We don't do a lot of podcasting around here at NTEN. (Maybe that should be one of the things we experiment more with in 2009, in accordance with Holly Ross's resolutions.)

Luckily, Sarah Durham at Big Duck has an excellent podcasting series, the Nonprofit Jungle. You should really check these out for both their helpful nonprofit communications content and as example of how to put together great podcasts.

Sarah just interviewed NTEN's Executive Director, Holly Ross, about the Social Media for Nonprofits curriculum project, We Are Media. Take a listen here to find out more about:

• What the We Are Media project is;
• General tips and strategies for your nonprofit and Web 2.0;
• How Holly got started in nptech in the first place.

Flickr Photo: Jasmic

It's pretty much a given that the coming months will be difficult for the nonprofit sector. I can't predict how bad things will get or how long the downturn will last, but I do know that our organizations will be called upon to serve more, with fewer resources, for the foreseeable future.

The good news is that the thoughtful, well-researched way you put technology strategies and tools to work is going to help your organization get beyond "weathering the storm", ensuring it thrives during this crisis.

Now is our opportunity, as a sector, to define how the thoughtful use of technology can extend tight budgets by creating efficiencies, diversifying funding sources, and delivering programs in new ways to reach more people.

NTEN members: you're in the perfect position to make it happen. Your membership ensures you'll be able to pinpoint the most effective technology approach and make the right decisions on platforms and tools through:

You may have read about my intense love of all things bacon. I talk about it some(all the)times. Imagine my great joy upon learning that Reddit is hosting a fantastic resource to connect volunteers of all stripes with organizations that need them this holiday season -- and those volunteers could win some BACON!

The Feed a Need project is pretty simple. If you're interested in volunteering, just fill out the form to be entered into the database of awesome. If you are a nonprofit, you can add yourself to the list of orgs that volunteers can serve.

By volunteering 2 hours before Feb 14, 2009, you'll be entered to win some fabulous prizes (including bacon).

The only part I can't get behind is that a robot will choose the prize winners:

A monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources. Read more posts on our blog.

1. Economy got you down? You need the live puppy cam!
2. Ushahidi gathers crisis reports from mobile sources, then maps the data. After you look at the sobering visualization of incidents in the Congo (DRC), you may need another dose of puppies.
3. Wired stakeholders. IBM's going to bring broadband to rural areas over power lines.
4. NTEN Member Beth J. Bates has a primer for nonprofits interested in Second Life. Just remember that actions in SL can affect your life in the really real world. But does it seem like World of Warcraft would be a better place to find a partner? Really?
5. PE Obama's promise to hire the nation's first CTO.
6. If people keep falling asleep during your slideshows, you could try tossing ping-pong balls into their gaping, snoring mouths -- or turn to Animoto, a service that creates video slideshows that play like Ken Burns after too much Jolt Cola. Best of all, you can set them to your favorite MC Frontalot track.
7. Walk Score rates your neighborhood's walkability and maps just about everything of interest near you, from bookstores to bars.
8. You know how it's hard to get that last bit of peanut butter past the rounded edge of the jar? This guy decided to do something about it . (Hey, things we like don't need to relate to NPTech when they're this revolutionary.)
9. YouTube as a political tool.
10. Google.org has developed a way to track flu outbreaks based on aggregated search data. Now, will somebody please mash-up a system that sends us alerts when people nearby start to get phlegmy?

Your guide to the resources that will help you put technology to work for your cause.

Write for the Web

First, you need to understand how people read on the web. (Hint: they don't.) Eventually, higher resolution screens and devices like Amazon.com's Kindle will make it easier for human eyes to scan e-text, but for now, make the bullet point and the <strong> tag your best friends. Then, check out the recording of our webinar, "Writing for the Web: Less is More".

Usability expert Jakob Nielson has a lot to say on the subject. You might also consider taking some advice from a 67-year-old blogger.

Then, if you haven't already, jump on the Cluetrain: be open, honest, and direct. Humor helps, too. While you should be wary of anybody promising to teach you how to make people laugh, some of the advice itself can be pretty funny.

Finally, if you're really into words, you should check out The Global Language Monitor, where you can learn that "obama" has entered the English language as a root, as in: obamacize, obamanomics, and (our favorite) obamarama.

Design for Web2.0

Apparently, it's simple: cheerful colors, rounded edges, and "Free, as in beer (not kittens)". We also recommend some advice from "web design from scratch", but with reservations: their web site isn't as pretty.

You've also got your step-by-step guides, from buttons to headers to sites templates. Don't forget to take your users into account!

Of course, to follow all this advice, you need to know your way around PhotoShop (or its open source equivalent, the GIMP). Important topics: layers, masks, and the clone tool. Need more? Here are 60 advanced tutorials. Let us know when you can make our office building appear to be somewhere, in, oh, let's say Djibouti. (No, really: say "Djibouti". It'll cheer you up.)

Flickr Credit: wednesday181Wow. We've come to the last business day in November (with tomorrow being Thanksgiving and Friday being recover-from-Thanksgiving day). I've had fun recognizing NTEN Members for their dedication to their work and this professional community. Giving away free stuff was nice, too.

I hope you all got the message: we value your membership, because it means you value the work you do and the community of your colleagues.

Over the last couple of years, we've seen the landscape of nonprofit technology change, growing with new strategies and successes deploying mobile, web 2.0, constituent data, and e-communications channels for advocacy and charity causes. We've learned that everyone has to be on board with technology, from the board to the volunteers, from the IT staff to the development and marketing departments. We've got to work together to do it right.

You've been a part of that, and you'll continue to be in front of the curve because you're working with each other and your organizations to make smart technology decisions every day.

In 2009, we'll convene in San Francisco for the annual Nonprofit Technology Conference. Today I get to give a complimentary conference registration to an NTEN member, just for being a member:

Choosing Donor Mangaement Software (DMS) can be frustrating and overwhelming. With so many choices and so little time to research all the options, many of us rely heavily on the recommendations of our peers to cut through the noise and provide some insight. This is why NTEN is proud to present the results of our first Donor Management Software Satisfaction Survey.

Download the report today to find out:

We're down to two days of Member Appreciation giveaways, so you know it's going to be a big prize today.

How big, you ask? How about a lucky NTEN member getting their 2009 Membership renewed, on us?

I waved my hand over the trusty NTEN CRM and came up with that lucky NTEN member:

The best part of working at NTEN is you: the great people in our community. I love working with really smart and talented people. That's no exception when it comes to our Board of Directors. I learn a lot from these people every day and am really excited that the board just got more amazing. Please join me in welcoming Rusty, Tom, Steve, and Nancy to the NTEN Board!

Their bios: