“So that anyone, anywhere can try Idealist at no cost.

Usually, job postings on Idealist cost only $60, but this month we are inviting all nonprofit organizations, as well as vendors and consultants who serve the nonprofit sector, to post all their job openings for free. (Volunteer opportunities, internships, and jobs posted outside the United States are always free.)

If you have never tried Idealist, or if you have used us only for entry-level jobs, we hope you’ll try us for all your positions. 60,000 people come to Idealist every day, and many of them are seeking high-level jobs.

And if you are looking for a job, our goal this month is to get you as many job openings as we can, but to do this we need your help. If you know anyone at an organization that is not currently using Idealist, please invite them to join us. And if you have a way to get the word out to friends and colleagues across the sector – through a mailing list, a blog, or any other way – please tell them that Idealist is free for the whole month of June.”

So, if you’re recruiting for a position, be sure to post the announcement on Idealist.org. And if you’re looking…well, we can keep a secret!

Google has just announced that on Wednesday, June 11, the Google for Non-Profits Group will become a fully open discussion group. Since the group was started a few months ago, it was only used for the rare announcement from Google regarding the Google for Non-Profits launch and this most recent announcement. Now members will be able to post their own messages and have a dialogue with others in the nonprofit community. Even though the group is not yet an open forum, you can still join the more than 4000 others who have already joined by visiting the Google for Non-Profits Group page and clicking “Join the Group” in the right column. Of course, a free Google account is required to join.

Google has said that all registered members of the group will receive an email on Wednesday “that includes a community charter with guidelines for taking advantage of the discussion.” Google will be working closely from volunteer members of the nonprofit community to assist with implementation of the group.

Google for NonProfits on YouTube

Google’s other big announcement was their recent launch of a new YouTube channel called Google for Nonprofits.  The first video on the new channel was Google 101 Implementation, a video created by the Ann Arbor, MI team how the Ann Arbor Friends of CASA has used Google tools to create a website, create documents and accept donations.  Google has added three favorite videos for a total of four videos in the channel.  Hopefully there will be additional videos added to this resource.

[Editor's Note: On this blog I use the spelling nonprofit while Google uses non-profit.  However, the YouTube channel is spelled without the "-".  That is the reason for the spelling inconsistency in this post.]

[PhotoCredit:Jurvetson]

10 Steps to Being Found on Search Engines (TechSoup.org) – An excellent introduction to search engine optimization (SEO). Follow these ten steps and your website will no longer be hidden in the depths of Google.

Five-Step Strategy to Market Your Nonprofit Online (Nonprofit Communications) – Some great steps to getting started with your online marketing. And we’re not talking about buying advertising on someone’s website. Check out this 5-step plan.

Five Methodologies to Deal with Email Overload (ReadWriteWeb) – Who doesn’t want to get a better handle on their email inbox? Here’s five strategies that will do just that.

Google Jumps Head First into Web Services with Google App Engine (TechCrunch.com) – This is a beta launch of online applications for data management and web developers. The tech savvy among us will find this announcement worth reading.

Windows Vista SP1 Update: Endless Restart Bug Fixed, Automatic Rollout Starts Next Week (Gizmodo.com) – Fixing faulty OS software should be easier, but it’s not. Well, that’s not entirely true. Read this post at Gizmodo and follow the link to learn more about Microsoft’s effort to make installing SP1 a little bit smoother.

Trim Down WIndows to the Bare Essentials (Lifehacker.com) – I chose this post because so many nonprofits reuse older computers for guest computers, simple Internet surfing or other program related tasks. But one of the problems with using older hardware is the need to keep software requirements and use to a minimum. This article will help you set up your computer to maximize hardware resources while keeping Windows requirements at a minimum.

[PhotoCredit:Edwin.11]

The answer is a resounding, YES!  With unlimited words, free images, free or inexpensive advertising and thousands of daily readers, why wouldn’t you try Craigslist?  But if you’re not a regular Craigslist user, you might have heard a few myths about advertising there.  So before you use Craigslist, let me destroy a few employment ad myths about advertising there.

