Big news for nonprofits looking for additional online visibility: The YouTube Nonprofit Program has arrived. The program, announced at last week's Clinton Global Initiative, enables organizations with 501c3 tax filing status in the US to receive a free nonprofit-specific YouTube channel. Once a channel is set up, member organizations can upload footage of their work, public service announcements, calls to action and more. The channel will also allow nonprofits to collect donations with no processing costs using the newly launched Google Checkout for Nonprofits.
Photo by jonsson
The YouTube development follows closely on the heels of Google Apps for Nonprofits and Google Earth Outreach – both of which allow nonprofit organizations to take advantage of the suite of innovative software that Google has made available.
At the release, YouTube's Chad Hurley said, "When YouTube was founded we dreamed that people would someday leverage the site to make the world a better place…It is an honor to have great organizations and individuals utilizing YouTube to raise awareness of noble causes and we are thrilled to offer a program that helps them thrive and inspire change." In the coming months, YouTube plans to create a centralized area on their site for nonprofit organizations, making them and their videos more easily discoverable. We're looking forward to seeing what channels pop up soon, given that this program is now available to more than 1.5 million organizations that serve the public good.
Have you started a channel already? We invite you to share a link in the Comment box below.
Map of a cleanup to be held in Madrid
Think Globally, Act Locally takes on a whole new meaning when Google Maps are added to the mix. In collaboration with the UN Environment Programme and several other organizations, including Idealist, Google is using their mapping technology to show the global impact of small groups around the world who are participating in International Cleanup Weekend on October 13 and 14. According to the Google blog, the hope is that "many small cleanups add up to one big impact." More than 100 maps have been submitted to the project so far, from Tokyo to Johannesburg to Newport Beach, California. Visit the Cleanup site on Google for simple instructions on how to participate.
Last week's podcast profiled Iain Purdie and his walk across Europe to raise funds for a Vietnamese charity. This week we continue our two-part series on "ultrawalkers" as we introduce you to Val Moran, who is raising awareness about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours for the Australian organization SIDS and Kids. A thousand miles would be challenging for anyone, but at age 65 Val is charging forward with humor and determination. In this episode, Val discusses the distant relative who inspired her to walk as well as the ways SIDS changed her own life and family.
Listen to this episode.
For more information about Idealist.org Podcasts, click here.
The annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative last week was marked by seemingly unlikely combinations of people. During a workshop on poverty alleviation, the President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, gave shoutouts to a De Beers diamond company heir and to the CEO of Starbucks, both of whom were also in the room. In another surprising sight, Wangari Maathai (founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate) and Ted Turner (billionaire founder of TV networks CNN, TBS, and TNT) strolled in together on the second day of the conference.
photo by JRandomF
Besides providing an opportunity to network with influential people and spot celebrities like Martha Stewart, Shakira, and Angelina Jolie, the annual meeting was focused on how to make the world a better place, in relation to four main themes: education, energy and climate change, global health, and poverty alleviation. Participants not only discussed issues and possible solutions, but they were actually required to make commitments to projects--and follow through on those commitments in order to return to the annual meeting next year.
The 167 commitments generated this year include donations, fundraising efforts, public-private partnerships, business plans, new programs, and challenging goals for existing programs. They represent a wide range of projects in a wide range of locations throughout the world. The Hashoo Foundation commits to starting a honey bee farming project to empower women to generate a stable source of income in rural Pakistan. ASSET4 commits to research the world's 3,000 largest corporations to show the positive link between environmental performance and financial performance. Merck commits to donate at least three million doses of the HPV vaccine to girls and women in low-income countries. Sesame Workshop commits to launching the first Afghan-led Sesame Street educational television program.
While not everyone can be invited to participate in the exclusive annual meetings, you can still get involved in the Clinton Global Initiative commitments. Through the Partnership Opportunities page, you or your organization can connect with one of the CGI projects that may need help fulfilling its commitment. College and university students and administrators can get involved in a new program called CGI U, where they will go through a similar process of making commitments. And anyone with internet access can visit MyCommitment, where you'll find tips and resources for changing the world, and user-submitted stories and projects.
