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News for November 2001

29 November 2001

MIT Starting to Put 2000 Courses on the Web
	MIT's Open Courseware initiative is taking shape. They are starting to put 2000 courses on the web and are encountering some interesting challenges along the way. I applaud the ambition, especially if it means that others will treat courses as scholarly publications, not commercial property. Posted: 11/29/01; 1:23:17 PM #

28 November 2001

Dangerous Direction of U.S Copyright Laws
	Nonprofit cultural and educational organizations should be deeply concerned about the dangerous direction of U.S copyright laws. Any organizations that depend upon fair use of copyrighted material, such as advocacy organization, are also being threatened. Posted: 11/28/01; 3:23:50 PM #

Session Summaries from the International Symposium on Volunteering
	A wealth of content is now available in the form of Session Summaries from the International Symposium on Volunteering. Posted: 11/28/01; 3:23:37 PM #

After the Outpouring
	In After the Outpouring, the Christian Science Monitor has a good overview of giving after 9-11. Posted: 11/28/01; 3:23:07 PM #

New York Philanthropy After the Attacks
	Foundation News and Commentary has an excellent report on New York Philanthropy After the Attacks. Posted: 11/28/01; 3:22:41 PM #

IT Staffing Strategies for Nonprofits
	Baird Associates has posted their material on IT Staffing Strategies for Nonprofits, which was delivered recently at a TechFoundation event in Boston. (Warning: This is one of those ugly and slow-loading Powerpoint presentations converted into HTML.) Posted: 11/28/01; 3:22:28 PM #

25 November 2001

Unwiring the Web
	In Unwiring the Web, Erika Jonietz looks at community owned wireless networks. I'm very excited about the possibilities of community based wireless communication for bypassing monopolies and helping bridge the digital divide. Posted: 11/25/01; 4:42:50 PM #

Flawless Consulting

Having consulted to nonprofits for so many years and now finding myself working, in the context of the Nonprofit Email Study, I am once again thinking about the practice of consulting. By far and away my favorite book on the subject is Flawless Consulting, by Peter Block . Its strength lies in Block's consistent commitment to the cause of authenticity in the consulting relationship. If you consult to nonprofits, you will find its message empowering and practical. Posted: 11/25/01; 4:42:37 PM #

Somalia's only Internet and its Key Telecommunication Company Shut Down
	Somalia's only Internet company and its key telecommunication company have been shut down by the United States, because of suspicions of terrorist links. The United Nations and many nonprofit aid organizations have been affected. Posted: 11/25/01; 4:42:21 PM #

Jihad versus McWorld
	Jihad versus McWorld, by Benjamin Barber has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years now, but I just pulled it down to read. Its analysis of the tensions between commercial globalism and violent tribalism calls powerfully for a third way. Of course, I wonder how airport security responds to people carrying books with the word "Jihad" in the title. Posted: 11/25/01; 4:42:06 PM #

23 November 2001

Giving Day
	I very much hope this initiative to make the day after Thanksgiving into Giving Day takes off. Much better than shopping and far less claustrophobic. Posted: 11/23/01; 3:47:30 PM #

Listen, by W. S. Merwin

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Not being born in this country makes my connection to this holiday somewhat tenuous. But I started a wonderful book by Anne Lamott, in which was reprinted the poem Listen, by W. S. Merwin. It seemed to suit the occasion. Note: This just happens to be a page where I found the poem. I don't know anything about the text beneath the poem or the rest of the site. Posted: 11/23/01; 3:47:06 PM #

21 November 2001

Echoing Green's Social Entrepreneur Fellowships
	Applications for Echoing Green's Social Entrepreneur Fellowships are due by January 10, 2002. Posted: 11/21/01; 6:37:25 AM #

A Scorecard for Net News Ethics
	J. D. Lasica does his usual great work in A Scorecard for Net News Ethics. He gives online news generally good marks, notes some important lapses, and identifies some important challenges. Posted: 11/21/01; 6:37:11 AM #

So Called Anti-Terrorism Bill Affects Nonprofit Organizations
	Independent Sector has some analysis of how the so called anti-terrorism bill affects nonprofit organizations in the United States. Posted: 11/21/01; 6:36:57 AM #

Screening Free Speech
	In Screening Free Speech Ariana Eunjung Cha looks into the censorship of unpopular opinions in the major corporate online forums. It points out how nonprofits should be wary of dependence on these communities and tools. Posted: 11/21/01; 6:36:43 AM #

19 November 2001

Why Take Media Seriously
	Charlotte Ryan has done a great job with Why Take Media Seriously in the Nonprofit Quarterly. Posted: 11/19/01; 8:54:21 PM #

Network for Good
	The successor to Helping.org has been announced: It's called Network for Good. Posted: 11/19/01; 8:54:08 PM #

