Events Seek to ‘Demystify’ Open-Source Software
A series of events this spring will bring together charity technology employees, consultants, and software developers to discuss the potential -- and the challenges -- of developing open-source software. “We want to demystify open-source software for nonprofit organizations,” says Katrin Verclas,…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Global Video Conferences Bring Students Together
Global Nomads Group, in New York, is harnessing the power of video and satellite technology to bring American students together with their peers in hot spots around the world. This month the organization is linking students in New York with students in Columbo, Sri Lanka, for a series of three…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
New Web Site Offers Access to Federal Data
A new online database makes it easy for nonprofit organizations to get information about federal spending and local statistics that might influence their work. The National Priorities Project Database provides data from 1983 to the present in the categories of basic demographic information,…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
EBay Will Donate Some Auction Fees
Ebay, the popular online auction site where people can buy or sell a John Deere tractor, a Prada handbag, and just about anything else, has announced that it will donate the fees it charges on auctions that benefit charity. For example, if a camera listed on eBay’s Giving Works section sold for…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
$990-Million Raised in U.S. for Tsunami Relief
American relief charities have raised more than $990-million to help victims of the deadly earthquake and tsunamis in South Asia. Most organizations have seen the pace of donations taper off significantly, ALSO SEE:ARTICLE: Reclaiming Paradise with proceeds from special fund-raising events,…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Bits: MIT To Host “Grassroots Use of Technology” Conference
A conference called “Grassroots Use of Technology” will be held April 16 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge. The meeting is sponsored by the Organizers’ Collaborative, a group that promotes the use of computers and the Internet as tools for activism. For more information: Go…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Domestic-Abuse Advocates Receive Technology Training
The same technology that can help a woman in a violent relationship seek help -- such as cell phones, e-mail, and the Internet -- can also be misused by abusers and aid their attempts to harass and terrorize their victims. To help decrease the harm women suffer from such harassment, the Wireless…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Online Retailer Offers Charity Innovation Award
Amazon.com has announced a new award to honor nonprofit organizations that are taking innovative approaches to solving problems. Charities will be evaluated on the urgency and relevancy of the problem they seek to solve, the creativity of the strategies they employ, and their record of results.…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Belief in the Power of Collaboration Guides One Couple’s Giving
Diabetes has been a constant in Bill and Dee Brehm’s 52-year marriage. Mrs. Brehm, 74, was diagnosed with ALSO SEE: DATABASE: America’s Most-Generous Donors The Giving Spree Couple’s Giving Is Rooted in Their Passion for the Great Outdoors How The Chronicle Ranked Biggest Donors of 2004 Textile…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Technology Leaders Meet in Chicago
The Nonprofit Technology Conference, which drew 650 charity technology officials, consultants, and companies last year, will take place March 23-25 in Chicago. The meeting grew out of the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network Roundup and the e-Philanthropy Conference, which were combined for the…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor