There’s an incredible wealth of information online for member-driven
associations and donor-dependent non-profits, but sorting through it
all can be quite daunting. That’s where AssociationJam.org comes in — a new way for managers and staff, consultants, volunteers and
board members to share their best information and
learn from one another.
Stories featured on the site include tips for using
social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook for fundraising, how
best to find and manage volunteers, and techniques to attract new
members to an organization.
On the website, you can:
- Submit links to news stories, blog posts, videos, presentations,
articles, white papers, or any other online information you find
useful.
- Browse the stories that have been submitted by your colleagues.
- Comment to share your own experience and opinions.
- Vote for the most interesting and useful stories, and those that
get the most votes will be ‘published’ on the front page for greater
visibility.
If you're familiar with Digg.com, you can think of AssociationJam as working in much the same way. But unlike
most social news sites — which tend to include a broad range of technology and
general news content — AssociationJam.org is strictly focused on
practical information that's relevant to associations and non-profits.
AssociationJam.org is a project of BonaSource Inc, the parent
company of Wild Apricot. “Membership-based organizations are our
bread and butter,” Chief Apricot Dmitry Buterin says: "We see AssociationJam as a way to help them succeed and grow."
A project like this doesn't come together without a whole lot of help, however.
Our thanks go out to the non-profit bloggers and association
professionals who took the time to preview our new website; to submit their best
stories and vote for others; and to offer their suggestions on design and usability matters, as AssociationJam.org prepared for launch —
— and my sincere apologies (please send a stern note) if I've inadvertantly left anyone out!
We hope that AssociationJam will make it easier for you to find
the kind of concrete, practical, how-to information you need to be most
effective and to stay energized in working for your cause.
Bring your favorite links on over to the 'AJam' and dive in, look around, try it out…
As always, your comments are welcome!