IdeaEncore: Create your branded online resource library

Thank you for helping nonprofit resources reach organizations all over the world!  We are thrilled that nonprofit professionals by the thousands are hungry to find and adapt resources.   We are proud that more and more people want to share what they have created - many for free, some to create earned income.    We are happy that innovative organizations are finding their IdeaEncore powered online resource libraries save their staff time and money while better serving their members, constituents and other stakeholders. Because of you, 2011 has been a wonderful year for the IdeaEncore community.

The fast/easy way to your online resource library

If your New Year's resolutions include a more robust online resource library - you are only a few hours away.  And it can be embedded in your website with your own branding. Subscribing to an IdeaEncore powered online resource library (such as the Montana Nonprofit Association library below) is an easy way to add value to your website and share just the resources you select with a broad audience.        You can add any of the more than 4,500 resources already available on IdeaEncore to your branded library with a single click. Even if you already have a resource library, it's easy to upload your materials to IdeaEncore and it's even easier to update your library over time. You can even put your IdeaEncore powered library directly on your web page.  It is as easy as adding a video - just paste in the  simple iFrame code that we provide. Instead of spending valuable and scarce time and money creating a library from scratch, use IdeaEncore's already available resources and technology platform. Groups that have added IdeaEncore libraries as a resource for their members include management support groups, state associations, volunteer centers, national and regional membership groups, consulting groups, family and community foundations - groups seeking to provide easy access to the best resources to save their members and constituents time and money. Check out these examples of IdeaEncore powered libraries: Montana Nonprofit Association's Resource Library is embedded right in their website. Dwight Stuart Youth Foundation just added a link on the left side navigation of their websiteto their IdeaEncore hosted Resource Library.  Capaciteria merged their extensive collection and their library is now powered by IdeaEncore's platform.  Want more information about becoming an IdeaEncore partner library? Please visit our library information page or send us a note with questions or to set-up an online demo/discussion about how we can help you achieve your goals.

Encores of the Week

GrantSeeking in the Area of Arts (Fall 2011 Report) Shared by GrantStation (Free) The One Hour Program Evaluation Shared by Nonprofit Management Services ($5) Funding Conundrums: Fundraising Do's and Don'ts Shared by Notations on Nonprofits (Free) The top website design assumptions that will cost you Shared by Numa Communications ($5) do+ Nonprofit and Corporate Partnership Worksheet Shared by Do Good Communications (Free)

Thank you for all of your past support.  We look forward to serving you in the new year.

IdeaEncore - Top 10 Resources Sold in 2011

This year thousands of nonprofit professionals and those who support them have uploaded their valuable resources to share on IdeaEncore.  As the year comes to a close, we would like to thank every single one of you for helping to build the IdeaEncore collection of resources. In this eNewsletter, we are pleased to give a little extra recognition to a few of you.  If you haven't already shared on IdeaEncore, Please take a few minutes to share your favorite resource today.

Top Ten Content Producers of 2011

Thank you to everyone who shared what they know with their nonprofit colleagues through IdeaEncore!    Congratulations to the following top 10 content producers!  Our winners were selected based on the number of items shared (both for free and for a price) and the popularity of those items (downloads, views, ratings, etc.). The diversity of organizations who have shared inspires us.  By clicking the links below, you can easily browse through all the resources shared by each organization.    The Bridgespan Group   Lindsay Coleman (Boston, MA)     Capaciteria   Jonathan Peizer (Woodmere, NY)      Montana Nonprofit Association (MNA) Teresa Geremia-Chart (Helena, MT)     NEW (Nonprofit Enterprise At Work, Inc.)  Dan Robin (Detroit, MI) Nonprofit Management Services, LLC Marilyn Donnellan (Clermont, FL)   Nonprofit Webinars (Tacoma, WA)     Scribner & Associates Susan Scribner (Long Beach, CA)   Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO) Barry Silverberg (Austin, TX) Union Square Main Streets   Mimi Graney (Somerville, MA) University of San Diego (San Diego, CA)

