Flickr Photo: _ES NTEN doesn't really have a water cooler, but we like to think the NTEN Discuss group serves a similar purpose for folks working with nonprofits and technology, except that instead of gossip about the boss, we share tips, resources, and anecdotes.

Yesterday there was a great discussion about how to get the Communications department to coordinate with the Fundraising department on online and email campaigns. The discussion was spurred on by a question from Michael Hoffman, from See3:

". . . how [do] other organizations create a balance between the Communications and the Fundraising departments when it comes to online initiatives. How should Communications and Fundraising interact without having turf battles?"

Even if your nonprofit's "departments" are just comprised of single staff persons -- like here at NTEN -- getting these folks on the same page is important and often tough. Here's what the NTEN Discuss group had to say:

Our 501 Tech Club in Austin, nicely organized by Dale Thompson from Austin Free-Net and David Neff from the American Cancer Society, sent in an "i-report" from their last meetup. Check out their speaker, Ben Finklea, giving a great presentation on analyzing and optimizing your Web site for your various audiences:

The NTEN Affinity Groups are great sounding boards for folks looking for technology recommendations. Our NTEN Discuss Email Archive members recently investigated the tools and software packages that can aid in online web-conferencing and conversation.

What is your organization’s online personality? Susan Finkelpearl, the Director of Online Strategy at Free Range Studios, says your website if often the first impression people get of your organization. And we all know what people say about first impressions.

Get to know Susan a little here and learn how to show off your organization’s personality in her session “The Fundamentals of Storytelling in Online Communications” on Thursday, April 5, at the Nonprofit Technology Conference.

How did you get into helping nonprofits?

"I've always had a passion for helping organizations communicate effectively and started my career working in traditional PR, first for a relief agency and later for the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental think tank.