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Technology + Social Change = 2014 Resolutions that Make a Difference!

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Last year we rung in the New Year with  “One Click Resolutions”. 2014 brings with it a clean slate, a fresh list of resolutions we intend to fulfill. Why not incorporate technology and create some social change this year?

If you like millions of others are planning on working out, losing weight and generally being healthier, than I have an app for you. CharityMiles allows users to earn money for charity when you walk, run, or bike. Bikers earn 10¢ a mile and walkers and runners earn 25¢ a mile. Ending hunger is an issue that is very important to me, so I downloaded this free app and selected Feeding America as my charity of choice. The Capital Area Food Bank is also a great non-profit to support. Tuvel had the privilege of partnering with them in 2013 to help make a difference in the lives of those suffering from hunger.

Maybe working out is not on your resolution radar. For some it may be carving out time to volunteer. Whether you have five minutes, a few hours or weeks to dedicate, Create the Good is a great resource that connects you with volunteer opportunities to share your life experiences, skills and passions in your community. Idealist.org and VolunteerMatch also offer a variety of volunteer opportunities.

For others the resolution may be expanding horizons, more time with friends and family or trying new foods. Whatever it is, there is new geo-location app to try that has “do- gooder” twist, Check-in for Good. This app connects your social networking with fundraising and enables users to support causes. A simple check-in to your favorite places such as coffee shops, restaurants, sporting events and more generates a micro- donation to a great cause.

And for those who are still on quest to figure out your resolutions, why not use a search engine for change? Bene is an online platform and community dedicated to transforming a $50+ billion search industry into pure good. You can also try Dailygood. Use this site for everyday activities like searching the web, playing online games, shopping, dining out and more and raise money for your favorite charity.

If you are interested in discovering more about social initiatives and technology check out The Tool Box. This is a new platform for tools aiding social change. Here you can find the latest articles and apps that are making a difference.

What social change apps or technology are you planning on using this year?

Context Is Everything: Online Communities

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Beth Kanter & I recently participated in a Venture Philanthropy Partners/Leap of Reason

conversation reminiscent of a Netpreneur AdMarketing discussion from a dozen years ago.

We offered to write a guest blog post reflecting on peer learning online and online

communities. The blog post follows. What did we miss in our list of things that are

really important, those ‘mission critical’ elements of community building that you can’t

live without? Please let us know in the comments below!

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Flickr Photo BirkgetKing

Online Communities: Are Best Practices Still Best Practices?

The discussion thread reminded me of an AdMarketing conversation we had a long time ago. The Netpreneur AdMarketing list, one of the longest running Internet marketing lists and still active, is an adventure of the Morino Institute. Over the last decade, the fundamentals of community and relationship building haven’t really changed. What was important then is even more important now!

I thought it might be fun (and useful) to take a look back at this AdMarketing conversation. At the time, we invited Internet thought-leaders to participate in an email list discussion, focusing on interactive tools. What transpired was a conversation among pioneers of early day Internet community building that produced way interesting insights. Below are several takeaways and pointers from that conversation. Looking back, its amazing how little has changed, how relevant these lessons are today and how important it is to do things the right way. Read the rest of the post here.

How Nonprofits can Raise More Money Without Asking for More Money

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How Nonprofits can Raise More Money Without Asking for More MoneyWhat does a struggling economy do to struggling nonprofits? According to a new study from Giving USA, charitable giving only grew by 0.9% in 2011. And guess what? Little growth is expected in 2012.

Depressed yet? Never fear. In this excellent post on Frogloop, Allyson Kapin outlines some ways nonprofits can boost donations in 2012. One tip that stood out to me:

Don’t always ask for money. Many nonprofits are so focused on raising money and meeting their budgets, they often don’t treat their donors as important stakeholders in the organization. Your donors are a critical part of your community and want to be a part of your organization fighting for social change. Show them how they can help you meet your mission through actions, volunteer opportunities, social events, etc. Give them several paths to engage with your organization and make them feel like they are a valuable part of your mission. And of course you can ask them for money along the way.

To many nonprofits, this may seem counterintuitive; but Allyson makes an excellent point that ultimately comes down to your relationships with your donors.

If you take the time to identify your key advocates and build relationships with them, the return will be worth the time investment. Offer value and make them an important part of your efforts and organization, and you will see them giving more of their time and money in return.

Here are some ways nonprofits can build relationships with donors:

  • Identifying key advocates and influencers: Conduct research to compile a list of those who are your strongest advocates or can influence others to do so. Check out this handy infographic from SmallAct and BlackBaud on identifying your influencers and scoring them for fundraising efforts.
  • Developing opportunities of value: Think about all the different ways these key advocates can help your nonprofit – such as, like Allyson mentioned, volunteer opportunities and social events. Other ways might be through online word-of-mouth – spreading the word through their social networks through a blog post, tweet, donation widget, etc.
  • Reach out: This is where you engage your advocates without asking for money. Ask them where they want to be involved and develop those opportunities for them. Focus on those who respond to your outreach and concentrate your community-building efforts on them.
  • Keep building those relationships: Keep key advocates and influencers updated with new information and opportunities, ask for their input on a continual basis, and use their feedback. Through ongoing relationship and community-building, you can develop broader fundraising programs that engage not only them, but their communities.