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Benton Best Practices Toolkit

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Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 13:06:06 -0500 From: Jillaine Smith To: jillaine@benton.org Subject: UPDATE: Benton Best Practices Toolkit

Benton Best Practices Toolkit UPDATE: 27 March 1998

Benton's "Best Practices Toolkit" (http://www.benton.org/Practice/Tool kit) is a list of Internet and other resources aimed at helping nonprofits make better use of information and communications technologies in their work.

If someone forwarded this message to you and you'd like to receive this email update directly from us, just send a request to <mailto:best@benton.org>.

New items in the Toolkit between 3/16/98 and 3/27/98:

New to this update: What's Working in Advocacy Online examples of effective advocacy web sites (see below)

Great tools for nonprofits

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NetAction has added an online course, The Virtual Activist (http://www.netaction.org/training/), to its site. Sections include "Using Email for Outreach, Organizing and Advocacy," "Web-Based Outreach and Advocacy Tools," and "Membership and Fundraising," among others. What I like most about this approach is that it focuses on the activities of advocacy organizations and NOT on the technology. Excellent work from three veteran net-activists, Audrie Krause, Michael Stein, and Judi Clark.

Nonprofit-related electronic newsletters

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The Department of Commerce NTIA TIIAP program publishes "News from the Field" (http://www. ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/Newsletter/t_news1.htm) that highlights the activities and lessons learned from TIIAP grantees. A useful source for both "best practices" and "toolkit" type information. See also their "Networks for People" for articles about some of the more successful TIIAP projects. (http://www. ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/resources/netpmenu.htm)

Impact Online has created a new monthly e-newsletter, Virtual Verve (http://www.impactonline.org/vv/), that highlights and encourages the development of computer-aided volunteer opportunities.

Nonprofit-related electronic discussion lists

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American Philanthropy Review has set up a number of online discussions (http://philanthropy-review.com/foru ms/) on topics related to fundraising, including: grants and foundations; development consulting; fundraising events; health care philanthropy; arts and cultural organizations; and a "big tent" mailing list for any topic relevant to the nonprofit sector.

Fundraising on the Internet

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Robbin Zeff has compiled a good set of recommendations on her "Fundraising on the Internet" site (http://www.zeff.com/html/fundrai sing.html), including the use of online donation and membership forms, tips on developing an email database, payment methods, foundation fundraising, corporate partners, and prospect research.

Anna Couey, long-time Internetworker, wrote a good article for MicroTimes, "Fundraising over the Internet" (http://www.microtimes.com/ 158/fundraising.html), in which she cautions not to expect streams of fundraising success, "but if you're using the Internet to meet other needs and can weave fundraising into it, you just might build yourself a trickle of revenue you wouldn't otherwise have."

Paul Ventura has written an excellent piece, "Web-Wise Fundraising," (http://www.sover.net/~ paulven/workshop/wwf1.html) that looks at the different elements of fundraising on the Internet, including highlights of what different organizations have done.

Papers & Books

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"How Users Read on the Web," by Jakob Nielsen, provides techniques for improving the readability of web sites. He finds that people don't "read" on the web, they scan. Suggestions to improve web sites include highlighting keywords, creating meaningful sub-headings and using bulleted lists. (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/97 10a.html)

"Red Cross Moves from Paper to Internet," (http://www.phila nthropy-journal.org/vol/redcross0398.htm), an article from the Philanthropy Journal about Red Cross's efforts and challenges to move more of their communications activities online.

NEW!! What's Working: Advocacy Online:

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The following are updates to "What's Working: Advocacy Online," an evolving section of Benton's Best Practices web site. This section of our web site evaluates and promotes effective advocacy web sites. For the full list, please visit:

http://www.benton.org/Practi ce/Best/advoc.html

Children's Defense Fund (http://www.childrensdefense.org) While this site does not immediately call the viewer to act on behalf of children, the daily news updates are informative, and the information provided does an excellent job of educating concerned citizens about the issues. An advocacy network mailing list, as well as weekly CDF policy mailings, complement the information available on the site. Disadvantages: you have to wade through a fair amount of slogan-heavy language to get to the meat of the site.

Child Welfare League of America (http://www.cwla.org) CWLA is predominantly a service provider, but advocacy opportunities exist here through an action alert area that lists current legislation with details on who to call and what to say. The site also includes an excellent "advocacy tips" section to make your advocacy efforts more successful.

Environmental Defense Fund (http://www.edf.org) EDF, in addition to the usual alerts and news, encourages visitors to join their EDF Activist Network-- fill out an online form and commit to taking 3 or more EDF actions in a 12-month period, and EDF's actions will be emailed to you. The site also has several online (and searchable!) discussion forums (fora, actually) on such topics as endangered species, global warming, and energy efficiency. I particularly enjoy their list of "practical actions" one can take, including how to buy "green electricity," their "action guide to greener paper," and "what you should know about lead in china dishes." This site is a good, balanced mix of action opportunities (via web and email), "green" news, and practical how-to information.

Human Rights Campaign (www.hrc.org) This site wastes no time in letting you know what they're concerned about and what they want you to do about it. Currently, the smiling face of Ellen Degeneris invites you to write to television network decision-makers in an effort to save one of the few gay-friendly family programming shows available on television. The site gives you the names, addresses and telephone numbers of who to contact, and suggested language for what to say. The site also makes use of Microsoft's "Active Channels," which when downloaded to your computer's desktop, provides instant desktop access to HRC's Online Action Center and notification of news updates. Since this reviewer is still loyal to Netscape, this feature remains unexplored.

Kickbutt.org (www.kickbutt.org) This organization's approach is worth noting: The organization's name is "Washington Doctors Ought to Care" but they have specifically chosen a domain name and project name that is much more attention-grabbing. The site lists current legislation and both government and media contacts. If you join them (free of charge and confidential), they'll email your messages to Congress and the media for you. The site also includes extensive information to inform activists about the health issues related to smoking.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (www.ngltlf.org) While the site is not very action-oriented, it provides excellent coverage of current news and legislation happening around the country pertaining to their particular issue area-- gay rights. Put this approach together with the HRC model described above, and you'd have an excellent model for a national organization that is trying to help local grassroots efforts; i.e.: providing information specific to a locality, and giving people tools online to act now.

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How do you use this information? And to whom do you pass it on? Please let us know: <mailto:best@benton.org>.

I want to thank the following people for alerting me (and therefore, you!) to some of the new tools listed in this and other updates:- Steve Albertson, ONEList (http://www.onenw.org)- Jayne Cravens, Coyote Communications (http://www.coyote.com)- Michael Gilbert, Internet Nonprofit Center (http://www.nonprofits.org) and Information for Nonprofits (http://www.nonprofit-info.org/)- Martha Simpson, SF Support Center for Nonprofit Management (http://www.supportcenter.org/sf/)- John Walker, CSS Internet News (http://www.networx.on.ca/~jwalker)- Phil Noble, Andy Brack & the folks at .NETPULSE (http://www.politicsonline.com/news/)

Be sure to check out their sites for good nonprofit information.

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(c) Benton Foundation ph:202-638-5770 fax:202-638-5771 email: mailto:best@benton.org WWW: http://www.benton.org ```

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