Tag Archive for 'techtools'

Survey Monkey now accessible

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on June 23, 2008
in survey
. 1 Comment

Have you used Survey Monkey to create online surveys before?  I have myself and have seen nonprofits use the free tool to survey members about programs, priorities, and ideas, poll website visitors about a topic, or even better understand the field.

Survey Monkey just announced that it is now 508 compliant!  This means that the surveys you create are accessible by those with disabilities.  You can read more about the 508 law here.  Survey Monkey is the only free survey tool to meet these standards.

Have you ever used the tool? Do you have a constituency that would benefit from this new functionality?

Office hours

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on June 16, 2008
in events
. 0 Comments

Did you ever visit a teacher during their “office hours”— when they were prepping for class but available for questions, ideas, conversations, etc.? I did, on a few occasions, and it really changed my perception and relationship with those teachers away from traditional and hierarchical towards a friend, peer, ‘real person.’ When it comes to technology or new media questions, many people are intimidated to jump in the conversation and be THAT person who asks the ‘dumb’ question.

Well, just like using office hours in school, where no question is dumb and real friendships are made, NTEN is offering virtual office hours for your technology needs!

I operate online office hours during the day for my employer and have enjoyed the questions and opportunity to share ideas and help. I have encountered things from using a tool to conducting a video contest. It’s been a treat!

You can drop by an office hour that fits your question area and get real-time answers. Check out the schedule!

Let me know if you have questions, comments, ideas, or anything else - this blog is kind of like a 24/7 office hour, too!

Googleforce?

Published
by
amysampleward
on April 14, 2008
in webtools
. 1 Comment

Google Apps + SalesforceGoogle and Salesforce have announced a great partnership: Salesforce for Google Apps.  You can see a quick overview of the integration of Salesforce utilities with those of Google Applications and take a tour here.

Do you already use Google Apps or Salesforce in your organization? What do you think of the partnership?

Adding MyBlogLog

Published
by
amysampleward
on April 10, 2008
in community and webtools
. 0 Comments

I thought I would add MyBlogLog to this blog and see what kind of community it can create. I have been following it’s development and spread for a while now and think that it is an interesting way to allow visitors to connect with each other, and not just me.

Have you used it before? What are your thoughts?

Contests and more

Published
by
amysampleward
on March 5, 2008
in roundup
. 1 Comment

Here is a quick run down of things on my radar that I wanted to share with you all:

Today is also the March 501 Tech Club brown bag lunch event here in Portland. I’ll be Twittering and blogging about our discussion with Jeanette Russell of Democracy in Action, as she talks about nonprofits in online activism. Tune in or come in person!

Staffing Constraints = Technology Adoption

Published
by
amysampleward
on November 15, 2007
in reports and webtools
. 0 Comments

As the baby-boomers start retiring or transitioning out of leadership roles, nonprofits stand in an interesting position. The need for knowledgeable and experienced leaders and management staff in the nonprofit sector is about to become incredibly high. Nonprofits are in a unique position where, unlike the for-profit sector, they are not usually afforded the opportunity to grow their own leaders from the inside due to lack of funds and capacity for development training. (For more information on forecasted leadership staff trends, see the Bridgespan Group’s report “The Nonprofit Sector’s Leadership Deficit.)

What does it mean for nonprofit technology?

It means there is a tremendous opportunity for nonprofits to leverage new media tools to take care of many things for them, freeing up staff time and allowing the community to help carry the organization.

How?

Tools that enable online/viral fundraising can let supporters raise funds, support your cause, and campaign for you online without staff time dedicated to outreach or campaign development. These tools include Change.org, 6 Degrees, and Google Checkout for Nonprofits in various degrees, just to name a few.

Tools that enable wide-spread communication can allow staff to relay information in one space instead of many and cut down on repetition of job responsibilities. Using a blog like those I have mentioned before would provide volunteers, interested citizens, media and members alike the same, complete information in a timely manner without adapting the message and using various staff and communications tools to deliver it. Micro-blogging tools like Twitter are also available to make this far-reaching communications option quick and easy.

There are many more tools available but these are just a couple to get you thinking. Are you already using new media tools to free up staff time?

Say “Cheese!” You may be in the picture!

Published
by
amysampleward
on November 15, 2007
in webtools
. 0 Comments

Is your nonprofit holding any fundraisers or special holiday events? Whether you are raising money for the organization or for families using your services, raising awareness of your communities needs or the needs your organization can serve, the chances that a camera is present are quite high.

You can harness the photo snapping power of your volunteers, members, and visitors. Encourage the photo-takers to upload their files to Flickr, a free (or paid) online photo storage and sharing service. When your supporters upload photos from your event, they can “tag,” or label, the photos with your organization’s name. That way, you can put a link on your site to all of the photos with that tag. So, all photos with that tag, regardless of who took them, are grouped together without you doing any work to find them! You can even pull those photos in to your website so you feature new and interesting photos taken by your supporters, with minimal work on the organization’s part.

Be sure to communicate to your supporters that they can use Flickr and tag the photos of your organization, staff, events, etc. (for example, a tag like “socialventurepartners” for pictures of events and supporters of Social Venture Partners International).

You can also create a group (either private or public) in Flickr to easily share and group photos related to your organization. Setting up a group is easy and you will not have to do any work to maintain it once it is ready. Again, you can link to these photos from your website or pull them in to feature your supporters and events right on your own site.

