Product Blogs

• The User’s Edge — The official blog of The Raiser’s Edge
• The Ledger — The official blog of The Financial Edge
• The Spotlight — The official blog of The Patron Edge
• The Book Bag — Blackbaud’s school software blog

Personal Blogs

• Connections — Steve MacLaughlin, Director of Internet Solutions
• Navigating the Fundraising Universe — Jim Bush, Enterprise Bus. Architect
• Webby Things — Chad Norman, Manager of Internet Marketing

Corporate Blogs

• From the Doc Side — The Product Documentation Team Blog
• Blackbaud News — Up-to-date Blackbaud News

Industry Blogs

• NetWits — Internet marketing, communication, tools, and technology

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The User’s Edge: The Official Blog of the Raiser’s Edge
The Ledger: The Official Blog of The Financial Edge
The Spotlight: The Official Blog of The Patron Edge

There are also a couple of personal blogs: Steve MacLaughlin’s Connections and my own Webby Things. The infamous Jim Bush is next, along with a few more brave souls we’re coaxing out of the ‘baud. Stay tuned for more, or just subscribe to Blackbaud Blogs (rss) and let us come to you.

The text on the balloon reads, “Drive one day less and look how much carbon monoxide you’ll keep out of the air we breathe.”

The takeaway here is to always be on the lookout for original ways to get your message out there. Getting impressions via alternative methods can have great results, as seen here.

Via, AdGoodness.

So, I’m bowling on my Nintendo Wii the other night, and got to thinking about how easy, fun, and approachable the system is as a whole. Even my parents like it! Maybe this bowling game could be put to good use? How about a Wii-a-thon?

Maybe this can actually compete with a real bowl-a-thon, but for certain organizations hosting a Wii-a-thon might appeal to a more youthful audience. This could increase participation, donations, and media awareness. Nobody is really doing this yet, so this might be a good opportunity to get noticed in your community.

Here are ten reasons why a Wii-a-thon might be right for you:

1. Bowler’s average scores are higher (more $$$).
2. You don’t need an available bowling alley.
3. Participants can wear their own shoes.
4. Physically limited bowlers can participate.
5. Bowl-a-thons could span time and location.
6. There is no cost if you have access to a Wii.
7. Bowlers can rock & bowl to their own music.
8. Participants won’t smell like a bowling alley when they get home.
9. Multiple locations could be used to increase participation.
10. Actual bowling is tired, Wii bowling is wired.

Happy bowling!

It’s a quick read, so I’ll type no more:

In your State, as in all States, a Nonprofit has two options for Unemployment Insurance while a For Profit Corporation only has one. Typically, a Nonprofit and For Profit pay for unemployment claims through State Unemployment Insurance tax (SUI). But unlike their counterparts, Nonprofits have an alternative choice – to become a reimbursing employer. This means that it can pay the state only for claims paid out to former employees.

Because the SUI tax rate method varies, a Nonprofit could end up paying more than if it had used the reimbursement method. Many Nonprofits however don’t realize they are eligible for this method and continue to pay into the State’s Unemployment Tax System.

For example: A Nonprofit that had $20,000 in claims for a given year, but was paying the State $40,000 in SUI, would find itself overpaying by $20,000 a year! By becoming a reimbursing employer, that money that was being wasted in Taxes could be used for other expenses such as fundraising, office supplies, or even hiring more employees. Imagine what your Nonprofit could do with that extra money.

Under the reimbursement method, a Nonprofit reimburses the state unemployment compensation fund for the amount of unemployment compensation benefits actually paid to former employees.

This method works best for agencies that have stable employment and low unemployment claims. Nonprofits with fewer than 10 may not be the best candidates for reimbursement status. A Nonprofit with an annual gross payroll of $500,000 or more, however, likely can realize substantial savings.

In the end, the goal of reimbursing is to save money. And isn’t that what we all want?

If you need additional information, or just want to find out if your Nonprofit is overpaying into the State’s Unemployment Tax System, contact Woody Clark with the 501 (c) Agencies Trust at 1-800-442-4867.

Thanks Woody!

By simply slipping these cutout children into existing table tents, their message was delivered to a captive audience with minimal impact on the community - exactly the way guerrilla campaigns should go down.

