Non-Profit2Non-Profit Resources
During the Change the Web chat today, I mentioned that others were working on helping non-profits network with other non-profits. The two groups that I’m aware of are:
FLOSS Foundations (http://flossfoundations.org) – an informal peer support group for people who administer Electronic Frontier, Free Software and Open Source projects and non-profits.
Idealist (http://www.idealist.org) – a site focused on helping individuals and organizations work together to better the world.
I thought that I had a few other links, but digging through my research notes, I’m only finding services that connect volunteers to non-profits or that help people self-organize.
Posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 13:24
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March 3rd, 2009 at 23:41
I can well understand why the un-geeked don’t attend these sessions. While everyone was saying, “Great session! Very helpful! Fantastic ideas!” I was left wondering if it had been actually been conducted in High Slobovian or if I just quit understanding what passes for English on a chat screen! I still have no idea what any of it meant, even after reading the transcript twice.
Okay, granted I was obviously at the wrong session but lots of NPs are led by technological dolts just like me. I can’t even fix my own borked site, let alone stack widgets and add-ons and aggregate action buttons, whatever that means. There are tools I could use, or rather there are tasks I need to do, and I have no idea where to look for the tool, or indeed, what tool I am even looking for! I’ve got a spike that needs to be pounded in and the OS community is waving orchids, singing Love is allll we need! Lovely but how do I use your orchid to pound my spike in?
In my experience NPs are not so much communities as encampments. Most stare over razor-wire at their “competitors”. Just try to get a couple of them to work together and you learn what the term “cold shoulder’ means. Collaboration is the last thing on their minds, annihilation is more like it. This is not a software problem you are going to solve with a widget.
The way to help NPs is to help them do their jobs easier and meet the needs of their clients and communities better. Has anyone asked NPs what they need? I know what I’d like to *do* but no idea where to find the tools, or if I’d be able to use them if they exist. Where do I go for that list?
March 3rd, 2009 at 23:58
This guy (Scott Ringo) is serving all non-profits, and I think intends to network them…
http://www.oceangrand.org
March 5th, 2009 at 16:43
Thanks for this information. I have you in the feedreader and was lucky to stumble upon this as I have been working on something I plan to release as open source in the near future. These links should give me some avenues to pursue on taking this further.
March 5th, 2009 at 17:57
Hey David,
FLOSS Foundations is really just for people running FLOSS projects and non-profits. I’ll be happy to point out other resources for you.