Connections

Link Sharing is Caring

2008-10-09T12:31:00Z

After two weeks on the road I'm still playing catchup. But here are some things worth reading and checking out:

"Uncertainty is the enemy of philanthropy" article from USA Today: "When times are tough, non-profits should focus on maintaining relationships with their existing donors rather than trying to find new donors through mailings and other means, says Chuck Longfield, founder of Target Analytics."

"Social Media In An Economic Downturn" blog post from Beth Kanter: "There is also the suggestion for increased collaboration and resource sharing and also suggest that non profits and donors to think more creatively about ways they work together."

"Q2 2008 Index of National Fundraising Performance" from Target Analytics: "Overall direct marketing donors and revenue both declined in Q2 year-to-date 2008 over the same period last year, and these declines were evident across most of the sectors in the index."

"The sky is falling; who cares?" blog post from Jeff Brooks' Donor Power Blog: "Make sure you aren't using the current crisis as an excuse not be go for greatness."

2008 Blackbaud Quarterly Conservation Group Meeting

2008-10-01T11:10:00Z

I'm in Washington, DC today for a meeting of Blackbaud's conservation and environmental groups. This is a quarterly meeting for our clients in the DC area and includes some very well known and progressive organizations.

My presentation is based on a previous blog entry called "Social Networks: It's (stil) about the Relationship." I'm gong to talk about the importance of social networks and how they fit into a broader constituent engagement strategy.

I'm also looking forward to hearing Danielle Brigida from the National Wildlife Foundation speak at the event. Daniele is a well known social network guru in the nonprofit space. We've appeared together on The Baudcast in the past, but this is the first time I've seen her present. She is going to talk about what went into building a successful social networking strategy at National Wildlife Foundation.

Some other members of the Blackbaud team are in Portland for tomorrow's NetWits Live event. Holly Ross, Executive Director of NTEN, is giving the featured presentation called "Lose Control: Social Media and Your Message." I heard a rumor that they'll be recording an episode of The Baudcast from the event.

2008 National Catholic Development Conference

2008-09-29T11:33:00Z

I'll be presenting later today at the 2008 National Catholic Development Conference here in Orlando, Florida. NCDC is celebrating 40 years and this event was created specifically for fundraisers of Catholic organizations.

My presentation is called "Pass it On: Using the Social Networks of Your Supporters for Viral Marketing and Team Fundraising" and combines concepts around people to people fundraising and social networking. It builds and adds to other presentations that I've given over the past year.

I'm going to share some update statistics, ideas, nonprofit examples, and ways for organizations to get started. I also think it's important to talk about what people in the audience are doing and how it's working so far. It's helpful to show that this isn't just theory, but instead something many organizations are using and getting results from today.

According to the Giving USA 2008 report, faith-based organizations accounted for more than 33% of the $306.39 billion donated to US charities in 2007. The amount of online giving to this organizations has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. Blackbaud works with a large number of faith-based organizations with fundraising, accounting, school management, analytics, direct marketing, and online engagement solutions.

2008 Special Olympics National Development Conference

2008-09-25T11:33:00Z

I'm in Chicago today to present at the 2008 Special Olympics National Development Conference. As a long time Cubs fan it is always good to be back in the Windy City. And I'm thankful for the invitation from Special Olympics to come speak at their event.

My presentation is about trends in online fundraising. We've seen a big transition from the early days of nonprofit fundraising on the Internet to what successful organizations are doing today. I want to share some examples of taking your online efforts to the next level.

I like to use statistics in my presentations and I'm always adding new studies and findings. Today I'll be showing some from the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School and their 2008 Digital Future Report. Here are some findings to consider:

Online community usage has doubled in the past three years
54% of people log into their community at least once per day
75% of people participate in communities related to social causes
87% of people participate in social causes that are new to them

This helps to point out an important trends we're seeing when it comes to people engaging in social causes online. It explains why nonprofits have been able to use online communities and social networks to draw in potential supporters. I'll be talking about how this helps play into an overall online fundraising strategy. Converting these non-financial supporters can be done, but there are some strategies that we've found work better than others.

