Wild Apricot Blog


	This blog is for volunteers, webmasters and administrators of associations, clubs, charities, communities and other groups. We discuss issues and trends in modern web technologies that help your organization achieve more with less. This blog is sponsored by Wild Apricot membership software: a set of tools for membership administration, event registration, website management, online fundraising - with friendly and knowledgeable tech support. See for yourself how affordable and easy it is to use: - Take a tour!

04 January 2009

Security Issues in Social Media Shouldn't Put Nonprofits Off Networking Online

As more and more nonprofits take advantage of social media sites to connect with supporters, security concerns are rising more to the forefront. This past weekend, Twitter was hit by a phishing epidemic — just the latest in a string of attacks against social networking sites that hit the mainstream news last month when a fake video link spread the Koobface worm on Facebook and MySpace. Ken Pappas of TechNewsWorld sees a rash of new cyber-threats emerging in response to growing social media use — Read More...

Posted Sunday, January 04, 2009 10:03 PM by Rebecca | 8 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Social networking, Facebook, Twitter, security

31 December 2008

Are You Tracking Your Top Blog Posts?

Top 10 Blog Post lists are popping up all over the Internet as another year comes to an end, as nonprofits, individuals, and businesses take stock of where they’ve been and plan their communications strategy for the coming year. But how do you know which of your blog posts for the past year are your “top” content? It's more than a simple matter of counting up the page views... Three factors come into play, when you start to track down the information on your blog or website that’s made the greatest Read More...

Posted Wednesday, December 31, 2008 3:11 PM by Rebecca | 3 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Blogging, Google Analytics, Non-profit Communications

24 December 2008

Wild Apricot - final updates for 2008

About Wild Apricot Our blog provides technology advice for small non-profits. Many subscribers are also Wild Apricot software clients, so we do monthly blog posts about our software. Wild Apricot simplifies non-profit management for thousands of professional and business associations, clubs, charitable organizations, churches, activist groups and communities. It replaces multiple separate systems with one: Wild Apricot smart web service is your public website and private websites for board and members, Read More...

Posted Wednesday, December 24, 2008 4:44 PM by Chief_Apricot | 0 Comments

Filed under: Wild Apricot

22 December 2008

Reddit to Rally Volunteers for Needy Nonprofits

Last year, social bookmarking site Reddit partnered up to raise over $3,000 for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF.org), a non-profit selected by the website’s users to benefit from the fund-raising drive. This year, they’re trying something different — raising volunteers instead of cash. It's partly an acknowledgement that many people have few funds to spare, and partly a nod to the wealth of high-tech talent found among Reddit users. Between now and the February 14th deadline, individuals Read More...

Posted Monday, December 22, 2008 3:24 AM by Rebecca | 0 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Volunteers

17 December 2008

Connect Your Nonprofit's Offline and Online Activities

Your nonprofit’s website gets tens of thousands of hits every month. Thousands support your Cause on Facebook, and you’ve mapped out a killer Twitter strategy to attract a hundred new followers weekly. So what? “Those are impressive numbers on the surface,” says Jayne Craven of Coyote Communications, but it’s vital to evaluate your organization’s online activities in terms of offline actions: “If they don’t translate into more volunteers, repeat volunteers, new and repeat donors, new and repeat clients, Read More...

Posted Wednesday, December 17, 2008 1:41 AM by Rebecca | 3 Comments

Filed under: nptech, Marketing, Best practices, Non-profit Communications, websites

11 December 2008

Free Webinar: Social Media for Social Good

Want to learn more about Web 2.0 and the latest social media trends? Convio is hosting a free webinar with Emily Riley , Senior Analyst from JupiterResearch, and social media blogger Beth Kanter of Beth’s Blog . In only 75 minutes, attendees will learn about the latest findings on the use of social media, real-world examples of effective social media campaigns and how nonprofits can leverage “word of mouth” marketing techniques on 2009. The free webinar — going live at 2pm EST, Wednesday, 17 December Read More...

Posted Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:23 PM by Rebecca | 0 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Web 2.0, Social networking, Non-profit Communications, training, Twitter, webinar

10 December 2008

Online Donations Still Up in a Down Economy

What does an uncertain economy mean for the bottom line of nonprofit fundraising efforts? "Overall, the news is good," says Sarah DiJulio, Executive Vice President of M+R Strategic Services. The economy may be down, but online donations are up -- so far. Read More...

