Technola : Public Interest Law & Technology Updates & Commentary : Matthew Burnett & Kate Bladow : Tech Advice for the Non-Profit Legal Sector

An updated version of Idealware's A Consumers' Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems has been released. It compares 29 donor management systems that cost $4,000 or less in their first year and dives in deep for what they consider the top ten systems.

Why might you need a donor management system? Because these systems help you to track the people who care enough about your organization to give money and to retain them as donors. They are much more powerful than spreadsheets, which, as the report explains, quickly become a nightmare to manage.

For example, a tool like Microsoft Excel can’t usefully link pieces of information together, so as soon as someone gives more than once, you have a tracking problem. If you have 10 donors who have each given between one and five times, the spreadsheet becomes complicated and ugly, making it difficult to figure out your total giving for the year. Add in the fact that two of those donors are married, and they should only get one mailing, and it’s suddenly completely unmanageable.

Are you using a donor management system to track your donors? If so, is your donor management system one of Idealware's top ten? Or do you use a system that Idealware didn't cover? Let us know in the comments. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

If you are looking for an easy way to keep up with current technology trends, subscribe to NTEN:Change, a new quarterly journal intended to help nonprofit leaders and their programs use technology wisely.

The most recent issue includes many useful articles, including

• Facebook for Volunteers - Jayne Cravens, a virtual volunteering expert, and several nonprofit organizations detail what has worked to recruit volunteers on Facebook.
• Show Me the World: Video Storytelling for Your Cause - This feature outlines how a program can and should begin integrating videos into their communications.
• Social Media Nightmare: Errant Post from Your Org's Official Profile Online - Wendy Harman from the American Red Cross shares how a potential nightmare can be transformed into a fundraising opportunity.

To subscribe and read NTEN:Change, visit nten.org/ntenchange. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Every year M+R Strategic Services and NTEN publish the eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, which analyzes data from small, medium and large nonprofits in a range of sectors (including "rights"). This year’s report culls data on email messaging, online fundraising and advocacy, social media, and text messaging from 40 nonprofits. The Study also includes a helpful glossary of terms. You can download a copy of the 2011 study here (your name and email are required, but you can opt out of receiving emails from M+R and NTEN if you like). -M

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Nonprofit techies will be gathering in D.C. this week for the 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC). If you’re planning to attend, be sure to check out “Transforming Advocacy for the 21st Century,” a panel that includes Tony Lu (Pro Bono Net), Adam Stofsky (New Media Advocacy Project), Jane Ribadeneyra (LSC), and Glenn Rawdon (LSC) on March 19 from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. Kate will also be leading a session with Dawn Crawford called “Beginner Social Media - Where Do I Start?” on March 18th from 7:00am to 8:00am. More information about the NTC, including details about the online conference for those that can’t make it to D.C., is available here. - M

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

I'm floored at how much content Nonprofit Technology Conference attendees created to document their activities. They took notes and photographs, drafted blog posts, created videos, uploaded slides from their presentations, and, of course, tweeted. A few of the many items that I've seen:

Session Recaps and Analysis

• Hotlanta and the 10NTC (JustAnne)
• Andrew Sullivan on New Media: “A mosh pit of universal dyspepsia and amusement - and value” (Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog)
• Conferences and Their Hashtags (The Extraordinaries)
• Diversifying Your Tech and Online Communications Teams (Frogloop Blog)
• From 10NTC: 7 Key Lessons for Integrated Multichannel Fundraising (Connection Cafe)
• Lessons Learned about a Distributed Workforce and Listening, via NTC (Online Communities for Social Change)
• NTC Day of Service 2010 (the groupery blog)
• NTC Day of Service: Our Tenth Year! (Beth's Blog)
• A sneak peek at The Networked Nonprofit: Beth Kanter and Allison Fine’s new book (Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog)
• Spreading the good word of storytelling (The Mercy Corps Blog)

Interviews

• Nate Aune Of Plone Foundation On Working With Open Source Vendors (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Steve Backman from Database Designs on Project Management for CMS (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Ivan Boothe of Rootwork on the Death of Online Strategy (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Woody Collins from Congo Helping Hands (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Fan Of The Nonprofit Tech Conference (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Gregory Heller From Civic Actions On Working With Open Source Vendors (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Hayes Morehouse from Ella Baker Center on working with open-source vendors (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Gabriel Nichols from Human Rights First on Project Management for CMS (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Margaux O’Malley from Grand Junction Design on working with open-source vendors (Causecast Nonprofit)
• Tim Walker of Biro Creative talks Web Thinking (Causecast Nonprofit)

Tweets

• TweetNotes from the NTC
  

Presentations

• 10ntc on SlideShare

Session Notes

• 2010 NTC session notes

Photographs

• The 10NTC Pool

Seen any materials that I've missed? Please add them in the comments. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks

The NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference wrapped up on Saturday night after several days of service, keynotes, and sessions. I have several draft posts written but need to give them a final read now that I have a couple nights of sleep behind me. To entertain you until those posts are ready, I give you NTEN's Community Rhapsody.

