Hi all,

A couple of bits of news from Call2Action that may benefit this comunity...

First, for the month of December we are dropping all set up fees on our interactive video widget, The Spark. This will save $500... I know a lot of people have expressed interest but the cost was prohibitive for a more experimental tool. So, if you are still interested now would be a great time to check it out again- especially if you have some online video you are looking to leverage... Learn more here. Our clients have had a lot of success with listbuilding, fundraising and driving folks around the web to their campaigns.

As [we hope] you all know, here at NetSquared we love our Community and want to deliver for you: whether it's creating spaces for the Community members to share ideas and updates (the Community Blog) or for collaborating on innovative Projects to some of the biggest social issues around the world (the Project Gallery).  We are always looking to engage you in our work with feedback and ideas, like the recent Redesign series where we opened up our plans for redesigning the website so you could contribute to the conversation

Capital campaigns are a big deal, because, well, you’re trying to raise a building here. You need a campaign that will catch people’s imaginations, make them want to stick with you for the long haul and hopefully, donate more than once.

This sounds like a job for…social media! Everyone's talking about social media campaigns as the way to fundraise, but what does that look like in practice for a non-profit?

It looks a little something like this.

N2Y4 is just days away, and we're already cooking up interesting blog posts from the unlikely set of allies participating at this year's event. The 15 Featured Projects competing for cash-prizes; a roster of world-class speakers, and innovators shaping the field of mobile-technology for social change. We designed the N2Y4 widget to ensure you have an entry-point to follow the activities at this year's conference from your couch or kitchen table.

Everything you need to catch the action poppin' at this year's N2Y4 Challenge and Conference can be found right here!

 

In somewhere around 100 different ways on this blog, I've tried to stress the importance of showing over telling. Very recently I was happy to speak with Bryan Tighe of Collective Lens, a beautiful and comprehensive web-based photozine that helps small nonprofits and causes show their stories and impact in powerful and touching ways. The site does a wonderful job of realizing and putting to work the impact of the visual, especially with regard to telling the story of an initiative, a people, and/or a country, and shows a lot of potential for helping organizations find support by sharing their impact visually.

While doing some consulting for Social Actions as a "Community Interpreter," I recently tried out their Social Actions Alerts that notifies you of actions (ie. volunteer opportunities, events, petitions) that interest you via email and cell. I set up a search for actions related to Darfur and have been getting 1-3 notices/week.

I thought I'd share the opportunity I got today with y'all in case who can help.  An organization called the Book Wish Foundation is looking for someone to create a widget, like Sprout, to help get the word out about their project with Darfur refugees.

Here is the listing from Idealist.org:

Flash Widget: Reading Relief for Darfur
Organization: Book Wish Foundation 

Create a flash widget (e.g., Sprout) our supporters can spread around the web, highlighting our reading relief project for Darfur refugees in eastern Chad.

Everyone's buzzing about the Case Foundation's America's Giving Challenge and the Causes Giving Challenge. Want to help out your favorite cause? Here's how:

How to Join America's Giving Challenge (December 13, 2007-January 31, 2008)

• 1. Go to the America's Giving Challenge page in Parade Magazine.
• 2. Click on "Get Started."
• 3. Choose a cause you care about in the U.S. or Abroad.
  

Did you know that as of this writing, Hilary Clinton has raised $63,075,926, Barack Obama has raised $58,913,134 and Mitt Romney has raised $44,432,349? Mike Gravel, on the other hand, has raised $238,744.

You can see and share these astounding figures with MAPLight.org's Presidential Fundraising Widget, which can be placed on your blog or web site.

simple ... yet effective.
this is one a slew of widgets we just launched in partnership with peta2 and their "i'm not a nugget" campaign. thousands of people have already passed it on in the last week or so since we've launched -> yay!

thanks if you've passed it on and if you haven't ... please consider taking 30 seconds to click in and post out to your places ... offer feedback on the experience if you're so inclined. many thanks in advance.

i have some stickers if you're interested (leave a comment with where to send them...)

see all of them here: