News of the Jumo/GOOD merger has brought much coverage and commentary about the reasons and potential benefits of the two companies joining forces. For those unfamiliar, GOOD is the publisher of a website and magazine highlighting stories of good in the world while Jumo is a social networking site that enables people to connect with causes and take action.

The month of October plays host to the DonorsChoose.org BloggersChallenge.  Last year, the Challenge raised $500,000 and helped 75,000 kids in high-need public schools.  Which bloggers will raise the most and what projects will get funded is up to you!

About the Challenge

A chat with Nate Ritter (who is awesome) about Twitter, why the government needs to clean up their data, and Giving Anonymously.

Robert Tolmach talks to us about how Changing the Present hopes to give non-profits a chunk of the $250 billion US gift market, and why giving charitable gifts on Facebook is much more rewarding than throwing sheep.

I admit it. I get excited about widgets.  I think they are beginning to show their potential as one of the most dynamic ingredients in the emerging Web 2.0 toolbox.

Widgets - or badges, gadgets, whichever you prefer - can prove a winner for not-for-profits. Two reasons. Actually, there are probably many more, but two is a good start:

• You move beyond the single website model and turn the entire web into a distribution system for your content / stories
• Smart widgets will (hopefully soon) allow you to report back on how you are making a difference

Over on nfp 2.0 I've written a long (to long?) piece about 18seconds.org, Justgiving, Carebadges, smart widgets, the potential of networks for extending the reach of your widget and for communicating success. Quite a lot really.