Some thoughts on non-profits... Topic is solved

[humvee]

Cheers vavroom

I will do a check/comparison between that and M$ software to see if there is compatability/similarities and report back on findings.

humvee

[ProjectSafekids]

As one of the founders of Project Safekids, I also concurr with many of the opinions posted regarding NFP's there are countless not for profits that have revenues in the millions to hundreds of millions of dollars that simply exist for the 501 c(3) exemption status while still being pure profit delivery systems.

Most NFP's however exist soley on the contributions of others and the spirit of vounteerism. Our organization has realized the power of technology and we do what we can as we have no IT personnel on staff. We do not receive grant funding etc, we support ourselves maily through corporate contributions from child safety programs. We have a budget of less than $25,000 per year which does not go far.

Our organization broadcast Amber Alerts through RSS/XML and also Java Based News Tickers. We want to convert our site to Joomla but quite frankly I keep messing up the content area once it has been installed through fantastico. I would appreciate some feedback on how to use Joomla by a experienced user, I am novice and that is putting it lightly.

I have a pre-existing installation on one of our domains www.amberalertidprogram.com that I am trying to figure out. When I enter a content item sometimes I "lock It Up" to prevent future editing etc. How do I unlock the area for editing? Happens a lot in the News Flash area!

I hate to ask for help but alas I really want this for our main site www.projectsafekids.org as if I can figure the system out I am going to move all the content to Joomla. Any help would be appreciated. Please respond to [email protected] if you have the time.

[vavroom]

. How do I unlock the area for editing? Happens a lot in the News Flash area!

Don't hesitate to ask   Though it's more suited to the general questions area.

Content will be locked if you open it, edit, the close it without saving, or save the content only with the "apply" button, then close it.  This is good, particularlyif you have several admins working on stuff.  If you leave the content in locked mode, people will know not to touch it.

It can be unlocked by the person who was last working on it before it went into locked status by opening for editing, then properly saving.

The admin can also over-ride this and unlock every items by going to the System menu item, and selecting "Global checkin".

HTH

[vavroom]

I will do a check/comparison between that and M$ software to see if there is compatability/similarities and report back on findings.

Please note that unless you spend a LOT of time using screen reading software, you're likely not to see what's going on very quickly.  A lot of devs think they can use a screenreader to test their site, but unless they really know how to setiup properly, they won't be able to really tell if things work properly or not.  Screen reading software tends to be really complicated applications with many settings and a high learning curve.

[ckorakas]

Very interesting thread ...
I am project coordinator  the last couple of years for an NGO that focuses on the issue of eDemocracy ...

You bet I am eager to see things moving in the Joomla direction ...

What is missing here is not either technology or money ... the problem is skills

The less you have of these the more expensive technology becomes ... I mean any of the developpers here could set up with tools available online for free a super duper Civil Society Portal with CMS, CRM ERP who knows what else in just a couple of months ...

By the way ... guys I dont know where i have to say it but thank you! you have done a great job here... I am really impressed ...

I just finished the test set up here to see if we are going to move along ...

Very true that many NGOs do not take advantage of ICTs ... true in particular for the small organisations ...
The big ones tend to keep up to the pace ... I guess the Millions have something to do with that

In most of the cases though ... the large and the smaller ones fail to grasp the philosophy of the web not as a cheap way to put to the public view their papers and printed material, but as a space for real interactivity, community building, global mobilisation and exchange of ideas ...

Of course some of them (few) have forums ... most of them have them because they like to think they are open to talk and share ...
In most of the cases though they just create an isolated playground for visitors of their site ... that is never consulted by the owners ...

Of course with tools like Joomla web publishing becomes almost as simple as making a powerpoint presentation things will change ...

Even so i think that new tools need to emerge going past the well known forums and their hierachical, threaded and timestamped philosophy ... that will make a difference in the level of  interaction the users experience ...

And all that deployed and used as simply as the TV ... progress has been made but this is still too complicated for the average non-techie working in the non-profit to deal with ...

As simple as it gets is the motto !!

[theperthgirls]

I have worked for various non - profits including govt agencies which run on a not for profit basis providing services to the public, but basically running at a loss not generating money but spending it. From my experience, they have no idea about what the web can do for them or at times scared of the "change" that they perceive it will bring.

I have recently done a website for a small event in America and wish to agree with "Some NPO/charities etc do not have a clear brand / image or communication strategy. For these clients their websites brings this point in to sharp focus" It certainly did this for the not for profit and having a web presence has been a huge deal in making their event seem organised and professional.

[Social Spider]

maybe this has already been mentioned but doesnt not-for-profit simply mean that after expenses such as salary, rent etc have been paid anything extra is re-invested back into the company and not distributed to share holders, directors etc. What is weird thou is you can be paid £100,000 a year but still work for a not-for-profit.