Setting Up Various Facebook Pages – Know The Types!
By the summer of 2009, Facebook came with a few new profiles: personal pages, community pages, and public profiles. The three are distinct, and even within the public profiles, one has a number of choices about the kind of public profile one wishes to establish. There were some issues (surprise!) when the features were first added, but by now many of the kinks have been smoothed out. A little research before you start clicking can go a long way though, because if you start your page in a ‘wrong’ category, all you can do is delete that page and start over, an unpleasant prospect. But please read on and hopefully we can clarify some of the jargon.
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Education: Technology, Marketing, Media Review, Nonprofit, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
As National Recipe Changes, So Should Marketing of Housing
The metaphor of the American melting pot has been around since the foundation of the republic, though the great breadth of peoples coming to the US did not really expand until the end of the nineteenth century. But along with the melting pot have come vociferous and sometimes violent resistance to immigrants – especially toward specific groups at specific times (the Irish in the mid-nineteenth century, the Italians in the early twentieth century, Mexicans today…). The fact of the matter is: the various groups who make up the population of the US have shifted and reshifted over the last couple of hundred years. They are mostly looking for a safe place to participate in the American experiment and raise their families. Therefore we ask if housing marketers and organizations are taking on board the population trends in their outreach.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Marketing, National/International, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
The Asia Foundation Discusses Major Fundraising Via Facebook
The social impact of Facebook is beyond doubt. Almost 57 million Americans used it as of March 2009, and that number has since doubled. Facebook itself claims that over half its members are engaged with their 100-plus friends at any given moment of the day. The largest growth is seen among women over forty, and women use Facebook in greater percentages in all age groups (a topic we shall explore soon). They also tend to give more often to charities. The juggernaut has changed our language and our understanding of social networking, and this blog has often discussed its impact and uses.
But when it comes to using Facebook to raise money, charities often see a disconnect between action on their site and income through their calls to donate – especially for smaller charities. How do the heavy hitters leverage their Facebook presence into charitable activity? Sometimes they work around their Facebook pages, rather than on them, as John Karr, digital-media director for the Asia Foundation in San Leandro, CA discusses in a guest blog post at The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The AF’s “Books For Asia” program recently raised $10,000 and send thousands of copies of The Tales of Peter Rabit to children in Mongolia studying English. How did Asia Foundation turn its Facebook presence into big bucks?
Popularity: unranked | Category Nonprofit, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
President Obama’s New AIDS Initiative Posted On WhiteHouse.gov
Yesterday, President Barack Obama shifted emphasis from his predecessor on yet another issue, as he announced the administration’s launch of the “Natinal HIV/AIDS Community Discussions” to be hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). “HIV remains an serious challenge to the American people and I am committed to developing an effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy,” said President Obama. “The National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions will provide an opportunity for members of the public to give their input on how we can best address this crucial issue. With the insights from communities across the country, we will have a strategy that is focused on the goals of reducing HIV incidence, getting people living with HIV/AIDS into care and improving health outcomes, and reducing HIV-related health disparities.”
The change of emphasis pertains to a stress on helping those who have the disease as well as educating those who participate in activities considered likely to spread the disease. The previous administration stressed abstinence, which certainly helps the spread of STDs, but also tended to sweep aside discussions of treatment or care for those who contracted them. Early reactions seem mostly cautiously optimistic.
Popularity: 1% | Category Grants and Funding, Healthcare, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Can An Animation Animate Donors To Help ‘Tarla’ Get An Education?
“A Girl Story is a unique donation-based film that brings to life the experience of many underprivileged girls in India. This particular story is told through the eyes of Tarla, a young girl who simply wants to go to school and receive an education. Our project’s goals are to raise awareness about the challenges that girls like Tarla face, and to drive donations for the nonprofit group Project Nanhi Kali.”
Not only is the effort unique, it has caused a bit of a stir among both the online non-profit and blogging communities, as well as among web/video designers. The idea is that as donations flow to the Nanhi Kali project to encourage education among poor girls of India, the video(s) change to relate the story of the composite character, Tarla. The question at hand is some form of “Will it work?”
