“We make excel reporting fun!” Biznet’s website boasts. That’s a tall order considering a person only has to type the words, “hate excel” in any web browser to get a long list of articles and rants on why Excel is literally the worst. There’s even a book by Kelly Conaster and Patrick J. Burns entitled, I Hate Excel. So the real question is, does Biznet live up to their claim?

In Use:

Biznet software aims to help nonprofits save time on their monthly reporting. According to Sr. Global Alliance Manager Randy Smith, utilizing Biznet in lieu of Excel can save organizations 80% of time they would normally spend on these reports.

Biznet offers their customers three different products. Their main software, BizInsight helps nonprofits build reports more efficiently overall enhancing the experience. Once a report is built, a user can save the template and come back to it. If data changes, the whole report refreshes saving the user a significant amount of time. Their other two tools revolve around connecting data and sharing data. BizConnector allows users to get data from a dataset and filter it depending on what information is needed. With BizBroadcast, users can send the same report to multiple users in varying degrees. For instance a user can send one person a single sheet of data while sending others highly sensitive information from the same document that is also password protected. This saves the user time from having to send multiple versions.

While Biznet technologies are not solely for nonprofit organizations, Smith believes they offer a competitive price that organizations around the country can afford. The platform will cost users a minimum of $780 a year per user or $65 a month.

Technology Used:

Charities who wish to use Biznet software must download Excel. If an organization has Excel on-line, Biznet won’t work. This usually isn’t a problem as many organizations invest in Microsoft Office for day-to-day activities.

Biznet products directly integrate with over 35 different platforms such as Blackbaud, Epicore, and Microsoft Dynamics to make a seamless integration.

Ease of Use:

If a nonprofit has worked within Excel before, Biznet’s software is relatively easy to use. Smith stated that there was a minimal learning curve for those users who already have knowledge of Excel. For those who need a bit more help Biznet offers support, training and a video library that users can access.

Recap:

Biznet has found a way to not only make Excel fun but to save users time. Their tools enable nonprofits to analyze their data efficiently; connect datasets from outside of Excel; and distribute reports with ease.

Advantages:

* Saves users a significantly amount of time on monthly reports

* Excel users will find this software easy to use

* Multiple integrations including Blackbaud

Disadvantages

* While larger nonprofits may be able to afford $780 a year per user, small to medium organizations could not.

My Opinion:

Unlike the numerous users that loathe Excel, I actually really like it. I love to scrub my spreadsheet from unnecessary data. I love to filter data, sort it from A-Z…and don’t get me started on pivot tables. I could pivot for hours. One of the reasons I like Excel is because there’s a formula for everything. And if I don’t know a formula, a simple search can solve my problem.

I understand the lure of Biznet software, but I think $780 per user per year is pretty steep for many nonprofits. I would suggest investing in an Excel course and utilize one of the numerous Excel training videos on the internet.

For the past five years, Verified Volunteers has been the only volunteer management platform that exclusively serves the nonprofit community. This has enabled nonprofit organizations the ability to connect with volunteers in their area. With an easy-to-use dashboard and the ability to be notified if a volunteer’s status has changed, Verified Volunteers offers inexpensive, fast, and secure service to national and local charities around the country.

In Use:

On the surface, one can assume that Verified Volunteers well…verifies volunteers. But the management system does much more than vet volunteers. The idea for the software was born after extensive research and consultations with the nonprofit community. The question became, “How can we build a portal background check that can be shared and save communities some money?” During the early planning stages, Verified Volunteers realized that many businesses would conduct an initial background check and then be finished. What they discovered was that nonprofits needed to make sure that their volunteers were in good standing during the entire time they volunteered with the organization whether that spanned a single day, three years, or a decade. According to Executive Director, Katie Zwetzig; Verified Volunteers conduct monthly screenings for all volunteers in their system. If something changes, both nonprofit and volunteer are notified.

