Brainshark Awards Technology Grants to Six Outstanding Non-Profits as Part of the Company’s Non-Profit Program

It's always great when business teams up with nonprofit and I especially love it when business steps up to the plate and provides grants, especially technology grants.  Additionally, while the nonprofit community is often slower to adopt newer technology than the business community, so much can be gained by nonprofits modeling their business counterparts.  See how six nonprofits will be using technology to enhance their worthy missions.  Maybe some good ideas for you and your organization?  Bunnie

Brainshark Awards Technology Grants to Six Outstanding Non-Profits as Part of the Company’s Non-Profit Program

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, DAMMAD, FSG Social Impact Advisors, Hope Foundation, Road Runners Club of America and Summer Advantage USA Use Brainshark to Strengthen Training Programs and Promote Their Missions

Brainshark, Inc., the leader in on-demand multimedia for business, recently announced the six latest grant recipients in its Non-Profit Program. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS); Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers (DAMMAD), Inc.; FSG Social Impact Advisors (FSG); the Hope Foundation’s eLearn initiative; Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) and Summer Advantage USA have received a free one-year Brainshark software license – letting them harness the benefits of on-demand multimedia to cost-effectively increase their reach and impact.

With Brainshark’s Web-based platform, organizations can communicate faster and more effectively than ever before, cutting training time in half and reducing the costs associated with previous communications methods – including face-to-face meetings and Web conferencing – by up to 90%. Through its Non-Profit Program, Brainshark awards one-year technology licenses on a quarterly basis. This enables non-profit organizations to use Brainshark’s enterprise-class solutions to create, edit and distribute high-impact, multimedia content – incorporating voice narration, video, survey questions and more – that can be viewed online, on demand. Using Brainshark’s tracking capabilities, these organizations also get deep visibility into the impact and effectiveness of their communications.

The latest grant recipients plan to use Brainshark as follows:

• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: LLS is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Its mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The organization plans to use Brainshark’s audio and visual capabilities to deliver high-impact communications that galvanize potential partners and donors, help fund cancer research, and spread awareness of blood cancer and LLS’ mission. Brainshark will also be used to promote LLS’ “Light the Night” fundraising walk and its “Team in Training” charity sports training program.

• Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers: DAMMAD is an anti-drug organization committed to addressing drug trafficking, prescription drug abuse and illicit drug use in the state of New Hampshire. The organization plans to use Brainshark to educate students, parents and local communities on the dangers and consequences of drug abuse. DAMMAD has created the following Brainshark presentation to educate the community on the dangers of methamphetamine: http://www.brainshark.com/dammad/vu?pi=zHEzEHbboz1PaUz0 . Overall, this education and community awareness campaign will reach approximately 130,000 students and 891,000 residents across New Hampshire.

• FSG Social Impact Advisors: Through its work with leading foundations, corporations, governments and non-profits, FSG helps to accelerate social progress by advancing the practice of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. The organization will use Brainshark to engage, educate, inform and motivate key influencers, funders, clients and other stakeholders. FSG also plans to use Brainshark to enhance and expedite the creation of professional development and training presentations. In addition, FSG will leverage on-demand presentations for marketing and training activities associated with its subsidiary division, Community Foundation Insights.

• Hope Foundation: The Hope Foundation’s eLearn initiative is working to alleviate poverty in rural and semi-urban districts in India by providing education and training to the local communities. The foundation plans to use Brainshark to provide on-the-job training to working adults across India so they can improve their employment prospects and obtain higher wage jobs. Brainshark will also be used to train the foundation’s 5,000 accredited partners – who are responsible for training approximately 100,000 adults enrolled in the program. To learn more about the program, view the following Brainshark presentation: http://www.brainshark.com/hopefoundation/vu?pi=zGuzbYUDFz1sBdz0 .

• Road Runners Club of America: The RRCA is the national association of running clubs, running events and runners whose mission is to represent and promote the sport of running through education, leadership, programs and other services. The RRCA has more than 1,100 running clubs and events annually, and represents more than 175,000 members. The organization plans to use Brainshark to develop and administer a comprehensive race director certification course, complete with testing. As part of these efforts, the RRCA will develop narrated Brainshark training modules, based on the book Organizing Running Events by Phil Stewart. The RRCA will also use Brainshark in its development of an online training course for adults interested in leading/coaching youth running programs and in the development of free orientation modules for volunteers. RCCA has created the following Brainshark presentation to educate certified coaches about the organization’s general and professional liability insurance program: http://www.brainshark.com/rrca/vu?pi=zGvzWM7NSz1sTqz0 .