Popularity: unranked | Category Education: General, Marketing, Nonprofit, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Sad News From Two Nonprofit Groups
Nonprofits have felt the strain of the shrinking economy, as we are all aware. And usually such stresses are felt with a curtailment in giving and/or the trimming of services. Of course the ripple effect to those most needing the work of the given nonprofits and charities are perhaps the most troublesome results. Nevertheless, we have come across two sad news stories concerning charity groups who must deal with stresses of different magnitudes caused by different crises.
Popularity: 1% | Category News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Perspectives: Bernell Grier, CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City
Bernell Grier, CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC
The board of directors of the Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City recently appointed interim chief executive officer Bernell Grier as the CEO of the organization. Ms. Grier has built up an impressive resume as a banker having over her career serving as EVP, Retail Community Banking; SVP Middle Marketing Lending; Community Development Director; and credit program co-manager – all before moving full time to NHS of NYC. As COO, Bernell helped steer the NHS offices in New York City’s five boroughs through the rough waters of the collapsing housing market, and has continued to work to expand NHS’s base of donors and projects. We had the pleasure of talking with her on a bright June morning in midtown Manhattan before her full docket of business got under way.
Bernell’s career trajectory is a wonderful example of how preparation and consideration can meet serendipity, as she has moved between the corporate and nonprofit worlds with ease, a smile, and a strong sense of calling to community. Her first job as a teenager living in Harlem, New York, was as a Community Outreach Coordinator with “Neighborhood Board No. One.” She began with a plan to teach mathematics in the very public school system that gave her the good start she enjoyed, so she went to City College of New York for teacher accreditation in education and math. The need for a summer job took her to Chase Bank Manhattan, where her people-skills were already evident enough that she was offered a spot in management training. One is tempted here to say “And the rest is history.” But ‘the rest’ is where it gets interesting.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit, Revitalization, interview | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
NeighborWorks Week Draws To Successful Close
The NeighborWorks Week (June 5-12) that just finished (and that we promoted a couple of weeks ago) focused on educating homeowners to the danger signs of mortgage-assistance scams and predatory loan practices. According to the NeighborWorks website, “NeighborWorks America and local NeighborWorks organizations held more than 320 community revitalization and 150 loan modification scam awareness events nationwide.” Not surprisingly, one of the bigger shows of force was in New York City, where the issue was put up in lights. Literally.
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Twitter Tables To Turn Up Fundraising Fun
Charity events, galas, and $X000-a-plate dinners have been traditional ways to raise funds, even in these difficult times. And yet, social media have captured the imaginations of many a fundraising group and we have often reported on ways social media, philanthropy, and community involvement are tweaking the traditional ways to do things. Well, The Chronicle of Philanthropy is reporting on how Thompson Child and Family Focus, a charity in Charlotte, N.C., has found a way to combine all of the above.
Popularity: unranked | Category Grants and Funding, Marketing, Nonprofit, Tweets | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Charitable Giving Suffers Along With Economy In 2009
GivingUSA Tracks Where/How Much Americans Give
We suspect that our audience already has anecdotal evidence of today’s topic, but the annual report from the GivingUSA Foundation demonstrates that charitable donations are down by 3.6% in 2009 from 2008. “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” has an excellent summary by Holly Hall, who points to the fact that the slide in donations in 2009 actually follows a fall of 2.8% in 2008. On the same day The Chronicle has another story that points out how New York State is making cutbacks to programs to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS. So the Great Recession has certainly eaten into individuals’ abilities to give and states’ abilities to offer services and protections to their constituents. And yet, some silver lining can be seen among these recessionary clouds!
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Social Media: Introductions and Perseverance Can Bring (Little) Victories
Social media create a counter-intuitive tension. On the one hand, we use social media to create relationships with family, friends, clients, and like-minded peoples of our hobby/political party/aesthetic choices/etc. Relationships take time and are sometimes built on what, at the moment, feels like a rushed introduction or awkward interaction. On the other hand, modern media encourages us to think of news – indeed, of all information – as being reinvented every twenty-four hours. So when I get a ‘Friend’ request or retweet a great article I feel somewhat dislodged from the very information I am trying to disseminate. If one has that sense of disconnect, it might be worth remembering the differences in scale that might exist between one’s social-media persona and one’s self. Then let time work its magic through that scale, even if the social relationships seem few.
