Google for Nonprofits Blog: August 2013

HandsOn Tech: Helping nonprofits fight poverty and strengthen communities with technology

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

With the right technology in place, nonprofits can do a lot to strengthen their communities and solve the world’s problems. They can help improve family literacy, support veterans as they transition out of homelessness, or help communities make information more accessible. Unfortunately, nonprofits often lack the resources to fully take advantage of technology to further their causes.Two years ago we partnered with Points of Light to address this problem. With the support of the Corporation for National and Community Service, we created HandsOn Tech, an initiative with a mission to develop the nonprofit sector’s ability to use technology to increase community resources and improve outcomes for low-income communities and families. Fueled by the passion and skills of AmeriCorps VISTA members, HandsOn Tech pairs U.S. nonprofits with individuals who are passionate about technology and looking to make a difference. Through this program VISTA members and skilled volunteers (including many Googlers) deliver training to poverty-focused nonprofits and work one-on-one with organizations to create individualized, comprehensive tech plans to help them achieve their social missions more efficiently and effectively.

Stephenie Lai, a VISTA with HandsOn Tech Atlanta, looks on as skills-based volunteer Jon Whitaker demonstrates the new mobile version of the Cherokee Family Violence Center’s website to Meg Rogers, Executive Director. Click to see more photos.In the first two years of the program, VISTA members and skills-based volunteers have trained more than 7,700 nonprofit organizations in communities across the country. For example, VISTAs from a HandsOn Tech program in Pittsburgh worked with Naomi’s Place (an organization that provides transitional housing and supportive services to homeless women) to enhance their website, set up Google Apps, and develop a new Facebook page. The program also helps VISTA members and volunteers learn new skills. Alex Green, who served as a VISTA in Seattle, Wash., told us: "Apart from building awareness and ability in the community in terms of IT needs, I have also had the opportunity to grow myself as a person in all aspects of my life."

HandsOn Tech Silicon Valley recruited skill-based volunteer Elyse Tager from Constant Contact to lead a training on how nonprofits can use social media to communicate their mission. Click to see more photos.HandsOn Tech begins its third year this fall with programs in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City and San Jose. Prior to beginning their service, VISTA members come together for a week of training at our campus in Mountain View, Calif., where they learn about cloud-based tools from a variety of technology companies including the Google for Nonprofitssuite that provides nonprofits with access to premium versions of Google Apps, Google Earth and YouTube channels as well as free online advertising. A few openings still exist for VISTA members to begin serving in November in select cities. If you’re passionate about technology and helping nonprofits fight poverty, you can apply to join our team by August 31. Posted by Matt Dunne, Head of Community Affairs

Get the most out of Google+ with the new Google+ Nonprofit Guide

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Google+ is a powerful tool that extends the reach of your organization. To help all types of groups get the most out of Google+, we launched the Partner Playbook last year. As nonprofits, we know you have a unique set of needs and goals. That’s why, we are happy to announce the launch of our Google+ Nonprofit Guide. The Google+ Nonprofit Guide, a compliment to our Partner Playbook, was designed specifically to share how you can use Google+ to hit your objectives and further your mission. Whether you want to grow your audience or develop a storytelling strategy, we’ve filled this guide with tools, best practices and real life examples from other organizations to get you there.

To get started, check out our Google+ Partner Playbook and Google+ Nonprofit Guide. If you need some help using Google+, just +mention Google+ Help with your question. We can’t wait to see how you bring your G+ page to life!

Posted by Susanna Kohly Jacobson, Google+ Community Partnership team

Calling all Indian social entrepreneurs: apply for the Google Impact Challenge

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

(Cross posted from the Official Google Blog)
On the eve of India’s independence day, we’re celebrating the spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship of the world’s largest democracy by spotlighting the best local nonprofits that are using technology to make the world better. Today we’re launching the Google Impact Challenge in India, inviting Indian nonprofits to tell us how they’d use technology to improve people’s lives. At the end of the challenge, four nonprofits will each receive a Rs 3 crore (around $500,000) Global Impact Award and technical assistance from Google to bring their projects to life. Get started on your application today: registered Indian nonprofits can apply online until September 5 at g.co/indiachallenge. Googlers from India, and around the world, will review applications and announce the 10 best projects on October 21. You can learn more about the top 10 finalists then, and cast a vote for who you think should receive the Fan Favorite award.

On October 31, I’ll join Ram Shriram, Jacquelline Fuller, Anu Aga and Jayant Sinha in Delhi to hear the 10 finalists pitch live. As judges, we’ll select three awardees based on their potential impact, scalability and ingenuity. We’ll also announce the winner of the Fan Favorite, according to your vote.Growing up in India, I’ve seen firsthand the vibrancy and innovativeness of India’s social entrepreneurs. I’m excited to see their projects and support their ideas for how to use technology and Rs 3 crores to change the world. Posted by Nikesh Arora, Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer

Raise awareness and donations for your nonprofit with One Today by Google

Friday, August 9, 2013

Back in April, we launched One Today -- a mobile app that brings together people and nonprofits through the act of giving $1. Until now, One Today has been available through limited pilot, but now we are excited to announce that the app is available to all Android users in the US.

