In the previous post in this series, we talked about how you can use your existing media to build your mobile list by adding a simple "call to action."

Not all calls to action are created equal, however. This post gives you three simple rules to make sure your message will inspire people to actually text in and join.

In Syria, activists and citizen journalists fill a media void and strategically inform the global conversation on the uprising by capturing and sharing their own footage. They are organized, trained, smart, strategic, and promote media - much of it mobile - with a purpose.

Mass demonstrations and continued state violence continue in Syria. Authorities are largely banning foreign reporters and have arrested Syrian journalists and bloggers. Outside of the country, news outlets report on the major events there citing "Syrian activists" as the source of information.  Day-to-day events in cities around the country come to our attention largely because of the activists and citizen journalists who are systematically providing information to news outlets worldwide.

When you start a mobile campaign, the first step to success is to get people to sign up for your alerts. In this series of posts, we'll be discussing a few ways to use the resources you already have to build your mobile list.

One of the strengths of a mobile campaign is how seamlessly it can integrate into your existing outreach. You can use all of your communications – TV commercials, email newsletter, website, radio spots, and more – to get people to sign up for your mobile list. All you have to do is add a "call to action."

It was amazing to see so many NTEN members at the NTC last week! This week, it’s even nicer to highlight some of the ways they're using technology, doing good, and educating the community. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your nonprofit ready in case of a technological disaster, take a free seminar on digital fundraising, or submit your amazing video to the nonprofit film festival.

Have more news to share? Drop us a line or include your links in the comments!

The good folks of the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center are hosting a 26-stop Disaster Preparedness Roadshow beginning April 23. These free events will help nonprofits identify critical technology components within their organizations, and implement best practices to continue operations in the event of a disaster.

Did your nonprofit make an astounding video this year? Submit it to the 2012 Lights. Camera. Help. video contest and earn the chance to win money for your cause! Click here to learn more - via video of course.

Greg Baldwin was recently featured in the Huffington Post for his article on The Economics of Generosity. Using data from Independent Sector, Greg calculates the value of an hour of volunteer work at roughly $21.79. In 2010,  62.8 million people volunteered, placing the overall value of volunteer time at $173 billion for the year. That’s a lot of value generated from volunteers alone!

If you are interested in digital fundraising and live in the NYC area, you may want to check out “Digital Fundraising: New Ways to Raise Money Online.” This seminar is hosted by the Social Innovator Collective and will be held Saturday, April 14th, from 10:00am to 6:30pm.  Use the discount code “PRESS” for a free registration!

The Rockefeller Foundation would like to know if you have an answer to a 21st century problem. They want to know what innovative ideas you have that could solve a problem for the next 100 years. If your idea is selected as a finalist, you’ll be invited to submit a grant proposal for up to $100,000 to get your project off the ground.

Has your organization looked into Google Grants but felt unsure how to proceed? Well, Searchmojo and GuideStar are hosting a free webinar at 2:00pm on April 19th. “How to Make the Most of Google Grants and Free Ad Dollars,” will review eligibility and what you need to know before you apply.

Anything we missed? Share your links in the comments!

Cindy Leonard, our presenter at "Access for All: Basics of Website Accessibility", believes we as nonprofits have a social responsibility to make our websites more accessible:

By their very nature, nonprofits exist to make the world a better place and to create positive social change. They should, therefore, be concerned with creating equal access to their programs, opportunities, and services.

Fortunately, there are things you can do right away to help improve your site – and she'll run through them with you next week.

> Learn more and register today!

Beyond being the right thing to do, implementing web accessibility can improve your SEO, cross-browser compatibility, mobile device usability, and more.

At this webinar, you will:

• Learn about the universal benefits of having an accessible website.
• Receive a list of questions to be asking your web developer(s) regarding accessibility compliance and your organization's website.
• Learn about things you can check for and/or do immediately to improve your organization's website and receive resources to get additional information.

Whoever addresses the lack of scent associated with web browsing will either become very rich or the most hated person on the Internet. Food blogs would be greatly enhanced, but...

Pop quiz hot shot: What percentage of website traffic do you get from mobile devices, tablets, and smart phones?A smart answer involves looking in Google Analytics or another tool and looking at the overall percentages (ours is 7.4%). An even smarter answer is: "It depends!"  You probably only have a handful of pages that people visit on their phones: Your homepage, your Twitter and Facebook pages, and perhaps a couple event specific pages or signup pages.

As you may have heard, we released the 2012 Nonprofit Social Benchmarking Report at the NTC last week. The study, done in association with Common Knowledge and Blackbaud, has a lot of great insights into how the nonprofit respondents use social networks.

Even better, you can hear directly from the authors this week at a free webinar – and ask them your questions.

> Free for everyone! Learn more and register today

The report addresses questions like: How many Facebook pages does the average nonprofit maintain? How many followers do nonprofits have on Twitter? What is the value of a Facebook fan, in terms of donations, dues, and other types of financial revenue, to my organization in the 12 months after they become a fan?

