Wired Non-Profits

It's a new year!!! What now?

2012-01-03T07:47:00.001-08:00

The new year is upon us and now it's time to make some decisions for your organization. You've already forecasted your upcoming year but did you remember your website? Anymore, it's not just enough to build a website. It's got to stay fresh in the minds of your donors. How about a redesign? I'm not saying you have to redesign it every year but you should consider giving it a face lift every couple of years. Technology changes from year to year so you want to be sure that your website is up to it's top potential. So how do you know if you need a redesign? Definitely look at how long it has been. If it's been two or three years, consider it. If you are using a content management system like Joomla or Wordpress, this is even easier than you know. There are so many fantastic templates out there that have been designed for these CMS you can easily purchase one and use it. In some cases, you may need some assistance from a designer/developer to maybe make sure it's loaded correctly and all the features are up-to-date. A good designer can also take a template you purchased and make modifications to match your brand a bit better. Just consult with your favorite designer for options on this.

Marketing and Fundraising Sessions

2010-10-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Center for Nonprofit Management (Dallas) is offering several sessions on Marketing and Fundraising. Some topics are:

The most powerful tool in fundraising - Writing the case statement clinic.
Building donor partnerships - Beyond the sponsorship package: creating donor partnerships
Attract new donors - Web design do's and don'ts and how to's
Tell your story - Write to be heard! secrets of a PR Pro

You can read more about these sessions by visiting their website at www.cnmdallas.org

Free EBook from Network for Good

2010-08-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Network for Good has released a new EBook titled "How to Raise A Lot More Money Now - 50 Great Ideas from 11 Top Experts." The book gives you creative ideas on how to raise money for your organization. In past postings, I've talked about strategic ways to get donations. People like to see where their money is going. So being creative with that part of your website can really get peoples attention. Take a few minutes to review this EBook.

If you need help with getting your website designed or redesigned to draw in donors, visit www.gogreencre8tive.com.

Don't forget your networking tools. Get help with you networking as well. I have packages exclusively for non-profits to manage your networking.

Joomla 1.5.20 Security Release

2010-07-20T07:10:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know we just upgraded a release a few days ago. But now Joomla has another security release that fixes some bugs and a couple of security issues. Because it's a security release, everyone needs to really update their sites. To view a list of the fixes, visit the Joomla website.

New and Improved: The Witte Museum

2010-06-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Witte Museum got an amazing face lift with the assistance of myself (the designer) and NPower Texas. The original website was outdated in appearance and structure. They wanted a more interactive site that would draw in visitors to the museum. They also wanted an easy way to update it regularly. I implemented the Joomla CMS so that making changes and managing the website are a breeze. I also implemented a rotating banner on the homepage where they could highlight features and exhibits as they occur. On every page is a row of "call to action" items that fade in and out and are scrollable. On every page, a visitor can do things like plan their visit, donate, get involved and learn more about their capital campaign. The Witte Museums mission of “promoting life-long learning” has been accomplished by making it easy for visitors to have a clear path of action when on the website.

If you're interested in getting a makeover for your website, contact me via email.

Visit the website at www.wittemuseum.org.

Giving in 2009 was still good

2010-06-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported in their newsletter that "individuals, who make 75 percent of all charitable contributions, held steady in their giving, providing more than $227-million, the same sum they contributed in 2008, according to researchers at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy, who compile Giving USA."

View the source »

There's an App for that. How Charities are using the IPhone

2010-06-08T12:48:00.001-07:00

Since the IPhone came on the market, we are mad about applications! Many non profits including the Monterey Bay Aquarium are using applications to educate the public about their organization as well as fund raising campaigns. And now with the latest Smart Phones like Android coming on the market, the opportunities are endless. Technology is a staple for non profits - some just don't know it yet.

View the source »

If you're interested in getting an application developed for your organization, contact patsy@gogreencre8tive.com.

Thousands of nonprofits may lose tax-exempt status

2010-05-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

An article in the Associated Press says that many nonprofits will be losing their tax-exempt status because they didn't file a new form with the IRS. Just a reminder folks - get it done.

Go to source »

New and Improved: Healing Hands Ministries

2010-03-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

Healing Hands Ministries was chosen by NPower Texas to receive a free website makeover. Their site at the time had minimal content and was utilizing the free Mac website tool. They wanted a site that would clearly state their mission, one that was unique in design and easy to update. The site was designed to match the marketing materials and utilizes Joomla to manage the content. The organization hopes to improve donations so they can continue to further their mission to help those in the community with medical and dental care.

Members Project with American Express

2010-03-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

American Express has teamed up with Take Part to reward its members for their volunteer efforts. If you volunteer with someone listed on the search page, you can earn bonus points through your AMEX card - up to 10,000 points per year.

go to source »

New to the Nonprofit World?

