Nonprofit Technology News is proud to announce the winners of the 2008 Innovation Awards. This is the first year for these awards, but even so, the competition has been intense. In the end, the winners were selected because each represents a significant accomplishment, or an indication of a trend.

Facebook and MySpace.
YouTube and Flickr.
Twitter and RSS.
Blogs and wikis.
Meetup and Evite.

There's no shortage of Web 2.0 tools that promise, among other capabilities, to enable groups of all kinds, including nonprofits, help build communities online and assist in bringing together communities in the offline world, as well. Considering that the Web sites and tools listed above are just a small sampling of Internet applications available to assist in community-building, how does an overworked organizer overcome paralysis by analysis? How can your organization go about choosing the best online tools not just to build a community, but also to keep it together?

I n part 3, we discuss why email is such a valuable tool for fundraisers.

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1. Cost effective- Nonprofit organizations more than anyone realize the importance of maximizing the effectiveness of their resources. Traditional forms of marketing are becoming less justified as the costs associated continue to increase with little correlation to actual results. Email marketing presents one of the most cost efficient ways for nonprofits to reach their supporters.

The year 2007 is winding to a close, finishing up one of the most exciting chapters in nonprofit technological achievements. It was the year that brought about greater acceptance of the newer Web 2.0 applications, such as Kintera’s Sphere platform, that allows non-profits to reach thousands of constituents and contributors in a single forum and to create communities in unheard of numbers in real time.

It was the year that vendors brought about advanced offerings that simplified fundraising and contributor research making the Web a powerful ally to even the smallest nonprofits on the planet. NOZA’s free foundation grant database, released in October, immediately comes to mind. It was the year that non-profits  began to show up at the social computing events of the decade.

“The popularity of YouTube and social media sites has companies and non-profits alike wondering how they can use video and social media to get their messages out,” says Rick Whittington, president of Rick Whittington Consulting. “Some forward-thinking organizations are already using these media to promote their causes.”

Email systems are the lifeblood of non-profit organizations. You use them to solicit donations, make announcements, alert the public to special events, or rouse constituents to action. And one of the most critical decisions you make is whether to own your own or subscribe to a hosting service from a third-party email provider.