NetSquared, an initiative of TechSoup.org - non-profit

Sketch Up: great non-profit tool, and it isn't sketchy

Channing — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:56:52 -0500

The latest version of Google’s SketchUp software was released yesterday. Aside from having a cute name, the software has some great potential use in your non-profit toolbox.

For those that haven’t played with it, SketchUp is a three dimensional modeling program. That means you can create little virtual models of practically anything: a house, a train, a space station, a dinosaur. Well, it’s really geared towards mechanical things - my dinosaur comes out looking a little funky.

Creative Commons and your non-profit

Channing — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:19:06 -0400

When my Amnesty International group decided to run a slide show in our local cafe commemorating human rights, they started brainstorming where we could get content for the show. Obviously, a great way to get graphics, audio and video for any non-profit outreach you do is to make it yourself.

But what if you're pressed for time, or you don't have a graphics volunteer? Since your non-profit would never ever pirate an image from the web, it's time for you to get acquainted with Creative Commons.(click for more!)

Put Your Non-Profit Website to Work!

Channing — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:39:12 -0400

Your nonprofit has a fabulous website. You attract thousands of admirers each day. You update it with fresh content, you communicate with your donors. You rock.

You've also invested blood, sweat, tears and cash into the beast. So is it possible to make some money back from your website?

Having a decent website is a given for most nonprofits. It's a key communication tool, with your stakeholders, the media, donors, the world. Given that, let's assume that your website has some inherent value for your organisation. But can you actually create a revenue stream from your website?

(More...)

Ike slams us... into calling for donors via social media tools

cmartin82 — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:30:24 -0400

Our organization has been in an unusual position since Hurricane Ike slammed us a week and some change ago. Houston is just now reverting to normalcy... though a complete recovery is months away, if at all possible. The Blood Center shut down its operations for four days in response to Ike and began collecting again last Tuesday, calling for the public to give blood and replenish the supply.

Gorilla Marketing

Channing — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:13:35 -0400

To promote a new gorilla habitat, the London Zoo came up with a virtual gorilla. You download it to your desktop, then make sure all its needs are taken care of: food, water, etc. In time, the baby gorilla will grow into a mighty silverback. (I’m waiting for a virtual Jane Goodall to show up and park herself in the corner of my monitor, taking notes on my gorilla.)

Basically, this is a retread of the Tamagotchi phenomenon. It’s a cool toy that hooks kids in, educates them a little, and clutters up mom’s computer.

Inspiring non non-profit sites

Channing — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:11:35 -0400

I was going to write about all the excellent non-profit blogs out there that there are to be read, but Beth’s Blog already made a fantastic entry to get you started on this (granted it focuses exclusively on Gen X/Y/Millennial blogs - but we’re Gen X/Y and it’s just to get you started).

A confession is that I don’t actually read a whole lot of non-profit oriented blogs and sites, mostly because it’s hard to find ones that don’t oversimplify their advice to the point of it being useless. Consider a recent example I came across on the subject of online fundraising:

Amateur photogs extend NPOs' reach on flickr

cmartin82 — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:17:50 -0400

As I've been (mentally) exploring the many ways for my NPO to effectively use social media tools, I've also been paying close attention to what others are doing. A great example of a non-profit on Flickr came up just the other day, when Houston's Opera in the Heights extended an invitation for local amateur photographers to a photo shoot for its upcoming production of Madama Butterfly.

Remote Control: should your non-profit hire a remote funding developer?

Channing — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:31:31 -0400

A remote funding developer. They work from home, they take up less support costs and they don’t involve supervisory time - what’s not to love? I worked as a remote funding researcher recently, and while I’m not willing to flat out say it doesn’t work (comments welcome from people doing just fine at this job) I am willing to tell you what to watch out for.

1 Idea. 25 Projects. EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.

cfunderburk — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:00:10 -0400

We can empower others to do more through technology.

We're on Flickr! So now what?

cmartin82 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:34:23 -0400

The net2thinktank question about non-profits on Flickr is what brought me here... but now that I'm all registered and logged on, I'm drawing a blank. The truth is, non-profits are doing lots of great things with Twitter, some of which are truly impressive.

My NPO has only begun to scratch the surface of social media. We have a Flickr account. We have a few pics up, some different versions of our logo. One on the main reasons we created a Flickr account was to put information out there for the local media to access when they want to feature us in a story. Thus far they've had to contact us for pictures, and since we haven't had many good pictures on hand anyway, we've missed out on some potentially great coverage.