive tool for both for-profit business and social-profit philanthropy.

LinkedIn has over 175 million members in 200 countries. The net worth of the average user is more than that of Facebook and Twitter combined. Major gift fundraisers, are you paying attention? The prospecting power of the “advanced search” function allows you to look up donors, volunteers and supporters in dozens of ways. This is search engine optimization at its best.

Twitter Cofounder Suggests A Replacement For The Follower Count

Twitter Cofounder Suggests A Replacement For The Follower Count: Twitter cofounder Ev Williams — who remains on the company's board — hinted Monday that follower counts may soon become the second most important number to users.

"The thing I think would be more interesting than followers is... retweets," clarifying that a simple measure of followers "doesn't capture your distribution."

"The dream metric," he said, "is how many people saw your tweet."

Zaw Thet: The Global Good Challenge -- Engaging New Networks of Supporters on Global Issues

Zaw Thet: The Global Good Challenge -- Engaging New Networks of Supporters on Global Issues: These accelerating trends are fascinating in and of themselves, but in the context of empowering modern philanthropy, engagement is a game-changer. By meeting people on their devices, we can foster positive change. With a new cross-sector approach, we are able to apply the best practices from multiple disciplines, maximizing our ability to realize the promise of social media for social good.

The latest example of this new approach was launched today, when we and the United Nations Foundation unveiled the Global Good Challenge (unf.org/good, #GlobalGood, @unfggc) at the Social Good Summit.

Third Sector Research Centre starts online debates on the future of the sector

Third Sector Research Centre starts online debates on the future of the sector: opics to be considered include whether the voluntary sector has special or distinctive characteristics, how it is being shaped by its changing relationships with the state and whether it should speak with a consistent voice in order to negotiate its future.

Each subject, or dialogue, will be considered over the course of about a month through online debates and seminars in London before a ‘sounding panel’ of voluntary sector experts, chaired by Pete Alcock, director of the TSRC, meet to discuss the findings.

Social Charity Index: Charities begin to harness networked power | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional

Social Charity Index: Charities begin to harness networked power | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional: What could not-for-profits be capable of achieving if they had free access to over 12 million connected and engaged people? That's the number of social media savvy follows, subscribers and likes the top 100 social

charities are getting in the UK today, according to the second annual Social Charity Index.

Are Online Philanthropy Contests Worth the Effort? - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Are Online Philanthropy Contests Worth the Effort? - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: After this year’s Chase Community Giving contest closed after a troubled start, some nonprofit leaders debated the costs and benefits of participating in these type of vote-driven corporate philanthropy contests in The Chronicle’s LinkedIn group.

Some nonprofit leaders say they have had success with the contests, while others are skeptical of whether the campaigns benefit nonprofits or the corporate donor.

Here are some highlights from the debate:

Redesign or Realign? Four things to consider to improve your website | TechSoup Canada

Redesign or Realign? Four things to consider to improve your website | TechSoup Canada: Last week’s Toronto Net Tuesday, titled “Redesign or Realign? Four Things to Consider to Improve Your Website” focused on just this predicament. Presented by Chris Wulff of Patience and Fortitude Consulting, the session delved into questions that nonprofits are faced with time and time again:

“We’ve got a site, now how do we make it better?”
“Where do we go from here?”
“What’s next?”

Charities get smart on the planet of the apps

Charities get smart on the planet of the apps: Digital technology is being used by charities in increasingly creative ways to raise awareness of their work or to seek support for their causes. Sylvia Rowley looks at the latest trends and asks what will come next

From virtual protests to augmented reality smartphone apps, digital communication is rapidly changing the way that charities campaign, fundraise and even deliver projects.

Adobe to offer charity's software at reduced prices

Adobe to offer charity's software at reduced prices: Richard Craig, chief of the Charity Technology Trust, which runs the CTXchange scheme, says access to design software will be useful to charities

Charities with an annual income of less than �6m will be able to use professional software including Photoshop and InDesign at a fraction of their retail cost after the firm Adobe joined the Charity Technology Trust’s CTXchange programme.

The scheme gives eligible charities and housing associations a limited number of licences for computer software programmes, which have been donated by major software companies including Microsoft and Symantec.

Reality Check: 10-15% Of Brands’ Social Media Fans, Likes And Reviews Will Be Fake By 2014, Says Gartner | TechCrunch

Reality Check: 10-15% Of Brands’ Social Media Fans, Likes And Reviews Will Be Fake By 2014, Says Gartner | TechCrunch: Fake fans, fake “likes” and fake reviews are some of the worst aspects of social media — or at least for those of us earnest enough to take user-generated content and the will of the crowd seriously. Now, new research from Gartner lays bare the fact that it’s only going to get worse, as paid social media interactions become a more established industry unto themselves. The analysts predict that by 2014, some 10%-15% of all social media reviews and other forms of engagement will be fake, paid for by the companies getting endorsed.

LinkedIn Launches Board Connect for Nonprofits, Revolutionizes Board Member Matching - Forbes

LinkedIn Launches Board Connect for Nonprofits, Revolutionizes Board Member Matching - Forbes: Today, LinkedIn announced Board Connect, which helps nonprofit leaders easily identify connections to potential board members. In an interview with LinkedIn’s Head of Social Impact Meg Garlinghouse, we discussed the inspiration behind Board Connect, how the new program will work in practice, lessons she brought to bear from her own experience serving on nonprofit boards, and more.

Experts disagree over the utility of dashboards for BI programs | TMA Resources

Experts disagree over the utility of dashboards for BI programs | TMA Resources: However, as ZDNet recently highlighted, industry experts disagree over the value of BI dashboards. While some argue that they represent a shortcoming in BI technology, others believe they are invaluable tools for BI users.

SAN FRANCISCO: Global Survey Reveals Why NGOs Are Moving IT to the Cloud | Business Wire | Rock Hill Herald Online

SAN FRANCISCO: Global Survey Reveals Why NGOs Are Moving IT to the Cloud | Business Wire | Rock Hill Herald Online: AN FRANCISCO — TechSoup Global (www.techsoupglobal.org) announced today the results of its 2012 Global Cloud Computing Survey of 10,500 nonprofits, charities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 88 countries — the most extensive technology survey ever conducted of NGOs worldwide.

One-on-one relationships critical for successful social strategies | TMA Resources

One-on-one relationships critical for successful social strategies | TMA Resources: Yet the expansiveness of social media can also cause problems for organizations, as it is easy to focus so much on the sheer scope of the audience that firms lose sight of one of its most important components: the ability to connect with individuals on a one-on-one basis.

Chase Online Contest Draws Ire for Technical Glitches - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Chase Online Contest Draws Ire for Technical Glitches - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Chase Online Contest Draws Ire for Technical Glitches

September 10, 2012, 6:24 pm

By Cody Switzer

The prospect of winning a grant from the annual Chase Community Giving contest prompts many small nonprofits to aggressively encourage their supporters to vote in the online competition. Small charities that get the most votes from their online supporters are eligible to win up to $250,000, and a total of $5-million will be awarded through the competition.

Powerful Online Tool Will Highlight Local Nonprofits

Powerful Online Tool Will Highlight Local Nonprofits: TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Sept 10, 2012 – The Community Foundation of North Florida is excited about launching FindLearnGive.org, the community’s first comprehensive online database of local nonprofits. The website will connect the community with local charities and help donors and citizens research organizations and their needs. The Foundation encourages local nonprofits to complete their organization profile on FindLearnGive.org prior to the November launch.

