Non-Profit

I'm always looking for novel and inexpensive ways to get user feedback, especially for our non-profit clients. Formal online survey tools offer organizations an in-depth look into the users' minds, but many are expensive and time consuming to create and execute. Here are a few crowd-sourcing sites I’ve found to supplement my user-research toolbox:

Ask500People

It’s official. SXSW 2009 Interactive is open for registration!

If you didn’t go last year, I recommend you get in early and get ready because over the next 7 months you will receive announcements about keynote speakers that will move you out of your Herman Miller Aeron chair.

Sign up early to get the best deal on badges and hotel prices.

Also, this year we made our first panel submission for SXSW Interactive. Our topic, Social Networks That Change The World, is one that we are passionate about at LevelTen. Over the last few months, we have been working with Sejal Hathi, who started Sisters4Peace at the age of 16. Girls Helping Girls, the online social network, "facilitates one-on-one mentorship, distributes educational toolkits, and connects aspiring girl change-makers around the globe who are working independently to launch their own projects." Help us get the votes needed to move forward in the panel submission process by voting for our panel! You will need to create an account before making your vote. SXSW Interactive received over 1,200 panel submissions, and we need your help in getting us up there promoting change on the web!

We'll be posting more information about the fest and panels as it comes our way. Stay tuned!

SXSW starts the week of March 13th. Interactive streams the 13th-17th. Film runs from the 13th-21. Music plays the 18th-22nd.

We'll see you there!

National Breast Cancer Foundation wanted to extend their mission of providing hope and support for breast cancer patients and survivors to the Web. LevelTen met this need by developing and managing an online community where patients, survivors, and supporters could meet others with similar experiences, share stories, discuss issues, and inspire other members. This effort was paired with a full redesign of their existing website.

The Challenge

In correlation with our new pro bono project, I thought it could be good for all of us to keep current with how technology is being utilized in charitable capacities. The New York Times article Technology and Food Yield Choice at Charity covers the story of how a food pantry, in Brooklyn, is using technology to give optimal variety to their patrons.

Everyone here at LevelTen is VERY excited that NationalBreastCancer.org is one of five nominees for Best Charitable/Non-profit sites that "empower and educate people, facilitate civic participation and enable learned pursuits." Working on a project that educates and gives hope to those affected by breast cancer was incredibly rewarding...and quite challenging at times.

Today the 12th Annual Webby Awards nominated LevelTen for the Best Charitable Organizations/Nonprofit Website of 2008 for our creation of NationalBreastCancer.org.

Did you know you could support your favorite charity just by searching the Internet? You can if you use GoodSearch.com, a search engine powered by Yahoo. When founders Ken & JJ Ramberg realized that search engines generated nearly $4 billion in advertising revenue, they started their own, aiming to donate 50 percent of the profits to charity.

I'm loaded.It's official.I'm the 39,615,049 richest person on earth!

Websites like Monster and Craigslist handle a large share of recruitment for skilled workers. But most jobs that need to be filled require very little training at all. And finding good store clerks, housecleaners, dishwashers and other menial workers can be as hard as a finding a good lab technician or XML programmer, even in developing nations. That's because those seeking work frequently have no means of connecting with those wanting to hire. It's a problem Babajob, based in Bangalore, hopes to solve.

There are certain times of the year that everyone feels compelled to give. Even if they don't want to. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Valentines Day, at church, and Anniversaries just to name a few. But what about the 350 something other days of the year? Are we just giving to ourselves or do we really even pay attention to what's happening in the world around us?