This blog is for volunteers, webmasters and administrators of associations, clubs, charities, communities and other groups. We discuss issues and trends in modern web technologies that help your organization achieve more with less. This blog is sponsored by Wild Apricot membership software: a set of tools for membership administration, event registration, website management, online fundraising - with friendly and knowledgeable tech support. See for yourself how affordable and easy it is to use: - Take a tour!

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• 07 August 2008

  Techsoup Site Security Breach: Visitors Urged to Take Precautions 

  Techsoup.org , one of the best non-profit resources online, has suffered an SQL Injection attack. The site was taken down promptly when suspicious activity was identified, but Techsoup account holders and anyone who has visited the site in the past few days are urged to take security precautions immediately. These types of attacks are known to exploit website vulnerabilities with the intent of distributing viruses and malware. We do not yet know all the details of this attack at this time. We do Read More... Posted Thursday, August 07, 2008 6:02 PM by Rebecca | 3 Comments Filed under: General News, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, websites, security

• 09 July 2008

  Award-Winning Youth Helpline gets Web 2.0 Right 

  People born since 1980 — the first generation to grow up in a wired world — have a whole new set of expectations about communication. Nonprofits who want to reach this audience need to rethink the traditional outreach methods and learn to understand how this group operates. Whether we call them Millenials, Net-Genners, or Generation Y, these young people “dislike and tune out traditional news media,” says Joanne Fritz, PhD, Nonprofit guide at About.com. “They are more likely to use their internet Read More... Posted Wednesday, July 09, 2008 8:45 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, case studies, websites

• 02 July 2008

  How to Check Your Website on Different Browsers 

  Cross-browser compatibility has long been a frustration for website designers. What looks fine in one browser may be more or less “broken” in another, with sidebars shifted and elements overlapping... But does it really matter, how your website looks in different browsers, in the big picture of what your organization is trying to accomplish online? Read More... Posted Wednesday, July 02, 2008 5:11 PM by Rebecca | 7 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, Usability, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Google Analytics, websites, open source

• 24 April 2008

  Dilbert.com Goes Web 2.0  

  How would you define Web 2.0 ? Wikipedia does a pretty good job of explaining it, but why use words alone to explain such a complex idea, when you can show-and-tell? Try this: Flip open just about any North American newspaper to the comics page... then take a look at Dilbert.com . The companion website to Dilbert , Scott Adams' widely syndicated cartoon chronicle of office politics, has just relaunched in Web 2.0 style. And this is not simply a cosmetic change or a new website design -- the site Read More... Posted Thursday, April 24, 2008 6:57 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments Filed under: General News, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, online community, Widgets, case studies, websites, Accessibility

• 18 April 2008

  Making a Case for Social Media Marketing 

  Social media and social networking are hot buzzwords in the world of online marketing, but what do they mean in practical terms? Is social media marketing just a passing fad, or could it be a worthwhile strategy for your organization? In a survey done by Collactive of close to 200 organizations, those with a successful social media strategy performed 27% better in achieving their business goals than those with poor social media strategy. Most nonprofits are barely scratching the surface when it comes Read More... Posted Friday, April 18, 2008 3:01 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Marketing, Web 2.0, Best practices, Blogging, Social networking, accountability, Non-profit Communications

• 15 April 2008

  8 Tips for an Effective Online Survey 

  Your organization may send out a feedback request with its appeals or reports to members. And perhaps you routinely ask those who attend your special events to fill out a quick survey. But if you need data quickly, or from a broader range of respondents, why not consider an online poll or survey? Here are 8 quick tips to help you get started: 1. Identify your goals. Online surveys can be an easy and cost-effective way to identify your constituents' needs and priorities, to learn what you're doing Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 15, 2008 4:51 PM by Rebecca | 12 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Reader Polls, Non-profit Communications, surveys

• 19 December 2007

  6 Unique Online Fundraising Techniques for Your Nonprofit (Part 5 of 6)  

  This post has been contributed by Lance Trebesch and Colt Lapham from TicketPrinting.com Overview Every nonprofit knows that fundraisers are critical to their existence. Without donations, no resources are available to support the primary cause or purpose of the organization. While most traditional media channels have been exhausted, new opportunities have arisen in the online sector. By tapping into cutting-edge online resources, your organization can achieve fundraising objectives that far exceed Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2007 2:39 PM by Creative Apricot | 0 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Blogging