With One Today, we connect users with the causes most likely to interest them by highlighting projects from different nonprofits like yours. Users can donate $1 to projects they like and a few dollars become many as users invite their friends to donate through social media. The more people who donate, the faster your project gets funded. Each month, nonprofits on One Today receive project donations through our partner Network for Good.

Creating projects with One Today only requires about ten minutes of planning. By enrolling, you can expand your donor base and raise awareness about the amazing things you do.

Signing up for One Today is completely free. To register, you must be a member of Google for Nonprofits -- if you are already a member, you can enroll by signing into your account and activating One Today. Here are more resources to get started with creating a project.

We’re amazed by the great work nonprofits do on a daily basis to make the world a better place, and we’re thrilled to provide a new platform which helps you to tell your story to users who care about the same important things that you do. We look forward to continuing to improve the One Today experience and to growing our dynamic community with incredible nonprofits.
Posted by Maya Amoils, Google.org team

See more video insights with YouTube Analytics

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

(Cross posted from the YouTube Partners & Creators Blog)YouTube Analytics can teach you more about your audience and help you spot trends to improve your channel. As your channels and networks grow, one of the top requests you ask for is to see more of your videos at once in YouTube Analytics. Starting today, you can see your top 200 videos in your video reports, as well as new charts to visualize your channel’s activity. For networks, you can now see the same data for your top 200 channels.The new multi-line graphs allow you to compare the performance of up to 25 videos, channels or geographies over time in a number of reports. This is great for comparing video views, comparing views in different geographies, where most of your subscribers come from, and more.
With the stacked area view you can see how the data of selected videos, channels or geographies relate to their totals.
Drop us a comment here or in the YouTube Analytics Google+ community with more features you’d like to see.
Posted by Ted Hamilton, YouTube Product Manager, recently watched
“Northwestern's Matt Eliason Bicycle Kick Goal - Messi & Friends at Soldier Field - July 6, 2013”

Help inspire the next generation of technology creators: Apply for a 2014 RISE Award

Thursday, August 1, 2013

(Cross posted from the Official Google Blog)
Inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers is crucially important—breakthroughs don't happen without people to make them. We want students to not just be consumers of technology, but also creators of it; to enrich not only their own lives, but those of their communities. That's the motivation behind the Google RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Awards.

Given once a year, Google RISE Awards are designed to promote and support education initiatives to increase engagement in science and technology, especially computer science. Google grants awards of $15,000 - $50,000 USD to non-for-profit organizations around the world working to expand access to these fields for K-12/Pre-University students, specifically girls and underrepresented groups.
In 2013, 30 organizations received RISE grants—with projects ranging from robotics contests in Germany to programming challenge days for girls in New Zealand. In June, we brought all of our partners together for a Global Summit. It was an inspiring meeting, and since the Summit several organizations have begun to work together to expand their reach.
For example, our RISE partners in Nigeria, WAAW Foundation and W-TEC, have teamed up to organize a one-week residential Advanced STEM Camp. The program launched this week and will provide 27 public school girls exposure to robotics. Over in Argentina, an organization already connecting Belgium to Argentina is is now collaborating with another on programming workshops for students and teachers. And organizations in Liberia and India are sharing resources to overcome common challenges in access to technology for girls.

The hard work of RISE organizations has also drawn support from leading figures such as President Obama, Ireland’s Taoiseach Enda Kenny and HRH Prince Andrew.
We’re looking for more organizations to partner with in 2014. Submit your application by September 30, 2013. You can submit your application in English, French, Japanese, Russian or Spanish; all eligible countries are listed on our website. Show us what you can do to get students excited about STEM and CS!
Posted by Marielena Ivory, K12/Pre-University Education Outreach

Drive YouTube subscriptions from your web site

Thursday, August 1, 2013

(Cross posted from the YouTube Partners & Creators Blog)
To build your YouTube audience from all of your web properties, you can now embed the YouTube subscribe button on your site. This lets your fans subscribe with a single click without leaving your site. Once fans subscribe, they can see your channel on their YouTube homepage, phone, tablet, Playstation 3, smart TVs and millions of other devices.Here’s what the subscribe button looks like on Vice.com in the bottom-right corner of this screenshot:

To put the subscribe button on your site, just embed the code below like you’d embed a YouTube video. <script src="https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js"></script><div class="g-ytsubscribe" data-channel="Your Channel Name Here"></div>Check out this documentation if you want to customize the button or dive into the details.Posted by Kurt Wilms, Product Manager, recently watched “Stjarnan FC show how to celebrate a goal.”

For Nonprofits Blog

HandsOn Tech: Helping nonprofits fight poverty and strengthen communities with technology

Get the most out of Google+ with the new Google+ Nonprofit Guide

Calling all Indian social entrepreneurs: apply for the Google Impact Challenge

Raise awareness and donations for your nonprofit with One Today by Google

See more video insights with YouTube Analytics

Help inspire the next generation of technology creators: Apply for a 2014 RISE Award

Drive YouTube subscriptions from your web site

Labels

Archive

Feed

Company-wide

Products

Developers