Resources for self-organising Causes

Here’s a list of Web 2.0 resources that any self respecting NGO, social entrepreneur, changemaker, or cause-led group should know about; self-organisation tools for free/minimal cost which would’ve got $1000’s if not $millions 10 years ago.

This is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good bit of ground covered, and if you want to see a bit more depth on some of these, check out yMedia’s Online Toolkit PDF here. This area is always growing and evolving, so we’re going to keep tabs and update as and when we spot something new and exciting - so check back to see what’s changed!

Go forth and spread the good vibes!

SOCIAL NETWORKS
Facebook - social networking
Crabgrass - a free web application designed for social networking, group collaboration and network organizing. Crabgrass is a secure alternative to for-profit social networking and organizing platforms.
Google+ - the giant just launched their own social network
Yammer - enterprise social network for internal comms (locked to domains)
Socialcast - enterprise collaboration platform built on activity streams that unites people, data and applications in real-time
Twitter - real time micro-blogging / news channel + networking
Tweetdeck - the epicentre for your social networking streams - all in one interface
Hootsuite - as above but with analytics
 
 

CLOUD APPS FOR COMMS & DOCUMENTS
Google Apps - web based collaborative software - email, calendar, docs
WikiSpaces - space to hold important docs to be public/private facing + edited
FrontlineSMS - SMS large groups of people anywhere there is mobile coverage.
CiviCRM - is a free, libre and open source software constituent relationship management solution. CiviCRM is web-based, internationalized, and designed specifically to meet the needs of advocacy, non-profit and non-governmental groups. Teambox - social media meets project management in this app with freemium options
 Dropbox - keep your documents safe in the cloud & on your computer
 Cyn.In - full on open source install available for wide-ranging collaboration app
OpenOffice - not cloud based, but handy to have Office suite for free on your computer
 

COMMS & SHARING
Skype - free video/voice calls to anyone, anywhere in the world with Skype
Wordpress - free website/blog builder
Tumblr - extremely simple free blog builder w/ engaged community for amplification
Delicious - web-based bookmarking system so you can get your favourite sites anywhere, any time, any device
Flickr - share your photos online with individuals, groups, or the world (very engaged photographic community)
YouTube - host your videos online for free
VeoTag - break up your videos into manageable chunks
Change - create petitions online & embed to your website
Prezi - dynamic presentation tool to replace tired powerpoints!
MailChimp - the go-to for building newsletters & contact databases
CauseCast - consultancy out of Huffington Post which specialises in integrating cause into campaigns, website & organisations.

CRISIS RESPONSE
Ushahidi - mapping & visualisation - recently deployed as eq.org.nz when Chch Feb earthquake went down.
CrisisCommons - emergency response network of people & resources which swing into action
 

FUNDRAISING & SPONSORSHIP
Givealittle - online fundraising & donation platform (small fee charged)
Pledgeme - crowdfunding 2.0 for New Zealand
We-Care - donate when you shop. Simple - but only in N.America at the moment?
A Deal for a Cause - NGO’s get the chance to get in on the ‘group buying’ site phenom (like GroupOn) and generate an income from it.
CauseVox - a customisable, brandable platform that helps you raise donations from your community.

ACTIVISM

 Crowdvoice - tracking voices of protest around the world 
 Sukey - keeping demonstrators safe, mobile & informed

SITES FOR INSPIRATION
Mashable Social Good - the tech-mecca Mashable launched a social good feed now too - well worth keeping tabs on.
RSA Animate - taking amazing talks from the RSA series, and turning them into pictures
TED - “Ideas worth Spreading”… if you don’t know already, prepare to have your mind blown…

All images borrowed from image searches - let us know if you need them back!

~ SR

————— Here’s extra ones as they pop up ——————

Tungle.me - web 2.0 meeting scheduling, synching with a variety of calendars (including Google Calendar, Outlook, Facebook, and others)

Flavours.me - I love this one!! Thanks to Ministry Of Done for opening my eyes to this.  Customisable homepages, with social media integration, in minutes!

Rollins College: SIT Service Independence Training

Before you read this, I encourage you to think of Rollins. How many people do you see with disabilities? Maybe one or two? How many buildings on our campus are accessible for an individual in a wheelchair? Most require a journey up steps before accessing a tiny, old elevator. And finally, how many times have you seen my best friend, Rachel, around campus with a service dog and called her a “blind girl”, pet the dog, or speculated with your friends about why she needed such a service dog? She is training the dog to give someone freedom and independence in their lives. We want to change the way you think, Rollins. We want to promote disability awareness and show you that the puppies you enjoy playing with on the lawn are going to change someone’s life in ways that those without disabilities can’t imagine.

Since posting statuses on Facebook, both friends and professors have asked me about the struggles Rachel and I had to go through to have this organization- supported by virtually every student and professor on campus- approved. I decided to post this on our Facebook page to compliment Rachel’s video. This is my story of the founding of SIT at Rollins College, it is long but (believe it or not) I am sparing you many details!

I met Rachel during my first semester at Rollins and we immediately bonded over our love of animals, mainly our obsession with our dogs, both labs. When I discovered Rachel’s personal dog, Samson, was a therapy dog, I admired her dedication. When I adopted my personal dog, Shasta, almost three years ago, my mom and I had high hopes for him to become a therapy dog and dreamed of taking him to the hospital to visit sick children and have children with learning disabilities read to him to provide a stress-free environment. I soon discovered how hard, and sometimes impossible, it was to train a puppy and how much dedication, persistence and countless hours of hard work it takes.

Rachel began to bring the first service dog in training to campus in September. As part of a weekend raising program, she had him from Friday-Monday. The class enjoyed having the animal in class and professors were excited. During this time I learned about service dogs and their roles in the lives of people with disabilities. Prior, I had thought that working dogs were only for the blind.

I began to work with Rachel months later, after she held many meetings with the school administration regarding having the dog stay with her in her dorm. I remember her frustration when she, along with the president of the service dog organization, could not come to an agreement with the school in terms of having a service dog in training on campus. Another very large problem was confusion in regards to which office to approach to help advocate and move the process along. There was a ton of confusion in who to talk to (on an administrative level), which I will discuss later.

            We analyzed the reasons the school was not a huge fan of our program, broke them down and brainstormed many possible solutions. As part of my Leadership Ally Program, I worked closely with Sara in OSIL to implement SIT, a club on campus so everyone could get involved with the amazing work Rachel was doing; work that inspires me and I wish to pursue one day. Rachel and I discussed what we would like SIT to be, how puppy raising would be incorporated, and I brought the ideas back to Sara forhelp compiling them in a logical form to set the organization up to succeed.

Rachel and I then met with Residential life and presented a 12 page proposal that I wrote. The proposal contained an opening letter to the administration, the purpose of SIT, information about service dogs, what we hoped to accomplish on campus, what we needed to accomplish these goals, and some legal jargon from ADA laws.

After weeks of crossing our fingers, praying and performing weird witchcraft rituals for good luck (just kidding), our proposal was turned down. We were angry, we were upset, we were disappointed and above all we were confused. I was confused to the point where, on a whim, I gave the most eloquent speech to the Dean regarding our school’s designation as a changemakers campus and the resistance I felt during this whole process. Rachel and I both expressed how we believe in this- and we weren’t giving up. The administration had not seen the last of us.

Our next step was Micki and Meredith in OSIL, who were our number one supporters. They helped us explore different outlets. The phrase that sticks out in my mind is a quote from Micki, “You’ve tried the doors and now it is time to try the windows”.  We explored taking the issue through faculty governance and began to compile a list of supporters- both student leaders and influential members and professors on campus. During this time, we were empowered. Virtually every leader on this campus supported us and what we were advocating for.

Next, was, finally, our victory. We scheduled a meeting with President Duncan and Provost Bresnahan, and Chrissy from SeSi came for support. We prepared agendas, speaking points and an overview of what we hoped SIT would do for our campus. We had carefully thought out responses for every question and every concern. Soon into a meeting that Rachel and I expected to be long and grueling, President Duncan and Dr. Bresnahan expressed their approval for our organization (with the exception of the service dog in training living on campus due to air circulation and allergies in the residence halls). It seemed as if they had heard about what we were trying to do, but the previous adminstrators that we had spoken to did not accurately convey our hopes and goals for the students of Rollins. I will never forgot the way that I felt and the excitement on my best friend’s face.

I believe our story is an inspiration to all students who have had a “crazy” idea and have had it shut down. To every person that has tried to execute a carefully planned idea only to find doors being slammed in their faces. To every person at Rollins that wants to make a change- go for it. If you do not know who to approach, ask an upperclassmen and explore the amazing resources our school has (OSIL, OCE, OMA, SeSI). Believe in your idea so much that others will too. Break down the issue, examine what is working and what isn’t, and carefully think through ways to approach possible concerns. Those crazy ideas that we have are the ones that are going to change the world.

I would like to thank you all again for all of your support this past Wednesday at our event, Puppies for Stress Relief. Rachel and I finally felt as if all of our hard work paid off!

Opening for the America Reads Coordinator job at Arizona State University

ASU is looking for a new coordinator for our America Reads program, an academic tutoring program for K-8th grade students attending under-resourced schools.  We are looking for an individual with managerial experience, experience working with K-8th grade children and college students, and experience working with community partners or directing an after-school program. 