For a few decades now, gaming systems from Atari to the Wii have provided people of all ages with catchy soundtracks, memorable characters and larger than life excitement. Now, some game developers are making it possible for anyone with computer access to help their communities while having as much fun as, say, racing Mario in a go-kart.
Photo by Rebecca Pollard
Village the Game, set to come out this year, uses "real world villages to raise awareness of Third World problems." Assuming the role of entrepreneur, the player can test sustainable solutions such as running a microcredit bank, selling irrigation pumps and bringing affordable solar power and mobile phone technology to a village. The game also encourages action beyond the screen, such as forming groups with other players to enact change in the non-virtual world.
Ayiti: The Cost of Life is another game that simulates real life scenarios. Created by game developers at Gamelab in conjunction with high schoolers as part of the Global Kids Digital Media Initiative, Ayiti challenges the player to give a better life to a poor rural family in Haiti. If you're more interested in learning how to connect with people about a specific issue, the Organizing Game helps players become top notch door-knockers, honing skills from identifying approachable houses to discerning commitment levels.
Know other examples of games moving people off their couches and into their communities? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
Photo by exfordy
October 15 is Blog Action Day, when more than 7,000 bloggers around the world will write about a single topic: the environment. The organizers of Blog Action Day write: "We are aiming not to push any particular agenda. Aside from the choice of theme each year, we encourage bloggers to write their own opinions, give weight to what they think is important and to be themselves." If you blog or produce podcasts or video blogs, click here for simple instructions on how to participate.
A few of our US-based staff attended the Green Festival in Washington, DC this past weekend. Organized by Global Exchange and Co-Op America, the aim of the festival was to "celebrate what's working in our communities -- for people, for business and for the environment."
Community Outreachers at the Festival
Bringing so many businesses, organizations and people into one huge convention center meant the possibilities for connection were endless. Festival organizers ran a food drive both days, collecting healthy donations for the Capital Area Food Bank. Attendees received an admission discount if they brought along five books to donate to Better World Books. Speakers and workshops, yoga and movement classes, live music and samples of organic and fair trade goodies all tickled the mind and senses.
Conference organizers donated some of their reserved spaces in DC's Convention Center for the simultaneous "What's the Economy For, Anyway?" conference. A project of the Forum on Social Wealth, this event brought together activists, authors, policy makers and others to talk about "current problems, comparisons to the economic performance of other industrial countries, and concrete policy solutions for a happier, healthier, most just and sustainable United States." Since space considerations can often make or break the success of a conference, it was great to see this collaboration unfold.
More Green Festivals will be held around the US this year; click here to see if one will be held in a city near you.
Over the past year, Helium.com has gathered nearly 80,000 members to form "a community of writers who are revolutionizing publishing." Visitors to the website can click on any number of topics, from Jobs and Careers to Education , to see related questions being debated by contributing writers. After perusing the contributions, readers can vote for the most sound arguments, and the pieces receiving majority votes rise to the top of the page, like helium in a balloon. Helium.com also hosts a marketplace where publishers and freelancers can connect, discussion boards and loads more.
Now, organizations like The Sunlight Foundation and Teachers Without Borders are taking advantage of a free service that Helium.com offers to nonprofits. Participating organizations partner with Helium to "bring civilized debate and different perspectives to issues that reflect their missions." Helium hosts a page for each participating group, and then the organization chooses which issues and topics they'd like community members to write about.
If this sounds like a fresh way to hear some new voices sounding off about your mission and programs, check out the Causes & Issues page now.
A postcard from the organizers of Idealist's Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good:
Attendees at the Washington, DC fair
Our East Coast and European leg of the grad fair tour was a whirlwind - we covered seven cities in four countries in 22 days. The fairs in Philadelphia, Toronto, London and Geneva were inaugural events for those locations. It was fun to meet many of you from our Idealist network in the US, Canada, the UK and Switzerland!
We heard from many of you in person and over e-mail that our fairs were a great opportunity for you to meet with representatives from various graduate programs and that you also learned about new graduate programs. Emily G wrote: “...if I hadn't attended your event last year, I wouldn't have (a) Thought that I might actually apply to grad school or (b) Been accepted to Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs! Thank you for inspiring me to apply, which results in me writing to you from my couch in New York City…4 blocks away from SIPA, embarking on a diplomacy track for a Master's in International Affairs. Good luck with this year's fair!”