18 November 2001

Traveling, Nov. 2001
	I've been on the road a lot in the last couple of weeks. My apologies for the slower pace of news. It should pick up again in a week or so. Posted: 11/18/01; 9:32:19 PM #

14 November 2001

In the Wake of 9-11, Online Giving is Up
	In the wake of 9-11, online giving is up. Reed Abelson asks: will it will stay there? Posted: 11/14/01; 12:54:20 PM #

13 November 2001

Nonprofits Fail to do Genuine Relationship Building
	A new survey of 10,000 donors and non-donors in the United Kingdom finds that nonprofits fail to do genuine relationship building with their supporters. "Many charities claim to be involved in relationship marketing, but their relationships with donors are purely transactional in reality," the researchers conclude. Posted: 11/13/01; 10:40:55 AM #

12 November 2001

A More "Inclusive Information Society" in Europe
	In pursuit of a more "inclusive information society" in Europe, a new research report looks at the role of voluntary organizations. Posted: 11/12/01; 3:09:58 PM #

Award for Nonprofit Innovation
	Until June of 2002, the Drucker Foundation will be accepting nominations for its Award for Nonprofit Innovation. Posted: 11/12/01; 3:09:50 PM #

Redistribution of 9-11 Funds to Families of the Victims
	The indiscriminate redistribution of 9-11 funds to families of the victims is likely to violate IRS regulations on tax exempt organizations. Of course, now that there has been some time to think about it, this seems kind of obvious. Posted: 11/12/01; 3:09:33 PM #

Social Service vs Social Change in Volunteer Roles
	Susan Ellis tackles the issue of social service versus social change in volunteer roles. Posted: 11/12/01; 3:09:18 PM #

8 November 2001

Why Do Intranets Fail
	I've had the chance to look at a lot of foundation and nonprofit Intranets and Extranets. Most of them are hardly used at all, despite enormous costs. So I enjoyed reading Daintry Duffy's Why Do Intranets Fail, which looks at how content centered planning (as opposed to user centered planning) is the culprit. Posted: 11/8/01; 1:29:52 PM #

Profit vs Innovation
	In the eighties, I worked on the Bell Telephone breakup from a public interest perspective. There was no question at that time that monopolies stifle innovation. Lawrence Lessig is looking into the issue of profit versus innovation in his new book. Since nonprofits are all about innovation (rather than profit), this is an important subject for us all. Posted: 11/8/01; 1:29:28 PM #

9-11 Donations & Federal Regulation
	Issues related to donations received around the 9-11 disaster may open the door to federal regulation of disbursement of those funds. Posted: 11/8/01; 1:27:21 PM #

Giving and Volunteering in the United States 2001
	Independent Sector has released their report on Giving and Volunteering in the United States 2001. Posted: 11/8/01; 1:26:48 PM #

5 November 2001

New Regulations on Nonprofit Telephone Fundraisers
	Somehow, new regulations on nonprofit telephone fundraisers were included in recent "anti-terrorism" legislation passed into law in the U.S. Posted: 11/5/01; 2:27:51 PM #

Global E-Government Survey
	The World Markets Research Centre has published a Global E-Government Survey. Posted: 11/5/01; 2:27:40 PM #

Hearings on the Response by Charitable Organizations to 9-11
	The U.S. House of Representatives will hold hearings on the response by charitable organizations to 9-11. Posted: 11/5/01; 2:27:29 PM #

2 November 2001

Learning Circles Project
	Innonet has launched the Learning Circles Project, a new self-evaluation based capacity building effort for Washington DC organizations. Posted: 11/2/01; 11:23:37 AM #

Changing Fundraising Strategies After 9-11
	Good article from the Association of Fundraising Professionals on changing fundraising strategies after 9-11. Posted: 11/2/01; 11:23:27 AM #

Internet Connects People More Deeply to the Places They Live
	More great work from the Pew Internet Life Project, which concludes that the Internet connects people more deeply to the places they live. Posted: 11/2/01; 11:23:17 AM #

1 November 2001

CTC Accelerator
	The Information Technology Resource Center in Chicago continues to innovate. They have just announced the CTC Accelerator to help the rapid formation of Community Technology Centers. Posted: 11/1/01; 12:51:20 PM #

Future Should Belong to the Open Courseware Model

We've published Nonprofit Online News for almost five years now, along with features and research reports, without advertising and without a fee. We feel that we are part of a long tradition of free education. So, we're enthusiastic about MIT's Open Courseware Initiative, which puts all of the university's courseware online, free of charge. Now Kei Ishii and Bernd Lutterbeck say the future should belong to the open courseware model. Posted: 11/1/01; 11:49:22 AM #