2010-03-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

Are you new to the nonprofit world and want to know more about that to expect? The Center for Nonprofit Management out of Dallas is offering an orientation on March 23 from 9am - 1pm to discuss this very thing. The speaker for the seminar is Nancy Barry, Gen Y expert. She'll be sharing the secrets to being successful as a young nonprofit professional.

go to source »

Eventbrite teams up with Non-Profits

2010-03-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

In the month of February, Eventbrite launched their partnership with non-profits called Eventbrite for Causes. It now allows non-profits to apply for reduced rates in using the tool and creates a community where they can share their best practices. Eventbrite is a great tool to manage your events with. It works with payment services like PayPal to make processing easier. Certainly a must try tool!

view the source »

Discovering the Secret Giver

2010-02-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

I came across an interesting company called The Stelter Company. They help non-profits by providing services in "writing, designing, producing and distributing high-quality direct mail newsletters, collateral material and Internet-based products. In addition, through our knowledgeable field consulting staff, we will help organizations to determine their marketing needs and recommend appropriate solutions and strategies."

They have a variety of online tools that you can implement into your own website. An organization called The Children's Shelter, whom I designed their website, uses their online tools. They put it inside your website wrapper so you get that same look and feel. View the site now.

I wanted to direct you to a study that Stelter did on "Discovering the Secret Giver." It's a webinar presentation you might find interesting. View the webinar.

Dealing with Board Members

2010-02-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

As a non profit, you rely on your board members for so many things. They are sometimes the back bone to bring in big money for your organization. They are a big connection to the community at large. The Center for Non Profit Management published two interesting articles about board members.

Should board members be required to give »
What to do with board members who don't give »

Publish your events to Facebook fan pages using Eventbrite

2010-02-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

You've heard me in the past talk about Eventbrite. I really like this tool for managing events and ticket sales. It works well with PayPal which is an inexpensive option for payments. Recently, Eventbrite added a new feature that will allow you to post your events to your Facebook fan page. These networking sites are huge and are one of the best ways to get the word out. So check out

Learn How TechSoup Can Help Your Organization

2010-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

TechSoup is such a great place to get anything as far as technical software for your organization. Software is so expensive so if you are a nonprofit, they can be your God Send. Anyway, they are conducting an educational webinar on February 11th to let you know how TechSoup can help you. Their introduction for this reads:

"Join TechSoup.org content, community, and customer service for a tour of how your organization can use all that TechSoup has to offer to improve your technology and help reach your mission. We'll walk you through the process of registering and requesting donated and discounted products from more than 35 donor partners like Microsoft and Adobe. We'll also take you on a virtual tour of other resources in TechSoup's tech arsenal."

Online Fundraiser's Checklist

2010-01-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

Network for Good is offering up a new e-guide to help for planning for 2010. It is an Online Fundraiser's Checklist. There are six checklists that cover the homepage, donation form, writing style, email lists, email campaigns and thank-you programs.

go to source »

Online Fundraising in 2010

2010-01-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

Network for Good talks about 5 Trends that are going to effect online fundraising in 2010. With the way the economy is, many people wonder if it will recover. It also talks about direct mail and if it's even going to be a useful item.

go to source

The Society for Nonprofit Organizations

2010-01-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

The SNPO offers certification programs for non-profits through their partnership with TechSoup. Some include:

Courses in nonprofit leadership and management for personal enrichment, certificate award, and CEUs
Course in nonprofit board governance for personal enrichment, certificate award, and CEUs
Course in nonprofit marketing for personal enrichment, certificate award, and CEUs
Course in nonprofit mission-based management for personal enrichment, certificate award, and CEUs
And many more!

Through TechSoup, these individual classes are $77.50 but if you want to take all 8, it's a discounted $500.

go to source

Marketing with YouTube

2009-12-14T12:45:00.001-08:00

I subscribe to a graphic designers monthly newsletter and an interesting article came across. The article is about marketing on YouTube. YouTube can be a great tool for non-profits to utilize. This article goes into detail about setting up your Channel for the most effective networking. view the source

Awards of Excellence

2009-11-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, November 12, 2009, the Center for Non-Profit Management held their "A Night of Light" event. This event honors non-profits in the community for their "Awards of Excellence" in non-profit management.

A special congratulations goes out to "Promise House" for their Awards of Excellence in Communication. Promise House was recognized for their use of media, including web design, in promoting their "Sofa Surfing Campaign".

View a complete list of winners »

25 Steps to Fall & Holiday Fundraising Success

2009-11-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

Network for Good is offering a free download (actually you do have to provide some basic information) about fall and holiday fundraising. Some of the points are:

crafting a fundaising campaign
working with your website
enhancing your email campaign

Go to source

Pitching Your Cause: Effectively Working with the Media to Spread Your Story

2009-08-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Network for Good is offering a live teleconference on September 1st on getting the media involved with promoting your organization. The insert from the invitation reads:

As your organization works to stay top of mind for supporters and the media, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of public relations, pitches and press releases. You think to yourself:

What grabs a reporter's attention?
How can I increase the chances of my event being covered?
Who's the best person to contact at media outlets when my organization has news?

Join our journalism and communications experts (Zan Dubin Scott, Paul West and Scott Martelle) for a free "Public Relations 202" teleconference. Our experts know the ins and outs of media coverage; they can explain why those assigning editors never called you back and why the sure-hit event you planned drew no free media.

View the source and register today »

Cool Tool Alert: GoingUp!

2009-08-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

GoingUp! is an interesting, new and free web statistics and analytics tool. It offers features like many of the other tools but has some additional items like heat maps, inbound link monitoring, Google page rank tracking and much more. What also makes this tool cool is that it can also pull in your other analytics tools as well like Google. GoingUp! also provides some SEO tools that you might find useful as well. In the past, we've talked about the importance of having some type of analytics tool installed on your non profit website. This can help with marketing and analyzing the effect your website has on it's visitors. You can find out what pages are being visited most and even see where people are starting and where they are leaving the website. This is very important to improve the value of your website.

Process Automation and Fundraising Results

2009-08-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

OrangeLeap is offering a repeat online webinar August the 25th. The webinar is about understanding business rules and fundraising automation. Here is an insert from the invitation:

Have you ever struggled with timely donor acknowledgement? Ever wished you could easily target cultivation to key donors in a consistent, systematic way? Processes at many organizations can be sporadically implemented and sometimes capricious having evolved organically over years.

If you're interested in the webinar, sign up today.

New and Improved: The Children's Shelter

2009-08-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Children's Shelter was another winner in the NPower Texas Web Makeover Giveway. After my discussions with them, I realized that they were in desperate need to have their site redesigned. At the time, it had been some years since this had been done. Their existing site consisted of a layout that was all large, blocky images which weighed down the website and didn't allow for them to change it or make updates to. After thinking about it, I designed a fun website that focused on children and the programs CS provides to those in need. The site was put into a Joomla CMS so that it would be easy for them to update and manage. Visit the website

If your organization or business needs a new web site or just an update, contact GoGreenCre8tive

Writing Effectively for the Web

2009-08-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

Web Assist offers a series of downloads to help with your web design needs and making it better. What many people forget is that print and web are completely different. In that case, you have to write differently. For a non-profit organization, this is key to get that donor list filled in and to keep potential donors interested. Learn more about how to create great headlines, working with lists and how to properly set up and close your articles. Go to source

Myths and Facts About Targeting and Personalizing Your E-mail Promotions

2009-07-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Target and personalized e-mail promotions are possibly the two most dramatic ways of increasing your e-mail response rates. However the case, a recent report found that only 4 percent of marketers personalize e-mail promotions. As shocking as this statistic may be, there are several myths about targeting and personalizing e-mail promotions that encourage resistance from most businesses. The only way to... Go to Source

Webinar: How an Active System Can Manage the Donor Life-Cycle for You!

2009-07-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Understanding Business Rules and Fundraising Automation: How an Active System Can Manage the Donor Life-Cycle for You.

Date/Time: Thursday, July 23rd at 12:00 p.m. CT.

Duration: 90 minutes.

Register Now

Have you ever struggled with timely donor acknowledgement? Ever wished you could easily target cultivation to key donors in a consistent, systematic way? Processes at many organizations can be sporadically implemented and sometimes capricious having evolved organically over years.

These flawed processes leave the nonprofit highly vulnerable to sub-optimal constituent management because each organization's business rules for this mission-critical function -- the standard operating procedures and routines that have evolved into the group's best practices -- mostly exist in the institutional memories of individuals rather than in the infrastructure of the organization. In addition, the reliance on individuals to consistently remember and properly execute on key processes -- like timely acknowledgements with versioning by gift-level and donor type, new donor welcome series via mail and/email, or cultivation and upgrade appeals based upon a donor action like event attendance -- presents a serious risk that donors and other constituents will have inconsistent treatment, which results in current as well as potential income loss.

This Webinar will look at how implementing business rules in Orange Leap can automate your fundraising cycle and actually manage the donor life-cycle for you, leaving you free to focus on strategy, personal outreach and your mission!

New and Improved - San Antonio Food Bank

2009-07-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

The San Antonio Food Bank was part of an extreme web makeover program being offered by NPower Texas for non-profits in San Antonio. Each non-profit that applied was given an opportunity to express why they deserved to have the makeover for their website. Only 3 non-profits from San Antonio were awarded the makeover. Overall SA Food Bank was looking to improve their appearance on the web. Their website was out of date and they wanted a new look. The action center allows visitors to get involved by making a donation, volunteering, conducting a food drive and even to become an advocate. Visit the website

Five Things You Should Never Say to an Online Donor

2009-06-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Picture one of your supporters sitting at her computer. She’s browsing your website. She just finished reading a heart-warming story of success about someone whose life has been transformed by your nonprofit’s program, and there’s a tear in her eye. (There's also a bit of broccoli between her front teeth, but don’t focus on that now.)