Thanks, Emily! We hope to inspire some more of you to pursue your graduate degree for the public good. This week we'll head to the Midwest, spending Monday in Minneapolis, Tuesday in Chicago and Thursday in Denver.
If you have a comment or success story after attending one of our fairs, please post a comment below. We love to hear from you!
Looking for a job making a difference in the world? As we kick off our sixth national series of Idealist Nonprofit Career Fairs with events this month in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR, we hope to help connect all sorts of people with meaningful career opportunities. You can view our entire fair lineup and register to attend on the main Idealist Nonprofit Career Fairs page.
These events are totally free, and they're not just for recent college graduates; as the nonprofit sector grows and continues to address a wide range of social and environmental issues, the need for people with diverse perspectives and experiences is becoming even more important.
For people thinking about transitioning from other sectors into nonprofit work, we're holding separate workshops dedicated to helping you navigate this exciting new era in your career. You can find more info about these events at this page, for Seattle (on Monday, October 15) and at this page, for Portland (on Monday, October 22).
The old notion that all nonprofit employees are social workers and fundraisers is out the door! Today the sector employs accountants, public interest lawyers, doctors, event planners, public relations managers, technology specialists, facilities managers, in addition to volunteer coordinators, issue advocates, mentors, and everything in between.
Of course, working in the nonprofit sector isn't the only way to make a difference. Careers with social enterprise organizations and in socially responsible positions at businesses are rapidly gaining in prominence and prevalence. Coming up in New York on October 27th, StartingBloc is hosting one of the first career fairs of for-profit social good jobs called the Career Accelerator. Like Idealist Career Fairs, the Career Accelerator – hosted with the support of CSRwire, United Way of New York City, Idealist and others - will give participants the opportunity to find jobs, internships, research, funding and volunteering opportunities linked with best practices in social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility.
We hope to see you at these and other Idealist events!
In a posting last week we mentioned Blog Action Day, when more than 15,000 bloggers around the internet write about a single topic from all different viewpoints. Today is the day, and we decided to see what we’d find on Idealist related to the environment, this year’s action topic. We plugged the keyword "environment" into our search engine, which yielded more than 10,000 results, including nine related Idealist Groups. We then focused our search on organizations uniting people, ideas and resources to address climate change, specifically. Here’s a sampling of what we found:
The US-based Step It Up campaign is preparing for its second National Day of Climate Action to take place in the US on November 3. To get involved, you can search their website for an event near you, or search Idealist using the keywords "Step It Up 2007."
OneWorld UK recently launched the website OneClimate.net, an online community where members can create personal "eco-profiles," ask and answer climate-related questions, and "join with new friends around the world to tackle climate change." Users can search the Experiences page for testimonials about initiatives currently underway, such as this renewable energy campaign in the Dominican Republic.
The Orion Society, a membership-based organization, "aims to to inform, inspire, and engage individuals and grassroots organizations in becoming a significant cultural force for healing nature and community." On their Grassroots Network website, more than 1,000 organizations have posted resources, jobs, internships and events related to energy, conservation, health and myriad other topics relating to the environment.
The Blog Action Day organizers are blogging throughout the day, so check out their page, for up-to-the-minute updates!
At the Craigslist Foundation Nonprofit Boot Camp in San Francisco this summer, Ami, our executive director, was invited to share the lessons he's learned about running an organization in the twelve years since he founded Action Without Borders. If you’d like to listen to his thoughts on working with funders, hiring the right people and persevering during the early days, you can download the podcast of the talk.
Ladies and Gentlemen: Ami Dar
For your listening pleasure, we’ve recently produced several Idealist Podcasts, covering topics such as nonprofit careers and community action. We’re always looking for story ideas and “connections” to highlight, so please share your suggestions with our podcast team.
Last weekend two Idealist staffers attended the Engaging Our World conference at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. This regional gathering brought together students from around the Southeast United States who are engaged in activism and service on their campuses and in their communities. As always, we enjoyed the opportunity to let more people know about Idealist. But more importantly, we spent the whole day listening to what college and university students had to say about such topics as channeling their passions into a meaningful career path and maximizing the impact of their work through collaboration.
