(A version of this item, with live links, can be found at
<http://blog.deborah.elizabeth.finn.com/blog/_archives/2007/1/28/2691157.html>.)
Dear ISF Colleagues,
There's a vast array of technology tools, widgets, products, and
services available out there to nonprofit organizations. Some of them
were designed specifically for our sector, and many of them are
available online for free. Not all of them are plausible choices for
nonprofits with have modest budgets and no one on staff who serves as
a full time chief technology officer.
I receive a lot of queries from small nonprofits, but when it comes to
knowing which nonprofits are using which tool, I can't keep a reliable
and updated database in my head. There's too much knowledge for me to
manage. I need to refer nonprofit professionals to reliable colleagues
in similar organizations who can give them first hand information
about what it's like to use a particular technology resource.
That's why I love Social Source Commons.
I can go to Social Source Commons, look up a technology resource, and
see who else is using it. For example, looking up Ubuntu, I see that
29 other SSC members use it - including such revered colleagues as
Allen Gunn, Dirk Slater, and David Geilhufe. (Note to self: they are
all very sophisticated techies, so if I ask any of them about it, I
need to be sure to specify that the proposed users will be distraught
technophobic social workers.)
I also note that some SSC members who use Ubuntu also use WordPress,
Drupal, Firefox, and Skype. This will be helpful if I need to ask for
coaching on integrating two or more tools.
I can also choose a colleague, and drill down to see all the items in
his or her toolbox. Here I note that Michelle Murrain, coordinator of
the Nonprofit Open Source Initiative, is a Microsoft PowerPoint user,
from which I deduce that Impress, the open source presentation
application offered by OpenOffice.Org is probably not a strong option
at this point. But this is a guess, and I should follow up with her
if I want a more detailed assessement.
Of course, I'm a geek and a knowledge management freak, so I can
happily wander through SSC indefinitely, serendipitously learning
which of my buddies use various products and services. But I won't
subject you to a description of this nonlinear and highly idiosycratic
form of entertainment.
Instead, I'll point out that I actually had a specific purpose in
visiting SSC today. As you probably know from a previous post, I've
been hearing some buzz about ChipIn, a new online fundraising widget,
and wondering what it's all about. I explored SSC to see who is using
it, and was surprised to discovered that it wasn't listed -
fortunately, it was quite easy to add ChipIn to SSC, and I look
forward to seeing which other members will enter it into their
toolboxes. I'll scan the list of ChipIn users, and figure out which
of my friends and colleagues to importune for more information.
Best regards from Deborah
P.S. I'm much obliged to my buddy Gavin Clabaugh, for responding by
email to the ChipIn query that I posted to this list. Gavin informed
me that one of the folks behind ChipIn is Carnet Williams, an old
buddy from the Circuit Rider movement. This is extremely heartening
news, because if small nonprofits are entrusting their online
fundraising processes to a start-up company, it's great to know that
someone with Carnet's experience and integrity is leading the team.
Deborah Elizabeth Finn
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
deborah_elizabeth_finn%40post.harvard.edu">deborah_elizabeth_finn
post.harvard.edu
www.cyber-yenta.org
"What is good...but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with your god?" (Micah 6:8)
.