Now you watch with bated breath: Will she convert from supporter to donor? What can you say during this open-minded moment of truth? What should you absolutely avoid saying during this crucial time?

go to source

New and Improved - Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Texas

2009-05-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

BBBS of South Texas recently had their website redesigned. They were part of a group of non-profits who won a free web makeover from NPower Texas. They were looking for a simple but clean website to feature their fundraising events. They also wanted to make it easier for the general public to complete online volunteer forms based on a persons region as well as have parents register their children for their programs.

Website: http://www.bigmentor.org/

Before (left) After (right)

Wikispaces for Non-Profits

2009-05-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

The following information has been offered by TechSoup. These offers don't last long so check it out. There may be some restrictions so be sure you review those:

Most people have heard of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that the whole world can edit. Wikispaces can allow your nonprofit to create your own wiki to share information, store resources, and collaboratively modify content. Wikispaces is a wiki hosting service that allows you to create a collaborative Web site that is easy to setup and use. You choose who has access to create or modify content, and because each version of a page on Wikispaces is saved, users can compare versions or go back to a previous version for reference. Wikispaces hosts the wiki sites, so setup is easy.

Donated Service to Help You: The admin fee for a Wikispaces subscription is only $10 per year.

Learn More at TechSoup: Read how your organization can create and edit online content quickly and easily using Wikispaces in TechSoup's Mini Guide to Wikispaces.

Or visit http://www.wikispaces.com/ for more information.

Free Google Apps for Non-Profits

2009-05-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Google Docs allows users to share the same online copy of each document, spreadsheet, or presentation. All revisions are saved and recoverable. Presentations can be delivered to remote audiences, and documents and spreadsheets can be published internally for people to view. Import and collaboratively edit or publish from .doc, .xls, .csv, .ppt, .txt, .html, .pdf and other file formats. Best of all, Google Docs is totally free to use!

Short video explaining the concept in plain english http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/collaboration.html

Explore Google Apps and what's available

If you are a registered non-profit, here's how you get hooked up!

Myths and Facts About Targeting and Personalizing Your E-mail Promotions

2009-05-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

Cool Tool Alert: Open Office

2009-04-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of cool open source tools out there. Open source means for the most part that they are free. So I wanted to tell you about Open Office. This is free productivity software meaning it works like Word, Excel and so on. What makes it great is that it can open most other productivity software items. If all else fails and you are unable to get software through TechSoup, this is a great alternative. Go check it out. Learn more about OpenOffice and download.

Volunteer-Nonprofit Relationship

2009-04-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

Making a successful connection can sometimes be difficult. The success of a volunteer program depends on making the right kind of match -- one where both the volunteer and the organization gain something without feeling frustrated or ignored. Motivated, skilled technology volunteers don't want to twiddle their thumbs while trying to figure out what they can and cannot do on the job. Likewise, organizations don't want volunteers to blow through like a whirlwind, upturning systems that already work and criticizing every procedure.

That's not to say that the volunteer-nonprofit relationship is doomed. Many organizations have developed very successful programs that are rewarding for both parties.

Whether an organization hires a volunteer to redesign a database, upgrade hardware, or build a Web site, establishing clear expectations and guidelines will help create a positive environment and ensure a productive experience for all concerned. go to source

Take advantage of the help that's out there

2009-04-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard of Techsoup or have not had an opportunity to use them, you need to check them out. As a non-profit, they offer many great services including software. You can register on their website as a non-profit and get all kinds of software donated to your organization for use. They also have a searchable database of services that are available as well as a learning center which covers some information on technology and implementing it in your organization. They make it very easy to register. Go to the website and at the top right it has a link to "register organization." That's all you got to do to get started.

Joomla 1.5.10 Security Release

2009-03-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

Joomla has another security release that fixes some bugs and a couple of security issues. Because it's a security release, everyone needs to really update their sites. To view a list of the fixes, visit the Joomla website.

Finding the Right Keywords & Improving Navigation

2009-03-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Choosing the right keywords is perhaps the most important factor in search engine marketing and is essential to its success. There are several things to consider when generating your keyword list, including your own website. If visitors are searching within your site using certain search terms, it may be likely that these same search terms are also being used in major search engines... go to source

Joomla Cool Tool Alert: jxtended's Catalog Component

2009-03-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

There are some pretty creative developers in the world of Joomla but I'm a HUGE fan of the jxTENDED network of developers. They have put together some really great components for use with Joomla. I have bought several and have had great success. One of the components is their catalog component. This component can be used in anyway that you'd like to catalog something. You can catalog items or employees or even places. I used this while designing the website for Promise House. They needed a searchable database so that kids or teens could search for a "Safe Place" to go if there was trouble at home or they need help. While in this case I didn't explore the many editable fascits of it, I used the basic elements that came with it and it worked out great. You can go to the jxTENDED website and look at some of their samples or check out the one at Promise House. If you're interested in having your site converted to Joomla and possibly implementing one of these modules, contact Patsy Caldwell via email or visit the website.

