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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• 10 June 2009

  New on Facebook: Usernames for Custom URLs 

  Facebook has just announced that it will be offering custom usernames (“vanity URLs”) for Facebook Profiles and Pages, starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday, June 13, 2009. Custom usernames are a big deal for many Facebook members, who have long been frustrated by hard-to-remember Page and Profile addresses made up of random strings of numbers. Directing people to your Facebook page can be as easy as telling them your username. For organizations who want to publicize their Facebook presence in a Read More... Posted Wednesday, June 10, 2009 4:05 PM by Rebecca | 4 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Marketing, Facebook, publicity, social media

• 23 May 2009

  SociafyQ - Free Social Media Tracking and Analytics 

  By now, even your grandmother knows social media is hot, but what’s the ROI on that social networking? Even for nonprofits on a tight budget, there are plenty of good monitoring tools. But what if you could track stats for all your major networks - free - from your desktop or home page, without giving out your passwords? SociafyQ is designed to do just that. Read More... Posted Saturday, May 23, 2009 2:21 AM by Rebecca | 2 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Web 2.0, Widgets, Social networking, Facebook, Twitter, analytics, social media, YouTube, LinkedIn

• 27 April 2009

  PR Works Podcast: How Non-Profits Use Social Media 

  I’ve just been listening to a podcast of Lee Weinstein’s conversation with public relations consultant Donna Gibbs on how non-profits are successfully using social media right now, where Gibbs shines a light on the social media marketing activities — on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter — of two charities she’s involved with personally. The power of the Internet means that even smaller amounts by individuals can make a big difference because of (a) the sheer volume of givers and (b) tools that are readily Read More... Posted Monday, April 27, 2009 2:58 AM by Rebecca | 2 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, Fundraising, nptech, Marketing, Social networking, Facebook, case studies, Non-profit Communications, Twitter, social media

• 09 March 2009

  Facebook's New Public Profile Pages: Good News for Nonprofits 

  Facebook's announcement of Public Profile Pages means nonprofits will be able to "share all types of content with an unlimited number of users" and Facebook users will be able to comment on their posted content. It's a giant step forward for nonprofit outreach on Facebook. Read More... Posted Monday, March 09, 2009 8:00 AM by Rebecca | 8 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Web 2.0, Social networking, Facebook, Non-profit Communications, publicity, social media

• 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 | 25 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Social networking, Facebook, Non-profit Communications, social media

• 04 January 2009

  Security Issues in Social Media Shouldn't Put Nonprofits Off Networking Online 

  As more and more nonprofits take advantage of social media sites to connect with supporters, security concerns are rising more to the forefront. This past weekend, Twitter was hit by a phishing epidemic — just the latest in a string of attacks against social networking sites that hit the mainstream news last month when a fake video link spread the Koobface worm on Facebook and MySpace. Ken Pappas of TechNewsWorld sees a rash of new cyber-threats emerging in response to growing social media use — Read More... Posted Sunday, January 04, 2009 10:03 PM by Rebecca | 9 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Social networking, Facebook, Twitter, security, social media

• 04 September 2008

  3 New Ways to Target Your Audience with Facebook Pages 

  We’ve talked before about how nonprofits are using Facebook to connect with their supporters online, figuring out ways to work around the “closed door” model of the popular social-networking site. For example, setting up a nonprofit Facebook Page that can be viewed by anyone on the Web is often more effective than just having a Profile page only other Facebook members can see. So, why would you want to limit access to your nonprofit’s Facebook Page? Now that you’ve taken the time and effort to set Read More... Posted Thursday, September 04, 2008 5:15 PM by Rebecca | 9 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, online community, Social networking, Facebook, Non-profit Communications

• 18 August 2008

  A Closer Look at Facebook Events 

  Facebook is fast becoming a popular way to publicize an organization's event, invite guests, and track who plans to attend. Facebook Events may be just what your group needs -- but could you be shutting out some of the people who might support your event? The fact is, for non-members of the site, Facebook can feel like a frustrating series of closed doors... Read More... Posted Monday, August 18, 2008 6:16 PM by Rebecca | 13 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Web 2.0, online community, Social networking, Facebook, case studies, Non-profit Communications, event managment

