A Technology Resource list for Arts Managers

This morning I had the real pleasure of facilitating a forum for the leaders of local arts organizations on behalf of ArtsFund. We also had a wonderful set of speakers, and I'll comment more on what we all said later. In the meantime, here are the links to various tech resources that we handed out during the session.

Sites for researching technology tools and getting ideas - nonprofits generally 

Idealware (this is like “Consumer Reports” for nonprofit software. They do very well researched overviews of different kinds of software and tools) http://www.idealware.org/ 
NTEN: NonProfit Technology Network (this is a membership organization for all nonprofits. They have useful blog posts and articles, and run an annual conference) http://www.nten.org/ 
Tech Soup (as well as their product donation program, Tech Soup also feature reviews and useful advice on their site and in a community forum) http://www.techsoup.org/ 

For arts organizations: marketing, fundraising and patron loyalty 

Gene Carr’s Blog http://patrontechnology.com/blog/ 
and his book “Breaking the Fifth Wall: Re-thinking Arts Marketing for the 21st Century” http://patrontechnology.com/resources/books/ 
Daily inspiration for Marketers http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ 
Hot Topics in the Arts Blog http://www.thomascott.com/ 
Arts Marketing Focused Case Studies - look particularly for reference to “patron loyalty” http://www.trgarts.com/ 
Research & New Ideas http://wolfbrown.com/index.php?page=resources 
Digital Marketing Ideas http://www.capacityinteractive.com/ideas/ 

Specific tools we mentioned today 

Patron Manager CRM http://patrontechnology.com/ 
MindBody - Dance Studio software https://www.mindbodyonline.com/dance 
Tessitura http://www.tessituranetwork.com/Default.aspx 
Little Green Light http://www.littlegreenlight.com/ 
Total Info http://www.easy-ware.com/index.html 
Cultural Resource Collective - sharing community audience data http://www.artsfund.org/Programs/Program-Services/Cultural-Resource-Collective.aspx 
Google Apps http://www.google.com/nonprofits/products/ 
Office 365 (Microsoft) http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/microsoft-office-365-for-home-or-for-business-office-online-FX101825692.aspx 

Articles we referenced today 

501 Commons blog http://www.501commons.org/blog 
Technology Leadership Academy and Artist Trust’s involvement in it: http://www.nten.org/articles/2013/case-study-artist-trust-applies-lessons-from-the-nonprofit-technology-leadership-academy 
http://www.nten.org/techacademy 
Keith Heller: What is CRM and what does it mean for nonprofits? http://theconnectedcause.com/what-is-crm/ 
Technology Planning for Arts Managers - a Center for Arts Management and Technology presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/CAMT/technology-planning-for-arts-managers 
NTEN’s book: Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470343656,descCd-description.html 
A Mission Support Tool for Arts & Culture (bit dated, but the steps still have relevance): http://www.att.com/Common/files/pdf/npower_arts_and_culture.pdf 
 which is listed among many other useful resources by Robert L. Weiner Consulting: http://www.rlweiner.com/resources 
Cloud4Good on successful project management http://cloud4good.com/announcements/10-tips-for-a-successful-crm-implementation/ 
Mobile website optimization - a few quick tips: http://mashable.com/2011/12/19/mobile-website-optimization/ 
and for a bonus feature: 
Choice between Google Apps and Office 365 for Nonprofits http://www.varsitytechnologies.com/office-365-or-google-apps-for-non-profits/ 

Thanks to all who came for their attentive listening and thorough questions, to our speakers for their thoughtful insights, and to Sarah Sidman and the ArtsFund staff for the opportunity.

Writing about Auctions for Salesforce

Alright I know that I haven't posted anything here for a while, but I have been writing: posts for the Seattle Salesforce NonProfit User Group that I co-lead, posts for the Eastside Arts Coalition (well, sometimes!) and most recently to help out David Habib, the amazing developer of two awesome free applications for NonProfit Salesforce users - Volunteers for Salesforce and Auctions for Salesforce.  

I was, I think, the second person to use Auctions for Salesforce to run an event, back in spring 2010, and I've managed or advised on some 7 events since, with 3 different organizations.  Last week, I re-wrote and expanded an article on best practices for rehearsing with the Auctions package before your event.  It's now posted with other documentation on David's site:  http://djhconsulting.com/auctions-for-salesforce/auctions-for-salesforce-documentation/ - it's the Practicing with Auctions PDF.

Hope that people will find this useful, and do let me or David know if you've got other suggestions to improve the guide.

Salesforce Help and Training Links

I've just finished updating a set of resources on Salesforce.com Help & Training for NonProfits.  You'll find the new post at the Seattle Salesforce NonProfit User Group blog.

Feel free to add your comments.