Online Social Networking and Non-profits…This is not your son or daughters’ My Space Account.

In every economics class you’re informed that “there are no free lunches.” Well there are exceptions to the rule, at least with Google Grants. I stumbled upon this in my research for another blog topic, and I thought it was something that I needed to share with all of our non-profit clients.

What it Google Grants?

"Oh my," is right. What am I talking about? Why CMS, or content management system, of course. Drupal, Joomla, and Blogger are popular CMS programs. Do you need a CMS, do you want a CMS, or do you even care about a CMS?

What do Bono, Kevin Bacon and Ed Wiley, a grandfather from West Virginia, have in common? The answer is that they use viral marketing for their non-profit causes. Of course it can work for Bono and Kevin Bacon because they can use their celebrity status to promote their causes, but if it can work for a WV grandfather, it can work for your non-profit organization. How?

It sounds contagious, and it is -- that's the point. You may or may not have heard the term viral marketing before, but you’ve taken part in its process. Viral Marketing is basically word-of-mouth advertising on a larger scale. You tell your friends about a product or service and they tell their friends, and so on -- at least that's the outcome of a successful viral marketing.

Feeling a bit green? Well if you're not, you should be, because Earth Day is quickly approaching. Green is good business – sustainable practices can save your organization money.

Here's what some in the conference industry are doing to help the environment and their bottom lines (source: www.MeetingNews.com):

“I know you can hear me, but are you listening?” We’ve been hearing those words since we were children. Simon & Garfunkel sang about "People hearing without listening." Effective listening is a skill that everyone can improve. Listening skills and communication strategies are hot conference topics. Every manager wants their employees to hone their listening skills.

Nonprofit organizations are at a pivotal time in their history. It's time to work together for the greater cause. "Many missions, one voice" is the motto of the Nonprofit Congress which convened for the first time in October 2006 in Washington, D.C.

Do you find technology fascinating or frustrating? No matter how you answered that question, but I bet you answered "both", you must consider attending the N-TEN Conference (Nonprofit Technology Conference) held April 4 – 6th in Washington, D.C. at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Learn how to manage technology so that you can focus on your mission.