There's a panel discussion later this morning where people from across Special Olympics will talk about their experiences with online fundraising. I'm looking forward to hearing and engaging with them on a variety of topics.

Rock Band and Fundraising

2008-09-23T17:33:00Z

Unless you've been living in an isolated fishing village, then you've probably heard of the video game Rock Band. It's an extension of the popular Guitar Hero game that adds drums, bass, and vocals to the once solo lead guitar.

The games all draw a connection to the popularity of karaoke and before that — interpretive dance. Since hitting the market in November 2007, Rock Band has sold over 3.5 million game units and 21 million songs. It has even brought about a resurgence of some bands from days gone by.

As the game's title suggests, the hook is that you can be the star of your own rock band. You can play the instrument of your choice solo or with others. It takes a lot of the experience of playing an instrument and simplifies it down to a level that can be fun. (That's not to discount the skill involved at the Expert level.)

Listening to live music is entertaining, but playing it is so much more fun. People are naturally inclined to be part of an activity than just a spectator. And no Rock Band enthusiasts are going to quit their day jobs to make a career out of it.

Rock Band reminds me a lot of people to people fundraising and how it has transformed online fundraising over the past few years. The focus of most P2P fundraising has been around event-based activities. We're all very familiar with the numerous ways that nonprofits have used a "friends asking friends" approach to raising money.

Just like with Rock Band, people would rather be active participants than just another check writer. Especially because these team fundraising initiatives usually involve a much more personal connection to the causes and events. Blackbaud and a number of other companies provide solutions that allow nonprofits to do this type of fundraising.

Some people would call this the continued disintermediation of professional fundraisers. Some people would call this the next big wave in personalized fundraising. The reality is that it's probably a little bit of both. Embrace it. Rock on. For those about to fundraise, we salute you.

The Baudcast Goes Green

2008-09-19T19:25:00Z

Episode 16 of The Baudcast is all focused on environmental organizations. It sheds some light on how they are leveraging Web 2.0 and other technologies to move their mission forward.

Blackbaud's Chad Norman has pulled together an all star cast that includes:

Michael Sola ― Director of Information Technology, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Danielle Brigida ― Associate Operations Coordinator, National Wildlife Federation
Jonathon Colman ― Associate Director of Digital Marketing, The Nature Conservancy

Melanie Milonas (Public Relations Manager, Blackbaud) also talks about her local work with Fields to Families. And Chad talks a little bit about his own efforts with Go Green Charleston.

They cover a ton of topics from social web promotion, market testing, social media ROI, social news stickiness, NWF's Good Neighbor Program, friends asking friends fundraising, allocating staff time to social networks, social networking role models, (lil) Green Patch, and Facebook apps for small nonprofits.

The panel also talks about where they get their inspiration from, how they go about trying new ideas, and the importance of exploring on a regular basis. Jonathan Colman points out that "testing is probably the root of almost everything we do." Great information and content throughout the 40 minute show.

I really think that Chad is now producing one of the best podcasts in the nonprofit sector. Sure, there's a little bit of Blackbaud news at the end of each episode, but no one would say it's an infomercial. Chad gets this stuff and he cares about this stuff. You can't fake authenticity. And he continues to pull in thought leaders from a variety of different nonprofit organizations. Good stuff.

Book Review of CauseWired

2008-09-17T12:02:00Z

Tom Watson explores the societal impact of online social networks in his new book CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World (Wiley, November 2008) CauseWired is the first book focused on making sense of social media in the nonprofit world. Watson not only gets it — but he also explains why social media matters in understandable terms.

The book begins by explaining that wired causes are on important aspect of how social networks impact our world. These "CauseWired consumers are superinformed consumers who expect to create and support causes, change politics, and have personal involvement in the brands they support economically."