Another dilemma that Verified Volunteers solved was the cost associated with screenings. A background check can cost anywhere between $7 and $40 dollars depending on how in-depth the screening has to be. Zwetzig mentioned that many of the 400 nonprofits they initially consulted with noted these costs weren’t feasible. To solve this issue, Verified Volunteers created unique payment options where nonprofit organizations could have the volunteers pay for their background check themselves. For those organizations that didn’t feel comfortable asking their volunteers to purchase a screening, they could ask for a contribution from the volunteer. According to Zwetzig, when asked for a contribution, about 30% of volunteers donated.

Ease of Use:

In order to be vetted by the management company, a volunteer follows a link to Verified Volunteers’ website. There, they follow a four-step process that takes between 3-5 minutes to complete. The volunteer enters in their personal information in the first section, followed by their address, their consent, and the payment option. The process is secure and all background checks comply with state-by-state regulations. This is especially key for national organizations that have volunteers around the country.

Pertaining to the dashboard that nonprofits use to review the results, it integrates with numerous systems such as event management company VolunteerHub or management tool Better Impact.

Technology Used:

Verified Volunteers is based in the cloud and anyone can access the platform with internet access. The software offers a toll-free number if users run into an issue on the backend. Verified Volunteers also recently enabled a chat box for easier service.

Recap:

Verified Volunteers is a volunteer management software that enables nonprofits to vet their incoming volunteers while connecting those same organizations with volunteers who have already gone through the vetting process. The software is exclusive for nonprofits all over the country and is available to all local and national nonprofits regardless of size.

Verified Volunteers’ platform utilizes many tools such as their ability to do monthly checks for volunteers, the ability for volunteers to pay for their background check as well as purchase a “Fast Pass” which gives volunteers the ability to share their background check with numerous nonprofit organizations over the course of the year saving time and money. Whenever the Fast Pass is utilized, the person who paid for the initial screening (whether the volunteer or nonprofit receive a rebate). “In the last 15 months between contributions and rebates and shared checks we’ve saved the sector $1.8 million dollars,” Zwetzig stated.

Advantages:

* Verified Volunteers conducts monthly background checks to ensure volunteers are in good standing

* Volunteers can monetarily contribute to their background check or pay for the whole amount

* Volunteers can purchase a “Fast Pass” for $3.99 that allows them to share their background checks with nonprofit organizations. When used, the nonprofit or volunteer that initially paid for the screening earns a rebate.

Disadvantages:

* Verified Volunteers integrates with a limited number of SaaS solutions.

My Opinion

When looking at Verified Volunteers as a volunteer management software I think it checks off all of the boxes. It’s inexpensive, it’s secure, and it’s comes with a dashboard that enables nonprofits to manage their volunteers. But what stood out to me the most, is how Verified Volunteers is how its changing the way organizations can access volunteers. During our conversation, Zwetzig spoke about the time Volunteer Florida, a nonprofit organization was able to track down volunteers during 2017’s Hurricane Irma by using Verified Volunteers’ network of vetted volunteers. Zwetzig emphasized that the software wasn’t just a software. In her opinion, “background screening is a vehicle to help create safer communities.” She shared that when the disaster hit, Volunteer Florida was in desperate need of volunteers. Utilizing Verified Volunteers’ network, they were able to reach out to over 80 thousand already-vetted volunteers.

Big Data continues to grow and 2019 won’t be any different. More and more nonprofits are utilizing software and applications that allow them to analyze data relevant to their organization. Whether it’s analyzing a data set about the donors they do have or finding a file that gives them insight on future donations, data sets are crucial to solving problems that are hindering an organization from flourishing.

Obtaining data from current donors are easy to access since a charity generally has that information available. Gathering statistics from potential donors is significantly harder, as a nonprofit doesn’t necessarily have that information at their fingertips. Data.World (pronounced “data dot world”), a free open-source website can benefit charities around the world by providing information in categories from science, politics, and finance.

In Use:
According to Mario Facusse, a Business Development Representative from Data.World, the website boasts the largest data community in the world with over 300K members. And with 150K data sets, chances are users will be able to find multiple data sets to help them solve their problems.