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Education: Technology, Marketing, Nonprofit, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Perspectives: Linda Cronin-Gross, President of LCG Communications
Linda Cronin-Gross, President of LCG Communications
We have been reaching out to some of the influential people in the nonprofit/mission-based/greening/housing (etc.!) communities to hear about the work their organizations are involved with and how these individuals got involved in that work. Their insights and experiences can inspire us all as we continue our work in our chosen areas.
The series of interviews continues with Linda Cronin-Gross, founder and president of LCG Communications (Brooklyn, NY). She has been in the worlds of politics and public relations since the late 1970s, and she founded LCG Communications ten years ago in an effort to educate nonprofits on the benefits of strategic communications for progressive, issues-driven organizations and campaigns as well as for small businesses. She is a member of the National Writers Union as well. Linda Gross’s success has not been linear or without challenges (like walking a straight line through the lobby of the Rockefeller Center with a teary-eyed political candidate). Yet her perseverance and good humor have been critical to the success she and her firm have enjoyed over the last decade. So how did she grow from music teacher to adviser and communications specialist to greening groups and progressive organizations throughout New York?
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Greening, Nonprofit, Politics, interview | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
You Tube Is Five Years Old And Reaching To Nonprofits
Numerous media outlets, including the subject of this posting, celebrated the Fifth Birthday of the YouTube website. The first 17-second video shot by Yakov Lapitsky at the San Diego Zoo has become an on-line phenomenon again. In the online world, though, history repeats itself first as miracle, then as retro-quaint. YouTube’s meteoric rise has been challenged by such subgenre sites as Vimeo and Hulu, but that rise continues: YouTube boasts some 2 billion separate views per day. Nowadays, the site hosts everything from snippets of movies and concert videos (excerpts that often circulate in-and-out of view, and in-and-out of the grew legal status of online copyright infringement), to corporate commercials, to the repository of news and commentary disputing those commercials.
The Last Shall Be First
YouTube, now owned by Google, might be one of the more perfect repositories of anarchic democracy on the web. So where is the video site hoping to go over the next five years? In a twist of irony, the leadership at YouTube/Google would like to expand the lengths of its offerings, allowing more serious and extended presentations.
Popularity: unranked | Category Marketing, Nonprofit, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
NeighborWorks Video Outlines
Home-Inspection Process
The housing market continues to prove to be a tough bubble to burst, though the Recession is technically over. Nevertheless, many are stepping into the housing market and the good folks at NeighborWorks have posted the video you see above on their blog and at YouTube. Home inspection is not necessarily a make-or-break moment in the decision process. One might freely choose to purchase a house with a notably low rating, for example. But the point of inspection is to help ensure all parties are aware of hidden – and not-so-hidden – damage or obsolescence in a house. The video shows you some of the concerns a professional home inspector will be looking for when she or his is brought to the property.
The inspectors within the video stress the need for a systematic look from the outside in and from the basement to attic. Some of the stuff is obvious (damaged concrete steps? torn siding? moldy baseboards in bathroom? …), but the tougher question might be the timing of what is found. For example, is the damaged stucco on the back porch from thirty years of family life or from a series of repairs that suggest an untreated deeper problem?
Another point that requires due diligence is the utility infrastructure of the house. Our computers and coffee machines and space heaters have changed faster than the utility boxes in our homes. When reviewing a house for purchase, be sure its fuse box, heating and air-conditioning units, water heater, etc., are new enough to handle the expected work load. If they are within a reasonable time frame, can the owner (or, nowadays, the bank’s realtor) provide maintenance histories? Be sure you are keeping one as well!