"For nonprofit organizations and the philanthropists who support them, a grasp of the coming influence of social networks in causes will be, frankly, key to survival in a world where your grandfather’s style of check - writing charity no longer applies."

Watson addresses the hype factor of Web 2.0 and goes on to explain how the "sheer number of users is staggering" and can't be discounted. Part of his research for the book required him to dive into the medium. Tom's companion website for the book can be found at http://www.causewired.com/ and gives an ongoing account of changes that continue to transform wired causes.

To understand the context for wired causes, Tom Watson recounts his own personal journey through the many technological twists and turns he has witnessed. He wants the reader to understand why these changes in media and technology are transforming the "underlying human impulse to help others" and how to think about where this is all going in the future.

Tom begins with Hurricane Katrina as an example of social media creating a CauseWired movement. Bloggers were ahead of the mainstream media and the government when it came to telling the real story of what was happening on the Gulf Coast. Next came the photos on Flickr, the videos on YouTube, and numerous charities accepting online donations.

The book points to how the wired "infrastructure of personal interaction and its growth over the last three years creates fertile ground for fast - moving social activism online." It was this combination of technology elements that turned response to Katrina into a wired cause. And it still remains a wired social cause more than three years later.

"New technology and the human urge to communicate will create the basis for a golden age of activism and involvement, increasing the reach of philanthropy and improving the openness of politics, democratic government, and our major social institutions."

CauseWired then turns its attention to Facebook and the Causes application. Watson references the fundraising tool through the story of Eric Ding and his efforts to raise money for breast cancer research at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. "What Eric Ding was doing with Causes on Facebook was not about building a fundraising campaign. It was about building an audience," says Watson.

Facebook illustrates an example of social pressure leveraging social data to drive people towards social causes. It's the ability to pull mass groups together and directing them towards causes that mean something to them and the people in their lives. Expect this capability to appear across multiple social networks in many forms over time.

"Causes do not spread just because they are good; they spread because people spread them. This seems simple and rather obvious, but it is the secret sauce behind the rise of all the online social networks. In short, people like being asked nicely by other people they know to do things for them; that request validates the relationship. This precept is as old as recorded civilization."

Author Tom Watson then turns his attention to the Darfur conflict and the role of social media. The Genocide Intervention Network got its start from using various social networks like MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster. The organization has continued to engage people via Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Change.org, and has been able to acquire activists, volunteers, and donors through theses channels.

The book points out that "using the power of the network to distribute a story, to sign people up to support a cause, and to occasionally bring them into the street is at the heart of the CauseWired revolution." Other nonprofits like Bright Hope International have also been able to reach the next generation of supporters by embracing social media and networks.

CauseWired then focuses on peer-to-peer philanthropy, a topic I'm very familiar with from the People to People Fundraising book. Watson discusses DonorsChoose and its eventual breakthrough to become a successful online fundraising tool. The same disintermediated approach to supporting a cause is what has made Kiva so successful. And there are some statistics that suggest many of these people are "new money" donors making their first philanthropic gifts using these websites.

"If you give people a chance to make an impact, and you let them see the evidence of their impact, they will respond. They naturally want to make a difference in the world, they want to respond but mostly they feel helpless. We give them something very tangible and provide feedback." - Matt Flannery, Co-Founder and CEO, Kiva

And what about those Millennials? Tom Watson covers them in the book too. He points out that there are "twice as many millennials as Gen-Xers and already a million more millennials alive than Baby Boomers." They are also more ethnically diverse, volunteer in large numbers, are more in tune with social causes, and "this is the most technically savvy and invested generation in American history." They want real change and are willing to take action to make it happen.

This also extends to the political arena. The 2008 US presidential campaign, citizen journalists, and how people are engaging and giving are explored. CauseWired is one of the first books to cover what the campaigns have been doing and what it can mean for other organizations. Some readers might let their own political views cloud the merits of what is being done, but putting those biases aside will help to get a better understanding of what's going on.

