News
Nonprofit Technology Conference Registration is Open!
While you were thinking about getting your turkey in the oven, we were busily preparing the registration process for the Nonprofit Technology Conference, taking place April 26-28, 2009 in San Francisco.
We've had a few taste testers and think we got it just right! The NTC will be THE place to engage around the technology issues that face the nonprofit sector. Nearly 1,200 people will come together from across the country and around the world to connect with their peers, learn from their heroes, and change the world.
Donor Management Software Satisfaction Report Now Available for Download
Choosing Donor Mangaement Software (DMS) can be frustrating and overwhelming. With so many choices and so little time to research all the options, many of us rely heavily on the recommendations of our peers to cut through the noise and provide some insight. This is why NTEN is proud to present the results of our first Donor Management Software Satisfaction Survey.
Download the report today to find out:
Blog Against AIDS
Today is world AIDS day.
Although the fight against AIDS has come a long way, there's still a lot of work to do. Scientists have created amazing drugs to combat the affects of the disease. Still, the only cure is not to get infected in the first place. That means talking about it, sharing information, making sure that AIDS stays part of our national and international conversation.
The folks at AIDS.gov understand that. Smartly, they've created a whole campaign aimed at people who LOVE to talk: bloggers. At Blogger's Unite, you will find everything you need to write about AIDS and spread the cure, one post at a time.
Things We Like (November 2008)
A monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources. Read more posts on our blog.
- Economy got you down? You need the live puppy cam!
- Ushahidi gathers crisis reports from mobile sources, then maps the data. After you look at the sobering visualization of incidents in the Congo (DRC), you may need another dose of puppies.
- Wired stakeholders. IBM's going to bring broadband to rural areas over power lines.
- NTEN Member Beth J. Bates has a primer for nonprofits interested in Second Life. Just remember that actions in SL can affect your life in the really real world. But does it seem like World of Warcraft would be a better place to find a partner? Really?
- PE Obama's promise to hire the nation's first CTO.
- If people keep falling asleep during your slideshows, you could try tossing ping-pong balls into their gaping, snoring mouths -- or turn to Animoto, a service that creates video slideshows that play like Ken Burns after too much Jolt Cola. Best of all, you can set them to your favorite MC Frontalot track.
- Walk Score rates your neighborhood's walkability and maps just about everything of interest near you, from bookstores to bars.
- You know how it's hard to get that last bit of peanut butter past the rounded edge of the jar? This guy decided to do something about it . (Hey, things we like don't need to relate to NPTech when they're this revolutionary.)
- YouTube as a political tool.
- Google.org has developed a way to track flu outbreaks based on aggregated search data. Now, will somebody please mash-up a system that sends us alerts when people nearby start to get phlegmy?
How To: Put Technology to Use (November 2008)
Write for the Web
First, you need to understand how people read on the web. (Hint: they don't.) Eventually, higher resolution screens and devices like Amazon.com's Kindle will make it easier for human eyes to scan e-text, but for now, make the bullet point and the <strong> tag your best friends. Then, check out the recording of our webinar, "Writing for the Web: Less is More".
Usability expert Jakob Nielson has a lot to say on the subject. You might also consider taking some advice from a 67-year-old blogger.
Then, if you haven't already, jump on the Cluetrain: be open, honest, and direct. Humor helps, too. While you should be wary of anybody promising to teach you how to make people laugh, some of the advice itself can be pretty funny.
Finally, if you're really into words, you should check out The Global Language Monitor, where you can learn that "obama" has entered the English language as a root, as in: obamacize, obamanomics, and (our favorite) obamarama.
Design for Web2.0
Apparently, it's simple: cheerful colors, rounded edges, and "Free, as in beer (not kittens)". We also recommend some advice from "web design from scratch", but with reservations: their web site isn't as pretty.
You've also got your step-by-step guides, from buttons to headers to sites templates. Don't forget to take your users into account!
Of course, to follow all this advice, you need to know your way around PhotoShop (or its open source equivalent, the GIMP). Important topics: layers, masks, and the clone tool. Need more? Here are 60 advanced tutorials. Let us know when you can make our office building appear to be somewhere, in, oh, let's say Djibouti. (No, really: say "Djibouti". It'll cheer you up.)
Happy Thanksgiving: Member Appreciation Month Culmination
Flickr Credit: wednesday181Wow. We've come to the last business day in November (with tomorrow being Thanksgiving and Friday being recover-from-Thanksgiving day). I've had fun recognizing NTEN Members for their dedication to their work and this professional community. Giving away free stuff was nice, too.
I hope you all got the message: we value your membership, because it means you value the work you do and the community of your colleagues.
Over the last couple of years, we've seen the landscape of nonprofit technology change, growing with new strategies and successes deploying mobile, web 2.0, constituent data, and e-communications channels for advocacy and charity causes. We've learned that everyone has to be on board with technology, from the board to the volunteers, from the IT staff to the development and marketing departments. We've got to work together to do it right.
You've been a part of that, and you'll continue to be in front of the curve because you're working with each other and your organizations to make smart technology decisions every day.
In 2009, we'll convene in San Francisco for the annual Nonprofit Technology Conference. Today I get to give a complimentary conference registration to an NTEN member, just for being a member:
NTEN Member Appreciation: Free 2009 Membership for One Lucky Member
We're down to two days of Member Appreciation giveaways, so you know it's going to be a big prize today.
How big, you ask? How about a lucky NTEN member getting their 2009 Membership renewed, on us?
I waved my hand over the trusty NTEN CRM and came up with that lucky NTEN member:
Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission
I'm an Executive Director now, so I have a new-found (and acute) understanding of just how complex that role is.
At a small organization like NTEN, a leader has to be ready to do just about everything, from fundraising to janitorial services. I'd been at NTEN for five years before I took the ED job, so I was lucky enough to know what I was doing -- mostly. But there are giant swaths of the job description I've had to learn from scratch.
Fortunately, the technology part wasn't one of them, but I can relate to the nonprofit leaders out there facing crucial decisions about technology everyday, and who have little idea how all this stuff works.
That's why we're so excited about our book, Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders. The book was written by NTEN members for nonprofit leaders struggling to find technology sea-legs.
The book will come out in March 2009. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon or purchase a copy from us for only $30 with your NTC registration, starting next week. We'll drop it in the mail to you when it's released.
Welcome to Our New Board Members!
The best part of working at NTEN is you: the great people in our community. I love working with really smart and talented people. That's no exception when it comes to our Board of Directors. I learn a lot from these people every day and am really excited that the board just got more amazing. Please join me in welcoming Rusty, Tom, Steve, and Nancy to the NTEN Board!
Their bios:
Final Stretch: Member Appreciation Month Give-Aways Get Even Bigger
Flickr Credit: obLiteratedOn the one hand, I've had a lot of fun giving stuff away and talking about how great NTEN members are these past few weeks. But the cool thing is, we've saved the best member appreciation prizes for last.
Today I get to give away a 2009 Season Pass for NTEN webinars!
It goes to:
