The ERICA Community Newsletter: Vol. III

Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 13:51:42 -0400
To: ccn-tech@chebucto.ns.ca
From: ljdeveau@chebucto.ns.ca
Cc: ccn-ip@chebucto.ns.ca, ccn-board@chebucto.ns.ca
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Hello everyone,

I thought this might be of interest to some of you.

Cheers,
Leo
-----------
>From: erica@ericsson.ca
>To: ljdeveau@chebucto.ns.ca
>Subject: The ERICA Community Newsletter:  Vol. III
>Date:   Fri, 23 Jun 2000 12:12:35 -0400
>
>
>THE ERICA COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
>Volume III - June 2000
>
>CONTENTS:
>
>I. Internet Fundraising
>II. Expert tackles the digital divide issue during live webcast
>III. Cast a Wider Net ñ Use the Internet to expand your cause
>IV. Sharing Stories:  NPO uses Internet technology to make training
>programs more accessible to the visually impaired
>V. ERICA Clicks:  Useful technology sites
>VI. Submission Deadline ñ July 17th, 2000
>
>----------------------------
>I. Internet Fundraising
>Treat your Internet program like any new business venture: plan,
>measure and evaluate results for long-term success
>
>(The following article has been summarized and reprinted with
>permission from Canadian Fundraiser, Volume 10, Number 10, April 26,
>2000. For the full article, visit the ERICA Web site at
>http://www.ericsson.com/erica.)
>
>With the advent of new and less expensive technology, many non-profit
>organizations have established an online presence through both e-mail
>addresses and Web sites. An informative article, written by Randal
>Oulton of Canadian Fundraiser, encourages organizations to use their
>Internet presence for more than just online fundraising. Oulton
>shares helpful tips and suggestions on using the Internet to further
>an organization's service mandate.
>
>Charitable Web sites should also seek to serve the online community
>that they are targeting for contributions. According to Oulton, one
>way of doing this is to provide visitors with resources and
>information that succeed in giving the impression of stability while
>maintaining their attention and encouraging them to revisit the site.
>
>An example of a successful site was the John McCain presidential
>campaign site that recruited 100,000 online volunteers and raised
>$2.7 million. Almost 40% of those Internet donors had never given to
>a political candidate before. McCain2000.com was designed to appear
>like a political headquarters instead of an online brochure. Visitors
>could sign up to be "virtual volunteers" or members of the campaign
>team and would receive news updates and event schedules via e-mail.
>The site also featured an interactive chat room where donors could
>post questions to be answered by John McCain himself. The volumes of
>information provided on the Web site proved the organization's worth
>and engaged the visitors' attention long enough for the campaign to
>relay its message.
>
>Oulton also makes suggestions for the methods used to ask for
>donations including details about online forms. The article also
>highlights the importance of clearly identifying issues surrounding
>third-party sites so that donors can be clear on who their donation
>is going to.
>
>For the complete text of the article, which includes predictions for
>the future of non-profits on the Internet and pointers for online
>success, please log on to http:///www.ericsson.com/erica.
>
>------------------------------------
>II. Bridging the Digital Divide ñ ERICA Seminar #2
>On June 5th, users from around the world joined in for the second
>ERICA online seminar on the topic of Bridging the Digital Divide.
>
>Dan Geiger, CEO and co-founder of OpNet (http://www.opnetwork.org), a
>San Francisco based non-profit organization, hosted this extremely
>interesting discussion.  According to Geiger, the primary obstacles
>in overcoming the digital divide are access and infrastructure,
>education, employment/economic development and content.  The
>implementation of neighborhood-based community technology centers,
>which provide computers, literacy, job training and Internet access,
>is just one of the solutions that has proven to be very effective.
>
>The U.S. Department of Education's Community Technology Centers (CTC)
>program enables the funding of more community access centers in
>economically distressed communities where people of all ages can have
>free access to computers and training.  As the need for access,
>education and training continues to grow, stronger partnerships will
>emerge between the business sector, branches of government and non-
>profit organizations in order to properly address these concerns on a
>wider scale.
>
>Innovative alliances between corporations and non-profit
>organizations, such as the one Ericsson created through the ERICA
>program, are a key element in bridging the divide.
>
>If you want to hear more of Danís presentation, check out the webcast
>archived at http://www.ericsson.com/erica and download his
>presentation.
>
>The next ERICA online on the topic of ìOnline Fundraisingî will be
>held on September 6th, 2000 at 3:30pm EST.  The seminar will be
>hosted by David Scholtz of AllCharities.com.  Join us September 6th
>to discuss the issue, ask questions and chat with other online
>audience members.
>
>-------------------------------------
>III. Cast a wider net - Use the Internet to expand your cause
>Ericsson Australia recently hosted seminars in Melbourne and Sydney
>to provide information to the Australian non-profit industry on
>Internet strategies, building online communities and online donations
>via e-commerce.  For more information on these seminars please visit
>http://www.eric.net.au/community/erica.htm.
>
>------------------------------------
>IV. Sharing Stories
>The Class Act Scholarship Foundation is a non-profit organisation
>that is using Internet technology to make training more accessible
>for the visually impaired.  Through the advent of voice chat at
>http://www.audio-tips.com, training is now available to all members
>of the blind community.  This solution reaches blind and visually
>impaired individuals living in rural and urban areas ñ truly crossing
>boundaries and time zones!  By extending technology to those in need
>and following through with a training program, the resources are
>being provided to help blind and visually impaired people reach their
>personal and/or professional goals.
>
>This story was provided by Cathy Ann Murtha, an access technology
>specialist with 6 years experience training blind and visually
>impaired students in the use of computers and access technology.  On
>May 8, 2000, Cathy held the first online training class for blind and
>visually impaired students.
>
>For more information on online training or the Class Act Scholarship
>Foundation visit http://www.tcasf.org.
>
>**If you have a story to share about how your organization has used
>technology to reach members of your community and provide information
>to others, weíd love to hear about it.  Mailto:erica@ericsson.ca.
>
>----------------------------------
>V. ERICA Clicks
>Here are some links to sites that provide technology information that
>is focused at the non-profit community:
>
>http://www.nten.org
>http://www.benton.org/Practice/Toolkit
>http://www.itforcharities.co.uk/
>http://www.nonprofit-tech.org/index.html
>http://www.techsoup.org
>
>------------------------------------
>VI. Submission Deadline Announcement
>The submission deadline for ERICA 2000 is rapidly approaching!  Donít
>forget to submit your entries by July 17th, midnight, Eastern
>Standard Time (EST).  Mailed entries must be postmarked July 17th.
>
>If you are reading this message and did not authorize us to send you
>information, or if you would like us to remove you from the mailing list,
>click on the following link:
>
>http://205.150.121.16/eps/newsletter_unsubscribe.cfm?email=ljdeveau@chebuct
>o.ns.ca
>

_________________________________________
Leo J. Deveau
Executive Director
Chebucto Community Net
Halifax, N.S.
____________________________________
"To know and not to do is not to know."
-Chinese  Proverb
_____________________________________


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