studio 501c

fundraiser, poet, friend: Jason Shinder, 1955 to 2008

I don't know anyone who is a better fundraiser than Jason Shinder was.

By being himself -- by connecting with people kindly, authentically, and personally -- he not only made hundreds of friends, he also formed plentiful partnerships and secured dozens of grants to support his vision of integrating arts into YMCAs across the country.

I worked with Jason when I was at the YMCA of the USA, and like so many others who knew him, I know that my life is richer for it.

 

CODA

And now I know what most deeply connects us

after that summer so many years ago,
and it isn’t poetry, although it is poetry,

and it isn’t illness, although we have that in common,

and it isn’t gratitude for every moment,
even the terrifying ones, even the physical pain,

though we are grateful, and it isn’t even death,

though we are halfway through
it, or even the way you describe the magnificence

of being alive, catching a glimpse,

in the store window, of your blowing hair and chapped lips,
though it is beautiful, it is; but it is

that you’re my friend out here on the far reaches

of what humans can find out about each other.

—Jason Shinder

nonprofits, nota bene: As you work for the common good, be sure to take time for art.  Whether it's a poem, or play, or song, art will replenish your spirit for the work ahead.

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techsoup and flickr offer free online photo accounts to nonprofits

One of the most popular online photo sharing services, Flickr, is partnering with TechSoup, a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits use technology, to offer 10,000 free premium Flickr accounts to nonprofit organizations.  Flickr is also starting a new program, Flickr for Good, whereby it will highlight photos of "good works" depicted on Flickr.

Techsoup's suggestions for how nonprofits can use Flickr:

"Uses for Outreach and Community Building: Flickr is a new way for organizations to tell their story. With a Flickr account, individuals can showcase and chronicle their organization's work through their own photography. For example, by creating a group photo pool and encouraging discussions, Flickr members can build awareness of an organization's work. Members can also provide a link to their organization's Web site in their Flickr profiles. Conversely, the organization's Web site can stream Flickr photos...

Uses Within Organizations: Flickr members can store all their photographs of their organization's work in one place if they have the legal right to do so. Account holders can upload photos to Flickr from anywhere in the world. The photos can be organized into sets and collections, and they can be tagged for easy searching. Another tool that organizations can use internally is a Flickr group. In a private group, only group members and those who have been invited can view the group page. Groups can also be completely public or public by invitation only."

Find out how to apply for a free Flickr account here at TechSoup.

nonprofits, nota bene: While you're checking out the free Flickr accounts at TechSoup, take a look at the many other services and products TechSoup offers, including drastically discounted software and other technology products.

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Know some nontechie nonprofit leaders?  This blog, studio 501c, is just for them -– the ones who are brilliant and busy and who want to use the web more effectively to promote their nonprofit but who don’t know where to start.  Use the "email this" button below to tell them about studio 501c.  Don’t forget to add that they can sign up to get the blog's occasional articles via email. Thanks!

welcome to studio 501c

This is a resource for ordinary people doing extraordinary things -- social entrepreneurs and nonprofit staff and volunteers, i.e., those who work hard every day to make positive change.  I'm a nonprofit professional, too, and I'm interested in the ways that the Internet, personal technology, and other tools can help advance the goals of those in the social sector (which, by my definition, encompasses the nonprofit sector, but also goes beyond it to include those in the private and public sectors who are pursuing social innovation). 

As a result of my interests in personal tech and communications, I often find myself telling friends and colleagues about a Web site for tracking down the address of a prospective donor, or an easy way they can keep up with the issues their nonprofit addresses or a free Web-based calendar, task, and contact management application that can help individuals and teams be more productive.   I hope to do the same thing with this blog -- to share information and tips from time to time that will help people accomplish their social-change goals more effectively.

I won't pretend to be definitive or even authoritative.  In fact, much of the advice here will be pretty basic, as I find that even many brilliant leaders in the social sector know little about RSS, blogs as communications tools for nonprofits, or all that Google can do for them!  (Watch for more info on these tools in future posts.)

I'll just share what has worked for me, as well as what others with far more knowledge and experience are recommending.  I plan to review what experts in personal tech, life hacks, productivity, cool tools, and nonprofit tech are publishing, and then share the best of it here, adding ideas for how nontechies in in the social sector can apply the tips to their particular concerns. In that sense, I hope studio 501c will be a time-saving filter blog.

I also hope that it will offer a practical perspective to current discussions on how nonprofits can use the Internet and technology to further their missions.  These discussions, though well intended, sometimes become unrealistic, especially when they involve nonprofit techies talking with other nonprofit techies.  With studio 501c, I'll aim to address the everyday concerns of nontechies in nonprofits and other social-sector organizations.

I hope that you can help with this effort.  Please post your ideas, advice, and experience in the comments section of this blog so that we can all learn from each other.

Cheers,
Celeste W

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