The Nonprofit Matrix is an online directory and guide to Application Service Providers (ASPs) and portals offering web-based services for nonprofits and charities.
MATRIX
LIBRARY 
January 24th, 2007 at 09:03am
Convio has released a comprehensive benchmarking report on online marketing and fundraising.
According to Convio’s announcement, the report “includes data compiled from nonprofit organizations across six vertical segments and of various sizes and levels of online maturity. It also discusses tactics for impacting key metrics and strengthening online marketing programs.”
Convio plans to produce the report on an annual basis, providing a rolling benchmark of changes in online marketing trends.
Download the report here. (requires free registration)
January 22nd, 2007 at 09:04am
Techsoup has released a collection of online resources, including comparison charts, handy guides and tutorials to help organizations tackle the often-daunting issue of donor management technology.
The toolkit covers both online data services (ASPs) and installable software, and is organized along the main themes of best practices in employing donor management techology: Discover, Research, Acquire, Implement, Support and Sustain
Visit Techsoup’s Donor Management Toolkit
View Donor Management profiles on the NonProfit Matrix
January 18th, 2007 at 03:44am
The Oakland, CA-based PolicyLink Institute has released a comprehensive guide to help organizations navigate the rapidly evolving world of online advocacy and activism.
Click Here for Change: Your Guide to the E-Advocacy Revolution is a manual for experienced and novice advocates alike who are eager to use state of the art technology techniques to challenge old policies and create new ones that will enhance the quality of life and access to opportunity for everyone. The case studies, resources, tips, and best practices included in this report willhelp readers plan and implement campaigns that use various combinations of online and offline tools to effectively engage their constituencies.
Download the full (pdf) version of Click Here for Change.
Download Section 3: Technology Tools only.
January 12th, 2007 at 05:16am
NPower Seattle has published a handbook and practical guide to assist organizations in selecting donor management software.
From the introduction:
This toolkit has been designed to walk you through that process of discovery. At the end of it, we think that you’ll be ready to choose software that allows youto work the way you want to, rather than adjusting your needs to do what the software allows. Ultimately, we hope you’ll have made a technology decision that helps you better serve your community.
The toolkit is organized into 4 main sections, following the suggested steps to select the best database solution.
- Assess your use of current technology and set technology goals that support your overall mission.
- Prioritize your nonprofit’s requirements and map out the software features you need.
- Decide which software packages best meet your needs.
- Act on your decision and implement the new system.
The handbook’s devlopment was supported by Verison. It is available for download as a pdf.
January 6th, 2007 at 10:47am
Idealware has published a report looking at leading choices in the open source content management system (CMS) field. Open source CMS’s are popular with activist and social change organizations they are non-commerical products (though they are used and supported by professional developers) and because they are seen to be cheaper that commercially available CMS’s (not always true if you include site development and maintenance costs). Open source CMS’s should be a top choice for nonprofits planning to build blogs, or use social working tools such as RSS, flickr, etc.
Idealware’s report profiles three leading platforms: Joomla, Drupal and Plone, and includes screenshots, and links to marquee nonprofits using each system.
Read Idealware’s Comparing Open Source CMSes report.
View Nonprofit Matrix profile listings for Website Hosting/Content Management Systems.
January 2nd, 2007 at 03:28pm
An interesting flurry of activity in past weeks with the appearance of a new type of online fundraising tool that could bridge the gap between tried-and-true online donation forms, and the emerging world of Web 2.0 applications (myspace, youtube, wikipedia, etc.): charity badges — also known as fundraising widgits. (widgits are small objects that you can put anywhere on a web page to add new functions, new content, etc.)
Idealware posted a roundup of the candidates that appeared just in time for the holiday giving rush. URL: Tis the Season… for Cheap and Easy - and Distributed – Online Fundraising Tools
Charity badges are interesting new tools that could open up a whole new area in online fundraising - it’s still a bit early to tell if and how these tools might catch on.
I’m going to start my own list here for now. I am already planning get a new category for peer-to-peer and personal fundraising tools set up on the main Matrix directory, so watch for a more comprehensive listing there soon.
Here’s my current list, starting with the ones mentioned in Idealware’s post:
If you know of more fundraising widgit providers, let me know (irishg@nonprofitmatrix.com) and I’ll include them here, and in the directory.
December 16th, 2006 at 12:55am
Jon E. Carson, Chairman and CEO of cMarket online auction services has prepared a short primer on online auctions . The primer profiles cMarket’s own online auction services, and also provides a concise list of best practice tips for planning and running online auctions., including:
- Be clear about your goals
- Get your whole team on board early in the process
- Don’t leave sponsorship income on the table
- Feature a mix of items and price ranges
- Promote like crazy
- Track results, and learn how to do it even better next time
The primer was featured in GetActive’s recent monthly newsletter, and may be viewed on the GetActive website here.
View NonProfit Matrix listings for Charity Auction service providers here.
December 14th, 2006 at 02:31pm
It’s not a new publication, but Convio has a handy downloadable guide to online fundraising that is a good primer for getting up to speed, or as a refresher.
This guide covers basic concepts for taking advantage of the Internet for your fundraising programs. Learn about:
- List-building tactics
- Targeting your audience
- Online fundraising strategies from leading nonprofits
- Tracking your success
Download the guide here (requires free registration)
View NonProfit Matrix listings for Online Donation service providers here.
December 10th, 2006 at 01:50am
Laura Quinn of Idealware has published an article (featured on Techsoup) profiling seven leading online registration tools that can help with assist organizations in planning events by helping organizers collect an estimated headcount, gather information from attendees, send follow-up emails, add registrants into a database, and more.
Among the criteria she highlights for organizations to consider when deciding on an event management tool are:
- Does the registration form need to match your Web site?
- Do you need to be able to download attendee information and import it into a database?
- Does your budget allow for a more expensive tool?
- Do you require more advanced functionality, like the like ability to limit attendance, collect meal preferences, or print name tags are more important than saving money.”
Read the full article here.
View NonProfit Matrix listings for Event Management service providers here.
December 8th, 2006 at 06:07am
Kintera has published a primer on the benefits of their “Software as a Service” model for nonprofits looking to outsource their IT needs. The paper outlines the arguments in favour of the outsourced model:
Top Seven Benefits of Software as a Service
- Little upfront investment
- Reliable cost forecasting
- No extras needed
- Up-to-date technology
- Security and reliability
- Remote access
- Scalability
Download the white paper here. (must fill out and submit registration form).
View NonProfit Matrix listings for All-in-one software service providers here.
Next Posts
