Platforms for giving are different than reasons for giving

Aaron Hurst of the Taproot Foundation wrote a post on their Pro Bono Junkie blog a few weeks ago provactively asking if Causes.com is actually Cost.com.
He had just seen a presentation by Sean Parker, who’s tech startup bedpost includes Napster, Facebook, and now Causes on Facebook. Parker told Hurst and the other audience members that [...]

FrontlineSMS: two way bulk messaging for nonprofits

A few friends are in Cairo right now working on projects within the refugee community. One, whose blog you can read here, is helping an organization called Tadamon develop a web apparatus to help local refugee communities understand what services they have available to them. Another is interning with AMERA and developing an ‘Iraqi Information [...]

Nonprofit impact assessment software: new concept or new execution?

The Baltimore Sun wrote an article a few days ago about Social Solutions, the develors of the ETO (Efforts to Outcomes) Software which helps nonprofits assess and measure their impact over time. I haven’t actually used the software, but from both the article and what I’ve read on the Social Solutions page, it sounds like [...]

The nonprofit vs. government service gap

A Fine Blog posts on the gap between nonprofit volunteerism and governmental public service among the “millenial” generation. The post notes that nonprofit-based volunteerism and service face issues of both scale and scope when it comes to addressing the big problems.
One of the best points:
Private voluntary efforts can pick and choose the issues and populations [...]

Question of the week: Should nonprofit salaries for middle and upper management mirror those in the for-profit sector?

The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “Give and Take” blog picked up today on a debate about compensation in the nonprofit sector. The Charlotte Observer recently reported that the president of United Way for the Central Carolinas received a $1.2 million salary and compensation package for the 2007 Fiscal year, including $822,000 in retirement benefits.
While the benefits [...]

A bunch of great things I wish I had written about today

A couple cool social change/technology things from around the blogosphere:
“Nonprofit Blogging: Burning Questions and Answers”: Blogger and nonprofit consultant Britt Bravo shares experience and lessons from her consulting with nonprofits about why and how a blog can be useful in advancing the mission.
“Why Do People Give to Charity?”: Sean Stannard-Stockton (of Tactical Philanthropy) responds to [...]

Question of the week: Do colleges and society need to do more to incentivize public service and nonprofit work after college?

A New York Times article published on June 23 asked “Big Paycheck or Service? Students Are Put to Test.”
The article describes how many students take jobs in the financial services or management consulting industries immediately after graduation, citing reasons like salary level, security, competitiveness and notably – availability of information and clear application procedures.
Different [...]