1)  Craigslist is only available in a few major cities like New York and San Francisco.  For many years this was true, but today Craigslist is operating in 450 cities in over 50 countries.  In the United States, Craigslist provides classified advertising in all 50 states.  Just visit Craigslist.org and click on the area where you want to advertise.

2)  Craigslist job ads are only good if you are seeking entry level employees.  This myth is perpetuated by the simplicity of the Craigslist website.  But don’t be fooled in believing that an ultra basic, non-graphical website means professionals and executives don’t read their ads.  In fact, more and more executives are starting their job searches with local Craigslist advertising.

3)  Since Craigslist started charging a fee to place job ads, there really is no cost savings.  Well, this is a loaded myth in many ways.  To begin with, Craigslist does not charge for advertising in most locations (only some major cities) and even then the fee is minimal (usually $25).  Also, employment advertising isn’t about saving money, it’s about finding the right person without busting the bank.  Even the $75 fee charged in San Francisco is far better than the hundreds it would cost for a major newpaper ad.  Also, read about the “gigs” category later in this post.

4)  With all of the Get Rich Quick type ads in the job section, no one will really take our employment ad seriously.  One of the reasons Craigslist began charging for advertising in some areas was to minimize the scams and Get Rich Quick advertising.  But the ads still appear.  Nonetheless, Craigslist is still proving to be a great source of leads for employers.  Don’t let the ads scare you off; they haven’t scared off the qualified job seekers.

5)  Craigslist ads are listed in order of when they are first posted.  That means our ad will soon be lost and get no response.  Let me address this myth from personal experience.  About five months ago I placed a small employment ad on Craigslist in the Sacramento, California region looking for a bilingual clerical worker.  I received more than 130 replies with more than 25 of those coming a full month after the ad was posted.  Write a good ad and feel confident that job seekers will find it through Craigslist’s search feature.  There is even a search function for finding only nonprofit jobs.

6)  Job advertising is the only way to find employees on Craig’s list.  Not exactly.  Since most of us understand that networking is the best way to find great employees, we must not forget the Craigslist forums.  But don’t just post an ad in the forums, get involved in the dialogue.  The Craigslist forums are not regionally specific, but there is a location indicator next to the first post in a thread.

If you’re just looking for someone to work on a short term project or an intern, try advertising in the gigs category. This category is free for any one-time work project.  If you’re looking for a band to play at your fundraiser or a painter for your new offices, start looking on Craigslist.

So the next time you need to fill an important vacancy, start your search on Craigslist.  And when you find the right person to fill the job, be sure to thank Craig Newmark for starting this amazing venture more than a decade ago.

[PhotoCredit:acloudman]

In addition to Google tools available to all Internet users, you will find a couple special items just for nonprofits.  For example, Google Grants can provide free online advertising for your nonprofit through Google’s highly successful Adsense program.  Also, nonprofits can use the Google Checkout tool until 2009 to accept donations without the typical setup and monthly fees.  Beginning in 2009, Google may start charging nominal fees for this service.

Even though there’s not a lot of new resources for nonprofits, now you can find all the helpful Google tools in one place.  Below is a list of the Google Tools that I have used and would recommend.  They can all be found at Google for Nonprofits.

• GMail – This is an excellent Internet based email program.  You can set it up to receive emails sent to accounts under your own domain (e.g. tdavis@mynonprofit.org) and access that email from any computer connected to the Internet.
• Analytics – If you don’t already get great statistics on the visitors to your website, Google Analytics may be the tool you need.  With Analytics, you can get daily reports on nearly every detail related to who is visiting your website, how long they stay, what they look at, and how they got there.
• Blogger – Blogger is one of the easiest ways to set up a blog for your nonprofit.  You can create a new blog in less than 20 minutes.
• Calendar – Google Calendar is a great way to keep your organizational calendar and share collaborative calendars within your agency.

Take some time to check out the special pages for each Google tool accessible from the Google for Nonprofits homepage.  Each tool page has some ideas for tips for how to use the tool, inspirational examples, and steps to get started at the bottom of the page.