The Possibilities on Pinterest

You've probably heard the buzz around the new website called Pinterest – and if you haven't, you're about to about to get the lowdown on how nonprofits can use this new social networking website.

Borrowing from the inspiration boards and pinboards crafters and event planners use, Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that allows users to easily organize and share images and videos you discover on the Internet. Pinterest is image-centric so users see ideas and concepts instead of having to read them first. If a link or photo is of interest, you can click the associated source link to get more information.

With a Pinterest account, you can create an unlimited about of boards to pin images to – for example, if you come across an image of a great chocolate chip cookie recipe, you may choose to in it to your "Recipes to Try" board. Other users can "repin" your photos onto one of their own boards. This is a similar function to a Twitter retweet or Facebook repost. You continue to pin and repin until you’ve amassed a collection of photos and ideas to inspire your life.

So how can nonprofits use Pinterest?

In his article for the Huffington Post, Joe Waters asks some great starter questions if your organization is considering a Pinterest presence:

• Do you have an interesting or compelling story to tell with images?
• Is your cause considered hip, trendy, or do you just want to be?
• Are you engaged on other social media platforms?
• Are you looking to reap the rewards of local SEO?

As always, we would recommend asking questions about what your objectives are (make sure they are measurable!), who you are trying to reach, and if you have the staff resources to take on the maintenance of a new social presence.

If you’re still not sure whether or not Pinterest is right for your organization, we advise to try it out personally first to see it would be a right fit for your organization.

To see what other nonprofits are doing on Pinterest, take a look at the list compiled by the Huffington Post.

If you've decided that Pinterest is right for you, Heather over at Nonprofit Orgs has created a wonderful step-by-step guide on how to get your nonprofit "pinning"!

Another handy post to read is Three Things Brands Should Know about Pinterest.

Webinar - Introduction to TechSoup Canada’s Online Donations Program

TechSoup Canada provides Canadian nonprofits and registered charities access to top-rated software donations from over 25 major technology providers, including Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco Systems, Symantec, and Intuit Canada through the TechSoup Canada Product Donations program. If your organization is interested in learning more about the Product Donations program and how to potentially save thousands of dollars on technology, then take a look at last week's webinar - Introduction to TechSoup Canada's Online Donations Program.



Lori Smith, Donations Program Manager at TechSoup Canada provided a step-by-step webinar and live demonstrations with information about the Online Donations Program, including:

• Steps to registering and requesting donated products
  What documentation and information you will need for registration
  How to choose the most appropriate activity type for your organization
  Explanation of what happens during the qualification process
  How to shop for, and make product requests

Why Administrative Costs Can't Tell You Much about a Charity

This is an excerpt from our Smart Giving e-newsletter. Smart Giving is CanadaHelps' e-newsletter series that helps donors make better decisions about their charitable giving. We look at how to choose the right charity, understanding administrative and fundraising expenses, how much to give, and more. Every 2 weeks, subscribers receive a new set of tips and information to make your giving easier and have more impact. Subscribe to Smart Giving HERE.

The statement above is a controversial one, and counter to what many think about charities. Many, including media and charity evaluation services, look to how much a charity spends on administration as that the golden standard for judging a charity's worth. Donors, perhaps you, always want to know how much of their donation "goes to the cause vs. administration." While this measure is easy to calculate, it actually doesn't reveal much about the work a charity is doing or the impact it's having.

Here's an example, adapted from Uncharitable by Dan Pallotta, to illustrate this point:

Imagine that you were deciding to give to either Soup Kitchen A or Soup Kitchen B. When looking at their numbers, you see that A spends 10% on administration, and B spends 40% on administration. Should you automatically click Donate Now on Soup Kitchen A's website?

What if you dig further and find out that Soup Kitchen B serves healthy, balanced meals in a bright and inviting space? Further, B spends more on salaries and has low staff turnover. This has led to ongoing relationships with clients and a long-term connection to other social services in the community. This month alone they helped place a struggling family into affordable housing, helped a young man with mental health issues access the care he needed, and welcomed back a former client as a volunteer. In researching Soup Kitchen A, you learn that they serve unhealthy meals in a dingy space with little contact between staff and clients.

Now where do you think your money is better spent?

We're not saying that balance sheets aren't an important part of the process of selecting a cause to give to, but "How much is spent on administration?" shouldn't be the first question you ask. Instead, ask: "How effective is this charity at accomplishing their mission?"

At CanadaHelps, we firmly believe that donors and potential donors should be looking first at impact, not administrative spending when deciding which charity to support. Ask yourself what you are trying to do with your money, what you're hoping to accomplish, and then seek out a charity that is achieving that goal.

Let us know what you think at www.facebook.org/canadahelps.