A nonprofit can use Data.World in a few different ways. They can simply use the website to obtain files or they can create projects and invite team members to join. A user can upload company-specific files or search from one of the numerous data sets available on the site. These projects allow a team to work with the same information and ask questions as they go. At the end of the project a team can chose to publish the findings publicly or keep their information private.

Data.World currently has four subscription plans to chose from. The free subscription allows for one user, and three projects/data sets. The standard package for Professional Teams includes up to five users and unlimited data sets and will cost an organization $100 per month.

Technology Used:
Data.World is cloud based and integrates with many programs that data analysts are already using. With a partnership with Tableau, users are able to visualize their findings in a way that can help them share their conclusions with stakeholders. Data.World integrates with numerous applications such as Excel, Python, and R programing; as well as Super-Connectors like Hubspot, Amazon S3, and Google Analytics.

Ease of Use:
Data scientists and analysts with a background in Python or R programing will find Data.World pretty straightforward. Those will little programing skills may find it difficult to get the most out of the data sets they are downloading. While many nonprofits do use Data.World, Facusse points out that many medical and scientific researchers utilize the website from a nonprofit standpoint.

Recap:
Data.World enables nonprofit organizations to obtain data sets that they can use to increase fundraising efforts or solve other problems that the charity faces. Data.World is on one hand a website that allows a business to download free data sets, but on the other, a data community that enables analysts and data enthusiasts to come together to solve ongoing issues.

Advantages:

• Not only can data sets be expensive to purchase, but many nonprofits don’t know where to begin to look for them. With Data.World all data sets are free and open-sourced.
• Currently one of the largest data communities in the world
• Over 150K data sets to choose from
• Integrates with both applications and Super-Connectors.
• Due to a partnership with Tableau, enables users to visualize data sets

Disadvantages:

• Users will get the most out of the site if they have experience in programing such as JavaScript, R, and Python
• While the website is technically free, a free subscription will only allow for 1 user and 3 data sets.

My Opinion:
Data.World is a great tool for nonprofits to utilize if they have a volunteer who understands programing languages. If no one in the company understandings these languages, comprehending a file is going to be tricky. A charity will also run into a problem if they want to download more than 3 data sets, as they will have to purchase a subscription package that could cost them up to $100 a month.

Because Data.World is free to register, I suggest a nonprofit explore the website to see if it’s a right fit for their organization

Upon visiting Give Lively’s website, the message is clear; “We build better fundraising tech and give it away for free.” That’s quite the promise to live up to but Give Lively stands by it. In fact, the website also boasts that Give Lively will forever be free. A nonprofit organization interested in the software may wonder what the catch is.  According to Media and Communications Manager, Molly Trerotola, there is no catch. Give Lively is fully philanthropist funded which allows the platform to be free for all 501(c)(3) nonprofits and charities in the United States.

In Use:
Give Lively enables nonprofits to use the free online fundraising platform. According to Trerotola, Give Lively is “equipped with features such as unlimited fundraising pages, embeddable widgets, event ticketing and registration, peer-to-peer fundraising, text-to-donate with live display, video storytelling and more.” She also stressed that it is important to the philanthropists who fund Give Lively that nonprofit organizations have access to free technology they can utilize to meet their fundraising needs. The backers of Give Lively hope that with this software, nonprofits can overcome technological and monetary barriers that hold them back from reaching their goals.

One of the standout features of Give Lively is that donors can give in the moment through tools such as “Text-to-Donate” and “Peer-to-Peer” fundraising. If a nonprofit is hosting an event, potential donors can text a number and donate to the organization. Under Give Lively’s “Forever Free Pledge”, a charity can create unlimited unique text codes for their campaigns and events allowing them to track where each donation originated from.

An organization can also create a landing page on Give Lively to start a fundraising campaign. The landing page can be mobile-responsive and charities can customize and brand it. In fact, Trerotola stated mobile-responsiveness was a priority when first developing the technology. With more and more people opting to use their phones over a computer, it’s important now-a-days that websites are aesthetically pleasing when viewed on a mobile device.

