How Nonprofits Can Use Data to Solve the World’s Problems | TIME.com

How Nonprofits Can Use Data to Solve the World’s Problems | TIME.com: Edna McConnell Clark, which doled out $53 million in grants this year, is among a legion of foundations pushing nonprofits into the data-driven future by awarding money to organizations that have found ways to turn their lofty stated goals into specific data points measuring impact. Youth Villages, a grant-winner that provides housing and programming for at-risk children in the foster care and juvenile detention systems, measures success not by the number of young people served but by the percentage of those young people who are successfully living at home 12 months after being discharged. Students who go through the program are surveyed 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after leaving. Data gathered is used both to measure success and to highlight areas where program structure could be improved. “We didn’t just want to give kids a happy experience,” says CEO Patrick Lawler. “We wanted to give kids a happy life.”

Is Social Media Shifting Giving from the Cause to the Individual? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Is Social Media Shifting Giving from the Cause to the Individual? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: n Fast Company, Rachael Chong interviews Shaun King, the founder of HopeMob, a new charity platform on which users can create fundraising projects and receive 100 percent of the proceeds collected. The website uses a point system to highlight 24 stories which have received the most “story points” from the online community. HopeMob does not give the donated money directly to recipients, but pays for the project’s costs itself. The HopeMob model is similar to crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter, StartSomeGood, and Indiegogo; in fact, King actually raised the funds to launch HopeMob from a Kickstarter campaign.

Counting Aloud Together | Stanford Social Innovation Review

Counting Aloud Together | Stanford Social Innovation Review: If you’re a nonprofit leader, you understand that the pressure to build data-informed practices—and to improve your services using data—has never been greater. You’re also strapped for the time and resources needed to enhance your organization’s systems and gain sophistication in reporting. If you’re a grantmaker, you’ve requested extensive reports from grantees, but you haven’t prioritized helping those organizations get more data for the sake of learning. You’ve invested in client services, but you’ve neglected to fund the structures that hold those services together—things like staffing, evaluation strategy, and up-to-date technology.

TripAdvisor Combines Philanthropy And Marketing By Letting Reviewers Give A Free $25 Kiva Microloan | TechCrunch

TripAdvisor Combines Philanthropy And Marketing By Letting Reviewers Give A Free $25 Kiva Microloan | TechCrunch: TripAdvisor is demonstrating what Shah calls a “a very big trend”. Rather than writing one big check, companies and high net worth individuals can greater leverage their contribution by putting in the hands of others. In March 2012, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman put up $1 million to let other people try Kiva. He drove 47,840 new signups to Kiva, and since then, those people have lent an addition $417,000 of their own money.

Use QR Codes to Thank Holiday Supporters | Inspiring Generosity

Use QR Codes to Thank Holiday Supporters | Inspiring Generosity: I have another idea for thanking donors over the holidays, and it involves one of my favorite digital tools: QR Codes.

Social Media Power #GivingTuesday Holiday Giving Effort - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Social Media Power #GivingTuesday Holiday Giving Effort - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: While it is too early to tally how many charities are participating and how much money has been raised, it’s not too soon to monitor the considerable social-media buzz for #GivingTuesday, which has been a popular tag on Twitter and has been dominating Facebook conversations.

Mobile Strategy: One App, or Many Apps? | AssociationCentric

Mobile Strategy: One App, or Many Apps? | AssociationCentric: Mobile Strategy: One App, or Many Apps?
Posted on November 7, 2012 by Cecilia Satovich
As associations ponder their mobile options, a frequent question I get asked is, “Should we look for one app that represents our association? Or multiple apps? Which is better?”

