 |
||||||||||
If you like what you read, support us by becoming a member. INTRODUCTION It's still hot in much of the country, so our dog-days-of-summer newsletter is truly scorching. You'll find a ton of resources, things we like and find interesting, and a few bits of hot newness: Beth Kanter unveils a new screencast on Salesforce Campaigns, and Sonny Cloward has a summer fling with Facebook. And we have more: Be sure to check out our NEW discounts. It pays to be an NTEN member with sizeable cost savings on the products and services you use. These discounts are for NTEN members only, but there's never been a better time to join: become a member today, and we'll give you a few free months, and a very warm welcome. We also have a few NEW webinar offerings: a terrific tech leadership series that gives nonprofit executives the essential tools to manage technology in their organizations; and (vendors, listen up!) a new product spotlight webinar series, where you can present your product or service to the NTEN community. It's filling up fast, so sign up now. Check it all out, stay cool, and enjoy the summer! Katrin
Nobody chooses images to enliven screencasts quite like Beth Kanter. She can almost make you forget you're learning. In the first of a series co-sponsored by NTEN and Salesforce, she covered the integration of Google Adwords with salesforce.com. Now, she delves deeper into the uses of salesforce.com with her new screencast, "Salesforce Campaigns for Nonprofits". By turns engaging and informative, the screencast begins by defining what a Campaign means in salesforce.com, before moving into a brief tutorial, highlighted by the very real uses of Campaigns by the Cascadia Building Council. The 13-minute presentation concludes with a series of tips and best practices from Idealist Consulting's Rob Jordan and NTEN's Holly Ross. Go for the music and pithy speech bubbles. Stay for the expertise.
You told us you want more product discounts and we listened. NTEN is happy to announce a plethora of new member discounts, from IT training to data recovery services, offering savings of 10-55% to all current NTEN members. New discount partners include:
To see a complete list, check out our discounts page. You must be an NTEN member to take advantage of these savings. If you are not already a member, now's the best time to join, during our summer membership special.
Sonny Cloward, Independent Consultant
Dear Facebook, All I can say is: "Wow!" It's been an amazing three months. I've had so much fun idling away these long summer evenings with you, playing games like Scrabulous, critiquing movies on Flixster. And who knew we would be Twittering so early on? Because of you, I feel more connected to new and old friends alike. I'm blown away by how close we've become - and so quickly. You've really made me look at things differently. I see possibilities that weren't previously there. Most importanty, you've shown me ways I can have a different impact on the things I care about. I'm truly grateful for having met you. I have to admit, when we started flirting in the Spring, I totally didn't get where you were coming from. It wasn't until late in May, when you really opened up, that I finally "got" you. Everything changed and I realized how much we had in common: we like the same things, have so many of the same friends, and are both really trying to make positive change in the world. I can honestly say, I've never met anyone like you. The Summer Edition of HOW TO: PUT TECHNOLOGY TO USE
Your guide to resources that will help you put technology to work for your cause.
Blog > Your organization doesn't have a blog yet? Fair enough: it's possible you don't need one. In the spirit of summer reruns, though, you should read two excellent posts by Britt Bravo to help you decide: "10 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Blogs" and "5 Tips to Start a Nonprofit Blog". Like an episode of Cheers on TV Land, these posts feel fresher than many newer offerings. > New NTEN Board member Michelle Murraine has more great advice on starting a blog in her article, "Blogging as a Tool for Activism". Michelle covers not just blogging, but tagging, RSS, and trackbacks with uncommon clarity. > If you're hungry for more on blogging -- and social networking -- you'll find plenty of ways to sate yourself with NTEN's compilation of resources in a single Google Document. No need to thank us. We do it because we like you. And because we come to you to compile these amazing resources in the first place. We do it because you are great. Interact with Google > Speaking of Google, did you know that you can post comments to stories on Google News that mention your organization? This could be a great way to gain exposure or correct misconceptions. Kudos to Google for referencing not just the Tooth Fairy, but the Tooth Mouse on their How-To page. > Avinash Kaushik, Google's own Analytics Evangelist, continues his crusade to convince the world that the Bounce Rate metric is "sexy". You can enjoy more of Avinash's charm while learning about Google Analytics sexiness with the recording of the NTEN webinar, "Know Your Web Site: An Hour a Day with Google Analytics". > If you've been considering Google Apps -- remember, they're available free to nonprofits -- Google offers free webinars on their uses and functionality. Manage Mailing Lists > Given the array of email list management options, it can be hard to choose among them. e.politics offers a product round-up, while another by Idealware provides more options and advice. > Once you have a mailing list, you need to start worrying about your reputation, which Dr. Bill Pease, Chief Scientist at Convio, calls, "the driving component governing your deliverability." This isn't like high school, though, when you had to track down whispered accusations: Secure Computing's TrustedSource, ReturnPath's Sender Score, and Ironport's SenderBase all offer ways to check some aspects of your emailing reputation, for free.
