Many of my posts talk about how non-profits can use technology to improve operations and better communicate with stakeholders. However, a big questions non-profits have is: How do I get this technology? My best answer is TechSoup. TechSoup Global, headquartered in San Francisco, provides a platform for non-profit organizations around the world to gain access … Continue reading Free Software for Non-profits from TechSoup
Question Zero Part 6: Next steps
In the last 5 posts, we have covered a number of components that help you answer, and communicate your answer, to Question Zero "What, exactly, are we trying to accomplish?": Choosing the type of story you are trying to tell Ensuring you are speaking the right language for your audience Making sure you are measuring … Continue reading Question Zero Part 6: Next steps
Answering Question Zero: What is success and how do we measure it?
Herman Leonard, a professor at Harvard Business School, has a concept called Question Zero. This asks “What exactly are we trying to accomplish?” The idea being if you can't answer Question Zero, then don't bother with questions 1 through 99! For social ventures and non-profits this can be a difficult question to answer simply and … Continue reading Answering Question Zero: What is success and how do we measure it?
Tale of two views: Public and Private stimulus spending tracking sites
The New York Times has a profile on the "Big Man" tasked with monitoring spending for the US recovery bill. The article talks about both recovery.gov (a government run site) and Stimulus Watch (a private site). As you can see from the images below, the difference in level of detail and speed of posting is staggering. … Continue reading Tale of two views: Public and Private stimulus spending tracking sites
Opening MP Voting Records: how?
Interesting article on opening MP voting records "soon" but how effective will this be? While not as interesting as the US given our more traditional party-disciplined voting, one can imagine some interesting data mashups. For example one could create a map linking voting records with government spending projects, financial contributions and media coverage by riding. … Continue reading Opening MP Voting Records: how?
Constructive Public Engagement 