Blogs

Aspiration board member Michelle Murrain writes on her personal blog about Convio's recent decision to take on an anti-gay marriage organization as a client. She argues:

ExP estimates $43 billion in annual U.S.nonprofit IT spending - This from our friends Paul and Rem: Exponent Partners estimates that U.S. nonprofit organizations annually spend at least $43 billion on IT products and services. With 1.4 million organizations that make up 7.5% of the U.S. gross domestic product, this is a substantial market for technology vendors. However, the preponderance of small nonprofits, fragmented across many divergent subsectors, makes it a challenging market to serve. [Exponent Partners]

There are a number of lists of tools and strategy on using short text messaging for advocacy and other nonprofit work.

AdvoacyDev generated a list of SMS Tools.

On Mobile Active, we are compiling resources and articles on using SMS for advocacy. Aspiration and Green Media Toolshed are hosting the site in conjunction with a strategy meeting of activists in Toronto in September 2005.

It includes a rich set of resources, articles, case studies, and tools.

Gideon Rosenblatt's excellent paper on the state of nonprofit technology is a must-read for everyone interested in information technology for nonprofits. From the site:

Three Pillars of Social Source

In the world of scarce resources plaguing the nonprofit technology sector, we currently suffer from a conflation of roles. This paper outlines three functional roles that are essential for a vibrant nonprofit technology sector. These “three pillars” include the “application developer”, the “application integrator” and the “application hoster.” Drawing clearer distinctions between these roles will help nonprofit technology assistance providers clarify their organizational missions, which will reduce competitive overlap and pave the way for improved collaboration between organizations. These steps are absolutely necessary if we are to evolve the nonprofit technology sector into a more integrated “social source” movement dedicated to empowering the agents of social service and social change throughout our societies.

SmartMobs: Promotes the Conference

Green Media Toolshed and aspirationtech.org are hosting the first-ever gathering of activists and organizers using cell phones and sms in their campaign, human rights, and political work. (Thanks Katrin)

They are still looking for experienced campaigners, human rights, and social justice activists who are using sms messaging and cell phones in their work.

Cell Phone Activism -

OSI and the Beldon fund have funded Green Media Toolshed and Aspiration to convene a working session of global activists, communications staff, technology experts and foundation staff to mine a wide variety of experience, expertise and vision. The goal is to shorten the learning curve and accelerate the use of cell phones as a successful tool in campaigns, human rights and democracy efforts. The convergence will develop new guides for campaign planners, communications staff and technology staff. All will participate to explore the ways cell phones can be used in organizing contexts. Case studies from the field will be explored and a short list of recommendations will be developed for funders interested in supporting ways that leverage the new wireless connections provided the mobile phones. OSI has committed to fly participants in from across the world including Africa, South Korea, the Phillip, India, the Ukraine, South America and the US.