• 06 December 2007

  6 Unique Online Fundraising Techniques for Your Nonprofit (Part 4 of 6) 

  This post has been contributed by Lance Trebesch and Taylor Robinson from TicketPrinting.com 4a. Wiki Pages A “wiki” is a website that can be easily edited by its users. The most popular wiki today is Wikipedia which is an online encyclopedia where people from all over the word update and add information. However, wiki pages can be used by your nonprofit in innovative ways to do more than simply provide basic information found on Wikipedia. Your organization can create its own wiki pages for topics Read More... Posted Thursday, December 06, 2007 2:23 PM by Creative Apricot | 2 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, Fundraising, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices

• 29 November 2007

  Tips to Manage your Year-End Fundraising Campaigns 

  It's crunch time for nonprofit fundraisers looking to take advantage of the holiday giving season. If you don't have a plan in place yet, no worries. This guide from Care2's Eric Rardin and Heather Holdridge , along with Mark Rovner and Sarah Haug of Sea Change Strategies , " A Procrastinator's Guide to Year-End Fundraising " will give you a crash course on best practices for maximizing online giving and how to connect with new supporters, and communicate year-round to foster the best possible relationships Read More... Posted Thursday, November 29, 2007 2:18 PM by Creative Apricot | 1 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, Fundraising, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices

• 21 November 2007

  6 Unique Online Fundraising Techniques for Your Nonprofit (Part 3 of 6) 

  This post has been contributed by Lance Trebesch and Taylor Robinson from TicketPrinting.com Overview Every nonprofit knows that fundraisers are critical to their existence. Without donations, no resources are available to support the primary cause or purpose of the organization. While most traditional media channels have been exhausted, new opportunities have arisen in the online sector. By tapping into cutting-edge online resources, your organization can achieve fundraising objectives that far Read More... Posted Wednesday, November 21, 2007 1:41 PM by Creative Apricot | 1 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, E-mail marketing

• 08 November 2007

  Advice for New Bloggers: 12 Tips on Writing for Your Blog 

  Michele Martin's post asking readers "What advice do you have for new bloggers?" couldn't have come at a better time. Lately, I've been pondering the idea of writing a post about blogging basics for nonprofits but with all the sizable amounts of information available about blogging and advice for new bloggers, I wasn't sure where to begin. After reading her post, it became clear to me that new bloggers need the most advice and direction. And with this post, I hope to achieve two things...one to respond Read More... Posted Thursday, November 08, 2007 2:19 PM by Creative Apricot | 3 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Blogging

• 06 November 2007

  Share the Story of Your Nonprofit or Church through Blogs 

  I want to recommend to you a book I just finished reading. The Blogging Church by Brian Bailey and Terry Storch . There was also an interesting interview with Read/Write Web's Sean Ammirati that's worth listening to. After reading the book, I picked up some good tips that I could apply to our blog and some other parts that kinda knew I should do but have let slip through the cracks. One of the good things about it is that it doesn't assume that you have any knowledge about blogs. It gives very basic Read More... Posted Tuesday, November 06, 2007 9:00 AM by Creative Apricot | 0 Comments Filed under: General News, Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Blogging

• 02 November 2007

  6 Unique Online Fundraising Techniques for Your Nonprofit (Part 2 of 6) 

  This post has been contributed by Lance Trebesch and Taylor Robinson from TicketPrinting.com 2. Online Auctions One of the most effective online fundraising tools you can use today is the online auction. Nonprofits know that auctions are time consuming and difficult to manage, but also very lucrative. In 2006 alone, more than 16 billion dollars was raised through charitable auctions in the U.S. ( National Auctioneers Association ). Furthermore, auctions give nonprofit organizations the unique ability Read More... Posted Friday, November 02, 2007 9:00 AM by Creative Apricot | 4 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices

• 31 October 2007

  How to Start and Grow your Nonprofit Blog: An Interview with Michael Sola 

  Michael Sola is the Director of Information Technology of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers. For the past 6 months, Michael Sola has been blogging as part of the organization's larger communications strategy. We caught up with Michael to talk about how the CBF Tech blog can help a small organization build community and visibility with new web tools. 1. What inspired you to start a blog for CBF? We were Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 31, 2007 9:00 AM by Creative Apricot | 2 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Marketing, Web 2.0, Best practices, Blogging

• 30 October 2007

  Technology to make fundraising ‘good to go': New report by Network for Good 

  Network for Good released a new report called The Wired Fundraiser: How technology is making fundraising 'good to go'. The report written by Katya Andresen and Stacie Mann covers what happens when people with a cause take it to cyberspace; why marketers and fundraisers like us should care; and what we should do about the phenomenon. The full report can be downloaded here . The report starts with a profile of the two types of Wired Fundraisers. Type I - The Personal Fundraiser These individuals are Read More... Posted Tuesday, October 30, 2007 9:00 AM by Creative Apricot | 1 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, Fundraising, nptech, Web 2.0, Best practices, Widgets, Micro-philanthropy