THINGS WE LIKE
A monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources. Read more posts on our blog.
COMMUNITY BUZZ
News and buzz from people and organizations in the nonprofit tech sector. Read our posts on the NTEN blog.
Grantmaking 2.0 > The Nonprofit Commons on Second Life held its launch party on August 14th, complete with virtual dancing. Not surprisingly, Beth Kanter covered the event in yet another blog. When does she sleep? > GEO (Grantmakers for Effective Organizations) references the MacArthur Foundation's exploration of virtual philanthropy, including SecondLife, in its new report, "Grantmaking 2.0: Using New Technology to Enhance Grantmaker Practices". We'd call the report excellent even if it didn't highlight NTEN's webinars as a great use of technology. But we do appreciate it. > If your organization uses Salesforce.com and you have a technically inclined staff, consider contributing to the "Nonprofit Grantmaking Solution" wiki at the Apex Developer Network to help build the next great grantmaking tool. Not Just a Geek... > Jonathon Colman was Treehugger.com's EcoGeek of the Week on July 31st. We mention this not just because Jonathon gives NTEN's own Holly Ross a shout out in his interview -- or because "EcoGeek of the Week" is so fun to say -- but because he highlights many of the ways the Nature Conservancy uses technology to promote its causes. Be sure to check out the Carbon Calculator. Jonathon also did a session for NTEN at NTC 2007 that can only be described as "kick-ass". Geek Squad for Nonprofits > If you're in the Chicago area and find yourself in need of a web site or an online application, you might want to get in touch with the Chicago Technology Cooperative. Launched by Jim Craner in 2005, and now up to 6 full-time employees, the CTC promises to provide expert technical services to nonprofits for 20 to 50 per cent less than most computer consulting firms. Money for Something > There are a number of current grant competitions you may want to check out. First up -- because it's the biggest -- is the Knight News Challenge, which offers up to $5 million in grants for "big ideas". Anyone can apply, and they promise, "If we like your idea, we will give you money to make it happen." The deadline is October 15, 2007. > The MacArthur Foundation/Hastac Digital Media and Learning Competition is offering $2 million in awards split between two categories: Innovation Awards, for pioneers exploring new digital learning models; and Knowledge-Networking awards, supporting creative and dedicated communicators. Serendipitously, the deadline for this one is also October 15. > And, receiving its last mention in NTEN Connect (because the deadline for applying is August 31st) is the Antonio Pizzigati Prize for Software in the Public Interest. If you don't know about this one yet, you haven't been paying attention. |
Time's running out. Join NTEN before September 1st and you'll get NTEN member benefits for the rest of 2007 PLUS we'll throw in another year of NTEN member benefits for FREE! TECH LEADERSHIP SERIESNTEN is offering a new webinar series for nonprofit leaders. Taught in plain English, this series is designed to teach nonprofit execs how to:
If you are a nonprofit leader who needs broader knowledge about technology and how best to use it for your organization, this series is for you. CALLING ALL VENDORS! NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT WEBINARSReach the NTEN community directly and interactively by presenting a Product Spotlight Webinar. Present a product demo, conduct a focus group, or show off your research. We'll provide you with the platform, run the logistics, and market the webinar to our community. MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Train Signal WEBINAR ARCHIVES
What would summer be without reruns? Check out some of our most popular webinars in handy pre-recorded format, including: |
|||||||||
|
NTEN CONNECT is the monthly e-newsletter of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN). |
||||||||||
Brett Meyer, NTEN Communications and Web Manager
Annaliese Hoehling, NTEN Membership and Outreach Manager
