Archive for March, 2008

Google for Non-Profits

Google for Non-profits provides a round up of Google’s relevant and useful free tools, all in one handy place to help organisations get started easily.

The site lists everything from docs, calendars, web analytics, groups to YouTube. They’ve categorised the free tools list into two areas, ‘Save time and money’; and ‘Find and engage supporters’.

Excerpt from the Google for Non-profits webpage:

You want to change the world. We want to help.
Learn how to use free Google tools to promote your work, raise money, and operate more efficiently.

How will this help organisations?

Each application tool link takes you to a section which shows you what the tool is and how to use it with easy to understand tutorials. As well as the guides on how to use the tools there are useful innovative examples of how the applications can be used in a nonprofit organisation with real case studies in the ‘Get inspired’ sections. There is also a ‘Quick ideas’ section too, which can give groups some instant ideas in ways these applications could be used, as well as a handy ‘Question and Answers’ page for each tool, which covers many of the common questions that organisations raise when investigating new ways of using technology to acheive their aims and way they work.

An excellent one-stop-shop resource to help organisations to learn more and gain the knowledge and confidence that is sometimes needed to have a go with using these tools for the first time.
See more at Google for Non-profits.

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Twitter in plain english from Common Craft

Common Craft who produce the most fabulous fun bite size mini videos on social networking tools in plain english have released another in their growing series. The latest one is all about Twitter which explains how Twitter can be used in just 2.5 minutes. Check it out at www.commoncraft.com/twitter.

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Visualising information for advocacy: An introduction to information design

I’d highly recommend reading a copy of the new booklet from Tactical Tech which is also available as a pdf download. Visualizing Information for Advocacy: An Introduction to Information Design is a useful guide aimed at helping organisations strengthen campaigns and projects through communicating vital information with greater impact.

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Web Office 101

London region ICT champ, Miles Maier has created a great visual round up of some of the best web office tools on his blog. He ran a session called ‘Web Office 101′ at the recent Circuit Rider Conference, and shares a wide range of links to web-based office tools which allow you to create, collaborate and share documents through your web browser. Check out the article weboffice 101.

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Effective technology advising with John Kenyon

The day after the Circuit Rider Conference in Birmingham, Lasa organised a learning event with John Kenyon who had also facilitated a session at the Circuit Rider Conference. John is a nonprofit technology consultant based in San Fransisco and has an abundance of infectious vibrant enthusiasm and is always a delight to meet. He delivered an inspiring workshop on ‘Effective Advising - improving your effectiveness as a technology advisor’.

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Circuit Rider 4.0 Conference Round Up

Around 70 nonprofit techies and ICT development workers from across the UK came together in Birmingham for the Circuit Rider 4.0 conference organised by Lasa on 28th and 29th February. As well as those who innovate with technology for voluntary sector organisations here in the UK, some of my favourite inspiring nonprofit technology consultants from across the pond were also facilitating at the event.

I co-ran a session along with David Wilcox from Designing a Civil Society and Nick Booth from Podnosh and with the input too from Paul Henderson from Ruralnet.

Our session was entitled ‘Naked in a Goldfish Bowl - Web 2.0 and the non-profit world’. Beth Kanter from Boston joined us in the session using Skype (we hoped to have tested out the fab Oovoo but wasn’t to be, with wireless bandwidth issues on the day!). Beth shared her experiences and enthusiasm of her recent fundraising successes and the factors which helped to make it happen by using social media. A big thank you to Beth for joining us, especially with the first time we ran our session being just after midday here in the UK, and only 7.30 am there with Beth in Boston. You can read Beths reflections on her involvement in our session here.

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