Best Practices Associated with Banner Ads

2009-03-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

When first introduced on the Internet, banner ads changed the face of advertising. While most marketing companies were thinking in terms of print ads, the concept of banner ads, with their limited space, visibility and size, was revolutionary. There are several tips and best practices on how to utilize them. go to source

Joomla Cool Tool Alert: XMap

2009-03-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned at the end of 2008, I wanted to highlight some modules that I use regularly in Joomla. XMap is a tool I use often to create a site map for the Joomla websites I build. Site maps are very important for search engines. Google is big on making sure that you have a site map. XMap is very easy to install because it's a module. If you only have one main menu, you don't have to do anything with it because it automatically creates the site map. Go to the source and download.

Note that most of the modules can also be found on the Joomla website, in their Extensions area.

Placing Keywords in Your Domain Name May Help to Increase Site Traffic

2009-02-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Many non-profits may already have a primary domain name that represents their organization like www.aha.org (American Heart Association) or www.komen.org (Susan G Komen). I've encourage non-profits in the past to register other domains that might pinpoint their organization and their goals. For example, if you were an organization that works toward saving wildlife, you could register names like "www.savethewhales.com" or "www.savethemountainlion.com" and so on. This article from Volusion offers up some information on "keywords" in a domain.
Go to source

Volunteers are very valuable in a recession

2009-02-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

February 2009 is an important time to review how you recruit and manage volunteers. In 1995, 48.8% of the US population volunteered (93 million people) and gave a total of 20.3 billion hours.
Go to the source

Joomla 1.5.9 Security Release

2009-01-23T06:47:00.000-08:00

For those who have not done so, Joomla has a new security release along with some major bug fixes and changes. It is recommended if you are using Joomla, to please update it. Next week, I plan to share a "Joomla Cool Tool."

We Need Money!

2009-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Well we've all heard that. Non-profits are generally at the mercy of others in order to survive. In an email newsletter I get, I received some information on a website called GrantStation. It is an "interactive website that allows grantseekers to identify potential funding sources for their programs or projects, and mentors them through the grantseeking process." While I'm not endorsing this website, it might be worth looking into to see what they offer. My understanding is that it is also primarily used for smaller non-profits. It's reasonable inexpensive ($189 for Quarterly and $599 annual). May be worth trying at $189.

Here is their Features and Benefits page.

2008 Statistics

2009-01-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, 2008 is finally over. It's been a tough year for many but now it's time to start the new year with a fresh attitude and ideas. A colleague sent me some statistics from Blackbaud. If you're not familiar with Blackbaud, they provide fundraising software. Here are some notes:

Steady Annual Growth
Organizations had steady growth in their online giving through the first and second quarters of 2008. There was a slight decrease in online giving during the third quarter of the year, specifically the month of August. The final months of the year saw online giving rebound leading up to the typical end-of-year giving spikes. December and June were the two largest months for online giving.

Average Online Gift Growth
Nonprofits in the entire analysis had an average online gift of $152.12 in 2008. Blackbaud customers usually have higher average online gift amounts than nonprofits using other vendors and this trend continued in 2008. Nonprofits in the education, healthcare, faith-based, and foundation sectors typically had much higher average gift amounts. Organizations focused on event-based and peer-to-peer online fundraising had lower average gift amounts, which is consistent with industry trends.

December Giving Trends
Nonprofit online giving in the last month of 2008 quadrupled in size compared to prior months. This is a trend Blackbaud has consistently observed for the past three years. December accounted for about 21% of the year's transaction volume, but 48% of the total dollars raised. The average online gift for the month of December increased to $248.82 for the nonprofits in the entire analysis.

Keys to Success
Nonprofits typically focus on existing or lapsed donors during end of year appeals, and Blackbaud customers tend to use multi-channel campaigns (direct mail, telephone, web, email, etc.) as part of these fundraising efforts. This continues to be a winning approach to building a successful online fundraising program. Organizations using the Internet mostly for donor acquisition and without integrated strategies usually see higher attrition rates than other nonprofits. Moving into 2009, the nonprofits that concentrate their efforts on their existing donor base and leverage integrated marketing efforts will do a better job of weathering the storm.

Want to hear about a topic?

2008-12-05T14:25:00.000-08:00

With the holidays going on, I know that everyone is busy tidying up things in the non-profit world so I don't want to post a lot of the key topics during this last month of the holiday. With that in mind, email me about web topics you're interested in knowing more about. Maybe you have some questions about a product and if it's right for you. I'll pick back up the postings after the first of the year so think a bit about it and drop me an email. Some things I plan to start featuring:

More Joomla! I'll be covering some great modules that I've tested and used that you might find useful.
Web How-To's: Some very brief web how-to's to help make your site better. More for the coder in the organization
More Product Reviews: I'm always stumbling across some cool web based tools that you might find useful.
Answering readers questions. As questions are submitted, I'll post my responses to all you need to know web design.
Much, much more!

Have a great December and see you next month!

It's the Holiday

2008-11-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving being yesterday. Remember your favorite non-profit organization this time of year an make a donation to save a tree, feed the homeless, save the planet, find a home for a pet - whatever you can think of. Posts will resume after the holiday.