• 23 June 2008

  Facebook Applications for Your Non-Profit Page 

  So you've signed up your nonprofit group for a Facebook Page -- now what? It can be challenging to know what to put on your Page to make the best use of the space, especially if you're setting out to build a new page from scratch. And if you're new to Facebook, it may seem there's a bewildering array of applications to choose from. Michelle Bake, who runs Make Poverty History Etobicoke (a community chapter in support of Canada's nationwide anti-poverty campaign), shares some of the thinking that Read More... Posted Monday, June 23, 2008 1:35 PM by Rebecca | 42 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, online community, Facebook

• 16 June 2008

  How to Set Up a Non-Profit Facebook Page 

  New features and other enhancements have been added to Facebook since Wild Apricot's Beginner's Guide to Facebook for Non-Profits , and nonprofits are learning more about making the best use of the popular social networking site. We've talked about setting up a Facebook account and Profile, and a bit about Groups. Let's take a quick look now at Facebook Pages for nonprofits. The first thing to know is that a Page is not the same thing as your personal account Profile. As Facebook says: Your personal Read More... Posted Monday, June 16, 2008 3:18 PM by Rebecca | 109 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, online community, Facebook, Non-profit Communications

• 10 December 2007

  Most Popular Blog Posts about Facebook  

  It looks like there's been a lot of interest in using Facebook. As of November, our Facebook posts (new and previous ones) are getting the most reads. Here is a full list/overview: A Beginner's Guide to Facebook for Non-Profits Facebook is a social networking service that lets you connect with friends, co-workers, and others who share similar interests or who have common backgrounds. Here is a quick primer for facebook. Ten Innovative Ways Nonprofits Can Use Facebook As more and more nonprofits use Read More... Posted Monday, December 10, 2007 1:51 PM by Creative Apricot | 1 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Facebook

• 16 November 2007

  Ten Innovative Ways Nonprofits Can Use Facebook  

  I often receive questions from nonprofits about how to effectively use Facebook . So here are ten different ways that nonprofits can use Facebook. Many of these tips can be found in my Beginner's Guide to Facebook and How to promote your Cause on Facebook articles. 1. To raise funds for your organization's fundraising campaign Example: The Humane Society of the United States raised $5,000 on Facebook and the ONE campaign raised $2,360 with 8,802 members. 2. To find and communicate with potential Read More... Posted Friday, November 16, 2007 9:00 AM by Creative Apricot | 6 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Facebook

• 16 August 2007

  Using Facebook and MySpace for Advocacy and Fundraising: An interview with Carie Lewis, HSUS  

  Carie Lewis, Internet Marketing Manager Humane Society of the United States We caught up with Carie Lewis for an interview about using social networking sites and Facebook to reach a whole new group of audiences and spread your message. As part of her job, Carie leads online advertising and web 2.0 campaigns for the nation’s largest and most powerful animal welfare organization. She plans, implements, and evaluates the organization’s advocacy and donation campaigns for the purpose of list growth. Read More... Posted Thursday, August 16, 2007 9:00 AM by Creative Apricot | 18 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Facebook

• 05 June 2007

  How to promote your non-profit's cause on Facebook in five easy steps 

  Non-profits organizations using Facebook can now launch a social-networking-based fundraising drive for their cause, promote it to their friends and network, and raise money. That in a nutshell is what a new mini-application within Facebook called Causes is all about. Launched by Project Agape , this new service extends the “group” features and allows users to create causes, take donations, and recruit members. Why is this feature good for charities? According to digitaljournal.com : “This is a good Read More... Posted Tuesday, June 05, 2007 4:24 PM by Creative Apricot | 19 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, Fundraising, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Facebook

• 23 May 2007

  A beginner's guide to Facebook for non-profits 

  I've always been interested in social networking sites like Myspace , Twitter and LinkedIn . But lately, I've been spending quite some time on another social site which I've found to be quite worthy of my time and yours. If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm talking about Facebook. This powerful networking service is not just for individuals like me to keep in touch with friends. It's a very effective networking tool for nonprofits to create awareness and connect with their community. In this post, Read More... Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2007 5:57 PM by Creative Apricot | 33 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, online community, Facebook