Posted Wednesday, December 10, 2008 3:30 AM by Rebecca | 2 Comments

Filed under: Fundraising, nptech, Marketing, Non-profit Communications, research

09 December 2008

2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference: Focus on Tools and Strategies

Nearly 1200 people working in nonprofits and technology will come together from around the world for the 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference in San Francisco, April 26-28, 2009. More than ever, technology is helping nonprofits tap into and build communities to create social change. Now, more than ever, our stakeholders are able to connect, share, and act on our behalf from around the globe or around the corner. At this NTC, we’ll pay special attention to the tools and strategies that are reshaping Read More...

Posted Tuesday, December 09, 2008 2:17 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments

Filed under: General News, Associations, Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Conferences

03 December 2008

Search Engine Marketing Guide for Nonprofits

Search engine optimization is all about helping people to find your website when they search for information online. Clearly, you want your website to show up at the top of the search engine results pages when potential supporters look for information about your organization or your cause -- but many small nonprofits simply don’t have the budget for an SEO / SEM company to help make that happen.. Read More...

Posted Wednesday, December 03, 2008 2:56 PM by Rebecca | 4 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Marketing, SEO

01 December 2008

First Steps in Social Networking for Nonprofits

Nonprofits looking to start using social media as a marketing tool will find a wealth of sound advice online, but putting the pieces together into a solid strategy? That's the real challenge. No one simple strategy will work for every nonprofit group. (In fact, trying to give step-by-step "one size fits all" directions for using social media is a lot like trying to teach a shy first-time party guest how to mingle with strangers.) Enough nonprofits and businesses have broken the trail, however, that Read More...

Posted Monday, December 01, 2008 7:12 PM by Rebecca | 7 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Marketing, Web 2.0, Best practices, online community, Blogging, Social networking, NPC Carnival, Non-profit Communications

28 November 2008

Quick Tips to Prevent Broken Links

Checking for and fixing broken links on your organization's website can be tedious and time-consuming, but it's a vital task for anyone who manages a website. You can save time and effort by preventing a lot of those broken links, however. The key is to be a bit strategic when you're choosing which page you'll link to, and double-checking that your link is correctly formed before you ever hit the "Publish" button. Read More...

Posted Friday, November 28, 2008 3:45 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Best practices, websites

27 November 2008

Wild Apricot updates November-December 2008

Our blog provides technology-related ideas and advice for small non-profits — professional and business associations, clubs, charitable organizations, churches, activist groups and communities. Many subscribers are also Wild Apricot software clients, so we do occasional blog posts about our software updates. Wild Apricot smart software simplifies life for people in associations and non-profits. It replaces 5 separate systems — public website and private websites for board and members, contact database, Read More...

Posted Thursday, November 27, 2008 9:42 AM by Chief_Apricot | 4 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, Wild Apricot, nptech, Web 2.0

23 November 2008

Online Video FAQ for New Nonprofit Managers

First-time nonprofit managers can often use a bit of guidance from more experienced colleagues, as well as the answers to specific questions. The problem is, there just aren't enough mentors to go around, and perhaps this is especially so in the nonprofit sector where resources are stretched to the limit. What's the solution? Well, Third Sector New England believes it's found a partial solution at any rate. Read More...

Posted Sunday, November 23, 2008 8:30 AM by Rebecca | 1 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, General non-profit interest, nptech, Non-profit Communications, training, Videos

20 November 2008

Should You Buy Your Software or Rent It?

Choosing software for your organization is a lot like choosing where to set up your office. Basically, there are two choices: you can buy your own office building, or you can rent space in someone else's building. And it's the same with your organization's software. But which is the better choice for you - self-installed software or a hosted package? Read More...

Posted Thursday, November 20, 2008 4:04 PM by Rebecca | 3 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, software

18 November 2008

Top 4 Picks for Free Office Suite Software

If you’re running any kind of organization, a suite of office software is essential — at the very least, you need a fairly good word-processing program, a spreadsheet application, and some sort of presentation software. Feature-rich Microsoft Office has made that particular market its own for at least the past decade, but now a few strong alternative software suites are fast gaining ground... Read More...

Posted Tuesday, November 18, 2008 4:26 PM by Rebecca | 6 Comments

Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, office, Microsoft, Zoho, open source, Google Docs, ThinkFree