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 ...

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, by relying solely on Facebook to manage it? The fact is, for non-members of the site, ...

Has this ever happened to you? The printer jams, just as you’re trying to rush out a newsletter. Or you come up short on stationery and stamps, a few letters short of your mailing list run. Or you’re on the road with only a web-enabled phone at hand, when you remember an urgent note that must go out by mail… Some days, we can’t help wishing ...

Why would your organization want to pay for an email marketing service, instead of simply using Outlook and your regular email server to contact your members? There are a number of compelling reasons why even a small e-newsletter subscription list might best be handled by a dedicated email marketing service, starting — first and foremost — ...

RSS is a very powerful technology, useful for anyone to gather and digest many information sources in one place — and even more useful for nonprofits to get their information out to their members and supporters.  If you were to put all of your most important news sources onto a single web page, what a useful resource that could ...

The trick to effective mind mapping is finding the right tool for the job — whether that tool is pen and paper, as Guy Lewis used to unravel his personal life, or dedicated software, as Patrick Lynch used to explain Wild Apricot’s features to his colleagues. What is Mind Mapping? Mind mapping is a non-linear, highly visual method of ...

If your organization makes PowerPoint slideshows for special events, meetings and conferences, you've probably put a lot of time and effort into creating each one. Why not get extra mileage from those PowerPoint presentations by putting them onto your website or blog for others to see? Here are four different ways to share PowerPoint files on ...

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 ...

When your spokesperson is interviewed on the TV evening news, that's air time worth far more than most nonprofits could hope to afford as an advertising purchase. And when your organization is quoted in the press, that lends an air of credibility that you just can't buy at any price. Advertising is telling your own story. Publicity is when ...

Project management software is a tough and competitive field. With so many excellent choices out there, it's hard to know what tools will work best for your organization's needs. Do you want web-based or desktop application? Which features will you really use? How long is the learning curve — and will everyone in your organization be willing and ...