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Monday, 20 July 2009 14:37 |
 We're so proud (but not at all surprised) that the three nonprofit marketing professionals singled out for excellence by the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the American Marketing Association Foundation (AMAF) are all members of NTEN!
Congratulations to Eric Overman, Director of Online Communities and Social Media at Operation Smile, who was named "Nonprofit Marketer of the Year".
Brava to Anne Bergquist, Vice President of Brand Management and Marketing for the YMCA of...
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Friday, 17 July 2009 13:31 |
 Yesterday, NTEN Community Members joined us for the beginning of the planning for 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference. We had some good laughs remembering the fun we had at the 09NTC. We also talked over a few things that we can do better: Program Book: We hear you - less paper! Even though it's recycled paper and soy ink, it's still a lot and heavy to tote around. You said we can cut speaker and attendee info as long as we have it online. We could also only hand them out to folks...
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Wednesday, 15 July 2009 15:22 |
 Flickr Photo: Tech Writer BoyHere at NTEN World Headquarters, we simply could not live without Cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS). We have staff members in three time zones -- and no IT department -- but the Cloud gives us (nearly) maintenance-free infrastructure and real-time collaboration that wouldn't be reasonably possible otherwise.
I've been talking about the cloud a lot lately as I roam the country, forcing audiences to pay attention to me. Since I love the cloud so...
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Tuesday, 14 July 2009 16:36 |
 Flicker photo: mattedgarLately, I've noticed an uptick in the number of tweets on this theme:
I found an AWESOME way to get tons of followers on Twitter in days! (Insert spammy link here.)
This got me to thinking: Do we really want thousands of followers?
There's no shortage of folks out there telling you how. Then there are those mocking the tellers; just search for "twitter eleventy-billion" in any search engine for a great example, but be warned that it's pretty NSFW...
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Tuesday, 14 July 2009 12:53 |
 Yup, 10NTC. We don't even have a conference logo yet, but it's time to start planning -- and of course, we want your help. I mean, last year, the NTC hashtag rolled right off the tongue: "Oh nine en tee cee". Nice, right? But "10NTC"? Not so much.
"Ten en tee cee"? Ehn. "Ten tee cee"? Too cutesy. It's mellifluidity we're after, so we hope you'll join us on the 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference Community Planning call to discuss this, and other --...
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Monday, 13 July 2009 17:01 |
 Andre didn't win nearly as often when he was overly concerned with looking good.A month into our site overhaul, we haven't even started talking about the graphic design yet -- and that's a good thing. As Andre Agassi learned, image isn't everything; flash without substance doesn't win you 8 Grand Slam titles (and we're all about the big tournaments here at NTEN).
We're going to make sure our site architecture is sound before we worry about making it purty.
The story so far: We started...
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Wednesday, 08 July 2009 11:23 |
 Photo: Judith Sol-DyessIt's a tough time for nonprofit techies: You're supposed to deliver more value to your organizations while your budgets are being slashed.
Of course, things have never been exactly easy for you. In fact, managing technology at a nonprofit organization has been anything but easy. Not only do you need to understand the myriad ways IT can be used to further your organization's mission, you've got to have the leadership skills it takes to communicate your goals...
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Wednesday, 08 July 2009 10:36 |
 Flickr Photo: _heather_r_My mother-in-law is famous in our family for one phrase: "Get Over It." I've adopted it pretty broadly; it's handy when your husband or child is whining. But it also has useful business applications. Though I rarely say it out loud, I think it a lot, then try to find slightly more tactful versions, like "Maybe there's another solution to this problem?"
I do a lot of public speaking on social media, the cloud, business intelligence, and other...
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Monday, 06 July 2009 15:24 |
 Now that the warm days of summer have finally graced us with their presence, January seems like a distant memory. But for those of you who participated in the Case Foundation Giving Challenge, it probably feels like yesterday. We hate to bring up all those sleepless nights and the constant campaigning, but now we've got a great write up about the Challenge from Beth Kanter and Allison Fine.
A total of nearly 2 million dollars raised from nearly 75,000 people means there were a few lessons...
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Wednesday, 01 July 2009 16:35 |
 Every Wednesday, Gartner does a free webinar on a variety of topics. This week, they presented "Technology Trends You Can't Afford to Ignore." I tweeted my way through the one hour call, but here are some notes with a little more clarity and reflection.
Disruptive Technology #1: Virtualization.
There are lots of benefits to virtualization, chief among them, the power savings. According to Gartner, the average server uses 65% of its power just sitting idle...
