|
FIRE's "Nonprofits
Online" Workshop
CONTENTS
FOR THIS PAGE:
Introduction
Part
1: Searching for Information:
Home Pages • Search
Engines
• Writing
Aids
Part 2:
Resources for Nonprofit Organizations:
Link
Sites
• Fundraising
• Finding
People and Businesses • Online
Discussion
• Technology
• Other
Helpful Sites
Part
3: Local and Government Sites
Part
4: Two Case Studies: Advanced Use of Online Information:
Case Study 1: Data Supporting
the Need for Economic Development on "The Block"
• Case
Study 2: Freedom of Information Act
Introduction
Mankato,
Minnesota home page
To top of contents
PART
1: Searching for Information
Home
Pages
refdesk.com
— Excellent Home Page.
ceoexpress.com
– An excellent home page with lots of valuable
links.
Search Engines/Index
google.com — Judged by investigative reporters,
and just about everyone else, as the best of all general
search engines. Simple, fast and excellent on general
subjects.
Guide
to Search Engines — A �tell all� web site about
search engines.
Writing Aids
The Elements
of Style at Bartleby.com — The Elements of
Style by Strunk and White — the standard.
To top
of contents
PART
2: Resources for Nonprofit Organizations
Links
Sites
North
Carolina Center for Nonprofits' "Links of Interest"
page — Links on a wide variety of topics.
Board
and staff helpline
Free legal help
Peer
and consultant referrals
Idealist.org
— Resource provided by Action Without Borders,
with literally thousands for nonprofit organizations.
Tools
for organizations
How
to start, run and fund a nonprofit organization
Nonprofit
news sites (such as the Philanthropy
Journal published by the A.J. Fletcher Foundation
in NC)
To top of contents
Fundraising
The
Foundation Center — Several valuable services
for free and for a fee.
Foundation
Finder
Foundation
Directory Online. Or, see Asheville's Pack Memorial
Library for FC Search: The
Foundation Center's Database on CD-ROM
User-Friendly
Guide to Funding Research and Resources
Free
prospect worksheets
Proposal
Writing Short Course
Where
to find valuable information on a 990-PF.
You can
download
Adobe Acrobat for free to read files ending with
".pdf".
Guidestar
— Another resource to use for information about
foundations and nonprofit organizations. FIRE or Cannon
(p. 6,9,10,28,44) for example.
Free
help with your website
To network
with local fundraisers, visit the Association
of Fundraising Professionals Western North Carolina
Chapter to find out about their next meeting.
To
top of contents
Finding
People and Businesses
JournalistsToolbox
Investigations Page—Plenty of search and database
sites listed, such as SearchSystems.net.
PowerReporting—Another
great site with numerous links for conducting searches.
For instance, people
searches and company
searches.
Hoover's
Online — Basic information about corporations
for free, and more details for a charge.
To top of contents
Online
Discussions
Charity
Channel — public
forums on a variety of topics that are of interest
to nonprofit organizations.
"Grants"
forum — An example of one of many forums.
Search
the "Grants" archive — For example,
seek "grants for computers". See item number
"002641", for instance.
Search
multiple archives — Requires a password.
Overview
of types of online discussions at CharityVillage.com
— A Canadian site, but the information is applicable
to any nonprofit, and the Canadian-focussed discussion
links are marked with a red maple leaf.
To top of contents
Technology
Techsoup.org.
— Big software discounts (as much as $500 off!).
Examples appear below (this is not an endorsement of
these products).
Microsoft
XP Professional — $60.
Symantec
AntiVirus software for five users — $45,
a savings of $180.
Nonprofit
WebBuilder — by B2P for $60, which includes
web design tools for beginners and a year of web hosting.
Nonprofit
Technology Listservs and e-Newsletters
Technology
planning tips and worksheets for your organization.
For other
sources of discounted brand-name software, see this
page set up by ONE/Northwest.
Microsoft
Viewers and Converters enable anyone with a PC,
and some people with Macs, to read Microsoft files without
the software.
Download
the Benson Foundation's guide
to incorporating technology planning — including
computer upgrades, back-up procedures and networking
— into any nonprofit organization’s strategic
plan. This file is large and can take about 15 minutes
to download using a dial-up modem.
To top of contents
Other
Helpful Sites
Instant
literal translatations of languages and web pages is
available at FreeTranslation.
Also at altavista.
This urban
legends site at about.com is a good page to use
before you follow anonymous advice about a computer
virus, software bug, online petition or other suspect
topic. If you remember recent hoaxes, like the one telling
people to delete a file that was really a necessary
component of Windows, you will understand why this site
is so helpful.
A lot of
different calculators
for comparing cities, crime, schools, salaries, etc
at BestPlaces.net. For example, compare
Waynesville, NC and Los Angeles, CA.
For inspiration
regarding the power of the Internet to relate a story,
see www.360degrees.org,
particularly the "Stories" section.
To top of contents
PART
3: Local and Government Sites
NC Legislature
— Everything about it, including access to all
state statutes. Plus — North Carolina General Assembly
and Information.
NC Governor's
page —North Carolina Governor's page. Example
of a useless state page.
piperinfo.com
— A tremendous state agency links page. Links to
local NC government sites.
firstgov.gov
—The best comprehensive government search link.
FirstGov's
Nonprofit Gateway
is a network of links to Federal government information
and services.
Thomas
- The best place for federal legislative information.
Library of Congress. Ask a Librarian.
LSU
Listing —Every U.S. Agency or Office in the
U.S. For example, search “housing”.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) — Search for government grants.
Find
Assistance Programs using a variety of criteria,
including project beneficiary, issue, agency, etc.
The
Federal Register is important, but not very reader
friendly, so consider The
Grantsmanship Center for updates on funding for nonprofits.
Mountain
Area Information Network (MAIN)
Directory
web hosting services to nonprofits
Place
a link to an existing website for free
Dial-up
and e-mail services
United Way
of Asheville & Buncombe County Media Directory
for nonprofits
Coming soon: a site for WNC nonprofits called "Route
501(c)(3)"
For a collection of resources in one place, capitolimpact.com
is a good reference. Here is their page on Asheville,
as an example.
To
top of contents
PART
4: Advanced interpretation, manipulation and access
to online information
Now, a couple of case studies.
Case Study 1: Data Supporting
the Need for Economic Development on "The Block"
The US Census
site, a terrific source of demographic statistics and
information.
US
Census maps show every Census Tract, Block Group
and street in Asheville. See "Census 2000 Block
Maps" and download
example. Here is a Census
guide to downloading and using the maps.
FedStats.gov
will direct you toward other government
agencies which have detailed, specialized data online.
American FactFinder
is the site to use to quickly generate detailed data,
such as this
comma delimited file to download and open in Excel.
Here's what the imported data looked like, and what
was found after the math was done (see highlighted
cells in Excel
file to download).
Schedule
on the site that is helpful for determining what data
is currently available.
Case Study 2: Freedom of Information
Act
NC
Public Records Law
Actual
letter using Open Records Request
To top of contents
Thanks! Before you go, please fill out an Evaluation
Form.
This workshop presented with support from the Community
Foundation of Western North Carolina and the New
Leaf Fund.
|
