Best of the Web: October 2013

Best of the Web: October 2013 The Idealware “Best of the Web” is a monthly roundup of the top nonprofit resources from the Idealware blog, our Facebook page, and our Twitter feed to help you make the right technology decisions.  The Best Times to Post on Social Media: Introducing the Burrito Principal (Beth’s Blog)It’s a question that is often asked, "when is the best time to post on social media?" While the same solution won’t work for everyone, Beth Kanter provides a simple, but often overlooked, insight: post when your fans have downtime online. Whether they’re just clocking in for the morning, grabbing a bite at lunch, or checking in after a long day, contemplating your audience’s social media viewing habits can increase your chances of getting important messages heard. Don’t Fall Into This Trap That Could Destroy Your Blog (ProBlogger)Comparing yourself to other nonprofit blogs, websites, and social media pages can be a great way to get ideas and get started, but it’s important to go your own way. Imitation may be the highest form of flattery, but as this blog post points out, it’s easy to get wrapped up in how your blog performs against your one-time online communications idols. 13 Ethical Ways to Increase Your Site’s Search Traffic (Mashable)When you’re first starting out with a website, it can be all too tempting to use trickery to boost your search engine ranking. The fact is that providing great content (the kind people want to find when they search) is the key to getting your rank up and keeping it there. These lessons from the for-profit sector are good things to keep in mind for any nonprofit website goals. Three Tips for Managing Your Interns & Skilled Volunteers (Idealware)Interns and volunteers can save you an incredible amount of money, help to make your organization run smoother, and become valued members of your team. That is, of course, provided they are well managed, and welcomed to an environment that nurtures good work. This guest blog post, written by an intern at VolunteerMatch, will give you some ideas as to how you can get the best performance out of your part time staff. One Page Scrolling Web Sites: A Great New Way to Tell a Story (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)When dealing with large campaigns, it is important to tell a compelling story, and translate it clearly and concisely. While you wouldn’t want to use it on every page of your site, or in every campaign, a single vertical page full of engaging multimedia can be a great way to walk your reader from the beginning to the end of your story. New Study Shows Millennials Want To Make A Global Difference (Frogloop)Looking to connect with a younger, global audience? The good news is that they want to help; you just have to know how to reach them. This study, performed by Telefonica and The Financial Times, looked at the optimism of young people around the world, and their adoption of technology, to give you insight into how you can make the connection. Nonprofit Storytelling for Crowdfunding & Online Fundraising (CauseVox)In storytelling, it’s not always what your organization does that tugs at your donor’s heartstrings, but the people you help, and the difference it makes. This blog post gives examples of how you can break away from the “laundry list of programs your nonprofit provides” and make a unique, impactful statement in your fundraising appeals. Tracking Volunteer Time to Boost Your Bottom Line: A Complete Accounting Guide (blue avocado)Your volunteers work hard, are they receiving due credit? Tracking your volunteers’ time can give you a unique perspective on the amount of work your organization is doing, and the return on investment your donors enjoy. This guide will give you everything you need to get started, including a sample tracking form. Idealware’s Nonprofit Social Media Decision Guide: Three Perspectives (TechSoup)You like us! You really like us! This blog post, written by our friends at TechSoup, shows how jam packed our Nonprofit Social Media Decision Guide really is, as three writers offer three unique takeaways from the report. Using SROI to Show Your Nonprofit’s Impact (About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs)We all know about ROI, or return on investment, but what about SROI: social return on investment? You can determine the impact of your nonprofit by looking at what would happen if your nonprofit never existed, thereby determining your value to your community, and comparing it with the cost to run your programs and how many people you are helping. This unique approach to outcomes measurement isn’t for everyone, but the right organizations can make compelling arguments for their value to donors and foundations.