A charity who already has a website can instead embed a widget on their established website that allows supporters the option to donate without leaving the organization’s website.

Technology Used:
Nonprofits who want to try the platform are able to sign up online and have their membership approved within 24 hours. Once approved they will have access to the Admin Portal where they can view and export donor data and get started on fundraising initiatives. Donors interested in giving, can make their donations through Apple wallet, fundraising pages, or text donations.

Once a charity has gained access they can use any aspect of Give Lively. They can opt to use one of the tools or all of them without any added fees.  

Ease of Use:
With all technology there is a learning curve. A nonprofit can’t expect to sign up for a software and be an expert within hours. Give Lively understands this and assigns each nonprofit to an account manager to help answer any questions an organization might have. Organizations can also access the FAQ on Give Lively’s website for answers on how to get started as well as how to use all of the tools the platform offers.

Recap:
Give Lively is a fully philanthropist funded online fundraising platform that enables nonprofits to fundraise online for free. Trerotola adds, “They don’t charge for use of the technology and never take a cut of donations per their “Forever Free Pledge”. With capabilities such as Salesforce integration, event registration, and fundraising campaign pages; charities of all sizes, but especially those who might not have been able to afford to invest in technology, can use Give Lively for fundraising initiatives. Over the past few months Give Lively has continuously rolled out new tools for their organizations to utilize such as Peer-to-Peer fundraising in November and event ticketing in October.

Advantages:

The software is free to use

Fully customizable. Nonprofits can brand their campaign pages with their pictures and logos.

The platform has numerous capabilities such as Text to Donate, Ticket Registration, and an Admin Portal

Each nonprofit is assigned an account manager

Continues to roll out new initiatives on their website each month

Disadvantages:

Limited integration

My Opinion:
Why pay money for an online fundraising platform when you can use Give Lively for free? Nonprofits should focus on helping their constituents and shouldn’t have to worry about how they are going to pay for software. Give Lively is a new software that began in 2017. Since it started they have added numerous tools that enable nonprofits to fundraise and spread their message in real time.

Social media platforms are not one size fits all. There is no perfect platform for all nonprofits.  The best social media platform for your organization is the one that give you the best ROI (return on investment). Analyze which channel works best for you and spend time creating content for that platform.

With that being said there are a few slight changes in user’s tastes on the various social media platforms that could impact your content strategy and thus, your ROI.

For example, video. Posting a video on your social media channel (whatever it may be) is guaranteed to get more engagement that then a static post, because research has found that video draws eyeballs.

The 500 million users watch Facebook video and 82% of Twitters 300+ million users watch video.

In terms of video content users prefer live video to a prerecorded video. Facebook has Facebook Live and Instagram has stories, both of the these features allow you to add live video to your social media. Live streams are a great way to engage with your audience because they can ask you questions and you can answer immediately.

There are several live stream types you could do:

Behind-the-Scenes

How-Tos

Testimonials

Live events

Interviews – Q&As

Some other  great thing about Instagram stories is the live video feeds require your followers to click to view, so you can post several times during the day and not worry about seeming “spammy” and you can add a link in your story to send your viewers to additional content.

Two new channels to consider, but both of these channels are very specific and aren’t something your organization should undertake unless you think they will give you ROI.

First LinkedIn, yes the LinkedIn that is for business people to connect,  is a great platform to introduce your nonprofit to business leaders. This can come in handy if your organization frequently looks for businesses to partner with to provide goods, volunteers or monetary donations.

Then there is Twitch. Twitch is a online video platform is similar to YouTube, but Twitch focuses exclusively on live video--usually of gamers working their way through the various levels of popular games.

Make no mistake a LOT of people watch Twitch video streams, companies and nonprofits are starting to recognize its power as an advertising channel especially if your donor base skewers younger.

