Greetings!
A key feature I am looking for in content management software (CMS) for Coastwalk is the ability to acquire, store, and utilize information about registrants involved in events hosted by the organization. To engage members and others in dayhikes and multi-day adventures along the California Coast, and to hold fundraising activities in a variety of locations and designs, we need our CMS be able to serve the administrative needs of those events.
Our initial examination of a CMS (NEON by Z2Systems) referred to us by a colleague agency looks good. We have explored its use in a trial period, and are now looking to see if other CMS packages can provide the same capabilities.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Newsletters from NPOs in my Email
Greetings!
Who is using what constituent relationship management software to send me emails? Here are the results from the past two months:
ConstantContact.com
Constant Contact Link
EveryTrail.com
Climate Protection Campaign
UnTours
IWalk Volunteer Center of Sonoma County
Social Advocates for Youth
IContact.com
IContact Link
The-Rep.com
TripFilms.com
Z2systems.com
Z2Systems Link
Sebastopol Community Center
Network for Good - EMailNow
Network for Good Email Now Link
Charitynavigator.com
Greenbelt Alliance
Relevant Tools.com
Relevant Tools Link
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods
Vertical Response
Vertical Response Link
Canal Alliance
Fudge for Supervisor
Convio.com
Convio Link
TechSoup.org
HRC.org – Joe Solmonese Hman Right Campaign,
Preschool California
Patron Mail
Patron Mail
6stplay.com – Sixth Street Playhouse
PHPList
PHP List Link
Gaygames.com
Your Mailing Provider
Your Mailing Provider Link
EcomNets
Center for Creative Land Recycling (cclr.org.
SwiftPages
Swift Pages Link
Old Course Experience
Jane Goodall Insitute – Using CivicCRM (Drupal) – example at Jane Goodall Link - and a description of their work on an activism module - http://drupal.org/project/activism
Using their own Software:
MoveOn.org – Steven Biel, Lenore, Kat, Wes
Democrats.com
IFC.com - Independent Film Channel
CaliforniaOneCare.org – Andrew McGuire
LinkedIn.com
NTEN.org
Environment California.org
League of Conservation Voters
geocaching.com
Classmates.com
Netflix.com
Barakobama.com
NCMUG.org
In addition, I have discovered:
CiviCRM, SalesForce, and SugarCRM. IdealWare has an interesting examination of this type of online communication software at:www.Idealware.org/crm
Who is using what constituent relationship management software to send me emails? Here are the results from the past two months:
ConstantContact.com
Constant Contact Link
EveryTrail.com
Climate Protection Campaign
UnTours
IWalk Volunteer Center of Sonoma County
Social Advocates for Youth
IContact.com
IContact Link
The-Rep.com
TripFilms.com
Z2systems.com
Z2Systems Link
Sebastopol Community Center
Network for Good - EMailNow
Network for Good Email Now Link
Charitynavigator.com
Greenbelt Alliance
Relevant Tools.com
Relevant Tools Link
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods
Vertical Response
Vertical Response Link
Canal Alliance
Fudge for Supervisor
Convio.com
Convio Link
TechSoup.org
HRC.org – Joe Solmonese Hman Right Campaign,
Preschool California
Patron Mail
Patron Mail
6stplay.com – Sixth Street Playhouse
PHPList
PHP List Link
Gaygames.com
Your Mailing Provider
Your Mailing Provider Link
EcomNets
Center for Creative Land Recycling (cclr.org.
SwiftPages
Swift Pages Link
Old Course Experience
Jane Goodall Insitute – Using CivicCRM (Drupal) – example at Jane Goodall Link - and a description of their work on an activism module - http://drupal.org/project/activism
Using their own Software:
MoveOn.org – Steven Biel, Lenore, Kat, Wes
Democrats.com
IFC.com - Independent Film Channel
CaliforniaOneCare.org – Andrew McGuire
LinkedIn.com
NTEN.org
Environment California.org
League of Conservation Voters
geocaching.com
Classmates.com
Netflix.com
Barakobama.com
NCMUG.org
In addition, I have discovered:
CiviCRM, SalesForce, and SugarCRM. IdealWare has an interesting examination of this type of online communication software at:www.Idealware.org/crm
Online Organizational Communication
Greetings!
Following up on our interest in learning more about what nonprofits are using to communicate with their members and donors, I decided to move in three directions at once (yes, I know that sounds awkward, but it actually brings more to the whole than the sum of the parts):
1. Listen to some webinars and online tutorials detailing the features of online contact management software (CMS).
2. Examine my own email over the past month to determine what has driven the donor and member communications.
3. Investigate the current uses and features of the CMS being used by Coastwalk California (which I'm President of the Board).