Purchasing a home is fraught with familial and budgetary stresses, but the rewards can be great. Inspections are meant to mitigate stress and to flush out unforeseen costs or hazards. If you are in the market, watch the video, bookmark the Neighborworks website, and arm yourself with as much information as you can.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
iPad Indeed Inspires Nonprofit Community
Just before Apple’s iPad first launched in early April, the MKCREATIVE blog presented a two-part discussion of how the device specifically and the advent of a truly functioning tablet market/community generally should be taken seriously by the nonprofit community. The iPad’s convenience as a communications tool, we argued, meant that nonprofits and mission-based companies could, and should, take steps to ramp up their social-media presence in an effort to reach out to early adapters. And the simplicity and robustness of Apple design (both hardware and software), we believed, guaranteed that early adapters would be able to convince even those not quite sure they were ready to make the jump to a touch-screen/in-the-purse-or-bookbag experience. Well, just 28 days and, oh, one million iPads later, folks across the aforementioned community are making use of the opportunities the technology presents.
Popularity: unranked | Category Apple, Nonprofit, Software Review, iDevice | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Deadline Approaching To Register For IRS’s New Tax-Exempt Status
On 17 May many smaller charities might find themselves in post-tax-exempt status as the IRS reconfigures its guidelines and filing expectations for these groups. According to Grant Williams at ‘The Chronicle of Philanthropy,’ “Nobody really knows for sure how many organizations will target=”_blank” lose their tax exemptions, but several research groups estimate that more than 300,000 organizations listed on the Internal Revenue Service’s rolls ultimately could be affected.”
Popularity: unranked | Category National/International, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
(Some) Social Media Grow, As Might
Specialization Among Them
Use of social media over the last three years
We have had many entries on this blog about the use, best practices, and (occasional) abuse of social media. We have done so with the effort to inform our audience about user trends, technology developments, and the marketing impact social media have had. The Neilsen ratings organization ‘NeilsenWire.com’ has recently posted a three-year survey of how some of the major social-media sites (Read: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and ClassmatesOnline). As can be seen by the chart to the right, use of Facebook continues to expand at a phenomenal rate, as does Twitter (from a smaller starting base). But so too are a couple of notable reversals, LinkedIn and ClassmatesOnline. The reasons for their shrinkage might not be related, except for the logical possibility that they are losing ‘face time’ to Facebook. For example, Classmates.com offers a great opportunity to catch up with lost high school friends. But once the contact has been made, statistics suggest that both parties have Facebook accounts, or one encourages the other to join, and thus the continuing conversation (if there is one) takes place there.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Nonprofit, Site Administration, Sustainability, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Younger Donors And Social Media Savvy
Sure, we all know that the young seem hard-wired to ‘get’ new technologies (oh, but their time will come!). We know they text as often as talk with their phones. We know they seem impatient if not downright sloppy with their casual conversations. But do we know that the average twenty-something donates about $340 a year to philanthropic causes (Admission: I did not give that much)? That 57%+ twenty-somethings have volunteered on a charity project in the last year? (Disclosure: I can take some comfort for belonging to that statistic)? That 37% of them joined their charity’s social network in the last MONTH (Alright, such social networking was not an option when I was twenty-something)? These statistics are from the Chronicle of Philanthropy‘s summation of recent reports sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies, and by Johnson Grossnickel Associates. Is your organization ready to reach out to them? Are your people ready to be reached BY them?
Popularity: unranked | Category Education: Technology, Nonprofit, Tweets, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Prepare And Refine Your Organization’s ‘Elevator Pitch’
You've got me for 40 seconds...
Economic news runs hot-and-cold. Social media keep us informed with beeps and dings we start to hear in our sleep. Those in need are, unfortunately, growing as the Great Recession has hit different economic sectors differently. Donors still want to give, although perhaps not with the open-ended resources they believed they had. And everyone’s time seems limited. Which is why when you have a chance to pitch your philanthropic organization‘s opportunity or plan to donors, you need to be quick, concise, and clear. Which is why the great ‘Elevator Pitch’ never goes out of style (at least until we build personal pneumatic tubes to whisk us around our business spaces). The good folks at “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” have collected a series of such pitches for us to see what works, what does not, and what we need to do with ours.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Education: General, Marketing, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Roundup Of Some Social Media Developments
(Part 1 of 2)
Facebook has gotten most of the press lately, and the MKCREATIVE blog discussed some of that buzz earlier this week. Facebook’s staff seek to build and weave together the new ‘Social Graphs’ of one’s “Friends” with the use of the already nearly-ubiquitous “Like” button. But another site is under development by Chris Hugues (one of the founding developers of Facebook) that seems to have similar ambitions within the world of mission-based businesses and philanthropy groups. That site is Jumo.com, a name meant to convey ‘working together.’ Though not the first site to try to bring together these constituencies, the knowhow of Mr. Hugues and his colleagues in the area of social networking might give Jumo a big jump once it is presented some time this fall. One can register an email online to get updates (and, of course, to register one’s ‘Like’ of the site) as they progress.