Sharing: Debunking Five Myths of Online Fundraising

2008-11-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Thon Morse is the President of Kimbia and he has written an article about online fundraising and some myths about it. Some things he addresses are:

Myth #1: Online fundraising isn't as effective as offline techniques
Myth #2: People won't give online
Myth #3: Online fundraising means raising money through my organization's website
Myth #4: Technology is not the problem
Myth #5: Raising 10 percent of all gifts online is a great goal

To read the entire article and his responses to these myths, check out Kimbia: Inside Out.

Joomla 1.5.8 has been released

2008-11-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

For those of you using Joomla as your CMS, they just released the latest version - 1.5.8. As always recommended you should upgrade your version to the latest. The reason being is mainly for the security issues they fix from previous versions or because they received new light about a potential issue. Also, as there are releases, there are always bugs so when you report a bug, they generally put it in their list of fixes for the next release. It's very easy to upgrade your current website with the latest release. When you go to the Joomla site, you want to click on the option for finding an update package. From there you can select what version you are currently in and save the zip or gz file. You then have to have access to your server. On some servers, they will allow you to upload a zip file and extract the package but in other cases they don't. So in that case, you have the unfortunate task of unzipping the file on your local computer and uploading it to the server. As a safety percaution, you should always do a back-up of the database. I have never had any issue but you never know. Once it's unzipped, you can tell your version by logging into the administrator panel and checking the top right corner. It will show you the version you are currently using. Go to www.joomla.org for the latest release download.

Get Your Videos Ready!

2008-10-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

Do you ever visit YouTube? Well I go there often. There are so many videos from so many topics, you could never get through them all. Well I'm not the only one who goes to YouTube. YouTube is a FREE online server where you can post your own videos in a personalized channel. Non-profits are starting to utilize it for their organizations. At YouTube, you can create a custom channel for your organization and post videos. This is great because if you have a lot of videos, you can store them there for free vs. storing them on your own web server. This saves bandwidth and space. YouTube also gives you custom code so that you can embed the videos into your website but they still reside on their servers. Another value to YouTube is that folks will have easier access to you and would likely see your video there first before they would at your website. Another type of video services is GodTube - same concept but more religious based so if you are a faith-based organization, consider using it as well.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Design Tip: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-10-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

Do you remember your dad saying that? We'll mine always did and it's true. When a potential donor comes to your website for information or maybe to make a donation, a good visual of your organization can bring positive feedback. Capture your visitors attention with photos. Wouldn't it be nice for people to fully understand the work you do? You can do that by displaying photos of your organization doing what it does best for others, whether it's feeding the homeless, educating children or saving a displaced pet. Photos that tug on the heartstrings can eventually tug on the purse strings. It also helps people see just how far you've come. So the next time you're updating your website, don't forget the photos.

Cool Tool Alert: Kimbia

2008-10-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post, I mentioned using Kimbia for your donations and fundraising, here's why:

It's versatile and you can plug it in anywhere!

Kimbia for lack of a better word is a mobile widget. You log into your Kimbia account and create campaigns and forms. You are able to customize and create as many fields as you need for your forms. Kimbia can also be styled using CSS so you can really give it the look and feel it needs to match your website. Once it's created you are given the code you need to paste into your website. The super cool feature about this code is that you can paste it anywhere. Think about networking websites or even personal websites. You can allow others to paste this code, let's say in their personal website and people who are visiting could make donations. A way to market this could be "show your support for our organization by adding this widget to your website." Really the options are endless. Also, another brillient thing is that if no funds are exchanged, there is no fee to use it. So if you just need to create an RSVP for a party, you can create a form in Kimbia and send it out to folks. And since there is no money collected, there's no charge to use it! Kimbia keeps track of the form results as well.

Kimbia is NOT an e-commerce tool per say. It doesn't have a shopping cart or shipping. However, I was trying to think of creative ways to use it. You could use it to pay for memberships since there is no shipping involved. So I would imagine that if you had an item that just had a flat rate, you could find a way to use this.

Again, a tool worth checking out.

Here are the bullet points:

No start-up or set-up charge
If you use the tool and no funds are exchanged, it is completely FREE.
Kimbia charges only 5% which is the processing. Very reasonable seeing all the great stuff you get with this tool.
This is not an e-commerce tool. I only wish!

While you may think this is a more expensive option, then lets say PayPal, well you are right. But this is more than just a payment processing tool. It's a fundraising tool - processing payments is just part of it. So if you are a heavy fundraising based organization, this tool really is for you. Also, consider that PayPal doesn't give you a lot of options for collecting information or payment, but Kimbia does. Kimbia allows you to create whatever fields you want and as many as you want. You've heard the old saying "You get what you pay for".