The NTEN staff made this version of the Muppet original to reward the community for donating over $10,000 to help send more than 70 nonprofit technologists to the conference. (You may remember the reward from last year: Holly Ross' remake of Beyonce's "You Should Have Put a Ring on It.")

Mark your calendars. Next year's conference is in DC from March 17 to 19. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Day two of the NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference. The morning started with Andrew Sullivan talking about blogging and ended with a awesome lunch with a table of legal aid folks who are learning and thinking a lot about web presence, social networking, and other technologies.

A lot of information is being shared at the conference, but some of the best conversations are happening in the backchannel, or online, where you can participate without being at the conference.

John Merritt Summarizes My Morning at NTC

If you aren't, I encourage you to follow the NTC events that are being made available online through streamed sessions, webinars, and the backchannel. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (2)
• Trackbacks

All right, so it's not so much the "midnight train" as it is a "noon plane," but I am heading to Georgia.

Atlanta and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits are hosting the NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference, a multiple day extravaganza of speakers, exhibits, penguins, and people who love nonprofit technology. If you'll be at the NTC, please let me know so that we can meet up. And if you aren't going to the NTC, but can't live without it in your world, check out how you can participate online. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

The Nonprofit Technology Network today released the 2009 Nonprofit IT Staffing and Spending Report. First published in 2006, this Report is an excellent resource for objective data on nonprofit IT salaries and how nonprofits are spending their IT dollars. The free report is available for download here. -M

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

NTEN is hosting an Ask the Expert session with Beth Kanter and Allison Fine on Wednesday, October 28 at 2 pm Eastern. Beth and Allison will take questions about what social media means for organizations and how organizations can adapt and leverage the tools instead of simply reacting. This session is free for NTEN members. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Every spring, the nonprofit technology community gets together at the NTEN NTC and spends several days talking about using tech for good. In April 2009, this meant that nearly 1500 people converged on San Francisco to talk about social media, crowdsourcing, fundraising, security, and more.

But NTEN knows that many people who wanted to come couldn't. Budgets are tight, and travel funds are limited. So this year, in addition to NTC, NTEN is holding the Online Nonprofit Technology Conference on September 16 & 17, 2009. Attendees won't have to leave their office to participate. They'll just need a phone, computer, and Internet connection.

The agenda is inspired by NTEN's book, Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders, and Ami Dar, the Founder and Executive Director of Idealist.org, will keynote the conference

Registration is $250 for members and $350 for non-members. (And an individual membership is $85. So if you aren't, become an NTEN member before you register.) - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks (1)

Interested in learning more about social network sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn? Then sign up for one or more of these free sessions about social networking and social media.

• On June 10, 2009 at 2:00 pm Eastern, Care2 is hosting "Share the Story: High Impact Ways to Integrate Social Media into Your Advocacy and Fundraising Campaigns." This session will demonstrate at how nonprofit programs can integrate social media into their campaigns by examining the lessons learned by World Society for the Protection of Animals- Canada. Register for Care2's session here.
• On June 11, 2009 at 2:00 pm Eastern, LSNTAP is hosting an Executive Roundtable on social networking policies. This session is aimed at Executive Directors and Administrators. Find out how to participate on the LSNTAP site.
• On June 17, 2009 at 2:00 pm Eastern, NTEN is hosting "You're All a-Twitter," a free webinar about Twitter that will walk through the basics of what it is and how to use it. Register on the NTEN site. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

NTEN, the Nonprofit Technology Network, has several upcoming free webinars. Two are part of their ongoing Ask the Expert series, which are free for NTEN members.

• Ask the Expert - Michael Schreiber on Technology Planning in Today's Economy -April 21, 2009 at 2 pm Eastern/11 am Pacific
• Ask the Expert - Mal Warwick on Fundraising When Money Is Tight - May 19, 2009 at 2 pm Eastern/11 am Pacific

Additionally, twelve sessions from the sold-out Nonprofit Technology Conference are being made available live and are free for everyone. (Check out more ways to participate in the NTC without leaving your office.)

Monday, April 27

1:30 pm Eastern/10:30 am Pacific

• Google Media: Google Grants, Blogger, YouTube, Maps
• Selecting and Implementing Open Source Constituent Relationship Management

4:30 pm Eastern/1:30 pm Pacific

• Online Organizing for Community Organizers (and vice versa)
• Advancing Your Career and Earning What You Deserve

6:30 pm Eastern/3:30 pm Pacific

• DIY Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Integrated Mobile Advocacy and Online Fundraising

Tuesday, April 28

1:30 pm Eastern/10:30 am Pacific

• Join! Renew! Give! Get! Successful elements of fundraising campaigns
• Case Studies of Conferences Energized Through Social Media

4:30 pm Eastern/1:30 pm Pacific

• Why The Donate Button Isn't Enough
• Confessions of a Social Media Campaigner

6:30 pm Eastern/3:30 pm Pacific

• Cloud Computing: More than just IT plumbing in the sky
• What nonprofits can learn from the presidential campaigns' (and other nonprofits’) 2008 online efforts

Enjoy! - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Brian Rowe, Access to Justice Board Extern at the Washington State Bar Association, will be speaking at the 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference on fair use and user generated content. Holly Ross, Executive Director of NTEN, interviewed Brian about the panel he's put together. Her interview, 2009 NTC Preview: Brian Rowe on Fair Use and User Generated Content, is posted on the NTEN blog. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

I can't believe that I didn't realize this earlier! Or maybe I did and just forgot. NTEN and TechSoup Global are sponsoring a series of free social media trainings. Several already happened and were recorded and made available online, but the remaining two webinars happen this Wednesday and next Wednesday. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

I've told you before that NTEN loves its members, so it should be no surprise that it is looking out for members who can't afford to attend the Nonprofit Technology Conference, an amazing technology conference for nonprofits. With help from members who have a little extra cash and Convio, NTEN will award up to 57 scholarships and airline miles tickets. The only catch--to qualify, your organization needs to have an annual budget of less than one million dollars. If you're interested, you can apply for the scholarships, which will be awarded on a rolling basis. And if you want to help someone attend the NTC, you can donate to NTEN. (Check out this page or contact the staff.) - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

It's more than halfway through November, and I've neglected to point out a very important fact: it's NTEN Member Appreciation Month. Members have the chance to win prizes, get discounts on tech-related products, and attend free webinars. A few items that you might be interested in:

• Podcasting 4+1 Webinar (Session materials and recording are available.)
• Ask the Expert - Andrew Turner on GIS (Session materials and recording are available.)
• 10 Tactics for Growing Your Online Community (Live on 11/20/2008 at 2 pm Eastern.)

All of these materials are free for NTEN members. Isn't it great to be loved? - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks (1)

A couple of updates on previous posts -

• Update from Women Who Tech Can Now Tech Together (March 6, 2008) - Podcasts from the Women Who Tech Telesummit are online. You can also join the Women Who Tech groups on LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook.
• Update from Another Reason to Become an NTEN Member (March 24, 2008) - I found another reason to become an NTEN member. This summer they are holding office hours. You can show up and get advice about IT, communications, fundraising, program development, and leadership.
• Update from LawHelp.org Earns 2008 Webby Nomination (April 9, 2008) - Unfortunately, LawHelp.org was not a repeat Webby. Congratulations to Out-Law.com (judges' choice) and the ABAJournal (People's Voice).
• Update from 2008 Equal Justice Conference Tech Sessions (April 30, 2008) - Conference materials from the technology session are available on LSNTAP.org. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

The NTEN blog and e-newsletter feature an article by Lisa Stansky: Technology's Role In Rebuilding New Orleans. Lisa is the Web Site Content Coordinator for LawHelp.org/LA and is located at the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Google presented at the NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) and came with the expected information about Google's projects and priorities. But unexpectedly, they also announced a benefit for NTEN members - expedited review of Google Grant applications. You can read all about it on the NTEN site.

And a personal "woot, woot" to Joyce Raby and Liz Keith who live tweeted the NTC for those of us who couldn't attend. It was great getting live news from the sessions you attended. - K

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (3)
• Trackbacks (1)