The Gov2.0 Taskforce's Public Sector Information "Ideas" contest for nonprofit organisations received huge numbers of entries which is very exciting that there is so much traction around how we could innovate to use government information for collaboration and application in our contexts.

The winner is.............“Indicators of social inclusion in local geographic areas for planning an evaluating community services” from Helen McGuire, which proposed that data should be published on key social indicators based on local geographic areas so it can be made available to community organisations, policy makers, and government funding bodies.

There were numerous great ideas - find out more here.

And for more on what the Gov2.0 Taskforce are doing click here.

Purpose

Connecting Up Australia is conducting a national research into the capacity development priorities of
the nonprofit sector in Australia 2009-2010 to build an understanding of current and emerging
nonprofit priorities in Australia. Research findings will be published and shared with the
sector, Government and other stakeholders. Findings will also be used to inform Connecting
Up as an organisation to represent and support nonprofit capacity development needs
among nonprofits and also with business, government and academic sectors. This valuable
data will enable the development of new strategies, collaborations and services.

Who is Connecting Up Australia?

Isn't it so frustrating when companies or sponsors or other funding bodies dangle a carrot of much needed funds, but only want to fund a specific thing. "Well what we had in mind was a purple playground for the rare and endangered spotted bunyip, with photos please of happy bunyips for our PR, with a detailed report on their preference of slippery dip or the swing."

I'm being cheeky, but in reality it is easier for these funders to sell a tangible project with popular appeal. It is much harder to sell and promote a story of money for new administration staff, internal IT upgrades, capacity development.

We often hear the story that some sponsorships and grants are more trouble than they are worth, creating more work to try and fit funding criteria on something which can even be a diversion from where we really need to be spending our valuable time. 

Wouldn't it be nice if companies doing their bit for the community understood that we (the nonprofits helping the community) know our stuff, we're passioante about it, we know how to work very efficiently and we are ready to tackle the community issues we deal with through excellent programs. We just lack the resources human or otherwise, to do so.

That is why the DonorTec program is so ingenious. The companies who support this program are saying - 'We know you do great work! So let's help you save those valuable dollars to spend on core programs and priorities rather than IT infrastructure AND become more efficient in the process with the latest and greatest technology. We have it, you need it as well as the additional budget. It is easier for us to give product rather than cash to all these groups."

A Win Win they implement tangible community development and corporate social responsibility and we (the nonprofits) have more funds to get on with our work!

Making Links, one of Australia’s leading forums on information and communications technology (ICT) for the community sector, will be returning to Melbourne this year from 16 to 18 November. This year's conference will explore the twin challenges faced by the global economic crisis and environmental sustainability, specifically addressing the effects, opportunities, and threats on the community sector.

Addressing and navigating through this complex environment will be keynote speakers Matthew Allen, Associate Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University of Technology, who will explore how the interactions between people and computers enables change and development; and Karl Mallon of Climate Risk, who will discuss how organisations can identify and manage the risks associated with the impact of climate change.

Making Links, now entering its sixth year, is renowned for an engaging and inclusive program which includes practical workshops, panel discussions, case studies and a wide range of speakers from community organisations such as Inspire Foundation, Greenpeace and the WA AIDS Council, research institutions and the corporate world. This year, presenters will address topics as broad as reducing costs and environmental impact by maximising use of online space, the benefits and challenges of social networking, free and cheap online tools, and current research on the ICT capacity of both organisations and marginalised communities. Satellite events include a day workshop on website accessibility and usability, and a short film festival showcasing community developed films and multimedia.

The conference will be attended by delegates from across the country who are engaged in critical and cutting edge work in community development, technology, and social innovation. Find out more information and register at www.makinglinks.org.au.

5 Days left to enter - closes November 6 at 5pm.

Do you have an idea for using government information that you’d love to have but you can’t get now? Would you like to win $5,000 for your favorite nonprofit? Well, all you have to do is come up with a great idea for the nonprofit sector to use government information to make the world a better place. The contest details are below.

Who’s behind this? The Gov 2.0 Task Force, appointed by the Australian Government. http://gov2.net.au/

What’s Gov 2.0? It’s about governments being more open with information and using social media to communicate with the public, so they are more accountable.

So how does this contest work? The Taskforce will select the best idea(s) for using public sector information in a nonprofit/charity setting and award a cash donation of $5,000 to the charity/not-for-profit organisation of the winner’s choice.  http://gov2.net.au/blog/2009/10/09/not-for-profit-psi/

What happens after that? The winner(s) (or their nominated not-for-profit organisation) will get help from Connecting Up Australia to scope their idea as a project proposal to the Taskforce.
What does that mean? It means that your idea may get funding from the Gov 2.0 Project Fund to be put into action.

How long have we got? You’ve got until 5pm Friday 6 November, so hurry. But don’t panic, you just need to generate the idea at this stage, but you’ll need to provide some broad details to allow the Task Force to make a decision.

Alan Noble; Engineering Director Google Australia and New Zealand did a terrific presentation at Connecting Up 09 Conference this year. See more or listen to the audio here.

If you listen to Question and Answer 3 where a conference participant asked : " Only US not-for-profits are entitled to the education version of Google Apps as opposed to the Premier. Do you know if that is going to be rolled out globally outside the US for other not-for-profits?"

Alan said that he would check on this and get back to Connecting Up  via Doug Jacquier our CEO about this so that we could let you all know. We have had a few enquiries about this. Whilst there is no timeline, Alan has just let us know that : " Google is revisiting non-profits' eligibility for Premium Apps globally and Australia is included in this - so watch this space - more coming soon!"

So we'll let you know more when we know more.

Author: Karen Gryst

 
If you haven't already heard of Nancy Schwartz you may want to go now and check out her web site and fantastic resources for nonprofit marketing. Getting Attention Blog & E-News     http://www.gettingattention.org/

One of her great talents is helping organisations understand and develop their "Tagline" - the one liner which is assopciated with their brand - part of their branding. For us it is "Connecting you to your communities", for RSPCA Australia it is : "For all creatures great and small". A short slogan or sentence that gets at the crux of what your organisation is about, the purpose for being.

Also the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards are now open for voting here http://is.gd/2NQx7.  Check these out and vote!

Can you pick a great message?
 
Reflect on what works and what doesn't work for them, and consider how your own organisation's tagline holds up.

Voters can register to receive the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, with more than 2,500 tagline examples (to be published in late Spring).
 _________________________________________________________
Spot the Next Great Nonprofit Tagline
Vote here for the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards.  http://is.gd/2NQx7
Voting will:
o Sharpen your understanding of what does and doesn’t work in nonprofit communications.
o    Inform and inspire your organization’s messaging.
o     Give you the chance to register for the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, with 2,500 tagline examples.

The 60 tagline finalists have been culled from over 1,700 entries in 13 categories. Now it's *your* turn to select the best.