This blog is for volunteers, webmasters and administrators of associations and nonprofits. We discuss issues and trends in web technologies that help your organization do more with less. The blog is brought to you by Wild Apricot. Our web software helps you manage the 'boring stuff' like membership and contact records, payments, donations, website updates, event registrations, mass emails and more. Wild Apricot starts at just $25 a month (flat monthly fee; tech support and version updates are free). Take 10 seconds to sign up for a free trial and see for yourself.

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• 09 March 2010

  How to Get Your Nonprofit into Local Newspapers 

  With all the buzz about social media, it’s easy to forget that offline media attention can be equally valuable, especially for community-based nonprofits who want to get attention to local projects or recruit local members and volunteers. Offline media attention is good. Getting it can be hard, however, in the digital information age. Challenged by online alternative news sources, print newspapers are slimming down, cutting pages to cut their costs. To save on staff, newspapers increasingly bypass Read More... Posted Tuesday, March 09, 2010 9:32 AM by Rebecca | 5 Comments Filed under: General non-profit interest, nptech, Marketing, Best practices, events, Non-profit Communications, media

• 22 January 2010

  Free Guide for Online Fundraisers 

  Network for Good has just released The Online Fundraiser's Checklist , a free eGuide by Katya Andresen and Rebecca Higman. The guide is presented as a set of six checklists that neatly cover the "essential basics" of online fundraising: Website home page Donation form Writing style Email lists Email campaigns Thank-you programs The checklists are all in an easy-to-use worksheet/quiz format. Simply work your way down the list of questions, checking off boxes where your campaign is on target. Add up Read More... Posted Friday, January 22, 2010 5:41 PM by Rebecca | 3 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, Fundraising, nptech, Best practices, E-mail marketing, websites, Donor management

• 16 November 2009

  When Nonprofit Websites Go Bad 

  I’ve just visited 100+ nonprofit websites to update a major resource list, and 3% of those nonprofits just got crossed off the list. Their sites have been hacked and infected with malicious software - and the nonprofits don't even know about it. Are you sure your own website is safe for visitors? Read More... Posted Monday, November 16, 2009 3:30 PM by Rebecca | 2 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Best practices, websites, security

• 03 November 2009

  Social Media Best Practices for Non-Profit & Public Sector Organizations 

  Jay Moonah's presentation on Social Media Best Practices for Non-Profit & Public Sector Organizations was streamed live online as part of The Canadian Institute’s recent “Managing Social Media” conference recently - but if you missed it, no worries! We’ve got the highlights right here. Read More... Posted Tuesday, November 03, 2009 4:10 PM by Rebecca | 3 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, Wild Apricot, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, online community, Social networking, case studies, Non-profit Communications, training, webinar, social media

• 30 September 2009

  How Accessible is Your Blog? 

  Making your blog or website more “accessible” can seem like a big job, but you don’t have to be an IT expert or do a website redesign to make a big difference. Accessibility is not an absolute but a continuum, says Glenda Watson Hyatt, and a few simple changes will allow more people to engage with your web content, regardless of their personal capabilities or the technology they’re using. Read More... Posted Wednesday, September 30, 2009 11:05 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, Usability, nptech, Best practices, Blogging, websites, Accessibility

• 10 September 2009

  How to Get Started with LinkedIn 

  Whether you’re looking for a first job or making a career change, or simply looking to meet other professionals in the non-profit sector, LinkedIn is the social network of choice. Can online networking help your career? Already, 45% of all US employers use social networks to find qualified employees, and 72% plan to step up their online recruiting. Read More... Posted Thursday, September 10, 2009 5:39 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Best practices, Social networking, Non-profit Communications, careers, LinkedIn

• 10 August 2009

  Is Your Non-Profit Website Turning Off New Readers? 