You can view and apply for this job at: 

https://www.asu.edu/go/employment/?auth=guest&jobid=30530&SiteId=1&PostingSeq=1

8 Steps To Becoming a Changemaker

To Ashoka Fellow Charlie Murphy, a Changemaker is “someone who has figured out how to connect their creativity with what they care about and has summoned the courage to do so.”

“They understand the difference, (as philosopher Immanuel Kant pointed out) between “moral acts” and “beautiful acts”.”

He continues, “We perform moral acts out of a sense of duty or obligation. We engage in “beautiful acts” when we do something that is necessary AND attractive to us.  A Changemaker is motivated more by a desire for the common good than by duty.  A Changemaker has a sense of self that is connected to the larger web of life and finds beauty in building a life-affirming world.

Someone becomes a change-maker by first discovering who they are in relationship to self, other, and the wider community of life. They find that place where their greatest joy and the worlds need intersect. 

If you are motivated by the moral and the beautiful this year, take a read of the next 8 points…

1. Start Empathy: If there’s one thing Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton is convinced of, it’s that empathy is the key to a new world. He lays it out simply and logically: The future is change-making; empathy is critical to change-making; developing empathy skills is the key to the future.  Aspiring social entrepreneurs must be rooted in an empathetic mind frame if they hope to create any real impact. Or, more simply, “If you don’t have empathy, you are out of the game.”  This ‘Guide to being an Empathy Explorer’ by our Start Empathy team is a great place to get started:

2. Do what you love, rather than love what you do: 

We are so inspired by the manifesto laid out by our friends at Escape the City, and are thus re-posting them for you here.  If after reading you’re not inspired to start your journey to becoming a Changemaker, then we’ll eat the proverbial hat. 

“All our life we jump through hoops.  Often without asking why. It’s easy to feel stuck – a small cog in a big machine. It doesn’t have to be like this.  Don’t waste your life living someone else’s.  Don’t wait for permission.  Life is too short to do work that doesn’t matter to you.  Want your memoirs to be worth reading?  Make your choices your own. Be brave. Be inquisitive.  Stop using lack of money or experience as an excuse.  You don’t have to risk it all to explore new options.  It is possible to find work that really makes you tick.  Our world is changing. Careers are changing.  Take advantage or keep your head down. You choose.  The winners are building lives on their own terms.  Take small leaps. Meet people. Ask for help. Save. Plan.  Change jobs. Build businesses. Go on BIG adventures.  Start something you love. Push. Sweat.  No one ever changed the world by toeing the line.  You are capable of more than you realise.  This is no dress rehearsal – make it count.  There will never be a perfect time.  And the first step is often the hardest.  So stop dreaming, start planning…”

3. Grow Your Idea with the Changemakers

The Ashoka Changemakers can support for you every step of the way!  Whether you want to test your idea with an in-the-know sector, raise money, or make connections, start your journey with the Changemakers Changeshops.

4. Build a Brand. Building a brand, whether it is for yourself, your community group, your new business, or even just an idea, is the greatest way to turn your vision into a reality. Buildabrand is a good place to start – a one-stop shop to create professional logos and business cards in seconds.  They are offering our network a FREE professional, customisable logo, plus an exclusive 50% discount on unlimited downloads and variations of your logo, logo font and logo colours.  Go one step further and add, create and order business cards - just use the following codes when you check out: ASHOKALOGO or ASHOKACARDS (depending on your purchase!).

5. Invest in Innovation

Becoming a Changemaker doesn’t have to mean life changing decisions, fleeing your house, car and job to seek thrills in doing good.  A Changemaker is an enabler, a connector, and investor in an idea or mantra. Last year Ashoka launched its new crowd funding platform ‘Invest in Innovation’, to 1. Discover Ashoka’s newest Fellows and their ground-breaking solutions to the world’s most pressing problems 2. Choose the innovations that inspire you and help Ashoka support their work and 3. Allow you to become a part of Ashoka’s global community of Changemakers.

6. Grow your network, listen up and listen in. 

One of the best ways to start your Changemaker journey, whether you’re at work, on the move, or pondering life on a Sunday afternoon, is through the conversations happening in Social Media.  Twitter can be a creative, professional way to connect with people.  Utilize it!  A great start is following these top 500 ‘tweople’ in the world of social enterprise and social good.  Listen, engage, re-tweet, share - #bethechange!

7. Create a Changemaker Campus:

Get you, your school or university involved with Ashoka U! We believe higher education can help society innovate at the rate the world is changing.  Dig in and start using your time as a way to strengthen your leadership skills. Be a Changemaker while at Uni in 2013, and develop and refine your skill set in order to prepare to be a force for social good.  This report “Changemaking 101: A Student Guide To Social Entrepreneurship” is quite literally amazing.

8. Search, for Good

Making a difference could be as easy as a single click, with web browsers now clued up to make donations toa charity of your choice.  Read this story from Mashable to change your habits, chose, click, and fundraise!