How to Keep Your Head Above the Tech Waterline

Developing a PlanLook at other sites

Have your text ready

Know your current software capacity, it might have a website component that works for your organization

Customer Relations Management software or donation software

Know your budget

A website can cost you anywhere from $0-$100,000

There are options for any budget

http://www.idealware.org/blog/2008/10/how-much-does-nonprofit-website-cost.html

Developing a PlanHave a short term and long term plan

If you don’t have the money to do a big site, do something small now to establish web presence and work toward a goal

Know where you want to go with your site, how to expand

Finding a domain name for your site

You can buy a domain http://www.dotster.com/

Try to find a name that people would type into a search engine

Finding a web hosting provider

You don’t want to host your website on your own computer or server because there will be times the internet connection goes down. A hosting provider has backup internet connections, emergency power generators, reliable backup systems and strong firewalls

Buy a hosting plan you can grow

http://www.idealware.org/articles/fgt_web_hosting_providers.php

Starting a New SiteGoogle Site

http://sites.google.com/

You must sign up with Google accounts first

Using a Blog as your website

http://www.blogger.com/

http://www.typepad.com/

Using a Wiki as your website

http://www.wikispaces.com/ ($10 a year from Techsoup)

Creating a CASA EZ Site

http://www.ezsitelaunch.com/ or http://www.casawebsites.com/

Initial fee of $197 with a $29.95/month hosting package

http://sites.google.com/

http://sites.google.com/

http://sites.google.com/

http://sites.google.com/

http://sites.google.com/

http://www.blogger.com/

http://www.blogger.com/

http://www.casawebsites.com/

http://www.casawebsites.com/

Website VisibilityIncrease your website's visibility through easy steps

1. Quality text

2. Have sites similar to yours link to yours

3. Submit your site to search engines

http://www.google.com/addurl/

http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit

http://www.dmoz.org/add.html

4. Update frequently

5. Make yourself accessible

Have a phone number and email on your site. Email must be generic or an admin email because of spam.

For more visit http://www.idealware.org/articles/found_on_search_engines.php

Website AssessmentSurvey people who use your website

Evaluate your web site for free through Google Analytics http://www.google.com/analytics/

For this you need to copy code (HTML) onto your website which you can not always do from the EZ Sites

Find out where your site visitors are coming from, what pages they use and what pages they stay on the longest.

Evaluate your web site for free through Google Analytics http://www.google.com/analytics/

For this you need to copy code (HTML) onto your website

Screenshot here of google analytics

Find out where your site visitors are coming from, what pages they use and what pages they stay on longest.

Social NetworksThink about using social networks in your organization

If someone is familiar with a social network within your organization, ask if they could create a group/page or microblog for your organization

Social networks can be an easy way to create an online community and to get your message out to a different audience.

Facebook.com

Myspace.com

Delicious.com

Twitter.com

http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/forums/t/24218.aspx

http://www.idealware.org/articles/should_you_social_network.php

Email Marketing• These online tools can allow you to send plain emails

to a list for free:

• Google Groups: groups.google.com

• Yahoo Groups: groups.yahoo.com

• Topica: lists.topica.com

• Article on lots of different email marketing tools:

http://www.idealware.org/articles/fgt_email_newsletter_tools.php

Email Marketing• Get free email marketing tools that let you send out

10,000 emails a month.

• Use friendly email builders

• You can create emails, postcards and surveys that look very professional.

• Email Marketing from Vertical Response, free for non-profits

• http://www.verticalresponse.com/non-profits/

• Constant Contact offers a program for non-profits. A buying customer can refer one non-profit for a free account.

• http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/cares4kids-faq.jsp

Email MarketingFor more advanced website developers:

• If you’re already running Drupal or CivicSpace, those programs offer email marketing within the programs

• If someone in your organization is knowledgeable in PHP, you could try out PHPList.org

Going Farther

• http://www.google.com/grants/

• Use keywords that people would type into a search engine to find your organization

Going Farther• You can use your website to accept online donations with a ‘Donate

Now’ button

• Network for Good charges about 3% of each donation with no other fees.

• http://www.networkforgood.org/Npo/fundraising/donations/direction.aspx

• Donate Now/Just Give charges about 3% of each donation with no other fees.

• https://www.justgive.org/nonprofit-resources/index.jsp

• Integrated donate pages charge 3-8% of the amount collected in donations plus monthly fees ranging from $15 - $1000 or more

• http://www.etapestry.com/webservices

• http://www.memberclicks.com

• http://www2.democracyinaction.org/

Article on the different online donation options http://www.idealware.org/donations/intro.php

Partner Up

• Partner with people who have the tech skills you are looking for. People want to use their talents, you just have to find them.• Use people in the community that are connected to

your organization. • They will already know your organization’s values

• Go to your local university or technical college to find a tech volunteer or non-profit technology program

Collaborate OnlineGoogle Docs is a free, web-based word processor,

spreadsheet, presentation, and form application offered by Google. It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users. docs.google.com/

Google Apps is a free Google service that offers online document, spreadsheet, email, websites and more.

Registered non-profits with current 501(c)(3) status in the U.S. now qualify for Google Apps Education Edition

Sign up at http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/education/new

Article that compares Google Apps to Microsoft Outlook http://www.idealware.org/articles/google_apps_outlook.php

Collaborate OnlineVideo conferencing is helpful when you cant be

somewhere and need to show visuals, see the same document or make decisions.

Skype.com

Freeconference.com

Web Meeting

ReadyTalk delivers audio and web meeting services that help you sell, market, educate and collaborate remotely

$45/year for 2 users (TechSoup Stock)

Article that explains conferencing tools http://www.idealware.org/articles/fgt_online_conferencing.php

Web 2.0 on your Website• Add a Blog in addition to your current website

• Blogging needs to be done regularly.

• Podcasting on your website?

• Podcasting can be very time consuming.

• Need to think if it will be worth your time. Will people invested in your organization be interested in listening to a podcast.

• Need a microphone and software that can edit audio (and lots of time)

• Think about ways you can have users add to your website. Give them a way to talk back; that is the future of websites.

SoftwareTechsoup.org

Techsoup is a website targeted at nonprofits that provides how-to's, community and other resources around the use of technology in nonprofit organizations.

Idealware.orgThrough product comparisons, recommendations, case

studies, and software news, Idealware allows nonprofits to make the software decisions that will help them be more effective.

Nten.orgNonprofit Technology Network - NTEN is a community of

peers who share technology solutions across the sector and support each other’s work.

Recap and Next StepsHow to get a website up and runningLong term and short term plan for websiteSpecific sites that YOU can change and

updateHow to get free/reduced priced advertising,

email marketing and softwareHow to use Web 2.0 to create a community

and reach a different audience

Visit us online atKidsmatterinc.org

Contact: Megan Bruzan megan.bruzan@kidsmatterinc.org

Phone: 414-344-1220 ex. 18Follow on Twitter: meganme