We're looking forward to attending another student event in November: College Convention 2008 in Manchester, New Hampshire, which will use the 2008 US presidential election as the backdrop for a gathering of hundreds of politically-engaged and civic-minded high school and college students from across the United States.
If you're a member of a campus community and you're interested in being involved with the "largest convening in the country of campus community members involved in service, activism, politics, advocacy, and other socially responsible work across philosophical and ideological lines," visit the National Campus Conference site. This conference "builds on the legacy set forth by the COOL Conference and the Idealist Campus Conference, spanning an incredible 20+ year history."
Throughout the school year, you can visit Idealist On Campus where you’ll find resources, workshops, trainings and helpful hints on how to strengthen your student or campus community group.
Starting this December, qualifying nonprofit organizations worldwide can take advantage of a five year, one million Flip Video Camcorder giveaway. The idea is that many organizations would benefit from the opportunity to "affordably use video as a tool to highlight the need for their services, better communicate with their donors, and broadcast their accomplishments to the world."
Jonathan Kaplan, Chairperson and CEO of Pure Digital Technologies, announced the giveaway program during this year's annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, encouraging attendees to "imagine the impact that video would make if every on-the-ground staff member or volunteer had both a camcorder and the ability to broadcast their message to the world.” Do you suddenly find yourself wanting a camcorder? The details can be found at Flip Video's site.
Whichever hemisphere you call home, chances are that October has ushered in a dramatic new season. Whether you have buds on the trees and brighter, warmer mornings or gold and peachy-red leaves and earlier sunsets, equinox seasons are a great time to get outdoors and volunteer.
Photo by Pot Noodle via Flickr
Volunteering at a local park or natural area is a terrific way to take full advantage of this month's mild weather. Celebrate the early days of spring by getting parks and trails ready for summer while soaking up a well-deserved dose of sunshine. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, check out the autumn leaves and enjoy the last nice days of the year while assisting with invasive species removal or tree planting.
To find outdoor opportunities in your area, visit our Volunteer Opportunities listing. Try selecting "Environment and Ecology" as your Area of Specialty or entering keywords like "park," "trail," or "trees."
The heat of summer or dreariness of winter will be here before you know it, so consider getting outside and volunteering!
Connecting at the Philadelphia Fair
If you live along the US Pacific Coast, chances are we're bringing a Graduate Degree Fair for the Public Good to a city near you in the next couple of weeks. We’ll be in Seattle (today, October 23), Portland on October 25, San Francisco on October 29, Los Angeles on October 30, and San Diego on November 1. Whew!
Like the Pac-10 Conference of Champions, a college athletics conference for teams in western United States, our "Pac-5" Idealist.org Grad Fairs convene and give you access to some of the best players in graduate education. Some universities attending the west coast fairs include American University, Columbia, Harvard, John Hopkins, Yale, and many more. Their programs offer Masters or Doctorate degrees ranging from education and public policy to social work, international affairs, and urban planning.
The representatives from the grad schools attend our fairs looking to meet individuals who are passionate about and committed to making a difference. They are eager to talk with you about your graduate education options and help you decide whether their program is a good fit with your personal and professional goals.
You can see the specific list of schools scheduled to attend the fair in your city by following one of the links above. Take some time to visit each school’s site. You may discover an interesting program you've never heard about or considered before. Then come on down to the fair nearest you and have a conversation with an admissions representative. Who knows where it might take you?
We've posted our second Idealist Careers Podcast: an interview with Katrina Mathis, the Recruitment Specialist with AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). Since 2005, AmeriCorps*NCCC teams from all over the U.S. have all contributed to rebuilding the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Idealist.org's Amy Potthast interviewed Katrina about the work and roles of NCCC members, their relationships with each other and with the people in the communities where they serve.
To download the episode now, click here.
Nowadays the internet is crawling with free tools, tips and resources anyone can access to strengthen their online advocacy work. One of these is the online version of The Internet Advocacy Book by Michael Organ, a free resource intended for non-profit executives, cause marketing consultants, and political campaign professionals. According to the website, "Rather than a "how to" format, The Internet Advocacy Book is written as a "how better to" guide, with laser-focus on the best uses of your internet-advocacy time." Topics on the site include internet press releases, advocacy blogging, and email alerts, to name a few.