Twitch also is gaining a reputation as a great place to have a charity telethon. The telethons can be from the comfort of home or from a large gaming conference center, either way gamers stream for hours or days to raise money for charitable causes. A charity stream usually works this way: a streamer hosts a live stream dedicated to a charity or nonprofit organization and during the stream discusses the issue at hand and encourages viewers to make monetary donations in real-time.

Summer is an exciting time. The longer, warmer days are a welcome change for many. Kids, in particular, can’t wait for summer — that is, until it actually arrives.

“I’m bored.”

Parents hear this so often that it just about drives them bonkers. Most moms and dads are maxed out and going full tilt in their careers, taking care of household chores and errands, and in general trying to maintain a healthy and safe family. They can’t drop everything to entertain their children all summer long.

What are these children really saying when they moan and groan about being bored? They’re communicating that they need structure and purpose in their day (even if they don’t necessarily want it). This is an opportunity for your nonprofit to meet an important need in your community by starting a summer camp. Not only will you be fulfilling a community need, but a summer camp program can also help to meet one of your needs: revenue.

In this high-tech age, drive revenue one relationship at a time

With all the technology out there, it can be easy to forget how nonprofits have always been built. More than anything else, you need to develop trust.

People don’t give with their intellect but with their hearts. By building meaningful relationships one person at a time in your community and beyond, you’ll set up your nonprofit for the best possible financial success as well.

And nothing will grow your summer camp revenue like a good word-of-mouth referral. Insightful parents (and grandparents) realize that their most important contribution to society is their children. If you better the lives of the ones they love most, they’ll take notice.

By hitting them in their hearts, you’ll be making a real difference. The natural reaction will be for those in your community to give back through donations or by encouraging others to enroll their kids in your summer camps.

Having great relationships with the members of your community is crucial. One way to foster these relationships is by offering events at your camp that appeal to adults, such as paid concerts or conferences. Not only can these events bring in revenue on their own, but they’ll also help those who visit to take an interest in what you do. You’ll get the chance to share your vision for summer camp with these visitors.

Make it as easy as possible to register

It may seem like common sense, but making the camp registration process easy and user friendly can take a backseat to the many other issues and tasks involved in running a nonprofit. A form builder like JotForm, for instance, can help. You can build a summer camp registration form that not only takes registrations but also accepts payments and collects campers’ medical information. And JotForm is HIPAA compliant, so you can rest assured that all of that sensitive information will be secure.

In addition to making registration a breeze, online forms equip you with a ready-made list for future marketing efforts — both for your camp and for general donations.

You can also use online forms to get feedback from parents and campers so that you can improve your camp and strengthen your relationships with your camp customers.

Ask for advice

It’s always a good idea to ask around to keep up on the latest trends. Find several nonprofits that are already good at gaining revenue through their camps. Ask them what works and what doesn’t. As quickly as things evolve these days, it’s essential to stay current.

While summer camp might seem like the furthest thing from people's minds right now, it’ll be here soon. Now is the best time to set up your nonprofit to earn more than ever in 2019.

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Chad Reid is director of communications for JotForm, a leading online form creation software used by event planners everywhere to collect event registrations and feedback. He holds a master’s degree in communication and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Another year is history, so what technology helped nonprofits accomplish their missions in 2018 and what can they expect for 2019.

It goes without saying that there is a tech solution for just about any problem, however that tech sometimes creates problems that didn’t exist before.

Cyber Security
For example, keeping donor data safe used to mean locking the door to the office before you left for the day. Now, nonprofits must be cognizant to the fact that hackers are constantly coming up with schemes to part businesses (including nonprofits) from their money and/or data. From outright hacking to sophisticated phishing schemes 2018 saw organizations large and small falling victim to cyber scams.

One such incident involved  Save the Children; the organization fell victim to an email hack that cost them $1 million dollars. Another organization had their Facebook page held hostage until they paid a ransom to recover use of it.  

Nonprofits will need to remain vigilant to the cyber threat. There are many resources available to help them from making sure to install all patches from software provider to consultations with cyber security firms.

