Endowments & Non-Profits

I admit it, I'm no expert in non-profit business strategy. I know how to use information technology to improve communication and productivity, and I'm reasonably skilled at designing and managing marketing efforts. I don't claim to know how a non-profit should manage it's endowment.

My impression is that most non-profit board members fit this description generally match the rest of the population. Strong endowment management skills are relatively rare and therefore lacking on the majority of NP boards & volunteer bases. That is why I was so impressed with the presentation that the Rochester Community Foundation gave at a local np board meeting last week.

What they provide is an invaluable service to non-profits. Think about it, how many small organizations can benefit from professional management for their endowment. How many NP boards killed their own organizations by spending an endowment into the ground because it wasn't protected. Working with The Rochester Community Foundation provides solutions to both of these problems.

A Portrait of Non-Profit Web Success: The Georgia Aquarium

Alright, so superficially the Georgia Aquarium may not have that much in common with your typical non-profit. It's huge, sells a product and was bankrolled by a billionaire. It may seem a universe away from your typical non-profit but the goals are actually the same.

The aquarium wants to build and establish relationships with high end donors, reduce staff overhead and waste, and streamline business processes all with a pretty close eye on the bottom line and providing as much funding for programming as possible.

Computer world just ran an excellent breakdown of the effectiveness of the Georgia Aquariums website and market presence that I think would be of interest for all non-profit professionals. The web isn't something to be scared of, it is a powerful tool to be embraced.

A few key points:

• The level of customization was quite minimal requiring the creation of 2 custom xml interfaces to integrate items.
• The use of the website has tapered off after the aquarium opening. This is due to the frequent sellout dates when the aquarium first opened that are much less frequent now.
• There is a clear and distinct plan for growth through the website
• The business philosophy prioritizes "The Web site is a very big priority for us, everything we do, we want to put on the Web site first.” Jeff Swanagan CIO Georgia Aquarium
  

Web Link:
Computer World Article

Concerns about CiviReport

In light of the recent blog entry about CiviCRM and BIRT integration I suddenly have severe reservations regarding the new CiviReport integration.



Don't get me wrong, I fully believe in the power and usefulness of BIRT and used it in a recent project. I'm deeply concerned however about the j2ee server side requirements involved in this strategy. The vast majority of non-profits I support and work with do not have the dedicated server / server infrastructure to deploy such a reporting tool. J2EE applications don't generally do well in shared hosting deployment scenarios.



While I do see a clear deployment route that would involve mysql data dumps and some type of server appliance that could be easily automated. This will seem rather cumbersome to my typical client. I'll continue to play with and explore this option as I have time but right now, am quite concerned about its viability.



Weblink:

BIRT integration with CiviCRM

Protect Your Network / An Excellent use for an Old PC

We've all been there, that seedy underbelly of the net. Sites rife with warez and other content of both questionable legality and generally inappropriate for the pg - pg13 rating of most workplaces.

The nasty viruses and spyware that frolic and play in this habitat can wreak havoc on your network, devastate worker productivity and can create legal headaches if they jeopardize any confidential or client data you may have.

A simple solution is configuring a proxy server to screen out as many of these sites as possible. While no solution will be 100% effective, squidGuard is a free and relatively simple alternative that should be more than adequate for most home & office networks.

Linux.com is running a pretty straightforward step by step tutorial on deploying squidGuard. If you need any advice, I'd be more than happy to provide guidance in deploying squidGuard for your organization.

Linux.com | Using squidGuard for content filtering

Excellent Inkscape Tutorial

Redhat Magazine just ran an excellent Inkscape tutorial by Nico Buculei. For those of you who don't know, Inkscape is an excellent OpenSource Vector Illustration tool similar to Freehand, Xara & Adobe Illustrator. It is easy to use, quite powerful and free.

You can download the windows version of the software here:
http://www.inkscape.org/ Just follow the download now link.

The Tutorial is available here:
redhat.com | Red Hat Magazine