"Young people do not separate their causes into neat little boxes labeled POLITICS and CHARITY. They simply respond to what moves them, what their friends recommend, and what they believe might change the world."

While some political campaigns seem to go on and on without end, there is another phenomenon to be aware of: flash causes. Watson uses the Southern California wildfires of 2007 as an example of a flash cause. Twitter, Digg, weblogs, Facebook Causes, and other social media sites immediately became a rallying point for information and mobilization during the disaster. CauseWired goes on to detail other examples of flash causes in action.

Watson believes that there are two major trends on a collision course: "On one hand, people are ever more conscious of philanthropy and its role in commerce and society; on the other, these people are talking to each other more than ever before." The traditional fundraising practices of acquisition, cultivation, and stewardship are forever changed by wired causes. Are you prepared?

Involvement and engagement are now being built from the bottom of the giving pyramid on up. The author notes that "some structure is necessary in successfully organizing an online cause; pure groupthink rarely leads to accomplishment." There are some good explanations of approaches and processes to engage people and build CauseWired leaders.

The book ends with an extensive list of websites, blogs, social media sites, and other books worth reading. This is a great place to continue your understanding of some of the major concepts and examples featured in CauseWired. And sprinkled throughout the book are comments and insights from respected people in the nonprofit industry like Beth Kanter, Joe Green and Sean Parker, Allan Benamer, and Allison Fine.

Tom Watson's CauseWired is must reading for anyone in the nonprofit world. I have covered a lot of the aspects of the book in this review, but there is so much more to be discovered in its pages. I still didn't give away the really really good parts. Order your copy today.

Blackbaud NetCommunity Gets Some REST

2008-09-12T18:10:00Z

The latest post on Blackbaud Labs shows off using REST and Blackbaud NetCommunity. The release of BBNC v5.5 added Custom Handlers to the API. This extends the ability for BBNC to use Representational state transfer (REST) and takes things to a whole new level.

"In its very basic terms, and as far as its application to the web is concerned, REST is the model of making a web request and getting an appropriate response. REST keeps it simple. It defines the underlying concept that by just specifying a URL I can get a response that is appropriate for my task." - Michael Andrews, Blackbaud Distinguished Engineer

In the post, Michael Andrews goes on to show an example of how to write a Facebook Canvas application that a Facebook user can add to their Facebook profile that surfaces content in Facebook that comes from your NetCommunity site.

Michael's post goes on to demonstrate writing REST based custom request handlers with the NetCommunity Platform API. A lot of "do it yourself" instructions are provided. And he leaves us with a teaser about a future article showing lots of cool Blackbaud things surfacing on Facebook.

Life in the Projects

2008-09-10T12:22:00Z

A few years back, I was invited to teach a course at Indiana University on project management. The students were aspiring and talented new media designers that knew a lot about their craft, but very little about delivering their ideas. I called the class "Life in the Projects" and the focus was on preparing students for the alien world outside the classroom.

I introduced the foreign concept of a "process" to delivering projects, had them deal with realistic scenarios, and the course material was 10% theory and 90% reality from many years of my own adventures in the projects. From the start of the class, I reminded them that life is just a series of projects. Once you understand how to navigate them, then you can get back to inspiration and innovation.

During my recent trip to Australia, I learned about the history of the the Sydney Opera House. It turns out this architectural marvel was also a complete project nightmare. Construction started in 1958, but the project wasn't completed until 1973. That was 10 years past the original deadline set by the government. The total cost of the project was just over $102 million, but the original estimate was only $7 million. There were construction issues, problems with contractors, and to top things off the original designer, Jørn Utzon, resigned from the project before its completion.

