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Albert, what do you really think? In this month's Technology Tips we discover a number of web sites that equip us with a wealth of knowledge.
Technology is a two-edged sword. But, when we equip ourselves with knowledge, instead of an axe wheeling crazy person, we become skilled surgeons.
Most of you are probably familiar with the "Dummies"
books. These are books on a wide variety of topics that are written
for the beginner. They started with Computer books, but have expanded
to a lot of other topics. The books are well written and very
helpful.
They have a web site that you can go to and sign up for "tips"
to be sent to you via e-mail. There are a wide variety of topics,
but again, they have a lot of computer stuff for Windows, Office
97, Office 2000, etc.
The web site is: http://www.dummiesdaily.com.
There you can sign up for the topics you want. It is free. There
is a lot of good information, especially for those of you who
might not be quite as knowledgeable about Word, or Excel or whatever
as you might want to be.
Resources for Nonprofits http://www.helping.org/nonprofit is designed to help nonprofits think strategically about using the Internet in their programs and daily work. I contacted Monica Williams, Project Associate with the Benton Foundation which supports the site for additional information.
Ms. Williams shared that the site is a gateway to the wealth of tools and information that have already been created by experts in the nonprofit technology assistance field. We aggregate these existing resources and put them in context helping nonprofits understand how to use the Internet more effectively.
For several years, the Benton Foundation has been working to help nonprofits understand and use online technology. Resources for Nonprofits has its roots in Benton's Best Practices work http://www.benton.org/Practice. Because of a mutual commitment to strengthening the nonprofit sector's use of communications technology, the AOL Foundation and Benton partnered to create Resources for Nonprofits in 1999.
In creating Helping.org, the AOL Foundation sought to use the power of the Internet to bring more resources (online donations and volunteers) to the nonprofit sector. AOL Foundation and Benton also recognize that in today's economy, nonprofits simply must have a better grasp on using the Internet in their day-to-day operations. Therefore, the section on Resources for Nonprofits was created to address just that.
The Web has great potential for community building, advocacy,
fundraising, and volunteer recruitment. Managers can also use
the Web to stay on top of issues that affect their organization
and their field. Email discussion groups and listservs are a great
way to share ideas and ask questions of other managers who may
be facing similar issues. This kind of real-time information flow
can save managers from "reinventing the wheel" every
time they have problem.
Resources for Nonprofits tries to lay out the site in a way that
helps an organization think through the process of using the Internet.
We start out with the day-to-day operations, then point to resources
for finding help (financial and technical), and then to resources
for "working the web" -- building, evaluating, and promoting
a Web site.
Would you like to greet a volunteer in Serbian or Chinese? Are you looking for an acronym? Do you need Biographical information on Mother Theresa? When you attend the AVA conference next year in Toronto, do you need to know the Canadian and US dollar exchange rate? Did a potential volunteer neglect to put her zip code in her application, and you really need to know it? How much will it cost to ship a recognition gift to a volunteer?
The answers to all of these questions and much, much more can be found on the Research-it site: http://WWW.ITOOLS.COM/research-it . This is a great one-stop site for many of your research needs!
Georgean is a trainer and consultant in the areas of nonprofit management and volunteer involvement. She holds a Master's degree in Education/Staff Training and Development and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Indiana University.
Georgean is an Adjunct Faculty member of Ivy Tech State College with the Business and Industry Training Department. Her articles have been published in the Florida Libraries Journal and The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances.
Georgean conducts national and regional workshops on Train-the-Trainer, Customer Service, Conflict Management, Staff/ Volunteer Relations, Fundamentals of Volunteer Management, Family Volunteering, Trends in Volunteerism, and other aspects of Volunteer Management.
Georgean is immediate Past Chairperson of the National Government
Volunteer Coordinator Advisory Committee for the Points of Light
Foundation in Washington, DC. She is Past Chairperson and Founding
Officer of Northeast Indiana Association of Volunteer Administration,
a professional membership organization representing 60 nonprofit/voluntary
organizations. She is a member of the Association for Volunteer
Administration, the Points of Light Foundation, and the Association
for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.
Prior to starting her training and consulting company she served
for several years as the Manager of Volunteer Services in healthcare,
library, and social service organizations, leading programs of
500 volunteers.