For Nonprofits Blog
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Bella Communities: Utilizing Technology & Google Tools to Drive "Volunteer-ship"
Friday, March 18, 2016
In 2009, Khoi Pham co-founded
Bella Communities
to address low-income housing issues and resident supportive services. Today, Bella Communities is harnessing the energy of thousands of community leaders, affordable housing owners, neighbors, nonprofits, resident volunteers, and professionals to offer a meaningful livelihood to their low-income housing tenants. In addition to providing affordable housing, Bella’s signature program aims to mobilize low-income residents with an economic-opportunity modeled volunteering program. This programs enables residents to engage with other nonprofits, building civic engagement and social capital; improving career and personal skills; and earning rent credits to have financial capability and housing stability. Through this innovative “volunteer-ship” training program, they seek to help families “not just get by but also get ahead.”
What was the key to their success? We sat down with Khoi to hear exactly how they utilized technology and Google Apps for Nonprofits to achieve their goals.
Which role does technology play in Bella Communities ?
Khoi: It’s critical! Technology allows us to communicate with our constituencies efficiently and cost-effectively which is vital for us. We want to empower our low-income residents with the tools needed to achieve economic development. With Google Apps for Nonprofits, we’ve built our own technology platform serving this objective. We have been able to switch from a desktop, web-based platform to a smart-phone mobile application, increasing engagement and participation from our residents using Google Forms. Most of them have skipped desktop to go mobile first!
Do you think technology has changed the way you work?
Khoi: Absolutely. It allowed us to operate in multiple states, virtually and real time! Communication, collection, and sharing data became seamless and effortless, which is fundamental to keeping pace.
Also Google Apps for Nonprofits has allowed us access to technology without heavy IT costs in order to preserve limited start-up resources and marshal them effectively. Google tools are all cloud-based and do not require us to build an internal IT infrastructure, which has enabled quick adaptability and flexibility to change. I have been amazed by the intuitiveness of the tools and how easily they integrate with one another!
Can you tell us more about your homemade program “Resident Volunteership United Program”?
Khoi: A study by the Corporation for National and Community Service showed that volunteers have a 27% greater chance of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers? That is precisely why Bella Communities designed and tested an innovative supportive service program to simultaneously tackle both financial empowerment and civic engagement mobilization. The Resident Volunteership United Program (ReV-UP) engages residents living in low-income communities to volunteer with other non-profit organizations in the immediate neighborhood to build community and economic development..
Google Apps was vital to the deployment of this program - we never would’ve been able to do it without that! It allowed us to manage workflow, and most importantly, it allowed us to gather, collect, and share data to build a case for supporting our program.
How are you measuring the success of this program?
Khoi: Using Google Forms and Google Drive, our low-income residents can easily manage their volunteer records online, as well as share and report their activities to the program managers. For the program pilot years, they contributed nearly 3,500 volunteer hours to their communities and generated earned approximately $21,000 in rent credits for their households.
Want to traverse the IT curve without the huge dollar investments? Find out how your nonprofit can better utilize technology with Google Apps for Nonprofits.
To see if your nonprofit is eligible to participate in the nonprofit programs, review the
Google for Nonprofits eligibility guidelines
. Google for Nonprofits offers organizations like yours free access to Google tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Ad Grants, YouTube for Nonprofits and more. These tools can help you reach new donors and volunteers, work more efficiently, and tell your nonprofit’s story. Learn more and enroll
here
.
Posted by Lexi Cotcamp & Juliette Neel, Google for Nonprofits
1
Bella Communities’ statements are made in connection with receiving free products as a participant in Google for Nonprofits, a program which provides free Google products to qualified nonprofits.
↩
Broadway Unlocked Shares 5 Lessons Learned from Hosting a Livestream Benefit
Friday, March 4, 2016
Each year, one in six people in the U.S. will be victims of violent crimes. Two years ago, we became part of the effort to change that, when we began work with Broadway Unlocked.
Two years ago, we met
Jessica Ryan
-- a woman whose mission is rooted in two seemingly unique spheres: celebrating live theatre and helping survivors of interpersonal violence. Jessica founded the
Broadway Unlocked
#giveback concert,
a livestream, interactive benefit concert aimed at connecting the two communities and helping raise awareness and donations for the
Crime Victims Treatment Center (CVTC)
. The CVTC, New York State’s largest and most comprehensive hospital-based victim assistance program, provides therapy and services to survivors of assault, abuse and violence. All treatments at CVTC are free.
In an effort to reach a larger audience and expand the nonprofit’s donor base, Broadway Unlocked collaborated with Google for Nonprofits to broadcast the show and spread the message globally in 2016. On February 22, Google for Nonprofits helped bring
Broadway to YouTube
for the second year in a row with one night of song and social responsibility through the concert. To bring the show beyond NYC, Google Fiber hosted a watch party at the Fiber space with local Kansas City theatre groups and community members.
This was a Broadway show unlike any other. This was Broadway with a variety of star performers, including Kyle Dean Massey, Carolee Carmello, Ali Stroker, Natalie Weiss, and
Collabro
. This was Broadway hosted by Google Fiber. Streamed via Google Hangouts on Air. And fueled in part by fundraising through donation cards on YouTube. This was Broadway on the internet -- crowdfunded and broadcast for one night only.
How did Broadway Unlocked make their globally livestreamed and crowdfunded event a success? We’re turning the mic towards
Broadway Unlocked
to hear what they learned.
5 Lessons Learned from Hosting a Livestream Benefit
Engaging the community is key:
Using Hangouts on Air, we were able to pull off a cross-city sing-a-long!
Check it out
. The video wasn’t flawless, but we successfully transported Broadway beyond the Big Apple.
Global events can help grow engagement and donor base:
Putting on an event in different cities is no easy feat. But it's amazingly rewarding to bring like-minded people and groups together to support similar causes. Hangouts and livestream technology made reaching new communities easier to do in one event. And by engaging these communities, we’ve been able to grow a stronger community and ultimately, donor base.
Interactive video adds another dimension of creativity:
Using Hangouts allowed us to engage the audience on the other side of the screen, adding a new dimension unique from watching on a passive screen. Our creative team came up with
Musical MadLibs
, (our new favorite game!), which really shows how we were able to interact with the crowd through video chat.
Google is a gamechanger for nonprofits:
YouTube and Google Fiber enabled us to livestream the concert to theatre lovers and supporters in Kansas City and hundreds of people at home that night. This allowed us to increase the viewership of our benefit by 10X more than if we had only shown the concert to the folks at the Greene Space in NYC.
Crowdfunding and donation cards can help you reach your goals:
Through crowdfunding using donation cards on YouTube, One Today donations, live fundraising at the concert, and private donations, we raised more than ever before -- an astounding $50,000. This additional funding will hugely impact our ability to provide treatments for victims of domestic violence in tandem with the CVTC.
To see if your nonprofit is eligible to participate in the nonprofit programs, review the
Google for Nonprofits eligibility guidelines
. Google for Nonprofits offers organizations like yours free access to Google tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Ad Grants, YouTube for Nonprofits and more. These tools can help you reach new donors and volunteers, work more efficiently, and tell your nonprofit’s story. Learn more and enroll
here
.
If you are a U.S. nonprofit looking to add donation cards to your YouTube videos, learn more
here
.
Posted by Lexi Cotcamp, Google for Nonprofits
1
Nonprofits aren't endorsed by YouTube or Google
↩
Introducing New Donation Tool on YouTube Benefiting Nonprofits
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
YouTube has over a billion users. That’s almost one-third of all people on the Internet. And everyday those users watch hundreds of millions of hours of video, racking up billions of views – which are now billions of opportunities to do good.
We’re excited to announce a brand new tool that U.S. nonprofits can utilize -- donation cards on YouTube! Donation cards make it even simpler to raise money for your cause by allowing your viewers to donate directly from your YouTube video. Even better -- Google covers the processing fees, so your organization will receive 100% of the money donated. Donation cards on YouTube are currently available for U.S. nonprofits and creators, but we look forward to expanding into other countries, so nonprofits and creators can digitally fundraise across the globe.
Learn more about donation cards on YouTube with this quick preview.
Using donation cards, YouTube creators can also now raise money through their content to both support your cause and make their videos more impactful! Donation cards for creators in the U.S. enable their subscribers and viewers to donate directly from their videos. Creators can choose any United States, IRS-validated 501(c)3 public nonprofit organization.
1
Your nonprofit will receive 100% of the money donated.
Want to see donation cards in action? Check out this video from Madison Beer.
Now it’s your turn. To help you get started, we’ve put together an
outreach toolkit
– including email templates, social media templates, and fundraising best practices – to help your nonprofit share the news about donation cards with your supporters and other YouTube creators. With these tools, we hope you’ll empower as many people as possible to learn about your nonprofit and fuel fundraising on your behalf.
To see if your nonprofit is eligible to participate in the YouTube for Nonprofit Program, review the
Google for Nonprofits eligibility guidelines
. Google for Nonprofits offers organizations like yours free access to Google tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Ad Grants, YouTube for Nonprofits and more. These tools can help you reach new donors and volunteers, work more efficiently, and tell your nonprofit’s story. Learn more and enroll
here
.
If you are a U.S. nonprofit looking to add donation cards to your YouTube videos, learn more
here
.
If you are a U.S. YouTube creator looking to fundraise for your favorite cause, learn more
here
.
Posted by Lexi Cotcamp, Google for Nonprofits and Sherif Hamdy, YouTube for Good Program Manager.
1
Nonprofits aren't endorsed by YouTube or Google
↩
Case Study: Youth-oriented nonprofit overcomes limited budget by using Google Tools
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Just because you don’t have a big budget doesn’t mean you can’t have a big impact. Robin Bossert found that to be true when he started Navigators USA, a nonprofit that provides scouting experiences for children and their parents to help them spend more time outdoors. With over 100 independent chapters in the US and a shoestring budget, Navigators USA uses Google for Nonprofits tools to maintain and grow their organization.
As an organization that works with youth, Navigators USA needed to have a way to maintain privacy and security while still being able to share information quickly and efficiently with parents. They use Google Groups and Sites to control access when sharing information. Juggling so many chapters across the country can be a challenge. To keep an open dialogue and get timely feedback from chapter leaders, they use Google Forms to send out questionnaires and use Google Drive to share trip ideas with other chapters. Handling logistics like shipping uniforms across the country is managed through Google Sheets and enables them to track their inventory and make sure their chapters have the supplies they need. By not having to worry about their technology budget or capabilities, Navigators USA can focus on building a movement and get more children outside.
Watch Robin and other members discuss how they used Google tools to help manage and grow Navigators USA
here
.
Posted by Paige Birnbaum, Google for Nonprofits
Google for Education Presents: Google RISE Awards!
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Google for Education
just opened applications for the Google RISE Awards
,
a $10-25k USD grant given to nonprofit
organizations globally that give girls and underrepresented students access to computer science through extracurricular outreach programs.
In 2015,
37 organizations
from 17 countries received RISE Awards for projects ranging from
programming clubs
in Johannesburg to workshops on
CS and music production
in San Francisco.
Learning about CS promotes valuable problem solving skills that students can apply to any field of study. Unfortunately, many students have a
negative perception
of what CS is and who it’s for. By partnering with nonprofits that are providing students with access and exposure to CS, we hope to change this perception and encourage more students to pursue CS. We’ve been inspired by the creativity and passion we’ve seen from our past RISE awardees, and this year we’re excited to expand the reach of the RISE awards by opening two rounds of funding applications for nonprofit organizations.
The RISE Awards are now accepting
applications
through February 19, and more information on the application process is listed on our
website
. Visit
g.co/csedu
to learn more about Google’s other CS resources, including our CS teacher professional development awards,
Computer Science for High School
(CS4HS), which is also currently accepting
applications
for the 2016 year.