The argument goes something like this:

Pro “one app” guy – “You should do one app so members don’t have to download multiple apps, and it’s all there in one place for them. I didn’t know that X group had this other app once, and I missed it”
Pro “multi app” gal – “That’s silly, I have 6 Google apps on my phone and love them all. Multiple apps is the way to go because then each app specifically does the one thing I need from it”

Networking Your Nonprofit: The Basics

Networking Your Nonprofit: The Basics: Things to Think About

The following are some questions from our article — Networking 101: Understanding Your Needs — that might help to guide your network planning process by taking stock of what you have and need:

NPD Canada - Home

NPD Canada - Home: This year, all Canadians were encouraged to participate on a Twitter contest by tweeting how they were changing the world to hashtag #npdTELUS. The five most inspiring tweets earned the sender a $500 contribution to their favorite charitable cause. The five tweets selected are:

‘Tweet Me in St. Louis’ Is This Web Site’s Goal - NYTimes.com

‘Tweet Me in St. Louis’ Is This Web Site’s Goal - NYTimes.com: The effort is being made through a new nonprofit organization, Rally St. Louis, that was introduced this month by Aaron Perlut and Brian Cross, two managing partners at a public relations agency in St. Louis named Elasticity. Unlike the traditional, top-down civic betterment campaigns that are backed by the likes of chambers of commerce, Rally St. Louis is taking a bottom-up approach

Charity Develops New Crowdfunding Platform - Tech Europe - WSJ

Charity Develops New Crowdfunding Platform - Tech Europe - WSJ: U.K. blood cancer charity Leukemia and Lymphoma Research is attempting to turn one of the main traditional means of fundraising on its head. Instead of somebody deciding to take part in an activity then looking for sponsors, the new Pledgeit platform enables people to challenge their friends to complete task in return for donations.

On ‘Giving Tuesday,’ big donors shed light on why, when and how they give - The Washington Post

On ‘Giving Tuesday,’ big donors shed light on why, when and how they give - The Washington Post: On Tuesday, the firm, which was founded in 2000 by former Bain & Co. chief executive Thomas Tierney, launched “Conversations with Remarkable Givers,” a series of video interviews with some of the nation’s biggest philanthropists, including AOL co-founder Steve Case and his wife Jean, Peter and Jennifer Buffett, media mogul Ted Turner, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein and actor Michael J. Fox. Each of the more than 50 participants was asked a series of questions about their strategy and insights regarding their philanthropic work. The edited video responses range from 30 seconds to four minutes long.

Finale Near for Chase 2012 American Giving Awards

Finale Near for Chase 2012 American Giving Awards: Twenty-five charities are ready to receive votes in the Chase 2012 American Giving Awards.

Fans and friends can vote for their favorite charity on Facebook from November 27 to December 4. Chase online customers can also vote on the Chase website. The five top vote-getters will receive grants ranging from $125,000 to $1 million.

CHICAGO: Capital One, Common Impact, Points of Light, and Taproot Foundation Launch Online Tool to Increase Impact of Pro Bono Volunteer Services for Nonprofits Across the Nation | Business Wire | Rock Hill Herald Online

CHICAGO: Capital One, Common Impact, Points of Light, and Taproot Foundation Launch Online Tool to Increase Impact of Pro Bono Volunteer Services for Nonprofits Across the Nation | Business Wire | Rock Hill Herald Online: CHICAGO — Corporations across the U.S. are estimated to provide more than $15 billion in pro bono volunteer services to nonprofits across the country in 2012, according to the Taproot Foundation, and 66 percent of nonprofits in America say they need pro bono volunteer services more than any other kind of volunteering. To better leverage these skilled services, today the Nonprofit Collaborative launched the Readiness Roadmap, an online guide that assesses, prepares and connects nonprofit organizations with key tools and resources to engage skilled volunteers and maximize their time.

Large charities should develop cloud solutions for the sector, says IT expert

Large charities should develop cloud solutions for the sector, says IT expert: Large charities should band together to create cloud solutions for the sector as a whole, a leading IT expert has said.

Speaking at the Charity Technology Conference this morning, Roger Camrass, IT expert and futurist, said the charity sector could learn from lessons from the building society world.