The text reads:

Over two lakh children live in places you can never imagine. Help the Children. Donate.

I think it’s important to show that guerrilla marketing efforts should still be implemented when the situation calls for it, despite what happened in Boston two weeks ago. Campaigns like these resonate strongly with an audience who is increasingly turned off by TV, print, and email advertisements.

via Ads of the World

If you haven’t, you’re not alone. Forgetting to update is commonplace, and I see it all the time. Data was needed, so yesterday I checked out the top 100 nonprofits. What I found was shocking.

I expected a few would have forgotten, but not 34%. I even saw a few that still were listed as 2005 - wow! But don’t feel bad - the top 100 for-profits didn’t fair much better, with 18% forgetting to update.

Are you still reading? Have you checked your site yet?

There are many ways to handle your Web site’s copyright info, some of which require no updating at all. I took a look how nonprofits and for-profits were displaying copyright info, and was able to identify five buckets to drop each method into:

• Current - Example: © 2007 OrgName
  By far the most popular, this method displays the current year next to the copyright symbol. Take a look at the Googles, Ebays, and Microsofts of the world and you’ll see they’ve adopted this method. Why? Not only does it give an impression of being up-to-date, but it uses the least amount of pixels. If you go this route, you must remember to update it each year, or use some JavaScript to do it for you.
• Span - Example: © 2003 - 2007 OrgName
  This method displays the range of years for which the work is copyrighted, usually spanning from the launch year to the current year. It shows off how long you’ve been around and gives the impression that the site is updated, but you will have to change the date each year.
• Launch - Example: © 2003 OrgName
  This is the method actually prescribed by copyright law, but is very hard to find in the wild. Why? If you went to a site with a copyright date of 1998 would you buy something or trust them? It gives the impression of laziness or outdated content, something a netizen always tries to avoid.
• Text - Example: Use of text, images and other content on this website…
  Some sites just provide their copyright information in paragraph form with no date to be found. While unconventional, this method requires no updating, and gives you a chance to be specific with your conditions. But if you are a fan of standards, I would steer clear of this one.
• None - Example: ___________
  This method is for people who drive without seatbelts and go spelunking alone. Some people like to take chances, but I would recommend using one of the previous four methods to protect your content. Then take the day of and go skydiving.

The data for the methodology survey is below. You’ll notice most sites stick to displaying the current year, with spanning being the next most popular. I think it is noteworthy that 9% of nonprofits had no copyright info on their sites whatsoever, something that did not happen in the for-profit sector.

Two final thoughts. First, make sure your site’s copyright information is up-to-date - It just makes good sense. Second, I am not an attorney, and nothing in this post should be construed as legal advice - I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

That’s where SixDegrees.org, AOL Instant Messenger, and Network for Good come in. Someone had the brilliant idea to put these three ingredients into a giant Web 2.0 blender in the hopes of producing a tasty, social fundraising smoothie – and it looks like they have succeeded.

With Kevin Bacon as the natural pitchman, 6Degrees.org is asking donors to choose a nonprofit, then get 6 friends to give to the same organization. Network for Good is covering the online donations, while AOL’s MySpace equivalent AIM Pages handles the social aspect. The idea is to use a social network to form impromptu giving circles…got it?

No? Here, I’ll let Mr. Bacon tell it like it is:

All you have to do is use the AIM for Good module on this page. Simply pick the charity that you would like to rally support for, enter up to six e-mail addresses of your buddies and family members, and write them a note asking for their support. The e-mail that they’ll receive will give them the opportunity to give, right there, to the charity you’ve selected. All transactions will be private and secure.

Another way you can help is by making your own AIM Page, which can include the AIM for Good module on it too. So, when your buddies stop by your page, they’ll be reminded to get the word out and rally support with their friends and families.

While I love the concept, the whole things feels a little thrown together. When you read about it, or hear Kevin talk about it, it’s not crystal clear who is involved and exactly what you are supposed to do. With some tighter integration and better defined user paths, I can see this program really taking off. Cheers to everyone involved!

Viral marketing is hard to track using metrics, but it gets noticed never the less. Local newspaper and television coverage are both free and potent, so don’t forget to explore concepts like this at your next planning meeting.

via Houtlog