http://www.npowernw.org/blog/blog-listing Join the discussion basesyndication http://www.npowernw.org/logo.png http://www.npowernw.org/blog/blog-listing Peg Giffels Peg Giffels had the opportunity to facilitate a discussion on Social Media Return on Engagement last week at an Executive Director Roundtable hosted by the Alliance for Nonprofits and 501 Commons. She was impressed by the high rate of adoption of social media across different types and sizes of organizations, and also by the outright courage nonprofit leaders are showing by trying it out. Read more... Peg Giffels had the opportunity to facilitate a discussion on Social Media Return on Engagement last week at an Executive Director Roundtable hosted by the Alliance for Nonprofits and 501 Commons. She was impressed by the high rate of adoption of social media across different types and sizes of organizations, and also by the outright courage nonprofit leaders are showing by trying it out. Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/brave-eds-in-a-new-social-media-world http://www.npowernw.org/blog/brave-eds-in-a-new-social-media-world Peg Giffels Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:48:54 -0800 Abby Nafziger Our AmeriCorps VISTA team is excited to announce the launch of our Tech Assessment Project. This pilot program gives small nonprofits working in the area of poverty alleviation a chance to assess their technology, receive trainings and create a strategy map to guide their operations planning, grant-writing and volunteer recruitment. Click through for information on how to apply... Our AmeriCorps VISTA team is excited to announce the launch of our Tech Assessment Project. This pilot program gives small nonprofits working in the area of poverty alleviation a chance to assess their technology, receive trainings and create a strategy map to guide their operations planning, grant-writing and volunteer recruitment. Click through for information on how to apply... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/announcing-our-americorps-free-tech-assessment-program http://www.npowernw.org/blog/announcing-our-americorps-free-tech-assessment-program Abby Nafziger Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:20:00 -0800 Mandi Moshay NTEN's Nonprofit Technology Conference is just weeks away: April 3-5 in San Francisco. There's so much to love about NTC 2012. The networking opportunities alone are worth the trip, but the schedule of sessions is enough to set even the most accidental of techies swooning. Read more... NTEN's Nonprofit Technology Conference is just weeks away: April 3-5 in San Francisco. There's so much to love about NTC 2012. The networking opportunities alone are worth the trip, but the schedule of sessions is enough to set even the most accidental of techies swooning. Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/why-do-we-love-ntc http://www.npowernw.org/blog/why-do-we-love-ntc Mandi Moshay Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Mandi Moshay Being an NPower client comes with lots of perks – friendly consultants, reliable support, and the peace of mind from having a trusted technology partner. And we're happy to highlight yet another benefit from working with us – discounts from Microsoft! Read more... Being an NPower client comes with lots of perks – friendly consultants, reliable support, and the peace of mind from having a trusted technology partner. And we're happy to highlight yet another benefit from working with us – discounts from Microsoft! Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/another-great-perk-for-npower-clients http://www.npowernw.org/blog/another-great-perk-for-npower-clients Mandi Moshay Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:13:00 -0800 Mandi Moshay In the age of Internet search engines, what could be simpler than typing in the services your nonprofit needs and combing the results? The problem is, with traditional search engines, the results can be overwhelming or biased toward those that appear on the first page. Worse, what you’re really looking for may not be there at all or buried so far down the list that you never see it. And then there’s the issue of quality. When it comes to consultants and other service providers that appear, what would their clients say about them? There’s a better way to find nonprofit resources and referrals, especially here in Washington State. Read more... In the age of Internet search engines, what could be simpler than typing in the services your nonprofit needs and combing the results? The problem is, with traditional search engines, the results can be overwhelming or biased toward those that appear on the first page. Worse, what you’re really looking for may not be there at all or buried so far down the list that you never see it. And then there’s the issue of quality. When it comes to consultants and other service providers that appear, what would their clients say about them? There’s a better way to find nonprofit resources and referrals, especially here in Washington State. Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/a-search-engine-designed-for-nonprofit-needs http://www.npowernw.org/blog/a-search-engine-designed-for-nonprofit-needs Mandi Moshay Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:05:00 -0800 Stephen Eggers Have a website or create content for the web? Do you want people to discover it, read it, interact with it, and use it? You can improve your chances of discovery through search engine optimization - the process of making your web content discoverable to those searching for it. Here are five quick tips to increase your website’s prominence with search engines. Have a website or create content for the web? Do you want people to discover it, read it, interact with it, and use it? You can improve your chances of discovery through search engine optimization - the process of making your web content discoverable to those searching for it. Here are five quick tips to increase your website’s prominence with search engines. http://www.npowernw.org/blog/5-simple-search-engine-optimization-tips http://www.npowernw.org/blog/5-simple-search-engine-optimization-tips Stephen Eggers Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Mandi Moshay NPower is pleased to welcome the newest member of our staff, Dennis Henderson. Dennis joined our team earlier this week and his work will be focused on providing fast, effective help desk service for our Managed Service clients. Dennis will be with us for six months as part of his work with Year Up, a fabulous technical and professional training program based here in Seattle. He’ll be helping triage support requests as they come in and learning the tech ropes with our consulting team. Welcome, Dennis! NPower is pleased to welcome the newest member of our staff, Dennis Henderson. Dennis joined our team earlier this week and his work will be focused on providing fast, effective help desk service for our Managed Service clients. Dennis will be with us for six months as part of his work with Year Up, a fabulous technical and professional training program based here in Seattle. He’ll be helping triage support requests as they come in and learning the tech ropes with our consulting team. Welcome, Dennis! http://www.npowernw.org/blog/welcome-dennis-henderson http://www.npowernw.org/blog/welcome-dennis-henderson Mandi Moshay Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Abby Nafziger This past Monday, I had the chance to host a Sunday Supper as a part of Points of Light Foundation’s National Day of Service to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As a part of my AmeriCorps VISTA assignment, it is a high priority to identify opportunities to educate myself and others on poverty-alleviation issues. Postponed due to Seattle’s epic snow storm two weeks ago, the evening was a great chance to gather friends together to share a potluck supper, watch a documentary, and discuss the issues facing public education in the US. We selected the film Waiting for Superman to jump-start conversation about the importance of education to help improve lives, end poverty, and restore neighborhoods. Read more... This past Monday, I had the chance to host a Sunday Supper as a part of Points of Light Foundation’s National Day of Service to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As a part of my AmeriCorps VISTA assignment, it is a high priority to identify opportunities to educate myself and others on poverty-alleviation issues. Postponed due to Seattle’s epic snow storm two weeks ago, the evening was a great chance to gather friends together to share a potluck supper, watch a documentary, and discuss the issues facing public education in the US. We selected the film Waiting for Superman to jump-start conversation about the importance of education to help improve lives, end poverty, and restore neighborhoods. Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/sunday-supper-learning-through-discussion http://www.npowernw.org/blog/sunday-supper-learning-through-discussion Abby Nafziger Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Mandi Moshay NPower is excited to announce the arrival of three new staff members. Read on to hear why they came to NPower and get links to their full bios... NPower is excited to announce the arrival of three new staff members. Read on to hear why they came to NPower and get links to their full bios... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/welcome-new-staffers http://www.npowernw.org/blog/welcome-new-staffers Mandi Moshay Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Elissa Thomas Thankfully the crazy winter weather is behind us and we were able to get back to normal last week and hold the next brown bag workshop in our free series: Choosing a Database. The brown bag conversation centered around the processes that are most crucial to selecting new database software. The focus was on assessing organizational needs and identifying technology goals in order to better serve your organization's mission. Read more... Thankfully the crazy winter weather is behind us and we were able to get back to normal last week and hold the next brown bag workshop in our free series: Choosing a Database. The brown bag conversation centered around the processes that are most crucial to selecting new database software. The focus was on assessing organizational needs and identifying technology goals in order to better serve your organization's mission. Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/choose-a-database-brown-bag http://www.npowernw.org/blog/choose-a-database-brown-bag Elissa Thomas Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Elissa Thomas Seattle was home to several service activities and events leading up to and inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. Day. My fellow AmeriCorps VISTA, Abby and I participated in the Community Resource Exchange, an annual event organized by United Way of King County. Service providers filled the CenturyLink Event Center to provide information and basic resources to around 2,400 homeless guests, nearly double the number helped last year. Read more... Seattle was home to several service activities and events leading up to and inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. Day. My fellow AmeriCorps VISTA, Abby and I participated in the Community Resource Exchange, an annual event organized by United Way of King County. Service providers filled the CenturyLink Event Center to provide information and basic resources to around 2,400 homeless guests, nearly double the number helped last year. Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/americorps-team-out-in-the-community http://www.npowernw.org/blog/americorps-team-out-in-the-community Elissa Thomas Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Mandi Moshay Have you ever found yourself entering donation data into your database, and then having to enter it again into your financial management software? Duplicative data entry is not only frustrating, but it creates a higher risk of human error, and takes you away from doing more important, mission-focused work. That is exactly why NPower designed the CRM to QB Link app. Thanks to generous funding from Microsoft, CRM to QB Link was created as part of Tech Soup's App It Up program. Read more... Have you ever found yourself entering donation data into your database, and then having to enter it again into your financial management software? Duplicative data entry is not only frustrating, but it creates a higher risk of human error, and takes you away from doing more important, mission-focused work. That is exactly why NPower designed the CRM to QB Link app. Thanks to generous funding from Microsoft, CRM to QB Link was created as part of Tech Soup's App It Up program. Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/ready-to-do-away-with-double-donation-data-entry-there2019s-an-app-for-that http://www.npowernw.org/blog/ready-to-do-away-with-double-donation-data-entry-there2019s-an-app-for-that Mandi Moshay Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Mandi Moshay I think we can all agree that 2011 was a really hard year - for nonprofits, for community members and, as we’ve become fond of saying, to just be a human. The political and financial instability at home and across the world has made for lots of feelings of anxiety, leading many of us to reflect on our values and our work. It can be easy to focus on the negative aspects of life - complaining about how hard it is, wishing for the good ol’ days. But, really, that isn’t much of a strategy. We, at NPower, believe that the genius is in action forward. Of course, we don’t have all the answers. But we’re willing to contemplate this big question: What is our role in creating a thriving community? Read more... I think we can all agree that 2011 was a really hard year - for nonprofits, for community members and, as we’ve become fond of saying, to just be a human. The political and financial instability at home and across the world has made for lots of feelings of anxiety, leading many of us to reflect on our values and our work. It can be easy to focus on the negative aspects of life - complaining about how hard it is, wishing for the good ol’ days. But, really, that isn’t much of a strategy. We, at NPower, believe that the genius is in action forward. Of course, we don’t have all the answers. But we’re willing to contemplate this big question: What is our role in creating a thriving community? Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/our-dream-for-the-sector-in-2012 http://www.npowernw.org/blog/our-dream-for-the-sector-in-2012 Mandi Moshay Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Mandi Moshay You may have read on our site, or heard one of our staff members say that NPower strives to create a sector-wide impact through effective use of technology within nonprofit organizations. What do we mean by that, exactly? How can a small Northwest nonprofit help to change the face of the entire nonprofit sector? We’re trying a few things: innovative thinking, a strong belief in the power of technology, and (because we can't do it alone) strong collaborations with community partners. The work NPower has been doing in recent years with a subset of community land trusts (CLTs) exemplifies the potential for one technology tool to change the way nonprofits do their work. Read more... You may have read on our site, or heard one of our staff members say that NPower strives to create a sector-wide impact through effective use of technology within nonprofit organizations. What do we mean by that, exactly? How can a small Northwest nonprofit help to change the face of the entire nonprofit sector? We’re trying a few things: innovative thinking, a strong belief in the power of technology, and (because we can't do it alone) strong collaborations with community partners. The work NPower has been doing in recent years with a subset of community land trusts (CLTs) exemplifies the potential for one technology tool to change the way nonprofits do their work. Read more... http://www.npowernw.org/blog/local-investment-creates-a-national-impact http://www.npowernw.org/blog/local-investment-creates-a-national-impact Mandi Moshay Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:00:00 -0800 Peg Giffels And the forecast today in Seattle calls for...slush.We are officially open for business today at 23rd and Jackson, however our consultants will be using their best judgment about travel. If you have an in-person meeting or a Managed Services visit with an NPower consultant today, please email ahead of time to confirm. Stay warm and dry! And the forecast today in Seattle calls for...slush.We are officially open for business today at 23rd and Jackson, however our consultants will be using their best judgment about travel. If you have an in-person meeting or a Managed Services visit with an NPower consultant today, please email ahead of time to confirm. Stay warm and dry! http://www.npowernw.org/blog/npower-is-open-friday-1-19 http://www.npowernw.org/blog/npower-is-open-friday-1-19 Peg Giffels Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:20:00 -0800