How has social networking fared as a qualitative and quantitative part of the philanthropic and mission-based communities?
Popularity: unranked | Category Media Review, Nonprofit, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
A Conversation with Dave Michaels of Ecoprint
Image via Wikipedia
This month marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and once again green is back in fashion. For some companies, like Ecoprint, green has always been in season. Based just north of Washington D.C., this printing company was founded by an environmental activist who participated in the first Earth Day and proudly proclaims its “environmental leadership since 1977.” Today Ecoprint is forging ahead on a number of fronts, demonstrating many ways for graphic arts businesses to become more sustainable environmental stewards.
MKCREATIVE has worked with many printers over the years and has always required they use soy-based inks and paper from sustainable sources on clients’ print jobs. We’ve also required that they take other longer-term measures to demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Ecoprint ‘s commitment is on another order of magnitude. We see them as kindred spirits: both Ecoprint and MKCREATIVE are run as businesses that are trying to create positive social change through sustainable practices. Both organizations are providing services to clients who make a difference in their own communities, while also offering education and guidance.
Popularity: unranked | Category Climate Change, Community, Nonprofit, Sustainability, interview, printing | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
E-Seminar “Freelance Writing for Nonprofits” Filling Fast – Sign Up Now!
Today’s topic is just too topical, and critical, to pass by or put in with other materials. Kivi Leroux Miller (whose work and whose guidance MKCREATIVE have often referred to) is hosting a four-week seminar on “Freelance Writing for Nonprofits,” which is limited to but ten quick registrants (actually, SEVEN as of last count!). If you are writing for nonprofits or want to do so, or if you want to sharpen your game for your nonprofit, get to the registration page quickly.
Why?
Popularity: unranked | Category Conference/Congress, Grants and Funding, Marketing, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
The Weight of Long-Term Unemployment According to Pew Trust
Many of us are fortunate enough to read (or write) these tweets and blog postings from work, yet the topic of this Monday’s post concerns the ongoing effects of longer-term unemployment. We noted in late January an article in The Atlantic magazine on the fundamental and difficult-to-realign economic and social ramifications of long-term unemployment. The dangers go beyond the people looking for work, as families and neighbors can get pulled into downward social and psychological struggles. The Pew Economic Policy Group have just published a white paper entitled “A YEAR OR MORE: The high Cost of Long-Term Unemployment,” which puts some hard numbers on the kinds of trends discussed in the Atlantic article.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Upcoming Greening Events in Baltimore To Highlight Sustainability Successes
On our entry for 25 March we touted some notable greening projects in New York City, including Annie Novak’s rooftop farm. We also noted opportunities for Baltimore’s citizens to get involved in similar projects. Today we follow on with that call-to-action to draw your attention to a couple of festivals and conferences meant to inspire and educate the Baltimore community to strive for environmental and economic sustainability. We also want to offer kudos to Towson University’s students, staff, and faculty who recycled 140 tons of materials in the fourth annual “RecycleMania” competition held among Maryland’s institutions of higher learning. They far exceeded their goal of 120 tons, itself an expansion over the 114 tons recycled last year. And they did so despite those crippling blizzards in February smack dab in the middle of the competition. (Cue sappy music) Of course, Maryland’s citizenry and environment are the big winners, as schools across the state competed in the 10-week competition.
