Technology

Net Neutrality and Nonprofits

Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center Marketing, News, Technology ,

The current presidential administration has shown interest in changing the net neutrality regulations and this could have a surprising impact on nonprofit organizations.

What is net neutrality?

“The principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites”

What happens when net neutrality is lost?

Those with less resources, like many nonprofits, are unable to keep up with other businesses on the internet. An example of this would be one website taking much longer to load than another. Christopher Worman, senior director of alliances and community engagement for TechSoup in San Francisco, believes that nonprofits will be at a disadvantage because these organizations are already on tight budgets. Nonprofits have been leaders in using social media because it is “low cost and a means of connecting with the next generation of supporters” but with the possibility of restrictions and regulation, there may be less access to those important tools.

What should nonprofits do?

Christopher Worman thinks that “organizations should try to understand the effects of net neutrality now as opposed to having a reactive conversation in the future.” Woman suggests brainstorming possible courses of action for a situation like everything taking twice as long to load online and how that would affect the nonprofit’s ability to continue their services.

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Andy Segedin. “Possible Net Neutrality Changes Will Block Access, Cost More”. The NonProfit Times.

 

The Importance Digital Advocacy

Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center Nonprofit Resources, Technology , , ,
2016-03-30 09.09.10
Amanda Neumann

What is digital advocacy? 

It’s the use of digital technology to contact, inform, and mobilize a group of concerned people around an issue or cause (x).

Examples of digital advocacy

  • Facebook Likes
  • Twitter Retweets
  • Photo tagging
  • Blogging about a cause or organization
  • Sharing events on social media
  • Personal recommendations (through Facebook, Google, etc)
  • Linking to a website or blog content
  • Positive comments on posts, pictures, or videos

Digital advocacy is often used to talk about large social media campaigns, such as fundraisers or to mobilize around a political or social issue. However, it’s much more than that. Digital advocacy is becoming an important facet of day-to-day support for nonprofit organizations.

Many people do not have the socioeconomic freedom to give, donate, or volunteer regularly. Online, or digital, advocacy is one way for individuals to offer support.

Twitter Follow

Social media is also a great way for community building and interaction –so tweeting, blogging, and Facebook posting are valuable ways to show support for an organization. 

What exactly makes digital advocacy so valuable?

The Power of Testimonials and Engaged Support 
Testimonials are an important resource for nonprofits. Testimonials inform people about what your organization does, how it affects the community, and why it is valuable. Even more importantly, digital advocacy allows for unsolicited testimonials and can extend outside of an organization’s immediate reach.

Free and Effective Community Outreach 
Digital Advocacy can be an excellent form of community outreach. Having online support from community members, nonprofit professionals, emerging leaders, and even business owners is free and effective community outreach. 

Having online support from community members can be an incredibly effective way of creating strong community bonds.

Authentic Marketing 
While Facebook ads and regular social media posts help nonprofits market fundraisers and events, there’s no real substitute for a friend telling you to check out an event or organization. Having community members who are excited about your organization share a Facebook event can help marketing campaigns tremendously.

Sources & Resources:

 

Donations through YouTube

Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center Nonprofit Resources, Technology

YouTubeDoes your nonprofit post any videos to YouTube? Are you enrolled in YouTube’s Nonprofit Program? If you answered yes to the last question, you already know about the YouTube channel donate button with a link to Google Wallet. Click HERE for more information about the perks of YouTube’s Nonprofit Program.

YouTube recently released that creators can add donation cards to their videos. There are two options for using these donation cards. First, YouTube creators who produce their own content but care about your nonprofit can add a donation card featuring your nonprofit to their videos. Thus, they can solicit donations on behalf of the nonprofit. Second, if your nonprofit puts videos on YouTube, you can add donation cards to your own videos. Donation cards simplify the donation process. It’s as easy as clicking on the card, and the donor’s information remains anonymous. Read more about how donation cards work HERE.

Is there a cost for the cards? Lucky for you, no. Google (which recently acquired YouTube) covers the processing fees of the donations through Network for Good, so your nonprofit receives 100% of the donations.

U.S. Coins and Paper MoneyDon’t forget that your nonprofit can produce a free PSA video through the PCNRC and Access Fort Wayne. You can then put this video on YouTube, add a donate button to your channel (if you’re part of YouTube’s Nonprofit Program) or a donation card to the video, and let donors click away. For more information about PSAs, see our website.

For more information on donation cards, see the Nonprofit Quarterly or The NonProfit Times. Also, check out YouTube’s helpful donation card outreach toolkit.

 

Marketing Seminar: Telling Your Story

Link Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center Marketing, Video Podcasts , , , , ,

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July 15, 2014 | 11:30-2:00
Presenter: Andrew Hoffman, NeighborLink Fort Wayne

Host: Amber Recker, PUNCH Films

Register here to attend.amber recker 3-12

Putting your mission narrative on video opens you up to a wider spectrum of visual and auditory story-telling aids. Brief pieces explaining your organization’s purpose are also capable of connecting to your audience emotionally, calling to mind the real-life situations that make your organization necessary. Join us for our next Marketing Seminar in which we will explore storytelling through video and how nonprofits can get the most out of their video strategies.

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Marketing Seminar: Telling Your Story

Image Lettie Marketing, Video Podcasts , , , , ,

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

July 15, 2014 | 11:30-2:00
Presenters: Andrew Hoffman, NeighborLink Fort Wayne and Amber Recker, PUNCH Films

Register here to attend.amber recker 3-12

Telling your story is so important, and in today’s fast-paced business environment, you have only a small window of time to capture your audience’s attention. This session will explore storytelling through video and how nonprofits can get more than they’ve been getting out of their video strategies.

What Do You Know About IT?

Image Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center Local Resources, Nonprofit Resources, Technology , ,

If you wonder about the key components of a secure office network and aren’t sure about the differences between a Firewall, Web Filter and Antivirus then view the PowerPoint presentation created by our guest speaker, Tom Heil. Heil presented at the first 23@4 program of 2014 where he explained why not knowing the difference may be a dangerous thing.

heil img
click here for presentation

Tom also discussed how some nonprofits are using ‘the cloud’ to reduce their hardware expenses and explained the pros & cons of ‘on site’ servers vs. virtual servers; who supports them and why. Then he shared industry trends that might make sense for non-profits to consider.

Does this sound like you or others in your nonprofit?
Trent:“Oh, I know all about IT” Sara: “I’m pretty savvy about IT”
Hmmm? Maybe they don’t know as much about IT as they think they do. Then take a look at the presentation which gives insight into the world of IT for nonprofits.

Video Conferencing Studio Open House

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mcmillen logoAs northeastern Indiana’s leader in health education, the McMillen Center always has a focus on innovation. Recently, the center expanded its interactive video capabilities by creating a 425 square foot production studio.

This space is now available to rent for professional videographers and photographers who don’t have the resources or space to produce video or still photography in a professional environment.

The studio also offers video conferencing and webinar capabilities for live streaming, and with use of the Chroma key infinity wall, several virtual sets are available.

The Open House will take place on Tuesday February 4th from 4 to 6 p.m. at the McMillen Center for Health Education, 600 Jim Kelley Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN 46816.  Please R.S.V.P. through Eventbrite.