You heard it from NTEN first: Google announced today the launch of Google Checkout for Non-Profits. Qualified nonprofit organizations can now sign up to accept charitable donations through Google Checkout -- for free -- through at least the end of 2008. That’s right: no monthly, set-up, transaction, or gateway fees. This time, "free" actually means, well, free.

Google Checkout has already become a popular way for merchants to process credit card transactions over the Internet because of its low transaction fees, the typically straight-forward interface, and the reliability of the Google brand.

Now, donors will be able to contribute to their favorite charitable organizations using a single login across the web, increasing the potential that they will donate over and over again. Indeed, many of your potential donors may already have a Google Checkout account. It's like a Development Director's fantasy.

Because Google Checkout can be used in parallel with your current online donation system, there’s no reason not to give it a look.