Social Media
For the foreseeable future social media will remain an important tool for nonprofits. While the technology itself remains, fairly, constant what is changing is how organizations use the platforms. The emphasis has switched from trying to please everyone on every platform to find a platform that allows your organization to interact with your supporters.

Live Streaming
Many nonprofits are finding renewed success on social media by live streaming events, symposiums or even day to day operations. Social media users enjoy the intimacy of the live stream and research has found that viewers prefer to watch versus read.

Data Analytics
Organizations are embracing data analytics to help them zero in on their target market. Software vendors including data analytics in their platforms which means nonprofits can  craft appeals that speak directly to their donors and maximize their return on investment for such things as mass mailing (either email or snail mail).

Donor Management Software
Donor management software continues to evolve with the needs of their clients. Many vendors are adding data analytics and other tools to help nonprofits get the most out of their donor lists.

Heifer International’s employees are all connected by our desire for positive change. We believe our work is unlocking the potential of men and women around the globe, leading to more possibilities, for more people, more quickly.

Collaboration is crucial to the success of our mission, though it can be challenging when 1,100 employees are spread across 20 countries. However, since adopting a digital workplace that integrates company documents, conversations and announcements in a central location, employee engagement in our digital workplace has grown 11 percent.

A digital workplace can boost employee engagement
When we started looking for a digital workplace platform, we knew we wanted it to enable a bold change in our internal communication strategy. We had long outgrown the existing intranet, which had become a stale repository of hard-to-find content. We wanted to do more: build connections, spark open conversations, nurture trust, and provide fresh, integrated content in real time — all in a global platform that captured the spirit of social media. Igloo  became the foundation for this ambitious agenda.

Before launching our new platform, we held a contest for employees to name it. “The Corral” proved to be the winner, reflecting our agriculture-focused work while representing what we wanted to accomplish by partnering with Igloo.

Below are a few ways we’ve leveraged technology to become more efficient in the way we communicate while also supporting overall employee engagement.

Streamline employee communication
Our employees now have dedicated spaces where they can connect with each other any time and from anywhere in the world. Our online Think Tank acts as a safe space for employees to share ideas, give advice and learn from one another. We also created “The Buzz,” a social area for employees to post quick, fun notes to each other and a home for the “Bee-lievers” blog, which features Heifer employees in diverse roles across the organization.

Provide opportunities for employee-generated content
Our digital workplace simplifies the process of sharing content and feedback for individual employees and teams. Our human resources team is a prime example. They produce a weekly blog to provide updates about new hires and staffing changes, in addition to a monthly blog that highlights work anniversaries and well wishes.

Additionally, Igloo’s polling tool encourages employees to share their opinions while giving our digital workplace community managers an easy way to gauge interest in various initiatives – expanding connections from the digital sphere to real life. In fact, polling results have inspired events such as Meditation Mondays and Lunchtime Yoga.

Connect employees to core leadership
With nearly 800 remote and international employees, few have regular face-to-face time with the leadership team. To bridge that gap, we built a leadership space to promote greater visibility and transparency with a leadership blog, an archive for Town Hall meetings, and a forum where employees can ask questions and submit ideas.

Keep the organization’s branding consistent
Every aspect of our digital workplace encourages more engagement with the organization’s mission, strategy and brand. Using Igloo’s Brand Portal Solution Showcase, we tailored a space to define our brand story and provide employees access to our full suite of digital assets and guidelines, as well as a way to contact our resident brand experts.

By investing in a new digital workplace technology that highlights the best of our culture and our mission to do more good for the world, we’ve subsequently brought the organization closer together and created a digital destination for all employees. Our leadership blog, human resources updates, social space and online Think Tank are just a few examples of the ways we’ve been able to equip people with critical information and create connections to communicate confidently and consistently throughout our organization, allowing us to focus more energy and resources on what truly matters: ending hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth.

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Chelsey Louzeiro, Global Communications Senior Specialist, Heifer International

Board portal software such as OnBoard by Passages can make preparing for your nonprofits  board meeting easier.

