These are some links I wanted to share from April 17th. Find me on Delicious for more!

• Silos Culture Inside the Walls of Nonprofits Prevent Effective Social Media Use – Beth Kanter's post about internal silos in nonprofits reminds me of a post and the ensuing conversation that happened in the comments on my blog about a month ago. The idea of a networked organization is fascinating to me and hinges, truly, on organizations taking a networked approach both IN and OUT of the organization's "walls."
• Apps for America Contest – Check out some of these really innovative (and cool!) open source applications for helping make the government more transparent from Sunlight Labs. Would love to hear if there are any you especially think are useful to your work!
• Sharing by the numbers in the USA – Check out this report and the accompanying data figures from USA Today – some spotlights include: 14 million Americans are employed by or volunteer full time in the nonprofit sector; and the Chicago Meals on Wheels program is cutting its budget by 35%.
• Ten campaigning tips for lobbying MPs – "nfpSynergy has a wealth of back-data regarding MPs' opinions of charities and their campaigns, comments from those who work in this area and experience of the sector. This has enabled us to compile a report containing ten tips, which extract the most salient issues to emerge from our research, to help you in your future charity campaigns and lobbying. These top tips are quite literally a starter for ten when looking to elicit a successful campaign and lobbying approach."
• Help seeking behaviour in young adults – NFPSynergy Report – nfSynergy's "newest free report takes an in-depth look at what young people's needs are and how they seek help. The report was commissioned by the Vodafone Foundation and is packed with useful case studies and supporting data. It includes recommendations for local and national not-for-profit organisations who provide support to young adults."
• Share Actions | Social Actions – Check out all of the great Social Actions Change the Web Challenge applications! I'm already using some and looking forward to watching how they continue to evolve and leverage other platforms.

… Continue readingGreat reads from around the web on April 17th

These are some links I wanted to share from April 15th. Find me on Delicious for more!

• N2Y4 Mobile Challenge: 15 Featured Projects Announced | NetSquared, an initiative of TechSoupGlobal.org – Last week, the NetSquared Community voted on the N2Y4 Mobile Challenge to determine the 15 Featured Projects who will be invited to compete for $50K in cash-prizes and additinoal in-kind resources at this year's N2Y4 Conference. Check out the 15 Featured Projects and how you can be part of the N2Y4 Conference.
• Change the Web Challenge: Finalists Announced – I'm really excited about the 24 Finalists in the Change the Web Challenge – this Challenge called for new applications that use Social Actions' API which aggregates and surfaces all kinds of actionable opportunities from around the web. Check them out!
• Vodafone Americas Foundation Announces Wireless Innovation Project Winners – "The Vodafone Americas Foundation announced the winners of its Wireless Innovation Project, a new initiative that identifies and funds unique innovations using wireless related technology offering the best potential to address critical social issues around the world. The three winning innovations will share in prizes totaling up to $700,000 USD to support their next phase of advancement and implementation."
• Does social media help you find a job? – Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEBA) of Maastricht University are conducting a survey: "We are investigating the effects of online social network memberships on your daily life. In particular, we are interested in the role of social network sites and receiving information about job openings."
• DoGooderTV Contest 2009 – Vote for your favorite Nonprofit videos – DoGooderTV's 2nd Nonprofit Video Awards have seen almost 400 submissions from 175 organizations and causes! The winners will be announced at NTEN's Nonprofit Technology Conference on April 25 in San Francisco.

… Continue readingGreat reads from around the web on April 15th

These are some links I wanted to share from April 14th. Find me on Delicious for more!

• PHILANTHROPY 2173: Mapping the social economy – Great blog post on using design for philanthropy. If you like visualizing inforamation and maps, check it out.
• OpenSecrets | Data – "Want to dive deep into the data of OpenSecrets.org and the Center for Responsive Politics? You've come to the right place. This is the entry point for CRP's vast archive of money-in-politics data, downloadable for non-commercial use. Map it, mash it up and otherwise make use of this unparalleled online resource. (Just please credit CRP for the data.)"
• The DigiActive Guide to Twitter for Activism | DigiActive.org – "Following the recent protests in Moldova, the value of Twitter as a tool for digital activism is more prominent than ever. Yet in addition to bringing greater awareness to that tool, the hype surrounding Moldova revealed misunderstanding of the value of of Twitter for activism and, even though the realists responded strongly, there was not a stand-alone resource which clearly defined how Twitter could be used by activists."
• Penguin Day Agenda – pd.aspirationtech.org – Are you heading to the NTC this month? Will you be in San Francisco on April 25th? Why not check out Penguin Day! "At local Penguin Days non-profit organizations explore the range of issues and options involved using Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS)."
• SKOLL 09: Social entrepreneurs will emerge from credit crisis as leaders, predicts Jeff Skoll – In Jeff Skoll's closing remarks at the recent Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in Oxford, he compared the current condition of social innovators and the economic crisis with Darwin and the discovery of the double-helix DNA. Intrigued? Check it out.

… Continue readingGreat reads from around the web on April 14th