Picks of the Week: August 8 - 15, 2010

Website of the Week – Ontario Nonprofit Network

The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) is a network of networks that helps to build communication and coordination among nonprofit organizations working for the public benefit in Ontario. ONN supports nonprofits by providing the information that they need to make their voices heard and their issues addressed. ONN brings together people and groups that want to work together to strengthen the nonprofit sector. ONN’s work is action focused, creating opportunities for the emergence of new ideas, flexibly responding to opportunities and needs as they arise. This is based on their theory of change is that when the sector is better connected (the network), leaders will start to discover the needs and opportunities for collaboration (in constellations or communities of practice) that will lead to the sector being able to take action to affect changes that will benefit nonprofits in Ontario. Go to: http://ontariononprofitnetwork.ca.


Publication of the Week -- The Social Media Marketing Book by Dan Zarrella

From the publisher: The Social Media Marketing Book guides you through the maze of communities, platforms, and social media tools so you can decide which ones to use, and how to use them most effectively. With an objective approach and clear, straightforward language, Dan Zarrella shows you how to plan and implement campaigns intelligently, and then measure results and track return on investment. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the social web, this book will take you beyond the jargon to social media marketing mastery.

• Make sense of this complicated environment with the help of screenshots, graphs, and visual explanations
• Understand the history and culture of each social media type, including features, functionality, and protocols
• Get clear-cut explanations of the methods you need to trigger viral marketing successes
• Choose the technologies and marketing tactics most relevant to your campaign goals
• Learn how to set specific goals for your campaigns and evaluate them according to key performance indicators

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week – Donor Trends in 2010

A new report, The Cygnus Donor Survey…Where Philanthropy is Headed in 2010 by Penelope Burk of Cygnus Applied Research, Inc., has found a split between typical donors—those whose smallest gift was $81—and more affluent donors, whose smallest gift was $135. Only 8 percent of typical donors said they plan to give less to charity in 2010, down from 17.5 percent in a similar survey last year. But among the affluent donors, 11 percent said that they would give less to charity this year than in 2009. That percentage grew to 17 percent among the top 10 percent of donors who gave the most money to charity. Other trends in giving were noted by respondents, all of which have significant implications for fundraisers as they reflect donors' growing irritation with certain fundraising practices. They are: a preference for giving to charities that provide donors with measurable results (69%); eliminating or reducing support to nonprofits that over-solicit (67%); a greater tendency to take cost per dollar raised into account when making giving decisions (65%); shifting more support to charities working locally (43%); and supporting fewer causes (41%). Additionally, 59% of respondents said they now do more research prior to supporting a charity for the first time, which speaks to donors' growing independence in managing their philanthropy. For an Executive Summary of the report, go to http://www.cygresearch.com/files. To order the full report, go to: http://www.cygresearch.com.


Resource of the Week – Free e-Book - How to Raise A Lot More Money Now

Network for Good has just published a free e-book How to Raise A Lot More Money Now* - 50 Great Ideas from 11 Top Experts. According to the organization, some of the best minds in the fundraising world came up with 50 creative ideas that you can start using today to raise more money for your cause. You'll find great ideas from Jeff Brooks, Jocelyn Harmon, Mark Rovner, Kivi Leroux Miller, Beth Kanter, Allison Fine, Nancy Schwartz, Sarah Durham, Chris Forbes, Alia McKee Scott, and Katya Andresen. To download the free e-book, go to:
http://web.networkforgood.org.


Tech Tip of the Week -- Data Validation in Excel 2007

Data Validation lets you restrict what goes into a cell. For example, if dates being entered must be between a certain range, do this:

• Select the range of cells that you want to apply data validation to
• Click the Data tab on the Ribbon
• In the Data Tools group click the Data Validation button
• Under Validation criteria choose Date from the Allow drop-down menu
• Enter the acceptable date range
• Click OK

If someone tries to enter a date outside this range a warning is displayed that says, "The value you entered is not valid.”