Picks of the Week: October 31 - November 6, 2010

Website of the Week – NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network
NTEN is a membership organization of nonprofit technology professionals. Members share the common goal of helping nonprofits use all aspects of technology more effectively. NTEN believes that technology allows nonprofits to work with greater social impact and supports its members to strategically use technology to make the world a better, just, and equitable place. NTEN facilitates the exchange of knowledge and information within communities by connecting members to each other, providing professional development opportunities, educate on issues of technology use in nonprofits, and spearhead groundbreaking research, advocacy, and education on technology issues. Go to: http://www.nten.org.


Publication of the Week -- The Politics of Partnerships: A Critical Examination of Nonprofit-Business Partnerships by Maria May Seitanidi

From the publisher: The Politics of Partnerships contributes to the sustainability debate a holistic framework for partnership building, based on in-depth accounts of ways and means of collaborative working to incorporate conflict as a successful way of delivering change. This is a must read book for the business community but equally for the non-profits and governments. Seitanidi's book urges us to step up to the challenge of accepting and adapting our responsibilities within our increasingly beyond boundaries social realities. Based on detailed empirical research, Seitanidi shows us the reality behind the rhetoric of partnerships. This book is animated by a profound belief in the necessity for social change and shows us how partnerships can make a real difference, but also why they so often under perform. ... An outstanding book that combines theory with practice and provides both context and challenges to our understanding of the complexity of the ethos of very different sectors and how they can work together. This is a vital book for all private sector managers engaged in voluntary sector relations and vice versa on how to do it properly. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week – Donor Motivation Trends

This research study, Donor Motivation and Behavior for the 21st Century, was commissioned and created by Russ Reid and conducted by Grey Matter Research & Consulting in June 2010. This study was conducted across the United States, in both English and Spanish, via telephone and through a demographically representative online research panel. The sample size was 2,005 adults 18 or older, with a very low margin of error. Overall, 39% of American adults are donors (meaning they have given in the past 12 months). This translates to 90 million Americans. Here are a few of the findings:

• Men and women are equally likely to be donors.
• The older the individual, the more likely he or she is to be a donor.
• Being a donor is not something that varies much with geography.
• Suburbia does provide a disproportionately large group of donors, largely because suburban residents tend to have higher incomes.
• The proportion of donors increases as education level increases.
• People who regularly attend religious worship services are slightly more likely to be donors than are those who don’t attend, but people who financially support a place of worship are far more likely to be donors to nonprofits than are those who don’t give money to a place of worship.

To download an Executive Summary, go to: http://98.129.107.186/pdf/russreid_hod_exec_summary.pdf.


Resource of the Week – Getting Social Media Right: A Short Guide for Nonprofit Organizations

The Bridgespan Group has developed a social media guide for nonprofits. "Getting Social Media Right: a Short Guide for Nonprofit Organizations" authored by Richard Steele Sivan McLetchie and Chris Lindquist is organized around a framework referred to as the “Seven C’s” of social media: Cause, Communication, Community, Collaboration, Costs, Capital, and Competition. According to the authors, by challenging yourself to ask questions around the Seven C’s, you can quickly begin to organize your thinking about social media, and plan or revise your approach so that your social media efforts create real value for your organization. The full data set – purged of any identifying information – survey, and framework are all available for download. Go to: http://www.bridgespan.org.


Tech Tip of the Week -- Entering the Euro in Word 2007
To enter the Euro symbol in Word 2007, use this simple keyboard shortcut:

• Hold down the Alt key and the Ctrl key
• Type the letter e

This trick also works in earlier versions.