• Summer Advantage USA: Summer Advantage USA provides rigorous academic programming and enrichment activities to children in grades K-8 during the summer months to prepare them for success in high school, college and beyond. Launched only a year ago, Summer Advantage USA is already serving more than 3,000 children in Indiana and is expanding its efforts across other states. The organization plans to use Brainshark to train thousands of educators – helping to reach its goal of serving more than 100,000 students during the next five years. Summer Advantage USA will also use Brainshark’s software to educate parents, school leaders, government officials and policymakers about its mission, results and partnership opportunities. For more information about the organization and its mission, view the following Brainshark presentation: http://www.brainshark.com/summeradvantageusa/vu?pi=36716846 .

“We’re excited to announce the next round of non-profit grant recipients and applaud their plans to implement far-reaching and well-thought-out communication campaigns,” said Brainshark CEO Joe Gustafson. “In providing access to an easy-to-use, compelling and trackable communication solution, we look forward to helping these organizations spread awareness of their missions among key constituencies and achieve their communications goals.”

In addition to awarding grants, the Brainshark Non-Profit Program also provides the Standard Edition of the Brainshark platform at a 40% discount for eligible non-profits. These include registered 501(c)(3) organizations (or their equivalent outside the U.S.). Other eligibility requirements apply. For more information, please view the following two-minute Brainshark presentation, which provides a program overview and a link to the grant application: http://www.brainshark.com/brainsharkinc/NPOGrant .

Interested non-profits can also take advantage of Brainshark’s free website, myBrainshark.com, which allows anyone to create multimedia presentations that are search-engine optimized and can be shared via e-mail or embedded within a website or blog.

About Brainshark, Inc.


Brainshark is the leader in on-demand multimedia for business, transforming static business content into high-impact communications. Delivered via Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Brainshark enables audiences to access and engage with business content when and how they want. More than 1,200 companies – including a third of the Fortune 100 – rely on Brainshark software and services to help sales, marketing, training and HR experts cost-effectively deliver measurable results. In addition, organizations and individuals use the myBrainshark site to create, share and track multimedia presentations for free. For more information on these offerings, visit www.brainshark.com.

Great Opportunity! The Nonprofit Technology Leadership Academy

Whenever I can, I like to post opportunities for training on this blog, and I especially like it when the training is free!  This is a terrific opportunity to move your organization ahead technologically.  So often nonprofits and associations find it difficult to carve out training in their budgets, but with this Technology Leadership Academy, you don't have to, all you have to do is apply.  The application deadline is July 30th, 2010.  Bunnie

Now more than ever, nonprofit leaders must understand the potential technology has to help them meet their missions. You require effective ways to manage technology and lead others to use the available tools to your best organizational advantage.


That's why we're thrilled to invite your organization to apply for the Technology Leadership Academy, our 9-week online training program designed to help nonprofit leaders do just that.

Learn more and apply to the Technology Leadership Academy here:

http://tinyurl.com/29d2rb2

The Academy will be a unique opportunity to learn and interact with your peers while creating a tight network of nonprofit leaders working toward a common mission: to use technology to create more social change. Thanks to the generous support of Microsoft, we're able to offer the Technology Leadership Academy at no charge to qualifying organizations. You must apply for acceptance to the Academy, and there are, of course, some application requirements.

But oh, will it be worth your time. Your instructors during the weekly core sessions will be top nonprofit leaders like Beth Kanter, Katya Andresen, and Edward Granger-Happ. You'll also have the opportunity to interact with field experts like Charlene Li, Founder of Altimeter Group and Author of Open Leadership, in Ask the Expert sessions. The online sessions will take place weekly from September 29th through November 22nd. You can see the full schedule here.

At the end of the 9 weeks, you'll be able to:

Articulate the value of technology in your organization for yourself, your staff, funders, and other key stakeholders.

View technology as integral to every department in your organization.