#1 Content Producer of 2011: Marilyn Donnellan

After Marilyn Donnellan, President of Nonprofit Management Services, LLC offered a sample board agenda on a LinkedIn Group discussion, she received hundreds of requests to "email me a copy".   She uploaded that one document to IdeaEncore and posted the IdeaEncore link to her document to the LinkedIn group.  Now anyone in that group (and many other visitors to IdeaEncore) can download her file at their convenience. Within the first few days dozens of people downloaded her document. Because she chose to receive an email each time her resource is downloaded, she knows a little about each group that has benefited from her work and can protect her intellectual property, in case of misuse.      Excited by the potential, she began uploaded more original files / resources, including The Six Hour Strategic Plan, that she offered for $5 . Within the first day, she sold her first resource through IdeaEncore.   Since then, Marilyn has created and uploaded over a dozen resources on a variety of topics, from financial audits to risk management to boards of directors to volunteer management. So far, her resources have received over 2,600 views and over 450 downloads.  Way to go, Marilyn! With just a bit of work to upload her files, Marilyn has helped hundreds of nonprofit colleagues and earned over $400 in revenue!    "IdeaEncore has provided me with an incredible way to share my experience and knowledge and, at the same time, leave a legacy to young nonprofit professionals," Marilyn added, "I have also been contacted by a publisher in London who wants to publish the "Hour" series internationally.  I am amazed at the response to my uploads.  What an incredible way to transmit useable information."    If you haven't already, check out all the great resources that Marilyn has shared on IdeaEncore.

Top Ten Resources Sold in 2011

10. Fundraising Plan  Shared by Impact Philanthropy Group ($20)    9. How to Ask for Money without Fainting  Shared by Scribner & Associates ($7.50) 8. Making the Most of Limited Marketing Resources: Proven Steps to Successfully Market Your Nonprofit on a Shoestring Budget   Shared by Numa Communications ($5) 7. The Board Room - Board Member Orientation  Shared by NEW (Nonprofit Enterprise at Work, Inc) ($5) 6. Fundraising Plan Outline  Shared by EDA Consulting, LLC ($10) 5. JVA Grant Proposal Checklist  Shared by JVA Consulting, LLC ($5)  4. Core Elements of a Successful Nonprofit  Shared by Nonprofit Management Services, LLC ($15)  3. The Six Secrets of High Engagement Presentations  Shared by Wholonomy Consulting ($15) 2. Two Hour Board Training  Shared by Nonprofit Management Services, LLC ($5) 1. Six Hour Strategic Plan  Shared by Nonprofit Management Services, LLC ($5)

We hope you are enjoying a warm holiday season and wish you a very happy new year.

IdeaEncore: Does your organization need board committees?

Forming and Managing Board Committees

Getting the most out the board of directors through committees Committees can be an effective way for board members to divide up responsibilities and use board member's skills and knowledge most effectively. However, committees aren't for every board and not all topics need specialized committees. Dalhousie University's short guide Should We Form a Board Committee? can help your organization make that decision. To get an idea of what committees your might benefit your board, check out YNPN-San Diego's Committee Descriptions, which includes descriptions of past and present committees. For recruiting specific committee members, use MEND's Board and Board Standing Committee Job Descriptions as a great example. Like any meeting, board committee meetings can become unmanageable. To keep committees on target and prevent problematic digressions, download Robert's Rules of Order Simplified from Nonprofit Management Services. Do you have experience with board committees, good or bad? Help your colleagues throughout the nonprofit sector by sharing your board committee checklists, policies and job descriptions on IdeaEncore.

Resources Wanted: Grant Tracking

Periodically your peers request specific tools and resources. Would you be able - and willing - to share your form or spread sheet for grant completion tracking, including important dates, dollar amounts, deliverables, staff time and any other information your organization uses to track grants? If you have this type of resource, we invite you to  share or sell it on IdeaEncore. You can help your fellow nonprofits, and even generate earned income for your own organization.