Popularity: unranked | Category Automobiles, Climate Change, Community, Conference/Congress, Education: General, Greening, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Resources And Tips To Start Writing Grant Proposals
As the tax season rushes upon us all, we wanted to offer a few resources for those who will be searching for and/or expanding their outreach to grant-giving organizations. One of the points that almost every one of the consultants we researched made is the fact that those grant-giving organizations WANT to give away their money. What they are looking for is a good, focused, and enthusiastic ‘sell.’
This video from ‘The Nonprofit Toolbox’ is an interview with Jane B Ford, a teacher and writer who has worked the the non-profit sector for three decades. Her interview begins with a discussion of her company, The Joy Path, which focuses on small to mid-size community based non-profit organizations. From there she discusses some great tactics to help anyone set up a successful grant application. For example, she stresses the fact that ‘the clarity of the mission… then the focus, and the people (who are getting the organization to succeed in its mission).’ And she also points out the trend of even national philanthropic groups is to seek out well-situated local missions with local ambitions.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit, interview | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Thirteen Nonprofits Worth Following/Emulating on Twitter (+ 1 More)
The good folks at Socialbrite.org have recently posted a list of what they consider to be a ‘Top-Twelve List’ of social organizations and nonprofits that we all should follow on Twitter. The introduction gives you links to Twitter and how to become a ‘Follower’ of these organizations. It also includes links to individuals who might be worth following as well. It is worth noting that, though the number of ‘Followers’ for each of them is listed, the list is based on the work the groups do and the qualitative use of their Twitter presence, not merely their race to get X numbers on their lists (a quantitative benchmark that seems much more important to celebrities than to community organizations).
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Education: Technology, Nonprofit, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
“Cultivating Grantmaker Relationships” Conference in Washington DC on 5 May
A recent blog post and extended commentary section on The Chronicle of Philanthropy discusses what might be the ‘Fund Raiser of the Future.’ The Chronicle is working on a full story on the topic and is now soliciting input and ideas. Certainly, as the MKCREATIVE blog has noted more than once in recent months, economic bad times can be good times to expand and enrich networks. Down time at the nonprofit’s office should be time spent keeping up with educational and promotional opportunities. We encourage you to participate in the Comments section and get your thoughts out there as they work on the story. We also want you to get out of the offices as well, so consider a conference.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
NeighborWorks Offers $119 Million For Community Development
After yesterday’s report about the trickle of federal recovery aid being used to assist mortgage holders on the brink of foreclosure, we can return to the topic of the housing crisis with some much better news. NeighborWorks America has announced that it will be distributing $119 million in grants for this year. The amount is made up of funds allocated by Congress and by philanthropic donations to the organization. Most of the money will go to regional and local NeighborWorks offices, so homeowners will best be served by working with one of their 237 (and growing) local offices.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
More Seminars Coming Our Way
- Image by new economics foundation via Flickr
We have gotten still more notices about various seminars in the region pertinent to the greening and mission-based sectors of the economy, so we wanted to continue to share the details on some of the news. The Big Picture remains the opportunity to build networks and gain new skills while the economy might be slowing your daily internal projects.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Local/Maryland, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Politics, Technology | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Low-Cost to Free Technologies for Nonprofits
Applicant Manager Overview from WizeHive on Vimeo.
In these tough economic times, we are all looking for ways to lower costs while keeping up productivity. The trick is to do so without getting into a state of confusion over cut corners or depending on sticky notes all over the wall. One great way to keep the nonprofit office organized while not shelling out too much for the privilege is with the fabulous application & grant management system by Wizehive. For as little as $75 a month your organization can keep up with 200 applications among up to 10 reviewers & writers. Land the big grant, expand the package rate, and have up to 1000 applications to share, comment upon, and store with an unlimited staff. It is a project-management system inexpensive to use and ready to expand with your organization. But wait (as a famous CEO says every year or so), there’s just one more thing.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Nonprofit, Reviews, Software Review, Technology | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Google’s portfolio now to include electricity distribution
Wow. Whether it was the boom & bust of Buzz! (and probable resurrection), the Request For Proposal to establish a gigabit fiberoptic network (NPR news story), or the latest move for Google to purchase and resell electricity, the search giant has been inspiring tweets and blogs of all stripes the last few weeks. Our blog has reported some of these developments, and the most recent Googlegrowth deserves mention as well. What might the distribution by Google mean for the non-profit and mission-based sector of the economy?
