Category: technology

How Can SOPA/PIPA Affect Non-Profits?

Fundraising, Mondays with Marissa, nonprofit, technology

The Final Frontier . . . The Information Superhighway . . .  The World Wide Web . . .  The Place Where Cute Cat Videos Reside.

Call it what you will, but the Internet as you know it might change drastically after Tuesday, January 24, 2012. On this date, the Protect IP Act (PIPA) goes up for vote in the Senate. If it passes, censorship will have a permanent home on the Internet. PIPA is the Senate bill of the more publicized SOPA bill that was in the House, both have to do with censoring the Internet.

What are PIPA and SOPA? What does this have to do with the non-profit world?

Well, let’s take a closer look.

The main idea behind both PIPA and SOPA is to stop online piracy and ensure that content creators get benefits (mainly monetary) for their work. While this sounds pretty fair, it’s the enforcement of the bill that upon further inspection has people concerned. A recent TechCrunch article does a nice job explaining the issue:

“The big problem with SOPA is in the way it is supposed to be enforced, namely by blocking domain-name system (DNS) servers of copyright-infringing websites. But DNS servers are a basic technical component of the Internet (they translate site names like techcrunch.com into numerical IP addresses computers can understand better). Once you start messing with DNS, all sorts of unintended problems arise.

Blocking DNS without a full adversarial hearing in a courtroom raises the potential for censoring speech and other lawful activities. It is also the same method China uses to block “offending” content from China’s Internet.”

Furthermore, Ars Technica explains that passage of PIPA encourages online companies to act independently of the court system.

“The PROTECT IP Act goes even further than forcing these intermediaries to take action after a court order; it actively encourages them to take unilateral action without any sort of court order at all.”

So what does this have to do with the non-profit world?

Since there is currently no definition of what an “intellectual property right infringement” might be, your site could get cited under SOPA or PIPA because of links you’ve included in your online newsletter or stories on your website. If your agency gets cited, donors and supporters who might be trying to find you online via Google or other search engines wouldn’t be able to see you in their search results.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t this have a tremendous impact on what you’re trying to accomplish with your online presence?

This post on nonprofitmarketing360.com provides more clarity on why ALL non-profits should care:

“Ostensibly, nonprofits do not present anything that would seem to threaten these conglomerates, but, under SOPA’s current terms, nonprofits will not get a day in public court if they are deemed of trafficking in any such material. Even if they did, what nonprofit has a cabal of lawyers and lobbyists to counter the plaintiff’s accusations?”

Moreover, the effect of PIPA and SOPA goes beyond just impacting search results. It can wreak havoc with your ePhilanthropy efforts. Check out this quote from an article by Computer World:

“Basically, Sec. 103 will give the owner of any intellectual property the right to pursue private action against websites that they deem are infringing their rights. Under SOPA, IP rights holders will be able to ask payment providers such as MasterCard and PayPal to shut off services to allegedly infringing sites. They would also be able to ask Internet advertising networks to stop providing ads to the websites.”

So not only would the passage of these two bills affect your visibility on the internet, but donations taken via your website could be shut down as well if you are found to be in copyright infringement. Here’s a helpful infographic for more information.

In a nutshell, both PIPA and SOPA would cut off a resource many of us use everyday to communicate, research, and learn.

Can you imagine doing research for a grant and not having access to the information you need? Or what if your Twitter account gets taken down because you linked to a YouTube video? The landscape of the Internet will never look the same if these bills pass.

In response to a signed petition, the White House has recently come out against many of the main tenants of PIPA and SOPA, but this doesn’t mean the need for you to take action has passed.

This Wednesday, January 18, 2012 there will be a hearing on SOPA in the House of Representatives. In response, many popular sites such as Google, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, AOL, LinkedIn, PayPal, and WordPress will be participating in a blackout to draw attention to the issue of Internet censorship.

If you want to get involved in the process, you can contact your Congressperson at opencongress.org.

The media has neglected to cover PIPA/SOPA effectively. I hope that this post shines some light on how the issue of censoring the Internet could impact your everyday Internet life and the life of your non-profit organization. These two bills are just the start of trying to define the relationship between the government and the Internet. Even if they do not pass, there will be others that try. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments below.

Choosing the Right Donor Database is like Buying a Car

Fundraising, Mondays with Marissa, resource development, technology

Welcome to “Mondays with Marissa” at DonorDreams. Every Monday throughout 2012, we will start your non-profit week off right with a technology related topic before returning our attention to donors, fundraising, resource development and all things non-profit. We hope you enjoy Marissa as a new addition to the DonorDreams family!

Having a donor database that fits the needs of your organization can make a world of difference. So, how do choose the right one? When I sat down to think about it, it is a lot like buying a car.

There are some people who are more impulsive with their car buying than others. They walk into a dealer knowing they want a blue one with a sun roof and satellite radio. While others take their time to research and test drive different models; finding a car that has exactly what they need at a price they can afford. Both consumers get what they want, but the consumer who went with the second approach might have gotten a little more for her money. Let’s apply that strategy to finding the perfect database solution for your organization.

First, you want to make a list of what you are currently using. This not only includes the current donor database you are using (if you are using one), but the types of computers, any paper filing systems, the technological competency of the people responsible for maintaining the database, etc. Everything you are using to keep track of donor interactions should go on this list. It would be helpful to break down each item into as many details as possible. For example, when cataloging the types of computers being used, list how old they are along with the installed operating system. Next to each item, make sure you include a small statement about how well the item is satisfying the needs of the organization. Being specific now will only help you later.

I should note that if there are plans to upgrade technology, expand staff, or change facilities soon, make sure you have all of those details as well. The database you choose will exist in that environment. So, you might as well plan for it.

Second, you want to prioritize the requirements that you want included in your new donor database. This is the fun part. Don’t think about money. I’ll say it again because I know, working at a non-profit you probably don’t hear that very often — don’t think about money. The goal is to figure out what features are needed  for the software of your dreams. Think about the functional requirements such as the need for data back-up, ability to print, run reports, can it run on both Mac and PC, does it need to run on both Mac and PC, does it offer a secure log in, is the design customizable, etc.

Next, turn your thoughts to donor management. What functions do you need included to successfully manage your donors? Some items might include: scheduling, reminders, calendars, events, employee matching, the ability to export to Quick Books, and forecasting.

Make your lists detailed and long. Then sit down and prioritize the list into what is needed most. This isn’t to say that you won’t be able to attain everything on your list, but having priorities will help steer you to the right vendors.

Third, investigate your options with the available vendors. (To help you narrow the field, you can check out sites such as techsoup.org and idealware.org.)  Then you’ll want to take the information you receive from the vendor and see how it closely matches your lists. This, of course, is where money comes into play. When thinking about the total cost of purchasing a new database system remember that it includes: equipment, maintenance, training, implementation, customization, downtime during conversion and tech failures. Also, don’t forget to question the vendor to make sure that they are a good fit for your organization. Do they have customer service hours when you need them? Do they have a large non-profit customer base? After considering all of these options, choose the product that will work best for you. It might turn out that the best solution is continue using what you already have or switch to using a CRM.

Oh yeah, don’t be afraid to ask for references and check them!

Finding a new donor database that works best for your organization is not so different then buying a car. By assessing what you have, listing what you need and researching what’s out there; you can walk into the dealer as an educated consumer and can walk out with the product that meets your needs, most of the time at the price you had in mind.

Here’s to your health!

Introducing Mondays with Marissa

Mondays with Marissa, technology

Happy New Year! I hope that your year-end celebrations were fun, and you are ready to tackle resolutions in the new year. Speaking of resolutions, I made a number of them, and a few of them had to do with the DonorDreams blog.

Specifically, it is easy to see how technology is dramatically changing the world around us, which is why I reached out to my friend and fellow blogger — Marissa Garza — and asked her to address technology issues every Monday. (A picture of Marissa is posted to the right on your screen . . . Hi Marissa! 🙂 )

Marissa graduated from the University of Illinois with a BA in Education. She has taught in the classroom, worked for Kaplan, and is one of the most curious self-taught students I’ve ever met when it comes to technology. In fact, every time we get together she is telling me about a some new technological piece of magic.

When I needed help customizing this blog, I turned to Marissa. When I needed feedback on the The Healthy Non-Profit’s website, I turned to Marissa. When I needed to test my webcam with regards to Skype, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, and Google+, I turned to Marissa. When a former co-worker asked me for tips on how to get her blog up and running, I sent her to Marissa.

If you haven’t figured out that Marissa is my “go to gal” when it comes to technology, then let me just say for the record . . . she is super smart and someone I think of very highly. I am thrilled to death that she has agreed to become part of the DonorDreams family, and I predict you will fall in love with her.

The inspiration behind “Mondays with Marissa” came from the following two places:

  • One of National Public Radio’s (NPR) popular shows is Talk of the Nation with Neal Conan, and on Fridays Neal turns his show over to Ira Flatow who hosts a show branded “Talk of the Nation: Science Friday“. This approach to specialized content inspired me to add a new voice to DonorDreams one day a week.
  • Perhaps, more central to my decision to ask Marissa to join the team is how often non-profit friends ask me about technology related issues and those questions have been very broad including: websites, social media, email marketing, blogs, ePhilanthropy, e-commerce, donor databases, CRM, etc.

I’ve asked Marissa to write about all of these topics and more. As she does, I will use the comment section of this blog to weigh-in with my thoughts on how these technology topics apply to non-profit management, marketing, board development, programming/operations, and resource development (including prospect cultivation, donor solicitation, donor stewardship, etc).

I don’t know about you, but I am very excited about 2012! I am very optimistic and excited to get started.

Please use the comment box below and weigh-in with a few technology topics that you’d like Marissa to write about over the next few Mondays. Your suggestions are very much appreciated. Please also help me welcome Marissa to our family.

Happy New Year and here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
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