Are Online Philanthropy Contests Worth the Effort? - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Are Online Philanthropy Contests Worth the Effort? - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: After this year’s Chase Community Giving contest closed after a troubled start, some nonprofit leaders debated the costs and benefits of participating in these type of vote-driven corporate philanthropy contests in The Chronicle’s LinkedIn group.

Some nonprofit leaders say they have had success with the contests, while others are skeptical of whether the campaigns benefit nonprofits or the corporate donor.

Here are some highlights from the debate:

Redesign or Realign? Four things to consider to improve your website | TechSoup Canada

Redesign or Realign? Four things to consider to improve your website | TechSoup Canada: Last week’s Toronto Net Tuesday, titled “Redesign or Realign? Four Things to Consider to Improve Your Website” focused on just this predicament. Presented by Chris Wulff of Patience and Fortitude Consulting, the session delved into questions that nonprofits are faced with time and time again:

“We’ve got a site, now how do we make it better?”
“Where do we go from here?”
“What’s next?”

Charities get smart on the planet of the apps

Charities get smart on the planet of the apps: Digital technology is being used by charities in increasingly creative ways to raise awareness of their work or to seek support for their causes. Sylvia Rowley looks at the latest trends and asks what will come next

From virtual protests to augmented reality smartphone apps, digital communication is rapidly changing the way that charities campaign, fundraise and even deliver projects.

Adobe to offer charity's software at reduced prices

Adobe to offer charity's software at reduced prices: Richard Craig, chief of the Charity Technology Trust, which runs the CTXchange scheme, says access to design software will be useful to charities

Charities with an annual income of less than �6m will be able to use professional software including Photoshop and InDesign at a fraction of their retail cost after the firm Adobe joined the Charity Technology Trust’s CTXchange programme.

The scheme gives eligible charities and housing associations a limited number of licences for computer software programmes, which have been donated by major software companies including Microsoft and Symantec.

Reality Check: 10-15% Of Brands’ Social Media Fans, Likes And Reviews Will Be Fake By 2014, Says Gartner | TechCrunch

Reality Check: 10-15% Of Brands’ Social Media Fans, Likes And Reviews Will Be Fake By 2014, Says Gartner | TechCrunch: Fake fans, fake “likes” and fake reviews are some of the worst aspects of social media — or at least for those of us earnest enough to take user-generated content and the will of the crowd seriously. Now, new research from Gartner lays bare the fact that it’s only going to get worse, as paid social media interactions become a more established industry unto themselves. The analysts predict that by 2014, some 10%-15% of all social media reviews and other forms of engagement will be fake, paid for by the companies getting endorsed.

LinkedIn Launches Board Connect for Nonprofits, Revolutionizes Board Member Matching - Forbes

LinkedIn Launches Board Connect for Nonprofits, Revolutionizes Board Member Matching - Forbes: Today, LinkedIn announced Board Connect, which helps nonprofit leaders easily identify connections to potential board members. In an interview with LinkedIn’s Head of Social Impact Meg Garlinghouse, we discussed the inspiration behind Board Connect, how the new program will work in practice, lessons she brought to bear from her own experience serving on nonprofit boards, and more.

Experts disagree over the utility of dashboards for BI programs | TMA Resources

Experts disagree over the utility of dashboards for BI programs | TMA Resources: However, as ZDNet recently highlighted, industry experts disagree over the value of BI dashboards. While some argue that they represent a shortcoming in BI technology, others believe they are invaluable tools for BI users.