INTRO: PRIVACY AND SECURITY IS YOUR MISSION  Happy
New Year, NTEN Community!
To start the year off right, our
January issue of NTEN Connect focuses on privacy and security - issues
that affect every nonprofit and that are only becoming more important as
we move more data and information about clients, employees, funds, and
services online. 2006 was a fairly quiet year for big security glitches
- no Nimda, no Katrina. Of course the press reported widely on the
privacy glitches chronicled on sites like the Privacy Right Clearinghouse, where many
nonprofit educational institutions litter this hall of shame. But sadly,
privacy breaches are almost a matter of course these days. So to help
you NOT be listed there, read on to find out how you can improve your
security and maintain your constituents's privacy. And the best way to
do this is through good people management and creating policies that are
a part of organizational culture, not just words on a website.
 FEATURE: MY OWN PRIVATE
THERMOPYLAE  Gavin Clabaugh, Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation
In 480 B.C. some 300 Spartans, led by King
Leonidas, managed to delay a hostile force numbered in the tens of
thousands, some even say hundreds of thousands. They did this by
blocking the pass at Thermopylae - the only road available to Xerxes the
Great and his invading Persian forces. The Spartans were eventually
defeated, but not before they secured the retreat of the other Greek
forces and, thus, laid the foundation for Xerxes' defeat the following
year at the Battle of Plataea.
To be honest, there are days
when I feel just a little of what Leonidas must have felt - him and the
300 - facing overwhelming odds with only sword and shield. In my case,
of course, the weapons are mouse and firewall. For me it's not thousands
of Persians. Rather it's a never-ending onslaught of Trojans...and
worms, and spyware, and spam - malware of all variety. The price of
defeat, while not as deadly, is still dire. The stand
of the 300 is often cited as an example of what can be done with the
right equipment, the right training, the right terrain, and most
importantly, teamwork. Strange as it may sound, these are things I try
to keep in mind when I think about computer and network security. I try
to think like Leonidas. I also try to avoid his one, deadly
mistake.
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GoLightly:
Online Collaboration for Nonprofits
GoLightly is a
unique online tool for connecting people with email lists, threaded
discussions, document libraries, blogs, wikis, and more. NTEN uses
GoLightly to host its Affinity Groups.
Meet GoLightly's Dale
McGrew on Tuesday, February 27, at the NTEN-sponsored webinar "Is An
Online Community Right for You?" This webinar will be useful to
organizations that are considering developing an online community and
are evaluating their options. SIGN UP FOR THE
WEBINAR > | 
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FEATURE: PROTECTING YOUR
CONSTITUENTS' DATA Nowadays everyone's heard at least a story or two about how a lost
laptop or a cracked firewall put thousands or even millions of people's
personal information into the wrong hands. That kind of loss can be
disastrous for the individuals affected and for the organization behind
it.
As nonprofits and advocacy groups continue to gather more and
more information about their constituents, we all need to be aware that
along with collecting and analyzing this data, we need to protect it.
But figuring out how to do this well and cost effectively can be a
challenge. Tomorrow we're hosting a webinar that will outline the steps every
organization needs to take to secure the data they collect and how they
can foster an environment that takes security seriously. You can
register here.
With its Healthy and Secure Computing
Campaign, TechSoup is doing a lot to help nonprofits crack down on the
data they collect and has some great resources to help organizations set
up a secure technology infrastructure. Read on for an article about the
campaign, reprinted with permission.
SHOW AND TELL: PRIVACY
POLICIES As nonprofits and advocacy groups collect more and more
information from the people that use their websites, strong and well
communicated privacy policies - disclaimers that explain just how
organizations will use this information they collect - become very
important. In fact, a survey by the Customer Respect Group found that
22% of people won't provide personal information if a website doesn't
have a privacy policy, and 26% go as far as to a leave websites with
privacy policies they don't find acceptable.
We asked the NTEN
community for advice on how to write exceptional privacy policies.
Here's what you had to say:
Dan Michel, America's Second
Harvest
"Work in concert with a legal person to make sure
that the policy is tailored to your specific organization, mission, and
most importantly audience. Also keep in mind if the policy works for the
website and for your online donation efforts."
HOW TO: START PUTTING
TECHNOLOGY TO USE Your guide to resources that will help you put technology
to work for your cause.
MAKING SURE YOUR DATA IS
SECURE
Tightening your personal or organization's security
can be daunting, but is doesn't have to be. These resources will get you
started.
> The Belarc Advisor is a free download that will scan your
computer, show you a report of just how secure it is, and give you
directions to lock your system down tight.
> The Healthy and
Secure Computing campaign's list of best practices, resources, and tools
has great security resources for beginners and experts.
> If
you're brave enough to see how corporations and governments are using
all that not-so-private personal data, read No Place to Hide by Robert
O'Harrow.
WRITING A PRIVACY POLICY
Did the article above
make you want to write a privacy policy or improve the one you have? We
have a tool that will help.
> The Direct Marketing Association's privacy policy
generator will create a model privacy policy for you. All you have
to do is answer 16 questions.
Thanks to Robert Weiner, Jim Musslewhite, Sarah Davies, and
everyone else who sent in resources! THINGS WE LIKE COMMUNITY BUZZ
News and buzz from people and
organizations in the nonprofit tech sector. Read our posts on our blog.
MOBILEACTIVE MAKES THE "SMARTERST ORG"
LIST
MobileActive was named one of the 59 smartest orgs on
the web by Squidoo, GetActive (now Convio), and Netsquared. Visit their
website to find out why and see who else made the cut. THE CHANGING FACE OF NONPROFIT SOFTWARE
Last
week brought about some major shakeups in nonprofit software with Convio
buying GetActive and Blackbaud buying Target Software. You can read what
the bloggers are saying about this here and here. IN MEMORIAM: CLAIRE
OBARE
With great sadness we mourn the death of NTEN member
Claire Obare, an e-rider for Engender Health in Kenya. Many of you knew
Claire from past Nonprofit Technology Conferences. Claire, you will be
missed. NTEN VIDEO CONTEST
We're
looking for creative minds to produce videos, animations, and mash-ups that inspire and ignite social
change. We'll show winning entries at the Nonprofit Technology Conference and give away the grand
prize!
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REGISTER FOR THE
NTC This year's Nonprofit
Technology Conference is just around the corner. Don't miss this chance to connect with colleagues, learn
the latest happenings in nonprofit tech, and, of course, have a great
time.
BECOME A MEMBER
If you like what you read in this
newsletter and want access to the tools, resources, and people who can
help you better use technology, join NTEN today.
Need another reason to join? Members save
on registration to the NTC.
UPCOMING WEBINARSGet your questions answered. Protecting Your Clients' Data: A How-To for
Non Techies
Thursday, January 25, 11:00 am
Pacific
Presented by Henry Kumgai from CompuMentor
Getting
Started with Blogging Software
Wednesday, February 7, 11:00
am Pacific
Presented by Laura Quin from Idealware.org How RSS is Changing How We Send and Receive Electronic
Communications
Thursday, February 8, 11:00 am
Pacific
Presented by Alexandra Samuel from Social Signal
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