Popularity: 1% | Category Greening, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Politics, Technology | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore non-profits bring change for good in bad economy
The Johns Hopkins University Gazette had a recent article about Hopkins students working with local non-profits as they pursue their degrees, which seems a fine introduction to the good work area non-profit and community groups have accomplished over the last number of months. Though the economy overall remains sluggish, non-profits have been able not only to continue their work but also to draw in (even if temporarily) the underemployed who want to better their communities with their extra time. Let us see some of that in action.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
CEOs and social media – a strong combination?
A new technology is invariably difficult to put down for the fearless first adopters. Those who move more slowly toward that technology might feel intimidation from those who adopted early and have since honed their skills. Those who waited might also begin to ask if adoption is even necessary. Such a dynamic might be especially acute in the world of social media, almost invariably multi-million-dollar enterprises that began as projects for recent college grads. But as social media head toward a certain maturity and expectation, are such networks really useful for corporate entities and/or their boards?
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Marketing, Media Review, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
2010 Non-Profit Technology Conference
Following up on yesterday’s theme of making 2010 a great year for outreach and communications: the 2010 Non-Profit Technology Conference (NTC) is going to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, April 8-10. The conference is at the Omni Hotel in the CNN Center, and registration is now open. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Grants and Funding, Marketing, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
How to get your e-newsletters read, not deleted
Looking to refresh contacts and client-relations for 2010? Wanting guidance to expland those client lists? Next Tuesday, 9 February, NetworkForGood.org will be hosting a seminar on how to get email blasts and e-newsletters out of the Junk Box and into the conscousness of your group’s clientele. Kivi Leroux Miller, president of EcoScribe Communications will be our hostess. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Client Roster, Community, Grants and Funding, Marketing, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
NHS Baltimore & Baltimore Sun report on extra-legal debt collection
We are all too aware of how the debts in this country have grown beyond manageability over the last 15-plus years. Democratic and Republican administrations have allowed banks and financial services to write and rewrite their own terms almost at will, and too many customers accepted too-good-to-be-true terms without the necessary due diligence. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush Website Launched
We launched a new website for Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush earlier this week. NHS of East Flatbush revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing. It offers homeownership education, financial assistance and opportunities for community leadership to neighborhood residents. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
Tidying up broken pieces or building a better system?
Banking and investment giants are back before Congress to discuss some of the policies and practices that have led to the collapse of the subprime-loan market and the financial markets generally. According to Dan Roberts of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the CEOs still standing feel sufficiently bullish after their bailout to resist Congressional inquiries. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
How new media is encouraging social change
The Hatcher Group have just released a great report on how non-profits have been using social media to build support and to call to action their supporters. The report is based on surveys and interviews held with thirty non-profits to see how they are using such new media as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Book Review, Grants and Funding, Marketing, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Study of Mission Entrepreneurial Entities and strategies for future development
The Affordable Housing Institute recently released its first comparative study of the work of MEEs (‘Mission Entrepreneurial Entities’) in the public housing sector. The study explores the adaptive advantages MEEs have over both purely private/for-profit enterprises and government and social-work entities. It does so by studying the ways MEEs in the US and in Britain have helped improve and revitalize affordable housing for the urban poor, which in turn has helped expand local economies and opportunities for everyone. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Marketing, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City Website Launched
We launched a new website for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City earlier this month. NHS of NYC revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing. It offers homeownership education, financial assistance and opportunities for community leadership to neighborhood residents. (more…)
Popularity: 4% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
MKCREATIVE begins Website development for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City
The MKCREATIVE team has begun work on a multi-website solution for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City (NHS NYC).
NHS NYC revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing and providing opportunities for homeownership education, financial assistance and community leadership. Working in partnership with government and business, NHS NYC are led by local residents and guided by local needs. (more…)
Popularity: 29% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.