Non-Profit Humour: Study says most “top ten” fundraising lists insanely obvious

Non-Profit Humour: Study says most “top ten” fundraising lists insanely obvious

What’s the Best Way to Measure Influence? DIY Not�Klout! - Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media -

What’s the Best Way to Measure Influence? DIY Not�Klout! - Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media -: As nonprofit senior leadership starts taking social media more seriously to engage supporters, they are also starting to ponder their own organization’s influence. Fair enough. If your organization is going to devote staff resources and time in social media, you should have a solid understanding of the audiences you are reaching, and how strong those relationships are. For example, if I were the Executive Director of an environmental organization working on climate change, I would want to know that the people who my organization and I engaged with on social networks, like Facebook and Twitter:

1 | Infographic: The Astounding Power Of Pinterest | Co.Design: business innovation design

1 | Infographic: The Astounding Power Of Pinterest | Co.Design: business innovation design

Disaster Relief Of A Different Kind - West Virginia Headline News and Talk Radio

Disaster Relief Of A Different Kind - West Virginia Headline News and Talk Radio: Seventeen West Virginia Office of Technology employees are working long hours in Louisiana lending an IT helping hand following what Hurricane Isaac left behind.

The workers volunteered for the service and state Chief Technology Officer Gale Given says they've been busy since they arrived.

"They are helping intake centers distribute food stamp cards," she said. "They may be pulled away to do other things but that's what they are doing right now."

The Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) Joins the Integrated Marketing Advisory Board - MarketWatch

Press Release

The Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) Joins the Integrated Marketing Advisory Board - MarketWatch: AUSTIN, Texas, Sep 06, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Integrated Marketing Advisory Board (IMAB) today announced that The Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) has joined the IMAB. The Integrated Marketing Advisory Board is a collection of 12 industry-leading organizations with deep expertise in integrated marketing both in the nonprofit sector and the for-profit sector.

Privacy and Data Management on Mobile Devices | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project

Privacy and Data Management on Mobile Devices | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project: Overview

More than half of mobile application users have uninstalled or avoided certain apps due to concerns about the way personal information is shared or collected by the app, according to a nationally representative telephone survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Online Contributions

Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Online Contributions: Recording Contributions

There are a number of options for generating online contributions and each has advantages and disadvantages (see the right column for more information):

The nonprofit's own Web site
Application service provider ("ASP") or third-party service bureau
Giving Web sites

This update includes trends and analysis on over $30 million in donations to more than 20,000 charities through the Network for Good platform in the second quarter (Q2) of 2012. The platform includes donations to Network for Good’s nonprofit customers through their own websites; other nonprofits through more than 40 corporate partner websites; and Network for Good’s giving portals, NetworkforGood.org and SixDegrees.org.

Social Media and Fundraising: The Florida Aquarium � AFP Suncoast Blog

Social Media and Fundraising: The Florida Aquarium � AFP Suncoast Blog: The truly exciting bit is that coverage of major gifts could be used in all sorts of ways with the digital display. Major donors could be interviewed, benefits touted and pictures displayed. Mark couldn’t resist another benefit of the digital donor recognition board – revenue! When the Aquarium hosts events the board can be rented out. Plug and play makes it all possible.

Online philanthropy boosts educators | Tallahassee Democrat | tallahassee.com

Online philanthropy boosts educators | Tallahassee Democrat | tallahassee.com: Howell turned to the Internet for help. Though a combination of social media and the website Donorschoose.org, she was able to raise the money she needed in two days. Donors Choose is a charity website where teachers can post their needs as projects in the hopes of finding donors.

“Other colleagues of mine have had great success with the website,” she said. “The website even tells you projects under $400 tend to get funded quicker.”

Donations to Singapore Red Cross now possible at iNets kiosks

Donations to Singapore Red Cross now possible at iNets kiosks: Charitable individuals can now make their donations to the Singapore Red Cross on-the-go at 96 iNets Kiosks islandwide.

How does your org measure up to others? | Research Benchmark Tool

How does your org measure up to others? | Research Benchmark Tool: NTEN's Nonprofit Technology Benchmarking Tool is based on our annual research on technology staffing and spending, and it provides you with dynamic reports, customized to your organizational staffing and budget levels.