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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On June 23, 2007, the Foundation for Self Reliance presented a symposium called “East Meets West: Awakening to the Challenges of Afghans in Fremont” that turned into a monumental event. Over two hundred guests gathered at The Golden Peacock restaurant in Fremont to hear panels in both Farsi and English including a keynote by Dr. Mo Qayoumi, a speech by Rona Popal of the Afghan Coalition and Afghan Women’s Association International, and presentations by Dr. Ronald Takaki on “Multiculturalism in America,” Dr. Hatem Bazian on “Islam in America,” Professor Ghafar Safa on “Violence and Reform in Afghanistan,” Tamim Ansari on “Biculturality: Understanding The Other’” and Fremont Councilmember Anu Natarajan on “Diversity and Public Policy.” Fremont is home to the largest community of Afghan immigrants in the U.S.

The Foundation for Self-Reliance and their community partners, the Afghan Coalition, are already planning a sequel event at the Golden Peacock on Saturday, January 19, 2008.

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Digital storytelling gives communities and grassroots groups opportunities to share experiences and raise awareness to social change issues and ideas like never before. Open source, free, and accessible technologies have created unprecedented opportunities for communities to build networks and amplify voices of the under-heard.

The Bay Area Video Coalition and The Community Technology Foundation of California collaborated to create the Digital Storytelling Institute, which works with community-based organizations to develop social change digital storytelling programs. The Institute’s Web site provides several free resources on how to plan and produce a digital story. The downloadable PDFs include preproduction and production tips (steps to take, defining your audience, camera movements, interview tips), storyboard templates, other online storytelling and grant funding resources, and distribution opportunities.

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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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