I just received the March/April 2008 issue of the Grassroots Fundraising Journal, which is dedicated to the topic of fundraising databases. This is a particularly good topic for small community-based nonprofits because databases are more commonly used by organizations with larger budgets and staff capacity. Some nonprofits resist databases because staff are not accustomed to using them. Others do not have the time or resources required to find the right solution and implement new tools through training. Yet once these hurdles are cleared, then an organization could be on course to increasing support and tracking impacts. Databases are tools that facilitate communications and connections with supporters and potential donors.

In the for-profit world businesses use CRM databases - Customer Relationship Management - to track marketing campaigns, leads, and sales. Nonprofits raising money and working with volunteers need the same tool to effectively manage and build relationships with constituents - individual donors, foundations, volunteers, sponsors, and other supporters. Now online resources are out there to make it possible for small nonprofits to take advantage of these tools. To make an informed decision about hard costs (equipment or software) and people costs (time to assess and implement), here are a few resources:

Idealware: The article “A Few Good Tools: Low Cost Constituent Databases” provides product comparisons and considerations.

TechSoup.org: Several good articles here on planning and selecting a database.

The San Francisco Bay Area Non Profits Salesforce.com user group: Salesforce Foundation donates 10 product licenses to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations, and a nonprofit-specific CRM is available.

Network for Good: Articles and research on donor databases.

Community Technology Network of the Bay Area: Articles on on technology planning useful for assessing costs and how to project manage a solution.

N-Power: Resources and articles such as how to select a technology vendor and manage a technology project.

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Since 1956 the Foundation Center has connected nonprofits to free philanthropic resources. For years I have been attending their events in San Francisco including “Meet the Grantmakers” panels and special events with topics from “Fundraising for Small and All-Volunteer Organizations” to “Trends in Bay Area Bank Philanthropy.”

In recent months, the Center has launched several online multimedia resources to make the invaluable information shared in their free events accessible to communities and organizations that cannot attend the lively presentations in Atlanta, Cleveland, New York, San Francisco, or Washington, DC. I just discovered “Philanthropy Chat,” which is a new online audio series featuring interviews with West Coast philanthropists and fundraising experts. Janet Camarena, the director of the Center’s San Francisco library and learning center, hosts the interviews. In the first pilot edition recorded on October 10 she speaks to Ralph Lewin, associate executive director of the California Council for the Humanities. You can listen to the audio recording or read the transcript on the Center’s website and learn about the Council’s current grantmaking programs and how they are using new media technologies.

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Today from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Nature in the City, a project of the Earth Island Institute that promotes the stewardship and awareness of San Francisco’s natural heritage, is hosting an Earth Day event in San Francisco’s McLaren Park. The celebration is free. Events and activities include birding hikes, interactive artworks, habitat restoration projects, planting, puppetry, and storytelling.

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From blogs and podcasts to social networking, if you are having a hard time sorting out which of the emerging social media tools would be beneficial to your organization, an article published by Idealware might help. The December 2006 article reviews the numerous social media tools nonprofits and social ventures are using to build visibility and raise revenue. And a Philanthropy News Digest article I wrote called the ABCs of Podcasting highlights ways Bay Area organizations such as KQED, Cal Academy of Sciences, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture are using new web-based technologies, particularly podcasts, to tell stories and broadcast their messages to wider audiences.

Every month it seems that a new free web tool emerges. While most are free, it is a good idea to be selective since the free version might include unwanted advertisements and it will take an investment of time to learn how to use the tools effectively and build content and connections. In the San Francisco Bay Area, you can also learn about these new tools at the annual NetSquared conference, which is taking place in San Jose, California this year. Or you can hear presentations by social entrepreneurs at monthly NetSquared events in San Francisco.

I recently learned about an innovative and growing online community called New Routes to Community Health, which is a project funded by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. With social media, one of their goals is to promote the exploration of cultures, achievements, and challenges of immigrants.

And to listen to a collection of audio recordings about Bay Area changemakers, check out Britt Bravo’s Big Vision Podcast. Britt is also one of the organizer’s of Net Tuesday.

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