With OnBoard  your organization can create all the board documents need for the meeting in a digital environment, which not only allows for collaboration between the people involved in creating the materials but also the the easy distribution of those materials.

Documents prepared via OnBoard are available for reading via PC, tablet or other smart device. Each member logs on securely to their dashboard. Where they can then read, review and make notes. These notes are then stored securely and the individual user can search their stored documents at a later date. OnBoard includes a sync features--that allows all notes to be synced across devices.

Use OnBoard to create and maintain your board books. The portal includes a shared resource center where all pertinent board materials are stored.

Plus, the dashboard gives each member access to the resource center, calendar and other announcements.

Electronic signatures can be collected using the software, and these are just as legal as handwritten signatures.

Your nonprofit organization’s IT support might come in the form of a volunteer or an employee that wears many hats in addition to the IT one.

However, as incidences of cyber attacks rise in the nonprofit center it is important that your organization stay up to date on the latest threats and how to prevent them.

While there are many firms out there that specialize in IT security, it is in your best interest to work with a firm that understands best practices for nonprofits.

Firms such as TechImpact  understand nonprofits stand to lose more than just money if they suffer a data breach. They can also have their reputation irreparably damaged.

TechImpact can perform a security assessment that includes threats to your organization and what needs to be done in order to protect your data. If your organization has yet to enact modern authentication processes such as two factor, TechImpact can help bring that online for you.  

In addition, TechImpact can help you maintain your security and compliance with ongoing consulting.

Also, if your organization is working in the cloud now, or plans to be in the future TechImpact can help  you with your infrastructure and compliance.

Whether large or small organizations need to acquire new funding sources to support their missions. It is not enough to wait for donors to come to you, your organization must be actively seeking donors in order to keep the funding flowing.

However, finding and vetting new donor is a time consuming process. A platform such as iWave  can save your organization time and money.

iWave offers donor intelligence, allowing your organization to make better decisions regarding which potential donors to pursue.

iWave draws information from a variety of sources, that gives you information about a prospects monetary position and their previous giving history.  With 38 searchable databases with a combined total of 1 billion data points, iWave can help your organization find exactly the type of donor you are looking. You can use the search feature to find a specific donor or use a batch processing feature to sort through a list of potential donors.

iWave is available in a Lite version as well.

Live streaming your event is a great way to engage your audience. Research shows that live streams have a longer rate of view then recorded events. Live streaming is also a great way to engage your donor base and include those who may not be able to make your live events.

A service like Box Cast lets your organization create professional looking live streams. The only equipment that you need is a video camera, and an internet connection. With that you simple connect the Box Caster and your ready to stream.

A Box Cast live stream is in HD, but it will not buffer and it will look good no matter what device is used to view it.

Box Cast isn’t just for capturing a live stream of a fundraising event, it can be used to create classes or other educational  materials. Box Cast also gives you a way to generate a revenue stream from the live stream by allowing you to offer “tickets” for the live stream.

Box Cast offers tiered pricing. All levels of pricing include unlimited broadcasts, unlimited viewers and ad free streaming.

The base level lets you embed the videos in your website and you can also stream with Facebook Live, YouTube or Periscope.

According to the Guardian, OpenAI, the nonprofit started by Elon Musk to research artificial intelligence, has chosen not to release the latest AI text generator. They are fearful it could be misused.

Read the article on The Guardian

Microsoft’s Reno operations and IQ Technology Solutions have announced the 11th annual nonprofit makeover event for local nonprofits, reports the Reno Gazette Journal. Chosen nonprofits will share $20,000 in IT Makeovers.

Read the article on Reno Gazette Journal

A nonprofit’s sender reputation can impact whether fundraising emails arrive in the donor’s inbox, reports the Nonprofit Times.

Read the article on Nonprofit Times

Nonprofits are beginning to embrace both the cloud and data analytics, reports the Nonprofit Times.



Read the article on The Nonprofit Times