I found this point on their FAQ:

Does Kimbia provide me with other capabilities beyond creating online donation forms?
Yes we do. The same functionality that enables you to easily create customized donation forms also enables you create registration forms for any kind of event (e.g., races, golf tournaments, galas, etc.) Race operators and organizers have found our forms especially useful because they can accept and manage registrations for large races directly on their own websites, versus re-directing registration over to a third-party site. Additionally, the forms that Kimbia enables you to create and place throughout the Web can be used as distributed content channels for your organization. Beyond providing an immediate transaction opportunity, your donation forms can include videos, surveys, message boards, petitions or other content that you want to communicate to constituents. Providing such content helps build and maintain interest in your organization or associated causes and increase donor engagement.

Check out their FAQ for more details.

Get creative with your donations

2008-10-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

So last week we talked about the many options that are out there for online donations. Now it's time to get creative. Whenever I speak before organizations, I always like to use the example of Heifer. Heifer is an organization whose goal is to end hunger around the world. They have incorporated one of the most creative ways to get people to donate to their organization. In many cases, when folks donate, they want to know where their money is going. So it's always nice to give them some kind of visual on that. Heifer has done just that. If you go to their website, click on their option "Gift Catalog." You can actually browse the type of item you want to purchase. You can purchase ducks, chickens and even trees. When you click on the item you want to donate, it explains why this item is so important to those people. It really helps you appreciate the needs of the people and where the money will go. They also have an area where you could donate to a specific project in another country. They list a country and the project they are working on for them. When you dig deeper, it explains the details about the project. And again, on the same page, they list where they are with their donations and how much more they need to finish the project. A very cool way to set-up your donations. While this may not always work for everyone, you can still try and come up with a creative way to do this. In any case, the option to donate should always be there.

Start accepting donations online

2008-10-03T06:26:00.001-07:00

Times have changed and people are looking for easier ways to make donations. Gone are the days of mailing in checks. Consider setting up your website so that folks can pay online instead of filling out some form and mailing it in. Now I do agree there are still some people who are not comfortable paying online and still like the traditional method - so do both. There are many tools or options out there for you. Here are a few:

Volusion: I talked about Volusion briefly last week. While it is an e-commerce tool, it does give you the capability to accept donations or round your purchase up for your donation.

PayPal: This is one of the cheapest options out there. It's very easy to sign up for a PayPal account. They also walk you through the steps of setting up your donation button. They then provide the code that you just paste into your website. Their fees are very minimal.

Network for Good: If you are a non-profit organization, you can use this pretty much for free. It costs nothing to set-up your account with them. What is neat about this is although there is a fee, they give you an option to put on the form where the donor can opt to pay the fee that is used to process the card. It's a neat option. www.networkforgood.org/npo

Kimbia: This is a bit more upscale version and a very versatile tool. You set up your account with them and then you can start customizing and building your own forms. So you could set-up a donation form with whatever fields you want. Then because the tool is somewhat of a widget, you can copy and paste the code anywhere - websites and etc. and a person could donate right there. Definitely worth checking out. http://www.kimbia.com/

Cool Tool Alert: Volusion E-Commerce

2008-09-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Well there are many e-commerce tools out on the market. I wanted to highlight Volusion's E-Commerce tool. I have done a lot of research on tools for clients. The one thing that I've found that non-profits are interested in is allowing the buyer to "roll-up" their change from their purchase or add a new donation all together to their order. The website highlights many websites that are using it but the best one I could find that demonstrates the donation portion is Barack Obama's website. Go through his store and pretend to add an item to your basket. When it adds it, the next screen asks you if you want to round up your donation. This is a great way to allow donors to donate to your cause without having to hand out $5 and $10 donations. Most people don't miss the change. For example, when I go to PetSmart each week to buy my cat and dog food, upon payment, it asks if I want to donate $1. I always donate because in the large scheme of things, $1 isn't going to break my purchase of $100. So try using Volusion for your e-commerce solution. If you are interested in using this tool or want more information on it, drop me an email and I'll be glad to get you started.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

2008-09-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

You may have heard a lot of buzz lately about content management systems (cms). More and more companies and organizations are migrating to them for a number of reasons. With a CMS, you don't have to have any HTML experience to update it. So this makes it easier to keep your website up-to-date without having to pay a designer $100 to change a few words. So which CMS is the best? Again, there are tons out there. Some of the most popular are Drupal and Joomla. I lean more toward Joomla when setting up CMS tools with my clients. As a designer, I'm able to easily design a nice look and incorporate the needed Joomla elements to make the template work properly. Another great thing about Joomla is they have an active development community meaning developers are constantly creating little plug-ins that you can use with Joomla. You can have a simple site with Joomla or a more advanced site - it doesn't really matter. There are also many free templates out there that you can instantly use. As a non-profit, you of course would want something a bit more customized for your organization so it will likely take you contacting someone who is experienced in developing with Joomla to create a custom design. After that, it's pretty smooth sailing. With an id and password, you can start making you own changes. You can read more about Joomla by visiting www.joomla.org. Also, explore their "Extensions" to get an idea of what you can add to your site.