If you're looking for additional resources, you may find Idealist's Nonprofit FAQ, based on questions and answers exchanged by nonprofit professionals since 1994, to be helpful. We also have a page called Tools for Organizations, a collection of the most useful sites we have found on the Web for individuals starting, managing and funding a nonprofit organization.
Are there related resources you'd like to recommend? Leave a comment below!
It’s probably happened to you: like a cartoon superhero with a light bulb over your head, you have a brilliant idea. But what do you do next? Without the help and support you might need and the money to get started the idea will probably fade away.
Photo by clgregor via Flickr
Ideablob aims to keep that light bulb burning, providing an online space for social entrepreneurs to share ideas. Each month, the person behind one innovative concept receives $10,000 to get it off the ground. There are five days left to vote for October's winner!
Ideablob isn’t the only one shelling out $10,000 for innovation. This past month Razoo hosted a Change Your World competition. The big winners were Students Helping Honduras (SHH), a group that connects US students with service projects. SHH will be using the funds to build a school and buy seeds to replace crops that were destroyed during Hurricane Felix.
And, a plug for Idealist: visit our listings of groups and organizations that are a result of ideas that people have already turned into reality.
Halloween offers an opportunity to spread the word about the issues you're passionate about. For example, you can introduce your neighbors and classmates to the fair trade movement by giving out fair trade chocolates and other treats. Try a Trick or Treat Action Kit from Global Exchange. If you're a teacher, you can engage students in a conversation about social stereotypes through a study of popular Halloween costumes, using a curriculum created by Tolerence.org. While you're trick-or-treating, you can collect donations for a local food bank.
Photo by hll!H on Flickr
This is also a great time to plug into local action and volunteer opportunities. In New York, you can march in the Spooks Not Nukes costume parade. In New Hampshire, there's a Halloween Beach Cleanup being planned; in Arizona, a cultural festival to celebrate Día de los Muertos. Volunteers are needed to help throw Halloween parties at an Alzheimer's care center in Fairfax, Virginia; a homeless shelter in New York; and a children's museum in Denver.
It's easy to find more happenings: just type "Halloween" into the search bar above. And, finally, if your organization is hosting a holiday event, don't forget to post it on Idealist!
Photo by Beth Kanter, Beth's Blog
Last week, She's Geeky: A Women's Tech (un) Conference, brought together ladies who are loud and proud of their savvy Web 2.0 knowledge for two days of networking. The agenda was created the day of the event with participant input and topics ranged from hacking to wikis. The conference is not the only girl geek-friendly gathering. Virtually, Linux Chix and Ubuntu Women provide support for enthusiasts of free open source software. On a local level, DC Web Women is a Washington-based nonprofit that focuses on encouraging women in new media and technology.
If computers aren't your thing, but you'd like to connect with other groups of women channeling their energy and talent toward building a better world, check out our listing of Idealist Groups to see efforts being made by ladies from California to Iran.
Last month we posted an Idealist Community Podcast about Val Moran, the Australian grandmother aiming to walk 1000 miles in 1000 hours. Val, who lost a daughter to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) years ago, planned to raise money and awareness for the bereavement support organization SIDS and Kids through her walk.
Val Moran
We got an email from Val's son Gary this morning, who wrote: "You might have read on the 1000 Mile Walk website that Val has been diagnosed with a double stress fracture of a hip. Although she was directed by the doctor not to walk any further she has committed to completing the journey in a wheelchair. This is progressing well with 526 miles now complete."
Val's community in Australia has rallied around her - family members, radio DJs, even the Mayor of Queanbeyan have been taking turns pushing the wheelchair. What a journey!
Click here to listen to our interview with Val, and here to track her progress on the 1000 Mile Walk blog.
Big news for people working in nonprofit or public service careers: the U.S. Congress recently passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. This Act establishes a new public service loan forgiveness program, which eliminates any remaining student loan debt after the borrower has completed 10 years of full time employment in public service. The program will lighten the financial burden for those who choose nonprofit careers and may prove to be an important step forward in attracting more people to work in the sector.
Photo by iandavid on Flickr
You can read more about the program (including eligibility requirements) in this Q&A from the Project on Student Debt. You can also sign up for their newsletter to stay updated on the Act and related issues.
|
