December 2008 Newsletter
Nonprofit Neighborhood
FREE One Time NCOA Offer
Did you know? As of 11/23/08, the US Postal Service requires that Move Updates be processed within 95 days of mailing. If you are a nonprofit and NOT a current Databank client, you can take advantage of our special offer to receive a one time FREE address verification and USPS change-of-address run on your list of up to 50,000 names. Click here for more information.
Complementary Service Provider Program
Clients and consultants alike can benefit from our new Complementary Service Provider Program. It is a great resource right on our web site for clients looking for complementary nonprofit services. See our online directory of registered Complementary Service Providers. Consultants, web designers, etc. can register to become an official Databank Complementary Service Provider. This program helps consultants and thedatabank make smart referrals to each other. Free basic Databank account setup for your clients (a $275 value!) and a listing on our website are just some of the benefits of registering.
Recent Product Enhancement:
Pledge Cash Flow Projection Report
A new report is available to all clients with our Fundraising Software Module called "Pledge Cash Flow Projection." It shows the aggregate balances that current pledges will have over the next five years, listed by campaign. Drill down to detailed projections of the individual pledges for a given campaign, and from there into individual member records. If your Databank is set up with a fiscal year that is different from the calendar year, the report goes by the fiscal year.
Featured Resource
Take the pain out of WYSIWYG
This Idealware blog entry offers some advice to non-technical administrators on WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") editors. PowerMail, part of thedatabank's eMarketing Software Module, includes a WYSIWYG editor for creating HTML emails.
New Clients
INSciTE (High Tech Kids starting 1/1/09) - The mission of INSciTE is to provide innovative, high integrity STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs for kids in Minnesota. "Our main reason for working with thedatabank is to organize our internal data: a volunteer base of 700+, 50+ donors and funders and more than 2000 current and past participants in our programs, so that we might better understand their needs and communicate with them on a regular basis. We are also interested in the online Fundraising Software Modules thedatabank provides."
Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Prevention, and Parenting - MOAPPP's mission is to develop and strengthen policies and programs that promote adolescent sexual health, prevent adolescent pregnancy and support adolescent parents.
New York Immigrant Coalition - The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for more than 200 groups in New York State that work with immigrants and refugees.
Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center - The Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center works to end hunger and increase opportunities for all Pennsylvanians to meet their food needs with health and dignity. In existence for 30 years, formerly as the Pennsylvania Coalition for Food and Nutrition, the Center serves as an active voice to shape public food policy.
Tenants and Workers United - TWU is committed to building the leadership of low-income people, immigrants and people of color. "As our membership and programming grows to include more targeted organizing and education efforts, we require a more rigorous system for managing constituent and project information. The Databank will help facilitate the integration of new and prospective members into TWU's issue campaigns and project work. Acquiring The Databank represents a huge step forward in our ongoing quest to harness the power of technology for our mission. A number of new staff have joined TWU who are interested in learning and using new technologies. There is a "culture shift" happening at TWU that is leading most to be more open to the benefits that technological competence can bring to community organizing."
Meet the Staff
Richard Daley, Database Specialist
At thedatabank since: 2004
What he likes best about his job: I love meeting with clients and really getting to understand the heart of why they do what they do, and to understand the unique personality of each organization. I get the opportunity to discover things about the way each organization works that sometimes have never been articulated before. I help organizations make the world a better place in ways that only that organization can and that organization does. I'm extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to do that.
What he does in his spare time: I recently started seminary in addition to my other volunteer commitments, so spare time can sometimes be hard to come by. I love storytelling in almost any form, so I'll often be found partaking in movies, books, plays, graphic novels, etc.. You'll probably find me with a sketchbook in my bag/pocket more often than not. And I love to sing.
Famous person he would like to have lunch with: Kofi Annan. Like Annan I am also a graduate of Macalester College and was crushed to have missed him speaking there recently. I admire the man and the work he's done and would love an opportunity to listen to his wisdom.
Karen's Blog
News from the nest
I'm writing in from home this month, where I'm nestled in snugly with a new baby boy, Timothy. He was born on December 7th. Bridget won the baby pool, but I feel like I won the lottery, with a healthy and sweet-tempered kid.
Obviously, my mind hasn't been much on work lately. But mothering a newborn and a preschooler has given me a deeper appreciation for my clients who are providing services and support to families. (This is tough, but how much harder would it be if we lost our jobs or our house? And how DO single mothers do it?) And bringing a new life into an imperfect world would not be so joyful if not for the hope offered by people working to make that world a better place for Timothy and his big brother.
So during this season of candles and stars, I thank all of my readers for the light you bring to the world. Happy holidays!
Karen
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