Friday Freebie

I personally am not a "tweeter", but for those of you out there who are, TweetDeck is a desktop tool that allows you to manage and follow all of your tweets in one spot. The Adobe Air-based software provides multiple customizable columns that auto-update as new tweets arrive.

TweetDeck also allows you to organize and update your Facebook and MySpace accounts - all from your desktop.

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebies

Slideshare is an online tool that allows you to upload and share Power Point presentations and other documents. You can share publicly or privately, making it a great resource for learning (so thanks to all who have publicly shared their informative presentations).

Another great feature of Slideshare is the ability to add audio - allowing you to create your own webinars. And membership is free.

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebie

So many reasons to check out GIMP, a PC Magazine Hall of Fame inductee, it's hard to know where to start. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has provided Photoshop-like tools at no charge for over a decade. GIMP allows you to professionally edit and re-touch photos and images for personal and professional use. Have a photo that you'd like to use on your website or in you Case for Support, but it's not "quite right"? Try making it perfect with GIMP.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Friday Freebie

The HR Council for the Voluntary & Non-profit Sector website offers a comprehensive (and free) resource to help non-profit employees, managers and board members better understand and manage issues relating to human resources. The HR Toolkit is available online at:

http://www.hrvs-rhsbc.ca/hr-toolkit/home.cfm

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebie

That was quite a hiatus I took - my apologies. It's been a busy month, with travel to Ontario, Maine and New Hampshire. By rights, I should owe you about four Freebies, so I'll do my best to make good on that.

1. If you're in the market for volunteers, or you're looking to promote your upcoming event, visit The Nova Scotia Volunteer Forum: http://www.nsvolunteerforum.ca/ (it's free!)


2. Funding Opportunities for Youth-serving Organizations. Check out today's post, under "On Giving" at http://www.bloomfornonprofits.com/


3. Funding opportunity - True Sport Community Fund: Funding to help children and youth participate in sports. Visit http://www.truesportfoundation.ca/ for details


4. This one may seem like a no-brainer, but if you find yourself with hours of research to do and you're not sure where and how to start, check out your local library, either online or in person. You might be surprised at what you find there.

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebies

I searched far and wide to find a true "free" version of, what I think, is an amazing technology tool...text-to-speech and text-to-mp3 software.

I realize that text-to-speech software has probably been around for a few years and is invaluable to people living with vision loss, but I never realized the availability and value of text-to-mp3 software. Nextup.com offers both free (basic) and paid-for (premium) versions of TextAloud software. With speech-to-mp3 software, you can convert any electronic text document to audio files that can be played on your iPod, mp3 player, and even on your television. I wish I had known this existed when I was studying to write my CFRE exam!

Most of us spend way too much time sitting in front of a computer these days. Convert electronic editions of the newspaper, or those reports you need to review, to mp3 files. Hook up your iPod, lace up your sneakers, and take it outside - enjoy the outdoors while the weather's still great.

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebies

Unless you're one of those people who always has a pen and paper on hand, chances are there have been many occasions when you've wanted/needed to capture a piece of information and found yourself scribbling on a napkin, only to lose it or (forget) and use it.

Here's a great no-cost tool you can use almost anywhere, anytime. Evernote is the free equivalent of Microsoft's One Note. Check it out www.evernote.com

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebies

Create your own social network...for free!

Ning, www.ning.com, provides a no-fee technology platform that allows individuals and groups to create their own social networks.

Used by the American SPCA, Ning is an economical, customizable and easy-to-use solution for organizations wishing to implement a social networking platform for donors, members and staff.

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebies

Shame on me - I didn't post a freebie last Friday, so this week I owe you two.

The first one I'm passing along is a Canadian website designed to serve employees and employers of the non-profit/charitable sector. At www.workinnonprofits.ca employers can post recruitment ads for up to 180 days, free of charge.

And second on the list is a US-based website that provides webinars, teleconferences and other resources to the non-profit sector - free of charge. Check out www.networkforgood.org

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebies

Earlier this week I attended a webinar hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and presented by Allan Pressel of CharityFinders.

Allan passed along a great tip to webinar participants - so I'd like to thank him for contributing to this week's Friday Freebies.

Websitegrader.com is a free website SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tool that grades the effectiveness of your website in a number of areas - and makes suggestions as to how you can improve your site. This free tool also allows you to rate your website in comparison to others (competitors, peers, etc).

Check it out - it's a great free resource (thank you Allan).