The 5th Annual Games for Change Festival, taking place June 2-4 in NYC, will kick off with a free workshop for nonprofits interested in social issue games. It'd be great to get some NTEN representation there:

Games for Change, the international nexus and primary community of practice for individuals and organizations interested in games for positive social change will be hosting a free day-long workshop for non-profits and public institutions new to the field of video games and "real world issues".

There aren't many spaces left at the workshop, and you do need to apply. The rest of the conference looks pretty intriguing, as well: the closing keynote will be delivered by the Honorable Sandra Day O'Conner. We hear she's wicked good at FIFA 08.

Everyone's debating the effectiveness of social networking tools for fundraising campaigns. A new social networking site, Razoo, seems to want to cut to chase: they're going to give $10,000 to a nonprofit organization that signs up at least 100 new members by September 15th. And it's not just a numbers game, as the winning nonprofit organization will actually be selected from the community based on their social change projects. Here's more from their site:

"Any social change organization that creates a Razoo Group and recruits at least 100 members to join by September 15th will be entered into the Change Your World Contest. The Razoo community will then vote for its favorite organization to select the winner of the contest. The prize is a $10,000 donation to your organization, and a high-profile online campaign built around your issues and work."

You can find out more about the contest here.

It's about you.  That's what's important to remember about harnessing the power of Web 2.0 for social change - and fundraising for your organization. 

This week NTEN hosted a webinar, What Kevin Bacon Knows about Web 2.0: Six Degrees of Person-to-Person Fundraising, that demonstrated the tools available to individuals and organizations to turn everyone into a celebrity fundraiser.

Video is a powerful way to communicate your message and cause. More and more nonprofits are using video to tell the story of their cause.

The NTC Video contest showcased some of the excellent videos out there urging people to act for social change.

Hats off to the Avaaz.org, the winner of the NTC Video Contest for this powerful video asking you to help “Stop the Clash of Civilizations.”

You can watch all the finalists’ video on DoGooderTV, and many of the great videos we received here.

Thanks to See3 for sponsoring the contest!

If you work in a nonprofit, you know that there isn’t enough time in the day (or fiscal year) to do everything you need to do yourself. To get it all done, you better know the outside companies that can best help you do what you can’t do yourself.

We asked two people whose organizations provide technology services to nonprofits a couple questions about themselves so you can get to know them and what drives their work. You can find out more about their organizations and meet people from other tech companies Wednesday, April 4, at the Science Fair, part of the Nonprofit Technology Conference.

April Pedersen, Executive Director of Democracy in Action

What motivates you to work with nonprofits and specifically to help them with their online advocacy?

“It's all about being effective and making real-world change. Whether it's using online tools to organize hundreds of vigils on the anniversary of the Iraq war or helping groups raise funds to build awareness about the atrocities in Darfur, I'm able to see firsthand the difference we make in the effectiveness of organizations we serve nearly every day.

I am seeking some very good stories from YOU for a piece on ABC News/vcast TODAY that will feature "technology for good' or how nonprofits are using tech to make the world a better place. Here is what I am looking for:

Nonprofits are getting more and more savvy in using tech - and deploying techies who are doing good in the world. In April, more than 1,000 of these "Techies for Good" are coming to Washington DC.

In very exciting news, microcredit pioneer Muhammad Yunas and the Grameen Bank he founded have won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for their work bringing people out of poverty in Bangladesh. This is a great win for everyone who believes that the path to peace is through ending poverty and that technology can help achieve this.

Yunas came up with the concept of