Today, the Sydney Opera House is an iconic landmark familiar to people around the world. It was even a finalist to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Nobody talks about the missed deadlines, the cost overruns, and the other problems that happened during the project. The project champions made sure that the original vision wasn't overshadowed by the challenges along the way.

What's the connection to your own projects? Every project will have its ups and downs. Don't allow them to throw you off course or detract from the benefits brought by the end results. Here are some simple project rules to live by:

Get Thee A Strategy
You may not need a 240 page document that defines and explains your strategic rationale for the project. But you still need to have a strategy defined. Starting a project without a strategy is like going grocery shopping without a list. You end up buying more than you really need and almost always forget something important.

Get Thee Some Reality
Naive project managers believe they can control "if" challenges will arise. Successful project managers accept that it's a "when" and know that "how" they handle issues makes all the difference. Starting a project without room for error is like doing a crossword puzzle with a pen. You end up creating more of a mess the longer you refuse to change your ways.

Get Thee Proper Expectations
Project management purists often refer to the Triple Constraints: Time, Cost, and Resources. (I personally prefer the more pragmatic Project Triangle: Good, Fast, Cheap – Pick Two.) These competing constraints force the project team to compromise and adjust expectations. Starting a project without setting proper expectations is like giving teenagers a credit card with no spending limit. You end up with abnormal behaviors that are aren't easily undone and become very costly to repair.

Get Thee A Champion
Successful projects are led from the top of the organization, not the bottom. If senior leadership can't be bothered to take an active role, then don't bother doing the project. Starting a project without a leader as its champion is like playing hockey without a referee. You end up with more fighting than scoring when the teams begin knocking into each other.

Or Get Thee A Scapegoat
If you choose not to follow any of these rules, then I suggest finding someone to blame. (Quickly) Maybe a junior staff person, perhaps the sales person, or maybe even your vendor's project manager. That way you have an object of distraction that keeps others from questioning what really went wrong. It might also buy you enough time to get your act together and get back on track with the simple rules above.

Blackbaud does several hundred projects every single year. After a while you develop an appreciation for what separates succesful projects from challenged projects. The simple rules that I noted above are a good starting point for anyone beginning a new project. The project you save may be your own.

The Illusion of Control

2008-09-08T12:22:00Z

Gerry McGovern is a web content management guru. He's a very popular author and speaker on the subject. I had the good fortune of meeting Gerry a few years ago at a CASE conference in the UK.

Every week, since 1996, Gerry has published an e-newsletter called "New Thinking" that explores a variety of topics. This past week's edition was called "Web 2.0 is about giving up some control" and is well worth reading. Gerry makes a couple of solid statements including:

"The naïve tool-centric view of Web 2.0 still exists. 'Just give them the blog and the wiki software and get out of the way' has very limited logic. But it is classic IT-thinking. As if the tool was the be all and end all, and the only purpose of life was to discover the right one. As if it was the type of quill that Shakespeare chose that made him the writer that he was." - Gerry McGovern

It's the classic "build it and they will blog" thinking. Things rarely work out that way. Nearly every successful Web 2.0 initiative has happened because people seed, water, and weed them. If you want things to grow, then you can't just flip the switch on the technology and wait for the magic to happen. The magic isn't in the technology. It's in the people.

"But the managers are not the only clever people in the room anymore. The room is much bigger and it is speckled with cleverness. To manage in the Web 2.0 world is to converse, to listen, to be honest and upfront, to collaborate, to moderate, and constantly watch out for the trends and patterns that always emerge when many minds mingle and mix in the network." - Gerry McGovern

Web 1.0 was about controlling the one-way message. Web 2.0 is about engaging in two-way messages. The only remaining control is the illusion of control. You can avoid having a conversation. You can even pretend the conversations aren't happening elsewhere. Good luck with that approach. I'm sure it will work out just fine.

Random Interactions and Connections

2008-09-04T12:33:00Z

Today's blog entry is a random collection of worthwhile and useful links. Enjoy!

