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California would be leading the charge for individuals online privacy rights, with a bill currently in the house that can be likened to the "no call list". The bill would not allow companies to track your online habits, as most do now, in order to provide web sites with advertisements based on your previous web history. This legislation is mirroring legislation at the federal level, as the Obama Administration has stated its interest in creating a "privacy bill of rights".

Anyone who doesn't have a car can use this trip planner on the Rapid's website to get anywhere in Grand Rapids. Non profits could fine this tool very useful to help clients get from one place to another if they don't have reliable transportation. Hopefully a mobile app is in the works!

Reports expenditures of the $787 billion dollars of the Recovery Act funds. Citizens can use to identify fraud, waste, and abuse of those funds.  Zip code map to find how funds being used in your area. Social Media feeds of all types.

A new, small organization giving out $1000 grants to awesome ideas. The press coverage of it online is bound to help it grow and increase the amount of application requestions. You can apply online at this website to recieve grant money for any idea they find "awesome"

The Cautious Patient Foundation is dedicated to minimizing the amount of people that die per year from medical error. Here, an organization that shares CPF's values can apply and recieve grants that help patients and healthcare providers to communicate better by using technology. This is an excellent example of NPO's using the internet to spread the word about their mission and gain funding

The Coachella music festival was broadcasted live through youtube last weekend, representing a momentous change in the collaboration of music and online tools. With few glitches and little advertising, the concert was broadcasted over three days through youtube where people got the chance to pick between the three stages to watch their favorite artists. Free and easy to access is becoming more and more prevalent everyday with online tools. The streaming video was viewed over four million times. Nonprofits that are concentrated on promoting and advocating the arts and music can look at this as an innovative way to connect to an audience.

This is a website that I found off of the GVSU library database collection. You can use this to look up a foundation or nonprofit. There are many different search categories too. For example, you could look up all of the foundations in Michigan, but then narrow your search to a city like Grand Rapids, or a county like Kent.

If you are looking for a new way to learn about nonprofits, other than just reading, why not sit back and listen to Tony Marignetti discuss the Nonprofit world via radio? You can even listen to older streams as well.

This blog not only gives nonprofits ideas on how to do things bigger and better to make a difference. Many of the ideas can be done on an individual level as well.

I think this is a site in which you can ask questions/answer them pertaining to nonprofits. There is a small reward of usually about a dollar for the best answer.

Yet another journalist's/expert's opinion on how to best use facebook for a non-profit, including the importance of goals

Gives good tips on how an organization should use facebook. Some of the good tips promote communicating to the fan-base as well as encourage fan-to-fan communication. One of the most important things about NPOs and Facebook is to have a purpose with your page. This article strongly condemns having a page "just to be on facebook" and says that having a strong purpose makes facebook that much more successful.

"It's important for any digitally-minded non-profit to be on Facebook because of the sheer number of active users. So, great - you set up a Facebook account for your organization. Now what?" Note:  "Eight of the world's top ten brand use the Buddy Media Platform (sponsor of "The Facebook Marketing Series") to power their social marketing on FB."

This article is too brief for content but the message is that cloud based Microsoft Office is here now. Anyone can try it out supposedly.

Speech by Steven R. Chabinsky, Deputy Assistant Director, Cyber Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation  - delivered March 23, 2010 "...to talk with you about the cyber threat, why it's important, and how you can help your organizations-and in doing so, help our country-rise to this enormous challenge. Some of you no doubt are on the front lines of the cyber security problem and are quite familiar with it, while others of you may only have passing familiarity with this growing problem. First, let me share with you the importance of the cyber security problem from the lens of the FBI. As you know, the FBI is a law enforcement agency that investigates hundreds of federal crimes as well as a domestic national security agency that combats terrorism, espionage, treason, and sabotage.

"ROI -- or Return on Investment -- is a pre- and/or post-evaluation process and analysis of three factors: benefits, costs, and value of a specific technology purchase over time. ROI can help your organization avoid a technology purchase that is a huge mistake or avoid not investing in a technology that could return many dividends."

This article talks about how technology is improving our ability to respond to disasters around the world. Specifically it talks about how technology like SMS and twitter allowed rescue efforts to happen quicker and more efficiently. I think it's cool how with all this new technology we have the ability to save more lives and do more in times of disaster. Families were able to communicate with those in Haiti more than they would have been able to before this technology was available. Also, that with tools like SMS, donations were able to be set up for non-profits to assist in recovery efforts. People are probably more likely to donate if they can do it with something as simple as sending a text message, and organizations will be able to receive the money quicker. Cool article.

Blackbaud helps in diversifying fundraising effects. It is important to have good fundraising tactics in order to engage donors and promote their network. Technology in general can help this.

This report from a Californian NPO resource company indictes some of the problem hindering board efficacy. Of note: Half of questioned board members are uncomfortable soliciting donations for their NPO. Can online giving help?

Blog posted article on Techsoup.org from 11/09.