We First - Social Branding video< v/td>

We heard Simon Mainwaring, founder of We First, speak at the Social Enterprise Alliance conference in Chicago a few weeks ago.  He just wrote a book about the future of branding and social technology that is a New York Times bestseller, and strategy+business named it the Best Marketing Book of 2011. So his thinking and training is great. Just click on the link to watch a free Social Branding training video

Encores of the Week

Tip Sheet: NGO Board Member & Professional Volunteer Recruitment Shared by Social Enterprise Associates (Free) The Two Hour Executive Director Performance Review Shared by Nonprofit Management Services, LLC ($5) Financial Crisis: 10 Smart Things Your Board Can Do Now Created by Board Source and Shared by Capaciteria (Free) MNA Principles and Practices Infrastructure Checklist Shared by Montana Nonprofit Association ($10) Nonprofit Center Board Member Expectation Statement Shared by Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida (Free)

IdeaEncore: 5 Grant Writing Resources & More

Dear Scott Thank you for making IdeaEncore one of the top nonprofit resource sharing sites by sharing and finding valuable and proven resources.

5 Grant Writing Resources

Whether you're writing your first grant proposal or just improving years of grant writing experience, check out these six resources that your nonprofit colleagues have shared for tips, checklists and more on grant writing. If you're brand new to grant writing and don't know where to start, Merrimack Valley Food Bank's Basic Grant Writing presentation offers recommendations on finding available grants, putting together a grant proposal and following up after submitting proposals. IdeaEncore's own Grant Proposal Components, written for GrantStation's 2010 Tracks to Success series, contains breakdowns of each of the components necessary for a successful grant proposal. For some short tips on grant proposals Mission Possible Nonprofit Solutions has shared Top 20 Items for a Successful Grant and Nonprofit Webinars has shared 10 Tips for Successful Grant Proposals. For a checklist to make sure every grant proposal is complete, download one of the most popular items on IdeaEncore, JVA Consulting's Grant Proposal Checklist ($5). If you have a time tested grant writing checklist, tip sheet or guide, help your nonprofit colleagues by sharing it on IdeaEncore.

Free Webinar:  Leverage Your Expertise - Technology for Nonprofit Content Curation

As nonprofit professionals, it's easy to become overwhelmed with the quantity and pace of information. So we all turn to trusted friends to help us "find the good stuff". As an expert in your area, you have a unique opportunity (and responsibility) to build your credibility and leverage your expertise by helping others make sense of your world. By adding resources to your website or blog, you become a content curator. Because the source of power for networked nonprofits is no longer "what you know", it is in "how you use and share" what you know.  Learn how nonprofits and associations use IdeaEncore and many other online tools to save time and money and engage members through custom online libraries and re-using others' materials to leverage their expertise. It's an opportunity to become a leader of the peer-to-peer learning movement that is sweeping the nonprofit community.   Takeaways: Understand the elements of content curation Gain an appreciate for the role content curation can play in your organization Identify examples of how nonprofits and social enterprises use online content curation tools Explore the increased impact that nonprofit curators are achieving Learn how to convince your board and staff that online content curation is worthwhile The one hour, free webinar will be tomorrow (Tuesday, 11/8) at noon pacific / 3p eastern.  We hope you will join us - reserve you spot today.

Encores of the Week

Impact Measurement Framework Shared by the The Center for What Works and Urban Institute (Free) Volunteer Development for Nonprofits   Shared by Nonprofit Management Services, LLC ($5)    Evaluation Tools for Racial Equity   Shared by Capaciteria and Created by Center for Assessment and Policy Development (Free)  Field Building: Your Blueprint for Creating an Effective and Powerful Social Movement   Shared by capbuilders ($19.95)  Tip Sheet: Google AdWords 101   Shared by Social Enterprise Alliance (Free)