Latest: Technology
Philanthropic transparency while building trust Like other areas of private and public life, the nonprofit sector faces increased pressure to build trust through greater transparency around funding and accountability around programs and impact. While not traditionally part of the nonprofit tech stack, blockchain technology brings with it an opportunity to facilitate a new generation of efficient philanthropy by giving donors greater visibility into the organizations…
If you ran a summer youth program 50 years ago, your biggest liability concerns likely centered around protecting participants from injuries, allergic reactions and water- related hazards. Today, programs have one more big issue that is becoming increasingly relevant: cybersecurity. In particular, esports (also known as electronic sports, referring to multiplayer video games in which youngsters compete against other players) can open your participants and…
Extortionists have embraced a new type of high-tech “fundraising” that involves hacking into companies’ servers and holding their data hostage for money. But in a new twist, the bandits are demanding the money for charity, not themselves. Nearly 200 companies are estimated to have been targeted since March by the anonymous rogues, who fancy themselves not as criminals but as anti-capitalist reformers out to level…
Google is constantly tweaking its ranking algorithms. External analysts obsessively attempt to determine which factors, such as engagement, loading time and connections with other websites, among many other considerations are key to the highest rankings. Within two factors, user experience and page loading speed, sites hosted by nonprofits lag those of commercial entities. The shortfall is not insignificant: 80% of nonprofit websites were ranked “poor”…
From fundraising and organizational management to tax filing, the digital revolution has helped virtually every nonprofit advance a core directive: accomplish as much as possible with the (often insufficient) resources available. But just as every coin has two sides, the digital era has introduced some headaches alongside its many advantages. The foremost headache concerns cybercrime. Managing sensitive information, whether personal data or details for payment…
Digital marketers and fundraisers in a recent international survey ranked organizational websites (84%), social media (65%), and email newsletters (64%) as the most important tools in their digital fundraising kits. But organizations must ensure their use of these tools stays current with best practices if they hope to maximize opportunities for online giving. “Your nonprofit’s website is the foundation upon which your digital marketing and…
Despite the benefits of moving operational software to the cloud — integrated systems, constantly updated software — nonprofit leaders remain wary of putting external-focused operations such as fundraising and grant management online. Those considering cloud-based software are more likely to use it for back-end systems such as payroll or human resources. The reluctance comes at a time when nonprofits are increasingly using wider varieties of…
EleutherAI, a nonprofit research hub whose members explore issues associated with artificial intelligence (AI), has launched a nonprofit. The move allows the organization to underwrite research efforts that focus on AI, alleviating some of the financial constraints previously experienced by volunteer researchers. In keeping with EleutherAI’s original purpose, researchers’ primary focus will be alignment and interpretability concerns. The goals of alignment research include making sure…
Two German nonprofits – the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) and HateAid – are suing Twitter regarding its alleged failure to police antisemitic content and Holocaust denial on its platform in violation of German law, as well as the company’s own policies on hateful conduct. The suit, which was filed in Berlin just prior to Friday’s observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, alleges at…
Data and artificial intelligence (AI) can be a high-impact tool for public good with the potential to counter rising inequality, climate change, threats to democracy and public health, and other global challenges. Harnessing these tools to their full capacity will require investing in a diverse global workforce of skilled data practitioners, while overcoming funding challenges and a digital divide between wealthy and developing countries that…