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Adding visuals to a phone conference can make a big difference - perhaps by showing a document, software application or slides. Or maybe you want to conduct a more formal online seminar-sometimes called a Webinar. There are a number of affordable software packages that can help. We talked to five nonprofit professionals about the tools that have worked for them.

Yugma provides desktop sharing, chat and white-boarding. It also supports VOIP conferencing, including a feature that integrates seminars with Skype calls. Presenters can use PC, Macs or Linux. Participants can use almost any system or browser by downloading a Java applet. A free, limited-functionality version allows up to 10 people to participate; more feature-rich versions start at about $200 per year for up to 20 people

DimDim is a fairly new, streamlined online seminar application with support for chat, slide sharing, emoticons, white-boarding, VOIP voice conferencing and video conferencing. Only PC desktops can be shared, but DimDim supports Mac and Linux users for other features. Participants can enter meeting rooms using almost any system or browser, typically without a download. A free, ad-supported version allows up to 20 people to participate; a version without ads starts at $99 per year for up to 20 people.