First-time nonprofit managers can often use a bit of guidance from more experienced colleagues, as well as the answers to specific questions. The problem is, there just aren’t enough mentors to go around, and perhaps this is especially so in the nonprofit sector where resources are stretched to the limit. What’s the solution? Well, Third ...

Internet users are getting used to — and expecting, even demanding —  greater levels of interactivity in the websites they visit. They're looking for websites that are much more than a simple digital publication. Websites that engage them in some active way, even if it’s simply to leave a comment on a news item, subscribe to get updates or ...

As a slew of marketing studies remind us, most people make the Internet their first stop when they're looking for information. After all, what can compete? The Web is part pubic library, part yellow pages, part news media, with over-the-fence gossip rolled in!  Getting online is no longer a ''frill'' for nonprofits, but a necessity — ...

While many useful sites aim to bring together volunteers with nonprofits in need of help, a recent trend seems to be toward job-specific matches. Technology and design help, in particular, are becoming easier than ever for nonprofit organizations to find. For cash-strapped organizations in a tough economy, this is a bit of very good news ...

Did you catch the buzz? Today is Blog Action Day, when bloggers around the world are asked to bring attention to one social issue. Last year it was the environment; this year, it's poverty. It's the kind of easy feel-good meme that the Internet loves -- and that can reward participating blogs with a boost in web traffic -- but what are the ...

Thank you. It’s a powerful pair of words, and that simple statement of appreciation, spoken one-on-one, can go a long way to tell volunteers how much their work is valued — but you want to do more. A special effort or long-term commitment, in particular, calls for a special acknowledgement. What does your organization do to thank its ...

It’s generally accepted that the nonprofit world is closely modelled on that of business.  A positive balance on the owner’s year-end bank statements, or a positive impact on whatever cause the nonprofit was formed to support? There’s a strong parallel. And nonprofits can benefit from the never-ending corporate research into what drives ...

Arguably the most influential of social bookmarking sites, Digg.com is often both criticized and commended for having a narrow topic focus. With big changes in the works at Digg right now, what are the odds that the site might broaden its horizons, and add a separate category for nonprofits and social change?  A fair number of solid ...

Many of us are familiar with the Meals on Wheels concept — to deliver nutritious and affordable meals to people in need: seniors, convalescents, and people living with disabilities. What many don’t realize, however, says Leann Hackman-Carty of Calgary Meals on Wheels, is that her agency also gives “significant help” to students and homeless ...

The original intention of sites such as Twitter may have been purely social, but like many Web 2.0 tools, it has evolved in the hands of its users. This time last year, the Canadian Marketing Association saw Twitter as a new toy for the tech savvy Millennial, “an easy, non committal way to keep tabs and staying emotionally close to our ...