Recognize options for funding IT projects in your organization.

Staff technology effectively.

Manage the organizational change that technology can produce.

At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate of completion from NTEN and Microsoft. Space is limited, however: for this pilot effort, we will only be able to accept 50 organizations with annual budgets under $2 million.

So, yes, the Academy will require commitment, but, knowing our community, we don't expect that will be a problem for you. Please take some time to review the application guidelines, gather the necessary materials, and apply to the Technology Leadership Academy before July 30th. (By the way, participants will be able to earn points toward some special software donations from Microsoft, free 2011 NTC registrations, and more.)

Learn more and apply to the Technology Leadership Academy here:

http://tinyurl.com/29d2rb2

We look forward to reviewing your application and learning more about your plans to use technology to help your organization meet its mission,

Brett Meyer
Communications Manager
NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network
http://www.nten.org/
brett at nten dot org
Twitter: brett_meyer

Connection Generation: A Review by Bob Crawshaw

I liked this review by Bob Crawshaw's because Iggy Pintado's book and his categorization of how people behave when it comes to technology is informative for Nonprofits. I think we always have to be considering where our membership or constituents are in regard to technology. That can be somewhat easier said than done. Take for instance the case of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology; it's probably a good bet that their membership leans more toward being Active or Super Connectors, and that fact drives how the Anita Borg Institute develops their programming. However, let's say your target constituents are low-income or rural (without access to solid broadband), you are going to have to employ more low tech strategies to reach them and that will impact your programming. It might be worthwhile to conduct an online (or mail in the case of the low tech constituents) survey to find out what your members or constituents technology capabilities may be and what their attitudes are toward technology.

I recently conducted a mail survey for a rural county and we discovered what we had suspected, that a majority of households have only dial-up and beyond simple email cannot download any photos, videos or rich text. This poses quite a challenge to Nonprofits trying to serve that area. On a final note, isn't that little kid and his t-shirt just adorable? Bunnie

Connection Generation: A Review by Bob Crawshaw, Maine Street Marketing

I have just finished reading the recently published book Connection Generation.

Iggy Pintado, a former IBM and Telstra heavyweight, looks at how Australians are taking to new communication technologies and their impact on our personal and professional lives. The book is a clear, simple read and valuable for those after fresh insights into how people are using social media.Pintado starts by identifying a number of "connector profiles". These are drawn from his own extensive marketing experience plus personal research he undertook for the book. He claims Australians - and this probably applies to those elsewhere - fall into one of five categories when it comes to using new media:

Basic Connectors are people with low levels of technological take-up. They can be any age but are united by their disdain or fear of technology. They need to be thoroughly convinced that new communication platforms can improve things and it often takes a tech-minded family member or friend to guide and encourage them to venture into online media.

Passive Connectors have a basic understanding of the new technologies but choose not to make it a priority in their lives. When it comes to online action they observe rather than participate. This is hardly surprising because many people in this category have traditionally consumed passive media such as print, radio and television. In marketing terminology they could be classed as the "late adopters" in the digital era.

Selective Connectors understand new communications technologies and use it to share experiences and maintain their family, friendship and business networks. However they stop short of expanding the range of their connections which limits their ability to take advantage of business and other online opportunities.

Active Connectors appreciate and use the new technologies to develop and maintain contacts, assertively share their thoughts and routinely use platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Linked-in for commercial and personal benefit. They are the marketing equivalent of "early adopters", people willing to try new things and take on fresh thoughts.

And finally there are the Super Connectors. These folks are digitally light years ahead of the rest of us and on the bleeding edge of technology. For them an online life is as fundamental as using running water or electricity.

These categories may define groups but they do not necessarily limit people. It is possible for individuals to move from one group to another as their circumstances and interests change.

Perhaps Basic Connectors are the most digitally vulnerable because the trend is for Australians to increasingly go online to connect their lives and that sea change is unlikely to reverse anytime soon. And what exciting times we live in when initiatives such as the Australian Government's National Broadband Program, the schools laptop program and first stirrings about Government2.0 have the potential to transform us into Australia's first connection generation.

Contact Bob Crawshaw at http://www.mainestreet1.blogspot.com/

How Can Smaller Non-profits Better Use Technology?

