Flickr photo: lovebugstudiosAs an Executive Director, I especially love talking to other leaders about technology. No matter what prompts the conversation though, it almost always circles back to the same place: productivity.

For the ED, the ultimate win for technology comes when we get even 1% more efficient. That's all it takes. See how easy we are to please?

So, for my fellow nonprofit leaders, here are the technology tools I can't live without. (And for you nonprofit techies out there, some ideas for winning over your ED.)

Google+, the latest iteration on social networking from Google, is here.

There are bound to be many, many versions of this blog post as people from around the world start investigating the tool and sharing their impressions. As always, when it's just the first trickling of people joining up, the way the tool is used, the depth of some functionality, and the technical issues are all a bit out of proportion. With all of that as a grain of salt to this post, I want to share a few reflections focused on security and control - the items touted ahead of launch as the elements positioning Google+ on the other side of Facebook.

By Amy Sample Ward, Membership Director, NTEN

Every campaign, every organization, and really, even every individual engaging with others online has a set of tools and techniques they've learned from and rely on every day. Building community and maintaining engagement is often a full time job – even if it goes unpaid!

Epic Change is no different. The ToMamaWithLove campaign saw them try some new tools as well as some trusted favorites, even with a budget of $0 and a lot of volunteer time.

flickr: ryancrNot to toot our own horn (although we love to do that around here) but do you know about our RoundTables?

RoundTables are monthly hour-long chats, free for NTEN Members, moderated by an NTEN member from the field of Consulting, Communications, or IT -- depending on which RoundTable it is. The events don't always have a set topic, but are open discussions for questions, sharing, and learning from your peers.

Here are some highlights from this month's particularly tool-loaded Communications RoundTable with Chad Norman of Blackbaud. Chad is an absolute rock star when it comes to social media and marketing. During the call we discussed how to manage a Facebook page & Twitter account.

I got a heads-up about a free event promotion and calendaring service that allows you to create widgets and pages for free.

It took me just a few minutes to sign up, create an event, and customize the widget by adjusting colors (see it below). I also got a web page for added information about the event, RSVPs, and collecting information from those interested. It even allows people to subscribe to event updates.

SpongeCell, the software provider, provides tracking data (widget and page views) and lets you collect your subscribers' contact information. Not bad for a free suite of tools! (The software service also provides email and SMS messaging to your contacts, but fees apply per number of messages sent.)

What's cool is the ease of integration and sharing of the widgets -- think Facebook. I'm not really a techie (I just play one on TV), but I found the back-end management and creative tools very straightforward.

Flickr photo: scotsman001 So, you work at a nonprofit organization and you've been hearing about ways you can reach your constituents, organize your work place, and raise money for your cause with the help of technology. Maybe you've even started learning about some specific strategies, tools, and trends -- with the help of NTEN, of course.

But let's face it: there's a lot that has to happen between learning about cool tools or trends and investing in new products or services for your organization. No matter how cool a new technology may be, you can only stretch your organization's budget so far.

NTEN wants to help -- and so do our discount partners!

Starting next week, NTEN is presenting a new series of webinars called "Show & Tell" that will give you a personal tour of the products and services that are within your reach, thanks to the discounts provided to NTEN members.

> Free! Learn more and sign up today.

You'll get up close and personal with our discount partners to learn more about their specific tools and services, ask questions about the products, and take advantage of special savings.

In this first installment, you'll learn about:

• Web and audio conferencing services
• Web 2.0 platforms
• E-communications tools
• Data storage and recovery services
• Website development services

All are welcome! NTEN members and anyone else interested in learning more about these tools and discount opportunities are invited to join us for the free Show & Tell sessions.

It's the final week of NTEN Member Appreciation Month, and we want to kick it off in a big way. First, I'm happy to announce today's appreciated member:

Robert Goodman, of the American Friends Service Committeee. We're sending Robert some NTEN Gear because we're thankful he's a member of NTEN!

But the giveaways don't stop there. I am happy to announce a special offer for ALL NTEN Members, compliments of Network for Good:

NTEN members can get 100% off set-up fees and the first month free for Network for Good's Custom DonateNow between now and December 30th!

Custom DonateNow is an online donation processing service that enables nonprofits to accept credit card gifts on the Web. If you're an NTEN member, or would like to become a member, and want to take advantage of this special NTEN member appreciation offer, contact us!

Nokia and Vodafone have launched a new wiki, Share Ideas, designed to help distribute ideas about how mobile phones can be used in civil society.

We here at NTEN and MobileActive.org are pleased to have played a small part in the process of creating the site, bringing people and ideas from the MobileActive.org network to the table. We are thrilled that after two years of hard work, there is increasing recognition and knowledge about how critical mobile phones are as a tool for social change and how important it is for civil society organizations to share ideas and resources.

Please check it out!

Tate Hausman, dotOrganize

Many of us mythologize the bleeding edge. We fill our minds with "first mover" success stories like the MoveOns and Dean campaigns of the world that make headlines for using brand new tools. We secretly dream that we too might get our hands on a bleeding edge tool that skyrockets us and our organization to success. And we feel a little ashamed and nervous when peers talk about Second Life, Frappr, and Meebo because we're still struggling with our email.

Dreams of breakthrough success drive innovation and experimentation. But when we prioritize the bleeding edge over basic needs, we do a huge disservice to our organization and our cause.

Katrin Verclas, MobileActive.org

The mobile buzz is definitely on, and with good reason. There are 2.7 billion mobile phones in circulation around the world and these numbers continue to grow at astonishing rates, even in the United States where we are notoriously behind in the use of text messages and creativity in mobile applications. But with half the world owning cell phones, all organizations that want to communicate with their constituents and spread their message should be looking at mobile phones as a promising, new outreach tool.

Yes, using mobiles is still a novel idea for most nonprofits. The good news is that there are many resources available to help your organization enter the world of mobile communications. For starters, here are a few things to consider as you plan a mobile campaign.

• Mobile phones should be used as part of an integrated campaign. As sexy as mobile marketing and campaigning is, it can’t yet stand by itself.

• Texting campaigns, especially with short codes on a professionally run platform, are still expensive and will not turn into ‘profit centers’ any time soon.