I was planning to check out Pinterest to see what the buzz is about, but their privacy policy gives me the creeps. I can only sign up by linking a Pinterest account to my Facebook or Twitter account. The description on the Twitter link page says this allows them to: Read Tweets from your … [Read more...]
Predictions for Nonprofit Fundraising Technology in 2012
NTEN published my somewhat snarky predictions for nonprofits' use of fundraising technologies in 2012. My overall predictions are that most things will be pretty much the same as last year (and 2010 and 2009, etc.): many nonprofits will struggle with out-of-date systems. No surprise -- many … [Read more...]
Getting RSS Feeds Via Email
Do you want to be alerted when certain blogs or Twitter feeds are updated? The surest way for me to be sure see new items is to have them delivered as email messages. Some blogs offer email subscriptions, but most don't. However, I found a way to do this even for feeds that don't … [Read more...]
Feed My Inbox — RSS feeds by email
Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks: I like to get information by email. I prefer listserves over online forums and email to IM. And I don't like having to look at a web page/feed reader every day to find out whether anything new has appeared on an RSS feed. I want information to … [Read more...]
Optimize Your Web Pages
Do you know about Google's Website Optimizer? It's a free tool that allows you to test how different versions of the same web page perform. The Chronicle of Philanthropy published a brief article (subscription required) describing how the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program … [Read more...]
No One Likes Your Web Site
Seems like everyone's taking potshots at nonprofit Web sites these days. A few weeks ago I wrote about Jakob Nielsen's study of nonprofit Web site usability. He found that 47% of the sites studied had problems relating to page and site design; users couldn't find where to make a donation on 17% … [Read more...]
Jakob Nielsen Thinks Your Web Site Sucks
Well, maybe it doesn't exactly suck, but potential donors can't figure it out. In a recent study of nonprofit Web sites, usability guru Jakob Nielsen asked participants "what information they want to see on nonprofit Web sites before they decide whether to donate?" The most heavily … [Read more...]
Anatomy of My Web Site
Several friends who have decided to explore WordPress have asked how I built my site. Here are the steps I went through: 1) I hired a designer, Robyn Smith (http://dubbahdesign.com/). Robyn installed WP on my existing web host (dotable.com). Fortunately, they offered support for WP, since I was … [Read more...]
Fundraising Survival Guide
Network for Good recently published The 2008 Online Fundraising Survival Guide: 12 Winning Strategies to Survive & Thrive in a Down Economy. This 45-page guide includes sections on avoiding "the four most common fundraising mistakes," answering the four questions required to get a donation (Why … [Read more...]
New Book: Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission
You can place your order now for Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders, which will be published in March 2009. The book was edited by NTEN's Executive Director, Holly Ross, former ED Katrin Verclas, and Special Projects Fellow Allison Levine. The authors … [Read more...]