You'll learn:

• The Top 12 Social Media Insights from this year's research
• Key Trends we've been able to track, now that the survey is in its fourth year
• What we're watching for in 2012

No, I'm afraid the report doesn't address Pinterest... yet. But we do have a webinar coming up on that, too.

[Editor's note: The following is an excerpt of an article in the March 2012 issue of NTEN:Change. Read the complete article -- and the rest of the issue -- when you subscribe to the journal for free!]

By Laura S. Quinn, Idealware and Amy Wagner, MAP For Nonprofits

Many nonprofits think of innovation as a luxury they can’t afford. Staff time and budgets are limited, and improving the different ways they use technology seems out of reach. But technology can offer straightforward, inexpensive means of providing higher quality services and create numerous opportunities to do more with less—even in our current economic climate. This makes innovation something organizations can no longer afford not to embrace.

When we think about innovation, we often envision cutting-edge technology that’s flashy, shiny and futuristic: things like jet packs, flying cars and computers that integrate with our homes. But our research shows many nonprofits successfully use technology to innovate in more subtle ways. While these solutions may not be as eye-catching as a jet pack, they’re often low-cost and effective, which makes them both easier to implement and easier for other organizations to replicate.

MAP for Nonprofits and Idealware collaborated on six months of research that began with a survey of 180 human service organizations in Minnesota. We asked about the technologies they were using and the various ways they applied technology to improve their service delivery. Through their responses, and detailed follow-up interviews with 13 nonprofits, we discovered some remarkable and unexpected stories of innovation.

One small organization, for example, is using text messages to communicate with teens who participate in a mentoring program. A staff member observed that, though all the teens carried cell phones and used them frequently, few would answer phone calls or emails. Her simple, free solution substantially increased the number of teens who attend programs.

In another example, a domestic abuse organization found a creative way to modify its existing database to provide information to external parole officers who had been reliant upon staff. The innovation transformed the relationship from a time-consuming hassle to a real partnership.

A third nonprofit designed a system that helps local organizations pool shared data to better understand how each community member is served across the different providers.

Can your organization replicate these kinds of results? We think the answer is a resounding “yes,”

Can your organization replicate these kinds of results? We think the answer is a resounding “yes,” and that many nonprofits can better connect their needs with technology to improve the ways they serve constituents. Our research shows that such solutions don’t require a huge investment or in-depth planning process.

The data from our study revealed several elements common to organizations that used technology for innovation successfully.

• First, it’s critical to understand your organizational needs in order to identify possible inefficiencies, problems or opportunities for improvement.
• Second, you need to be aware of the technologies available to you—those that you might already have, and other affordable solutions relevant to your needs.
• Third, make a concerted effort to actually connect your needs with a technology to determine what’s likely to be a useful and cost-effective solution.
• Finally, innovation will fail without support—make sure your organization is on board with the change, and that sufficient resources are available to see it through to completion.

How do these steps look in action? We take a look at each one in depth in the complete article:

> Get the complete issue here.

Has your organization found innovative uses of your existing technology resources? Have you done some creative problem-solving to with technology? We know that nonprofits are especially resourceful, and we'd love to hear your examples!

Please share in the comments below.

Dear #12NTC -

The NTC concluded last night, and then began the fun (and I am not being sarcastic here) of answering the question, "How'd it go?"

To be honest, for NTEN staff, the bar for this show was pretty low. Working Internet and a hotel staff that actually like you were our biggest measures of success. Since those both happened, it was easy for us to run the show and spend more time on the floor with our favorite part of the conference - you.

So, my answer to all those questions was a pretty resounding "Awesome! This is the most fun I have had at the NTC!"

Last night, I got to spend some downtime with staff and members alike, and I realized that the fun I was having was driven not only by the wicked sense of humor you all possess, but by something even better: big ideas. You all have them, and I was the beneficiary.

It's clear that something is afoot in our sector, and like a lightening rod, the NTEN Community is gathering around big, transformational ideas, waiting for the idea to strike so we can channel the energy. If you'll allow me stretch this metaphor further - I also know that some of you are working hard on inducing those lightening strikes as well.

You guys are dangerous, but big change never happens without big risk.

I am so proud to be part of a community that, after five years of tests and trials, and experiments, doesn't have to bother with the question, "Does Twitter matter to social change?" We know Twitter itself does not matter, but the human connections it facilitates do. We don't have to justify the importance of data in improving our outputs and our outcomes. We know that without it, we're leaving impact on the table, and we care too much to do that. We don't care what the technology is - we see the change it can create and we're bound and determined to squeeze every last drop out of it.

As usual, I leave the NTC with many more ideas (and questions!) than I came with. More than NTEN will be able to address in the coming year. I leave with the anticipation of what we might create, together, and how amazing that will be. So thanks.

Love,

Holly

P.S. - Hey girl, I know we didn't get to spend very much alone time together this year exploring each other's ideas. Our office is closed on Monday, but if you call me later, we can explore them long-distance. That always makes my heart grow fonder. Miss you!