Shall We Network

2008-09-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that sites like MySpace or Facebook would be so popular among business and organizations. Networking sites are great for just that - networking. There are many out there but these two are the most popular. If you've never had the opportunity to check them out, do so. These sites are ideal on getting the word out about your organization. You an use it too to post events or maybe respond to potential donors. Basically what happens is that you create your page and people can request to be your friend. Once you add them, they can post to your website. You can make your entire page public or only allow your friends to view it. I know someone who works for a pretty large clothing company who requires all their buyers to register on their MySpace page. That's where they give them updates and information on whatever might be valuable to them. A very interesting way to use the site. Another networking site is Linked In. As the Director of a non-profit or even an employee, you can create a Linked In profile that basically outlines your resume. You can then connect with other people around the web who are possibly involved in the same kind of organization or are just curious. It is primarily use to keep track of your professional relationships. What I like about it is that all the companies that you list in your resume, you can see who else also registered from that company. I've been able to connect with some old friends and it's been great.

Cool Tool Alert: Chip In

2008-09-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting tool that would be great to show status of your fundraising. Know how many websites show a thermometer that indicates their fund raising goals and where they are currently? Chip In offers a FREE widget that you can incorporate onto your website that keeps track of your fund raising. I have attached a photo to the right of what the FREE widget looks like. You are unable to customize it but it's pretty cool if you want something that is dynamic and shows people where you are on your goals. You do have to have a PayPal account in order to use it because that's where the funds are deposited so be sure to have an account created there first. But in a matter of a few quick steps, you're ready to go with this widget. Now they do offer a full editable option called Sprout. There is a little more work involved but it's well worth the effort. The Sprout version requires you to register but again a very fun and functional tool to engage your donors and supporters.

Fundraise with Online Auctions

2008-08-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

NpowerTexas, a non-profit IT consulting firm, is fundraising for their organization by having an online auction. An online auction is a great way to get extra funds for your organization. You can also do it with almost no expense. First, register your organization with EBay and set up an account. Next, set up an account with Mission Fish. Mission Fish and EBay have partnered together to help non-profits fundraise with online auctions. What makes this great is that EBay will refund your submission fees if you are registered with Mission Fish. They also base that on the percentage of funds being donated. So, if you place items up for auction and 100% of that goes to your organization, then you will receive 100% of your fees back. By using PayPal to process your transactions, you are charged probably a lower fee than most credit card processing companies. Then get all your board members together and start pulling together items for the auction. Your board members should be a huge asset to distributing out invitations to potential buyers of the auction items. See if they can send out an email to the folks in their company to help get the word out. Consider too, that your items will be available on EBay for people everywhere to vote on. Not only can you raise funds but you can get the word out about your organization with minimum marketing.

Why Not Start A Blog

2008-08-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

In a recent workshop I came across an organization who was struggling with their website. It was out of date and because of the high volunteer turn-over, they were having trouble getting the site updated. One thing that I suggested in the short-term was to start a blog. Why not? A blog is a great way to get your organizations name out there to the public and they are very easy to manage and update. With tools like Blogspot or Word Press, you can create a blog in a matter of minutes. Blogs could be very effective for organizations who are very news and event driven. You could list all your news and events and people that are interested could "subscribe" to the blog. When someone subscribes through an RSS feed, they get an update in their email or their RSS reader when you have posted new information. Consider too, if your budget doesn't allow you to use something like Constant Contact to email folks about upcoming events or news, a blog is another option because it gives the donor or user the option of subscribing to it. While you may not be able to "track" their information, per say, you're still getting the information out there. Others have even used blogs for their website. If you plan it correctly, some blog sites can be customized to look like a website. Word Press allows a lot of flexibility to the design. It would take someone who has more of a technical background to customize it for you but it can be done. However, I always advise having a website and complimenting it with a blog.

One important thing to remember though is that a stagnate blog could be potentially harmful. The whole purpose of having a good website or blog is to show people that you are passionate about your cause or mission. If you don't keep either one updated, then it shows the person visiting your site or reading your blog that you may not be as passionate about your cause as you claim you are. So, if you want to start a blog great. Just keep the information fresh and updated and you can be successful.

Why I Started This Blog

2008-08-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have been working with a variety of non-profits for awhile now. What I've found is that many don't know where to begin when it comes to IT or getting their site on the right track to attract potential donors and members. With that being said, I have been asked to speak at a few workshops and brown bag lunches to talk about the web and it's great potential for non-profit organizations. Now, I'm taking much of my presentations and experience to this blog. I know that many non-profits are 80% or more volunteers so sometimes there is the lack of time or knowledge available to get going in the right direction. This blog is going to cut some of your research out. I will use my 13 years or web design experience and experience with non-profits to post ideas and reviews of open-source tools that could be used. This is by no means the be all and end all to web design and strategy but it's mostly based on my opinion and background.

Every week, I will be posting an interesting notation or idea for your websites or I may post a review or information on a valuable tool.

If you have questions or would like me to discuss a particular subject, send me an email at patsy@thatsunique.com and I'll work a post in.