Posted by Nicky Rigg, Google RISE Awards Program Manager
Value Donors and Cultivate Engagers with YouTube
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Top 10 ways to use Google Apps for Nonprofits
Thursday, November 12, 2015
At your nonprofit, you are responsible for recruiting, communicating with staff, developing a marketing strategy, managing IT operations, fundraising, planning events, and more! Google Apps, which is free for nonprofits to access, is a great way for your nonprofit to streamline your work and operate efficiently. With that in mind, we wanted to share with you the
Top 10 ways to use Google Apps for Nonprofits
! This guide will cover ten essential tips on ways you can use Google Apps, along with interactive demos and articles to teach you how to use them. Let's go over one of these tips together!
A passionate team supporting your organization is critical to your nonprofit. You can quickly
recruit, interview, and onboard
prospective employees or volunteers using Google Apps. After interested candidates or volunteers submit their information through
Forms
, you can conduct interviews with your top choices from anywhere in the world with
Hangouts
. Using
Sites
, you can then then
streamline the onboarding process with a
website containing checklists, important information, and onboarding tasks.
Enroll in Google for Nonprofits
to qualify for free access to the Google Apps suite today and use this helpful
guide
to learn more tips to support your organization.
Google for Nonprofits Launches in South Korea
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Annyounghaseyo from South Korea! Today, we’re excited to announce that we are expanding Google for Nonprofits in South Korea. In partnership with
TechSoup
, Google for Nonprofits is now available and servicing nonprofit organizations in South Korea.
Nonprofits can now apply to join the South Korea
program
, which provides access to a suite of free products and tools, including:
Google Ad Grants:
Free AdWords advertising to promote your website on Google through keyword targeting.
Google Apps for Nonprofit:
Free version of the Google Apps business productivity suite, including Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and more.
YouTube Nonprofit Program:
Premium branding capabilities on YouTube channels, and increased uploading capacity.
We’re excited to partner with organizations in South Korea and look forward to seeing the positive impact nonprofits will make with these tools.
Google for Nonprofits Launches in 5 more countries!
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Greetings from
South Africa
,
Kenya
,
Botswana
,
Bulgaria
, and
Croatia
! In partnership with
TechSoup
, we are excited to announce that Google for Nonprofits is now available in these countries, servicing thousands of nonprofit organizations in the region.
Nonprofits can now apply to join the program (
South Africa
,
Kenya
,
Botswana
,
Bulgaria
, and
Croatia
), which provides access to a suite of free products and tools, including:
Google Ad Grants
: Free AdWords advertising to promote your website on Google through keyword targeting.
Google Apps for Nonprofit:
Free version of the Google Apps business productivity suite, including Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and more.
YouTube Nonprofit Program:
Premium branding capabilities on YouTube channels, and increased uploading capacity.
Many nonprofits throughout these regions are already taking advantage of these programs to recruit new volunteers, fundraise and raise awareness about their work. In South Africa, Hedley Lewis, Finance & Fundraising Executive Director at
Smile Foundation
spoke about how Google Ad Grants delivered a 25% increase in traffic to their website:
“Google Ad Grants has been an asset to our organisation as we have experienced a substantial increase in referrals to our website. Our online donations has been boosted generously and [corporations] have now been exposed to our brand and want to partner in our fundraising campaigns... Google has become our silent fundraiser.”
At Google, we’re inspired and humbled by such stories showing the amazing ways nonprofits make positive changes to our world using our tools. If you work for a nonprofit in South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Bulgaria, and Croatia, apply today to see how Google can also help your organization grow.
Google for Nonprofits Launches in Turkey
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Greetings from
Turkey
! Today, we’re excited to announce that we are expanding Google for Nonprofits in Turkey. In partnership with TechSoup, Google for Nonprofits is now available and servicing nonprofit organizations in Turkey.
Nonprofits can now apply to join the Turkey
program
, which provides access to a suite of free products and tools, including:
Google Ad Grants: Free AdWords advertising to promote your website on Google through keyword targeting.
Google Apps for Nonprofit: Free version of the Google Apps business productivity suite, including Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and more.
YouTube Nonprofit Program: Premium branding capabilities on YouTube channels, and increased uploading capacity.
We're looking forward to partnering with organizations in Turkey starting with today's launch!
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