I'm also going to build a list of the CMS being used by Sonoma County nonprofits by searching their websites, and querying their IT staff. I'll probably join the email lists of many of them, in order to both learn more about them, explore what software is being used, and find good examples to mentor nonprofits who have expressed an interest in improving their communications. By tomorrow, I hope to be able to have more complete information which can guide me in further research.
Following up on our interest in learning more about what nonprofits are using to communicate with their members and donors, I decided to move in three directions at once (yes, I know that sounds awkward, but it actually brings more to the whole than the sum of the parts):
1. Listen to some webinars and online tutorials detailing the features of online contact management software (CMS).
2. Examine my own email over the past month to determine what has driven the donor and member communications.
3. Investigate the current uses and features of the CMS being used by Coastwalk California (which I'm President of the Board).
I'm also going to build a list of the CMS being used by Sonoma County nonprofits by searching their websites, and querying their IT staff. I'll probably join the email lists of many of them, in order to both learn more about them, explore what software is being used, and find good examples to mentor nonprofits who have expressed an interest in improving their communications. By tomorrow, I hope to be able to have more complete information which can guide me in further research.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Capacity-Building in Nonprofits
Greetings!
Pat and I just finished three weeks of grant proposal reviews for $264,000 aimed at increasing the capacity of local nonprofits under the federal Compassion Capital Fund. Created in 2002, the Administration for Children and Families' Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) is a key component of the President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The primary purpose of the CCF is to help faith-based and community organizations increase their effectiveness, enhance their ability to provide social services, expand their organizations, diversify their funding sources, and create collaborations to better serve those in need. Targeted capacity-building grants are a demonstrated way to assist organizations in building their capacity. The funding will not be for direct service, but for lasting changes in organizations that will have a sustainable impact on the delivery of services.
Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, the nonprofit established in 1968 under the Office of Economic Opportunity's implementation of Congress's 1960's anti-poverty programs, received one of 14 of these grants nationwide. Pat and I participated on the community review committee, receiving 46 proposals asking $651,000. The agency will be announcing the grantees and awards in the next few days, but I wanted to begin the process of implementation by announcing our own continuing contributions to the strengthening of local nonprofits.
We came away from the review understanding that most of the agencies were seeking to expand their abilities to seek out and secure new sources of funding. Proposals asked to build capacity for grant-researching and writing, find and cultivate new local donors, and establish fee-based marketing strategies for current services. It was clear that current public funds are drying up, and these agencies are beginning to want new skills and information.
In the pursuit, there were plenty of consultants and computers being requested. It appears that most of the applicants have concluded that electronic research, online collaboration, and data records storage are essential needs.
In the coming months, we'll be providing some of our own resources to building the capacity of these agencies. Because we were able to see all the proposals, we believe there are opportunities for collaboration in the implementation of these grants. We will be encouraging CAPSC to continue its support for them, but understand that the federal grants will end in September.
Pat and I just finished three weeks of grant proposal reviews for $264,000 aimed at increasing the capacity of local nonprofits under the federal Compassion Capital Fund. Created in 2002, the Administration for Children and Families' Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) is a key component of the President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The primary purpose of the CCF is to help faith-based and community organizations increase their effectiveness, enhance their ability to provide social services, expand their organizations, diversify their funding sources, and create collaborations to better serve those in need. Targeted capacity-building grants are a demonstrated way to assist organizations in building their capacity. The funding will not be for direct service, but for lasting changes in organizations that will have a sustainable impact on the delivery of services.
Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, the nonprofit established in 1968 under the Office of Economic Opportunity's implementation of Congress's 1960's anti-poverty programs, received one of 14 of these grants nationwide. Pat and I participated on the community review committee, receiving 46 proposals asking $651,000. The agency will be announcing the grantees and awards in the next few days, but I wanted to begin the process of implementation by announcing our own continuing contributions to the strengthening of local nonprofits.
We came away from the review understanding that most of the agencies were seeking to expand their abilities to seek out and secure new sources of funding. Proposals asked to build capacity for grant-researching and writing, find and cultivate new local donors, and establish fee-based marketing strategies for current services. It was clear that current public funds are drying up, and these agencies are beginning to want new skills and information.
In the pursuit, there were plenty of consultants and computers being requested. It appears that most of the applicants have concluded that electronic research, online collaboration, and data records storage are essential needs.
In the coming months, we'll be providing some of our own resources to building the capacity of these agencies. Because we were able to see all the proposals, we believe there are opportunities for collaboration in the implementation of these grants. We will be encouraging CAPSC to continue its support for them, but understand that the federal grants will end in September.
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