Internet’s Reach Changing How Groups, Individuals Take Action
The Internet is transforming the way groups come together and take action, Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, told 1,400 charity technology officials, consultants, and company representatives gathered here at the Nonprofit Technology Conference. “We are living in the middle of the biggest…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Tough Economy Offers New Opportunities for Charity-Run Businesses
The tumultuous economy will test the leaders of charity-run businesses in a way they have never been tested before, Kevin Lynch and Julius Walls Jr., authors of Mission, Inc., told participants here at the Social Enterprise Summit last month. At the same time, they said, the downturn offers…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Charities Work to Lure More Start-Up Businesses to Cleveland
Ceramics that can withstand 3,300-degree heat, a nutritional additive that boosts the flavor of low-fat foods, online purchasing of health insurance for dogs and cats — those are just some of the diverse products and services that fledgling companies in Ohio sell. What the start-up businesses…
By NICOLE WALLACE and BRENNEN JENSEN
Giving Site Seeks American Projects
Giving site seeks more projects in the United States
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Technology wasn’t just the subject of conversation of the Nonprofit Technology Conference. It played a role in just about every aspect of the meeting. People who wanted to pose a question to a plenary speaker had to submit them online. Other participants voted to determine which questions would be…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Charities Need to Track What Is Said About Them Online, Says Nonprofit Official
Monitoring what people are saying online about an organization is critical, Carie Lewis, Internet Marketing Manager at the Humane Society of the United States, in Washington, told participants at a session on social media. Charities, she said, should be tracking: Their organization’s name. Any…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Tools That Streamline Social-Networking Tasks
Once a nonprofit organization has started using social-networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, maintaining the group’s presence on multiple sites becomes increasingly time consuming, Jordan Dossett, creative director of Antharia, a technology company in Lanham, Md., said in a session at the…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Using Open-Source Software is a Moral Issue, Says Speaker
Using “open source” software rather than proprietary tools is a moral issue that extends beyond technology and affects all of the causes and people that nonprofit organizations serve, Eben Moglen, founder of the Software Freedom Law Center, argued at the Nonprofit Technology Conference. The idea…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Next Wave in Online Videos — Interactivity
New technology tools allow organizations to make their online videos more interactive, Michael Hoffman, chief executive of See3, a Chicago consulting company, told participants at the Nonprofit Technology Conference. Among the nonprofit videos he pointed to as examples: That’s Not Cool, a new…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Online Fund Raising in Tough Times
The turbulent economy is very much on the minds of nonprofit organizations as they think about their online fund raising. Nick Allen — chief executive of Donordigital, a consulting company in San Francisco that specializes in online fund raising, and a speaker at the Nonprofit Technology Conference…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor