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.

LOLnptechAmy Sample Ward gives a summary of takeaways from the 501 Tech Club Portland Brown Bag Lunch event this week, at which Jeanette Russell, from DemocracyInAction, discussed online advocacy. I also caught some live tweets from Amy while she was at the event.

Kintera announced the "Connect Developer's Challenge" with cash prizes (of up to $15k) for "entering a software application or applications that integrate directly with Kintera's platform or customize an existing Kintera application."

Britt Bravo blogs about a request for virtual meet-ups for rural NetTuesdays. What are some technology tools/options out there for this? SecondLife, elluminate, wiziq, and Skypecasts were all suggested. Other ideas?

Marnie Webb is back this week urging all those nonprofits who took her advice about searching last week to take the next step -- and "follow". She's working on her series of tips for nonprofits getting started with social networking and web2.0, but her advice really applies to anyone starting out with online research. I'm looking forward to next week's installment!

Michelle Murrain was at the Politics Online Conference this week, speaking about -- what else? -- open source tools. She shared a panel with other NTEN members, including Ryan Ozimek, Jo Lee, and Alan Rosenblatt.

TechSoup announced new Flickr accounts for nonprofits through the "Flickr for Good" program. The NTEN organizational member and general nonprofit technology contributor is partnering with the photo sharing site to donate 10,000 1-year Flickr pro accounts. OK, NTEN community: how will you use yours?

Ruby Sinreich is Twittering as I post this about her day in DC with the Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership, practicing "nonviolent civil disobedience" (hint: find the #OBIPP tags). Will she have been arrested by the time you read this?

At this year's Community Awards ceremony at the Nonprofit Technology Conference, we want to acknowledge the organizations and people who have stood out with particularly effective, exciting, and memorable implementations of technology for their causes over the past year.

Please take a moment to tell us about your favorites in this short survey, and we'll announce the People's Choice in each category on Friday, March 21st.

> Vote today!

LOLnptechAmy Sample Ward let us take a peek at her technology toolbox last week by describing 6 of the daily e-tools she incorporates into her online work and life.

Michelle Murrain has a new free and open source tool overview: Miro, a video tool you can use to play, organize, download, and disseminate online videos. She predicts that this is the future of television.

NTEN member Beth Dunn is profiled as a "tech star" over at @Bar. We're so proud!

Marnie Webb to all organizations thinking about social networking: start with the search. She gives some tips and links to begin your (re)search.

NTEN member Ed Schipul will be speaking on a panel (which includes NTEN superstar Beth Kanter) about web-based social media technologies for nonprofit organizational fundraising at the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW). All you NTENners who will be at SXSW -- let us know what you learn!

A couple of familiar NTEN members and contributors joined our nptechies across the pond for the Circuit Riders 4.0 Conference last week. Laura's Notebook has a nice round up, including a video of Beth Kanter, who joined via Skype to discuss Web 2.0 for nonprofits. She also referred to NTEN superstar John Kenyon, who was invited by NTEN organizational member LASA to lead a workshop on nonprofit advising (or leadership, as we refer to it around here) the day after the Circuit Rider Conference. Good show!

Beth also has a great post addressing the issues of transparency and criticism in the world of social media. She offers a hypothetical scenario that anyone engaging constituencies in this user-generated environment should consider (hint: read the comments).

In response to Beth's post, NTEN member Kivi Leroux Miller offers some great advice for nonprofits dealing with negative user-generated content.

Joyce Harmon, of NPower Greater DC, posted slides she presented recently for nonprofit leaders about online strategies and tools for this generation of online fundraising and constituent engagement. Thanks, Joyce!

Speaking of giving stuff away, Katya Andresen wrote this enlightening post applying the business model of the "gift economy" to nonprofit organizations. The important takeaway for me here is that, with the low-cost of technology tools like email, e-newsletters, and of course social media tools, it not only makes sense but is fiscally possible for even the smallest nonprofit organization to use this model. Read Katya's post for more background and ideas.

Finally, I found a new form of online update from an NTEN member: this tweet about the upcoming Nonprofit Technology Conference from "Erica G." Why is this exciting? I used Google Alerts to search for "nten member" -- and was sent a link to this twitter update in my email. Implications? Tweeting has reach outside subscribed followers.

LOLnptechNTEN member Beth Dunn picked up on the discussion on Beth Kanter's blog about outcome-based thinking for nonprofits using social media. She encourages those who set out on the "journey" through social media for good causes to plan ahead and keep notes.

Amy Sample Ward discusses Twitter for nonprofits, emphasizing the importance of individual interest over organizational broadcasting. Amy always applies the golden rule when she tweets.

Judi Sohn is back with another down-to-earth -- or from-the-trenches -- post about what it really means to implement a new technology for an organization, even if it's a free technology (such as Salesforce or Google Apps for nonprofits). Someone has to spend staff time (or consulting fees) learning the tool before it can be applied to the organization's mission.

Beth Kanter summarizes the many definitions and implications of "authenticity" and "transparency" for the nonprofit sector.

There's sad news from our anonymous NTEN friend 1centNPtech: his/her organization has decided to outsource their technology planning and oversight. Please drop by our comrade's blog to offer your condolences. And maybe some job leads.

Michelle Murrain rants about the problems with custom CMS solutions for nonprofits. She calls on all nonprofits to reject the custom CMS option in their RFPs.

Our very own Holly Ross was highlighted in PBS.org's Idea Lab blog for talking about the "power" of information, nonprofits, and technology.

If your organization is considering whether (and how) to apply social networking for your cause, read Beth Kanter's contribution to Network For Good's blog, "8 Secrets of Effective Online Networking."

Finally, Deborah Finn wrote a guide on search engine optimization (SEO). She was kind enough to re-publish it on her blog.

Don't get us wrong, we appreciate our members every day of the year -- but we don't always get to show it. That's why we're setting aside an entire month to shower NTEN members with our appreciation. And what better month than November? What we're most thankful for is our members!

Just what does "appreciation" mean, you ask? It means:

The Craigslist Foundation takes its Nonprofit Boot Camp to New York City on September 15th. Instead of drill instructors and push-ups, expect a day of knowledge and networking, focused on starting and running a nonprofit.

Keynote speakers include Nancy Lublin, CEO and Chief Old Person of Do Something and Ana L. Oliveira, President & CEO of the New York Women’s Foundation. And be sure to check out the technology track, co-sponsored by NTEN.

You can learn more and register at the official site.

Does online engagement help nonprofits raise money?

At first glance, this seems like a pretty straightforward question: engaging potential donors with your nonprofit’s mission is one of the most powerful cultivation tools you can employ, so it stands to reason that offering people a way to get involved through online advocacy, and keeping them informed with an online newsletter, would naturally garner more money for your organization.

Of course, when deciding how to spend your staff’s time and your organization’s money, you want more to go on than “it stands to reason”. There have been a number of studies that address this question, but when we start to unpack the results, things get a bit murky.

The Tides Foundation has begun accepting nominations for the Antonio Pizzigati Prize for Software in the Public Interest. The Pizzigati Prize "offers a $10,000 award to a software developer who has made, in the spirit of open source computing, an outstanding contribution to the nonprofit world and the ongoing work of social change."

Google released a new version of its web stats application and it is beautiful. The interface is significantly revised and, thanks to Jeff Veen, formerly of Adapative Path and now a Google lead designer, and his team, usable, beautiful, and highly informative. The application is free to users and a must-have for non-profit web sites. Avinash Kaushik, one of our favorite bloggers on all things web stats, has a great post on his Occam's Razor blog that walks you through the major improvements. Read more.