NTEN's Donor Management Software Survey
Cast your vote. Take the time. Speak your mind. NTEN is now doing a survey of Donor Management Software that I really hope you'll spend a couple of minutes to complete. The feedback benefits the entire nonprofit community. Past NTEN surveys about CMSs and CRMs are also useful sources of comparative information. Blackbaud scored very well in those surveys.

The Baudcast - Episode 15
This episode cover disaster fundraising, Beth Kanter's Gnomedex experiment, real-time social fundraising, people to people fundraising, non-numeric web analytics, social actions widget, Google Grants, and more. The panel discussion includes Chad Norman (Internet Marketing Manager), Allison Van Diest (Blackbaud Interactive Marketing Manager), Melissa Dodge (Public Relations and Media Coordinator), and myself.

Introducing the Blackbaud Payment Service
Have you heard of PCI DSS? Has your technology vendor? If you handle credit cards, either online or offline, then you need to understand what PCI DSS compliance means to you and your organization. Learn more at Blackbaud's PCI FAQ or blog. From October of 2008, any organization that requires a new merchant ID from the credit card companies must be PCI DSS compliant. In October of 2009, all organizations must be PCI DSS compliant to process credit cards.

Accessibility and Blackbaud NetCommunity
BBNC v5.5 had some significant and important improvements on the accessibility front. There's a new article on Blackbaud Labs that explains how to build an accessible UL-based menu and the sample code to do it. Keen observers will also notice that the website is running a prototype of article building functionality, including tagging, within BBNC.

Listening to the Nonprofit Tech Social Media Stream
Beth Kanter has posted a great list of links, listings, and listening posts for people to get in tune with the nonprofit tech space. So many nonprofits always ask me what to read / listen / follow and she's put together some very helpful resources here. This is a good place to start.

Upcoming NetWits Live @ Portland Event

2008-09-03T13:18:00Z

After a very successful and sold out event in NYC earlier this year, Blackbaud Interactive is holding a West Coast edition of NetWits Live. This time the free event will be held in Portland on October 2nd.

Here are some of the great speakers and sessions that will be at the event:

Lose Control: Social Media and Your Message
Holly Ross, Executive Director, NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network

The Right Message, The Right People, The Right Time — Making the Most of Email Marketing
Allison Van Diest, Blackbaud Interactive Marketing Manager,

The World Wide Web Show — Turn Your Staff into Stars with the Real-Time Social Web
Chad Norman, Internet Marketing Manager, Blackbaud, Inc.

Where: Hilton Portland Hotel and Executive Tower
When: Thursday | October 2nd | 8:30am to 12:00pm
Who: Nonprofits on West Coast and Portland area
How: To register please visit: http://www.blackbaud.com/netwitslive

Space is limited so register early.

Kintera Integration with Blackbaud Platforms

2008-09-02T13:22:00Z

For the past few weeks our teams in San Diego and Charleston have been very busy working on integrating a variety of things. And obviously a big part of the integration effort has been around our products.

Blackbaud CTO Shaun Sullivan posted a very cool screencast that shows off Kintera integrating with The Raiser's Edge and Blackbaud Enterprise CRM. The demonstration shows the Kintera Connect API, the RE API, and the Infinity platform API all in action.

In the screencast, Shaun shows an example of constituent data from Kintera flowing into The Raiser's Edge. He also gives a little bit of a preview of how the Kintera integration to RE7 will have first-class status within the application. There is also a demo of how data from Kintera can be pulled into Blackbaud's Infinity platform.

The examples in the screencast provide some insight into the technical workings of the platforms. But they are not intended to be representations of final code or what Blackbaud intends to ultimately release to customers. We want to make sure we're managing expectations properly.

A couple of additional details around some things Shaun references in the screencast:

Blackbaud is in the process of developing a Kintera Adapter for The Raiser's Edge
The Kintera Adapter will surface as a first class area within The Raiser's Edge
Blackbaud is currently in the early stages of a pilot program for the Kintera Adapter
Blackbaud will also be extending the no license fee offer for the RE API to current Kintera customers that have The Raiser's Edge
Blackbaud plans to release an initial version of the adapter prior to the end of the year

There's been some FUD being spread out there and we felt that it was important to let customers and the nonprofit technology community know what's happening. The teams working on this project have accomplished a tremendous amount of work in a very short time. I think this is a great example of the technological horsepower that the combination of Blackbaud and Kintera's resources can generate.

I'll be posting some updates as we move through our pilot program and the general available of this offering. Stay tuned...

The World is Bumpy

2008-08-26T23:43:00Z

One final thought from Sydney. I was at a Starbucks this morning down by the harbour trying to get my daily fix. At some point the iced chai latte kicked off a neuron and this thought fired across my mind:

The world isn't flat. The world is bumpy.

My work with international clients and my trips across various oceans has taught me that it's more than "z's" and "s's" that can cause bumps in our interactions. There are certainly language and localisation challenges, but there are also bumps over processes, cultures, governments, and banking.

Try getting the French and Italians to agree on a common bank transfer standard, let alone the banks in the countries themselves. Getting the language options right also means having a native speaker give it the thumbs up. Understanding what certain countries allow you to access via the Internet or the data privacy standards of a given nation can also make for a rough ride. These bumps should be expected and made part of any global technology decision or implementation.

This presents challenges for not-for-profits and the consulting firms and technology companies that serve them. But there has been a lot of progress made in recent years around better serving international customers. And I know that Blackbaud continues to work on providing solutions that meet the needs of our clients around the world.

A Signal Turning Green

2008-08-25T23:16:00Z

At last week's 2008 Blackbaud Asia Pacific Customer Conference, I spoke about some Internet trends that are happening in and around Australia. Whenever possible, I try to localise <sic> the information that I present to make it more meaningful and relevant to the audience.

One of the sources of information that I mentioned was the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Creative Industries and Innovation’s (CCI) Digital Futures Report that was released in July 2008. A lot of people in the audience were quickly jotting down a number of the stats that I mentioned.

I thought that I would post some of the more interesting and relevant pieces of information from the report:

80% of Australians use the Internet
74% of men and 71% of women use the Internet
84% of people between the ages of 35 and 49 use the Internet
66% of people between the ages of 50 and 64 use the Internet
86% of people with an annual income more than $70,000 per year use the Internet
93% of people with an annual income more than $100,000 per year use the Internet

These statistics are very similar to the findings of the Pew Internet & American Life Project research for Internet usage in the United States. Many people in the audience seemed surprised by this as there's a perception by many organizations that Australia is lagging in this area. It's something I call "Board Room Wisdom" where decision makers or those who wield a lot of influence make poor assumptions about what their constituents are really doing online. Just because you're not doing it...doesn't mean other people aren't either.

Another area I talked about was looking for leading indicators and a signal turning green that can help predict behavior. One trend that I always encourage nonprofits to look at is the usage of the Web for banking and other financial management tasks.

82.9% of Internet users research purchases online
59.2% of Internet users pay their bills online
46.2% of Internet users make at least one online purchase per month
$200 is the average amount they spend online each month
10% spend more than $500 per month online

In some areas, these statistics are slightly better than what we're seeing in North America. It show a very positive inclination to participate in online fundraising and other interactions important to nonprofits.

The study also looked at trends around social media and here are some findings of note:

39% of people said the Internet has increased their contact with others with shared activities

52% of people said the Internet has increased their contact with family members

62% of people said the Internet has increased their contact with friends

The Digital Futures Report goes on to look at usage of different media types and several other areas. This is very good reading material for nonprofits in Australia and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

That's it from the other side of the world. The next post will originate from home soil. Thanks to all of the people at Blackbaud Pacific and the many customers that I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with over the past two weeks.