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.

We're all going on a summer holiday.......la, la, doobie, doobie, do, do, do, do.

We would like to wish our Australian nonprofit sector a lovely summer and festive season.

Every year is busy but 2009 has been particularly challenging with the financial crisis.

We hope that everyone gets the rest they deserve to continue your great work in the community.

Connecting Up December newsletter - short and sweet - Connecting Up have a nonprofit specific Board position available - see more information in the newsletter.

So take it easy......sleep, walk, read, meditate......Ommmmmmmmmmmm!

And we'll see you with all those fantastic resolutions in the New Year...2010!

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?

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.