  "Nobody cares about your website," Gerry McGovern tells business folks: "Your customers couldn’t care less about your new look, your new design or whether your dog has just had kittens." Focus on your audience: That’s the single most important piece of advice you’ll ever get about publishing a successful website or blog. But does this advice apply equally to non-profits? Yes, and no. Read More... Posted Monday, August 10, 2009 5:05 PM by Rebecca | 7 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Best practices, Blogging, Non-profit Communications, websites, content

• 12 May 2009

  Social Media for Non-Profits: 26 Great Slideshare Presentations You Can Use 

  Great new presentations on social media are coming out almost daily, and many are directed specifically to the needs of non-profits. But it can be time-consuming to search out those that are up-to-date, actionable, and appropriate to nonprofits. Here's a hand-picked selection of slideshow presentations to get you started. Read More... Posted Tuesday, May 12, 2009 8:27 PM by Rebecca | 20 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, Fundraising, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, online community, Social networking, case studies, Non-profit Communications, social media

• 24 March 2009

  Nonprofit Budgets Benefit from Greener Events  

  Isn’t it great when “doing the right thing” can show off your organization in its best light, ease the workload for staff and volunteers, and save you some money as well? Recently I’ve had a small role in helping to organize the annual conference for a not-for-profit professional association. In the current economy, obviously, every nonprofit organization has a pressing need to trim expenses and our group is no exception. And by bringing down the costs of putting on the event, registration fees can Read More... Posted Tuesday, March 24, 2009 4:00 PM by Rebecca | 4 Comments Filed under: Associations, nptech, Best practices, Non-profit Communications, event management

• 17 March 2009

  What Makes a Successful Online Community? 

  A successful online community can pay off in increased word of mouth (35%), more brand awareness (28%), bringing new ideas into the organization faster (24%) and greater customer loyalty (24%), according to the 2008 Tribalization of Business study by Beeline Labs, Deloitte, and the Society for New Communications Research, which surveyed more than 100 business with online communities. That the greatest value of an online community lies in “communications-based objectives” — in forging bonds between Read More... Posted Tuesday, March 17, 2009 3:58 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, online community, research, analytics

• 12 February 2009

  Remote Hosted Blog vs. Blog on Your Non-Profit Website 

  The benefits of nonprofit blogging are clear. Fresh blog content can bring visitors back regularly to see what's new with your organization, actively engage your supporters in your cause, and give you a boost with search engines. But which is better - to integrate a blog as a part of your nonprofit’s main website, or to host it remotely on a third-party blogging platform? Read More... Posted Thursday, February 12, 2009 4:41 PM by Rebecca | 9 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Best practices, Blogging, SEO, Non-profit Communications, websites

• 30 January 2009

  Facebook Profiles and Pages and Groups, oh my! 

  If questions from our readers are any indication, there’s still a lot of confusion about the differences between Facebook’s Profiles, Fan Pages, and Groups — and which of these might best suit a nonprofit’s social-networking plan. Let’s take a closer look. Facebook was conceived as a social network of individuals, so everything starts with the individual Profile. Every member has a Profile page, created automatically when the account is set up — it’s the basic unit of Facebook. And the two main tools Read More... Posted Friday, January 30, 2009 6:23 PM by Rebecca | 56 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Social networking, Facebook, Non-profit Communications, social media

• 12 January 2009

  Should You Delete Old Blog Posts or Website Content?  

  The more information you've published online, the better the chances that your organization's blog or website will be found by potential readers, right? That's true, yes, as far as it goes — quantity counts when each indexed page might be the answer to some web-surfer's search query. But the quality of information that readers find on your blog or website is what will help or hinder your organization's cause in the long run. Is all of your web content up-to-date and useful? Read More... Posted Monday, January 12, 2009 6:45 PM by Rebecca | 3 Comments Filed under: Usability, nptech, Best practices, Blogging, Non-profit Communications, websites

• 08 January 2009

  Creating a Social Media Policy for Your Nonprofit 

  Who should speak for your organization in social media? How can you control what’s being said about your group and your cause? If you're not sure, it may be time to work out a social media policy for your staff and volunteers who blog and chat and comment online, where the personal and professional lines often blur. Read More... Posted Thursday, January 08, 2009 8:45 AM by Rebecca | 15 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Best practices, Social networking, Non-profit Communications, media, social media

• 17 December 2008

  Connect Your Nonprofit's Offline and Online Activities 

  Your nonprofit’s website gets tens of thousands of hits every month. Thousands support your Cause on Facebook, and you’ve mapped out a killer Twitter strategy to attract a hundred new followers weekly. So what? “Those are impressive numbers on the surface,” says Jayne Craven of Coyote Communications, but it’s vital to evaluate your organization’s online activities in terms of offline actions: “If they don’t translate into more volunteers, repeat volunteers, new and repeat donors, new and repeat clients, Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 17, 2008 1:41 AM by Rebecca | 5 Comments Filed under: nptech, Marketing, Best practices, Non-profit Communications, websites

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