Tips of the Month

Steal these tips! They're designed to be easily included into any eNewsletter or Newsletter that goes out to a group of nonprofits - distribute them as widely as you like.

Every month we publish a new software tip that's useful to a broad range of organizations. Want to be on our Tip of the Month email list, to receive each tip as soon as it comes out? Drop us an email at info@idealware.org. We typically publish it in the last week of the prior month.

  • When Does it Make Sense to Use an Infographic?
    April 2013

    As we strive to measure our work more closely and track a number of metrics about the health of our organizations and programs, we're up to our eyeballs in data. How can we make sense of it all?

  • Reaching Out Through Mobile Phones
    March 2013

    Most organizations have, by now, recognized the importance and keeping an up-to-date website in order to reach new supporters and other constituents. But these days, just a website may not be enough. Currently, 85 percent of Americans own cell phones—and more than half of those use them to access the internet. Industry analysts expect browsing the web on mobile devices to become more common than browsing on traditional desktops and laptops as soon as next year.

  • Video Skills for Nonprofits
    February 2013

    As a species, we watch a lot of videos on our computers. Being able to share short videos—a disproportionate number involving cats—helped make the internet so popular. The rise of YouTube and other video sharing sites has made it possible for anyone to upload and share their own videos, and many nonprofits have jumped on board the video bandwagon without paying much thought to cost, equipment, or the experience needed to make videos worth watching. 

  • Thinking about Your Broadcast Email Tool
    January 2013

    Broadcast email tools can be a critical aspect of your organization’s outreach. How do you ensure your system best suits your needs? We’ve reviewed dozens of software products, spoken with countless software experts, and worked with thousands of nonprofit organizations, and we’ve developed some basic concepts your organization should think about when selecting and evaluating your broadcast email tool. Overall, be certain the features and usability match with your organization’s goals. Just because a system is the largest and most powerful, doesn’t mean it’s right for your organization.

  • Does Your Organization Need a Human Resources Management System?
    November 2012

    There are a number of systems available to help organizations track human resources data. We spoke with a number of organizations and found that the field is segmented into multiple areas, with applications dedicated to managing recruitment, hiring, training, employee records, timekeeping, benefits, compensation, and myriad other issues. Many higher-end Human Resources Information System platforms are marketed as all-inclusive, but are expensive enough to be out of the reach of most small and mid-sized organizations.

  • Responding to Comments and Protecting Content: Social Media Policy Basics
    October 2012

    Social media is a two-way conversation, so your policy should not just inform external communications—what your organization says, and how you say it—but how you deal with what people say to, and about, you. Creating and publishing content means it’s open to comments, both good and bad, and can be shared with other networks—often without your knowledge. How do you control your reputation and your brand?

  • Getting Started With Blogging
    September 2012

    Your organization’s blog is a place to show a little personality, share resources, highlight your expertise, and engage your constituents. What are the best tools for creating and hosting a blog?

  • Creating and Curating Content
    August 2012

    Odds are good that your organization is using multiple communications channels to reach people, from social media to direct mail and email to websites and blogs. Because each can attract a different audience, and may be better-suited for certain types and lengths of content, coordinating among them all can be difficult.

  • Using Crowdsourcing to Help Your Nonprofit

    August 2012

    Crowdsourcing can help you harness the crowd to increase awareness, cultivate new volunteers, gather information and even get work done—all for a minimal investment. How can you put it to work for you? Since the earliest days of the internet, people have used it to solicit and organize groups of people to participate in projects in small ways. Called crowdsourcing, this process can be done by a number of ways, and for a number of goals.

  • Using Social Media to Improve Corporate Event Sponsorship
    July 2012

    If your organization works with corporate sponsors, you’ve probably put some thought into defining the different levels of sponsorship and what to include in each. Such perks can help lure new sponsors by offering a return on their investment beyond just a charitable contribution or can tempt existing sponsors to increase their donation.

  • Is Your Data Safe in the Cloud?
    June 2012
    Many organizations question the security of information kept in the cloud. The internet can be a dangerous place for data, but no more so than your own computer, where your data faces many of the same threats—in fact, a good cloud storage vendor is likely to protect your data better than you’d reasonably be able to do on your own. With a little planning, it’s possible to take advantage of the benefits offered by the cloud while making sure your organization’s data is as safe as is practically possible.

  • Help Your Email Reach Its Destination

    April 2012

    Some email will simply never reach its destination—it might go to a bad address, get caught in a spam filter, or routed to a “junk” folder where it’s deleted or overlooked. This can be frustrating for nonprofits who work hard to nurture a list of email addresses. How can you help ensure people receive the emails you send them?