Search for your organization on Flickr and see what comes up! Did you find that photos already exist of your organization? Have you already set up a group or linked to flickr photos of your organization that were taken by volunteers, members, or even strangers?

Nonprofits using Nintendo Wii? At least as an example!

Published
by
amysampleward
on November 7, 2007
in fundraising
. 0 Comments

As we enter the “giving season” and marketers are ramping up their online presence in social networking sites and new media tools such as videos, user feedback forums, and the like, nonprofits should start leveraging the tools available to consumers of social change and garner holiday gifts as well.

Nonprofits can learn from for-profits this time of year. We see companies such as Nintendo, taking advantage of many engagement tools for those interested in the Wii gaming system. What did Nintendo do and how can nonprofits do the same thing?

1. Video: There are few media forms as compelling and engaging as video. On Nintendo’s Wii website (www.wii.nintendo.com), visitors can watch videos on how to use the system and see others playing games.

Nonprofits can post short videos on blogs, news sections of their sites, and on YouTube (OR, on their own YouTube for Nonprofits page). Posting videos online lets a wider audience hear your story, learn about your services and spread your message throughout their networks without you needing to know each viewer or their friends.

2. Blog: Blogging is a terrific way for organizations—for or nonprofit—to communicate with their audience of supporters, interested citizens, news media, and potential consumers (whether of a product, a service, or even of information). Nintendo used a blog an its website months before the Wii system was even available to purchase to keep visitors up-to-date on product news and developments.

Nonprofits should incorporate a blog into the website in order to create a space for visitors to find out news, information about events, and stories about services. Creating a blog and allowing visitors to subscribe via RSS means the potential to drive in more visitors to the website and more supporters of the organization. Even if nonprofits have a blog already, this is the perfect time of year to create a “ways to give this season” blog that is either within the existing blog or an additional one. Post stories about volunteers, ideas for contributing to the organization, and even profile people or communities your organization is helping this season. Many people want to give in other ways than writing a check, so keep them updated on other ways they can help you out!

3. Forums: Providing an avenue for users to connect with each other about your organization, service or product helps to create content that other visitors find useful and trusted. Nintendo included discussion forms on the Wii website months prior to the product release which helped build buzz about the system and allowed potential users to connect online, asking questions and sharing opinions.

Nonprofits don’t need to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of building out a discussion feature to their websites; instead, make sure the website includes feedback areas, like on a blog, so that visitors can read what others have to say. Ask questions in your blog about what people are doing this holiday season to engage with local nonprofits, or other specific questions based on the subject of the blog entry. Even though it is somewhat static, an easy way to facilitate conversation between visitors to your site.

Lesson learned: For-profit organizations are engaging with audiences and creating a buzz around products for the holidays. Nonprofits should be doing the same thing and “gifts” of volunteer time, financial support, and even potential future partners in the field.

Nonprofits on the honor roll or dropping out?

Published
by
amysampleward
on November 2, 2007
in issues
. 0 Comments

I remember when I was in school, if students complained about being bored in class the teacher would respond that a class can only move as quickly as its slowest student.  (I’m ignoring the fact that I went to school in the boonies of Oregon with very limited resources and staff, at least for sake of argument here.)

Is this the same concept at work in the nonprofit sector with new media?  Yes, there are terrific examples out there of nonprofits making videos to tell their stories for them, enabling their websites to become go-to news and information portals, producing messages/causes that get picked up by individuals all around the world to fundraise for them.  BUT, many of the nonprofits that I work with are still struggling with the idea that a website is not a parking lot of information that only needs updating maybe once a year.

Is the struggle facing the nonprofit tech community the one of getting everyone up to a certain competency, or to move as fast as the most gifted and see where we can go?

Maybe it’s the day job calling, but I feel a lot of responsibility to get down to basics with those that will more rapidly be left behind, than push the limits with the few straight A kids in the class.

What do you think?

Grassroots Technology: Are you succeeding?

Published
by
amysampleward
on October 30, 2007
in reports
. 1 Comment

I posted on my work blog about The Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management’s new report “Successful Technology Use in Small Grassroots Nonprofits.”

Grassroots nonprofit organizations are often overwhelmed by the underpaid and overworked lifestyle. Technology is available in abundance to help save time and money and better tool volunteers and staff to do the work they are passionate about. BUT, one problem that surfaces time and again is getting the right technology into the organizations and learning to use it so time, money and resources CAN be saved. The most compelling piece of the puzzle, though, for small nonprofits working in the field is that technology can really make or brake success.

The report covers innovative uses of technology, indicators of success, and factors that foster success. Organizations were compared by field, organization type, location, and more.

Complimentary to the event we conducted on the 19th on distributing content for nonprofits, in which I lead a breakout session on video, organizations included in the report are using video cameras to film events and demonstrations to use in future outreach efforts. Some are even leveraging youth in the community with technology affinity to help produce the videos, providing educational opportunities for the youth involved as well as producing quality video media to use as an organization.

Let’s cut to the chase though.

Here are the highlighted factors for success for internal and external technology use:

Internal:

  • At least one technologically knowledgeable staff person
  • Creativity in thinking of ways to use the technology and research the possibilities
  • Allocation of sufficient time and money for training, adoption, and maintenance of the technology
  • Staff receptivity to technology
  • Understanding of and willingness to listen to the communities served

External:

  • Availability of knowledgeable and affordable support personnel
  • Start-up funding
  • Reliable technological infrastructure

If you haven’t yet, you should definitely check it out, as all organizations can learn something from the grassroots stories in the report.