20 years ago I founded a small nonprofit. It wasn't easy. I used the computer at my church since I didn't own one. I enlisted my children to stuff envelopes. I created the newsletter on a Brother electronic typewriter. And I spent $80 of my own money to get a Post Office box. There was that incident where I accidentally erased the Wordperfect file that had all the members and donors information on it and I went home, sat at my kitchen table and cried. Luckily I had the hard copy record but it took me hours and hours to re-create the file. I certainly could have used something like ClubExpress back in the day. Dan Ehrmann, President of ClubExpress, saw the need of small nonprofits without sophisticated IT departments to manage their information, renew members and maintain their data and he figured out a way to meet it. Bunnie

How Can Smaller Non-profits Better Use Technology?

Dan Ehrmann
President, ClubExpress

In the US alone, there are more than 500,000 smaller membership-based organizations with fewer than 5000 members. Every one of us belongs to three or four such groups, whether it’s a running club, a mother’s playgroup, a local chamber of commerce, a fraternity or alumni club, your homeowner’s association, a professional or trade group, or your community Rotary club.

Most of these clubs and associations are run by volunteers who work within limited budgets, sometimes only a couple of thousand dollars per year. They face continual challenges managing memberships and renewals, organizing events, communicating with members and raising funds to support programming. Very few clubs spend time growing the organization because they spent all the available time running the organization. A small group of officers face problems attracting other volunteers to take time from a busy schedule to work on club activities which are often boring and mundane (for example, stuffing envelopes). Expertise is always a problem; not every group has an experienced web designer or accountant on the membership roster, and few have the resources to hire professionals.

The typical club has a membership database in Excel, mailing labels in Word, a static web site, and a printed newsletter. Few have an interactive web site although almost everybody wants one. They charge between $25 and $100 per year for membership, with few other sources of funds. When the group’s board members change, the new team often struggles to ensure continuity as data and files are transferred from one person/computer to another. And what happens when the membership director is on vacation and others need to get access to this data, or his computer dies and the club discovers that there is no current backup?

ClubExpress was designed to solve these problems. ClubExpress is an Internet-based platform for club and association management which was designed specifically for smaller clubs with a limited budget and where the people who run the club are not professional web designers.

ClubExpress starts with your club website and the tools to build and maintain the site. If you know how to use a word-processor, you can pick up ClubExpress very quickly; no programming experience is required. ClubExpress includes all of the tools needed to build web pages, upload photos and documents, and configure an event calendar, committees, interest groups, surveys, discussion forums and a storefront to sell club merchandise through the site.

Your association’s membership database is securely built into the website and every member has their own username and password to login and update their own information in the database. New members can sign up through the website and the system automatically handles renewals and expirations. The website includes areas for the public, for members-only and for adminstrators. ClubExpress supports family and business memberships with multiple people under one account, and the platform also supports chapters, districts and regions for larger clubs with multiple locations.

ClubExpress includes credit-card processing for memberships, event registrations (for both members and non-members), donations, and storefront purchases, with the funds deposited directly into your bank account. Or an administrator can record check or cash payments. ClubExpress includes multiple levels of security and we automatically handle backups, web hosting, email accounts and Internet access. So now your data is securely and reliably available at any time to any authorized user, which also really helps with continuity.

The platform includes a full suite of administration tools to run the organization. More than 120 reports and 20 data exports are built in, most with extensive filtering capabilities. Most importantly, there is no advertising and clubs own their data at all times.

ClubExpress charges a one-time setup fee and a low monthly fee based on the number of members in your organization. There is no long-term contract so you can cancel at any time. And this fee includes unlimited support for admins and members! If your members have a problem logging in, renewing their memberships, registering for an event, updating their profile or making a payment, they can call us.

ClubExpress has been in business for more than 5 years. Hundreds of clubs and associations use the system to manage their complete front-office and back-office, allowing the board to focus their energies on the three things that every membership-based non-profit cares about: 1) how to reduce the time you spend managing the group so you can spend more time focused on the mission; 2) how to create a richer experience for current members to increase retention; and 3) how to attract new people, building membership and strengthening the vitality of the association.

For more information, visit http://www.clubexpress.com/
Or call (866) 457-2582