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Wednesday, 01 July 2009 11:59 |
 It's summertime, for real now: I've been having breakfast with Wimbledon, the mosquitoes are biting, and I can't walk down the street in the evening without smelling someone cooking out on a grill.
Here at NTEN, another tell-tale sign of summer is our Summer Membership Offer: Become a member of NTEN (or renew your membership) this summer, and get member benefits from now until the end of 2010!
> Learn more and join us
That means all the connecting, learning, and saving that comes...
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Tuesday, 30 June 2009 11:11 |
 Last week, I was fortunate enough to present a session on social media with Marnie Webb of TechSoup Global, Laura Norvig of ETR Associates, Matt Sharp from the Packard Foundation, and Matt Dunne at Google. I think it's fair to say that we rocked!
While there, I was interviewed for the live stream of the event, which was run by Business Boomer:
I want to note that the setup for the live stream was wicked simple: a decent camera with wired mics, all plugged into a laptop sitting on a folding...
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Monday, 29 June 2009 11:05 |
 From the interwebs this week, I've heard about these NTEN members doing their nptechie-thing:
Amy Sample Ward reports on the new opportunity on YouTube to connectnonprofits with video volunteers, with the help of allforgood.org.Nonprofits can submit needs; video-savvy volunteers can connect with acause.
Natural Resources Defense Council's Apollo Gonzales isinterviewed by Eric Kuhn of the Huffington Post about NRDC's Social Mediastrategy. (BTW, NRDC was recently listed as a top Green Org to...
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Monday, 29 June 2009 10:32 |
 Flickr: ThomasBrandtFrom the number of "out of office" replies I get anytime I send an email to the NTEN community, it looks like we're well into vacation season. If you're one of the lucky ones taking some vacation time to get out and about this summer, the folks at iwith.org have an assignment for you:
Take your camera and shoot some pics that demonstrate the digital divide.
It's the third season for this Barcelona and Switzerland-based organization's digital divide photo...
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Thursday, 25 June 2009 12:37 |
 A monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources. Read more posts on our blog.Clay Shirky thinks the Iranian election protests are "the big one" for social media.Notice how we used quotation marks to, you know, quote somebody? That's what they're for. Everything else ends up on the "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.Someday soon, you'll be able to type ON your hand, not just with it. And figure out if a brand of toilet paper matches your green ideals -- by pointing at it. The...
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Wednesday, 24 June 2009 12:14 |
 Ah, summer movie season, when studios try to cover up bad movies with even worse taglines. In the running for worst of the year so far (and this works better if you think in gravelly movie trailer announcer voice): Terminator Salvation: The End Begins The Crypt: Some Things Are Better Left Buried Life Is Hot in Cracktown: Be cool. Life is cool. You're so cool in Cracktown.
Yes, that last one is a real movie. But none of them rival Crank: High Voltage: "He was dead... but he got...
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Tuesday, 23 June 2009 11:28 |
 The Google Grants team has announced their very first grantee conference, to be held in early August at Google HQ in Mountain View. That's right: you'll get to learn how to maximize your AdWords account while visiting the mothership.
From the Google Grants blog: During the event, grantees will have an opportunity to learn tips and tricks from successful grantees, attend AdWords seminars taught by in-house experts, and learn how to maximize Google for Non-Profits products. Our goal is to...
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Monday, 22 June 2009 11:15 |
 I'm in sunny San Francisco for the National Conference on Volunteering and Service this week. It's one of those events I'm delighted to speak at because volunteers are at the center of social change: It's the folks who pick up paintbrushes, organize community meetings, and meet with their elected officials who make so much good stuff happen.
The last few administrations have begun their terms by issuing calls to service, but it's never felt more real than now. Obama's call for service is...
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Friday, 19 June 2009 13:51 |
 Here are some of the news items and activities involving NTEN members I came across online this week:
The Chronicle of Philanthropy is hosting an encore online discussionpanel next Tuesday, the 23rd, with superstars Nancy Schwartz, Danielle Brigida, and Wendy Harman, on the topic of nonprofit groups using online social networks -- and how thesechannels complement traditional marketing.
Feeding America has launched a Causes campaign,sponsored by Kellogg's. It's not your typical Cause...
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Friday, 19 June 2009 12:58 |
 "It'stricky to raise a dime / To raise a dime that's right on time / It'stricky. / It's tricky, tricky, tricky, tricky." That's just a littletaste of the NTEN super group Run DMS, from our upcoming album Raising Cash.
As the song says, it's hard to raisemoney -- especially if you don't have an adequate Donor ManagementSystem (DMS). If you're thinking about making the leap, or replacingyour current system, you need to attend our next Ask the Expert session, with Laura Quinn and...
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Nonprofit Tech Network
