Google Charity Services

According the Association of Fundraising Professionals website, Google is now offering an online service called Google for Nonprofits, which will give charities guidance on  different resources Google has to offer. Instructional videos, and how-to information will be given on each of the resources, and all of them will be free of charge. The following are resources that Google will offer to various nonprofits:

• The Gmail email system
• An online donation collection and processing program
• A system for sharing and editing documents online
• An analytics program to determine how often people go to your website and how they use the information that it provides
• An online grant search engine
• A dynamic, interactive maps program to visually illustrate the work of a charity
• Blogging software

I think it’s really great that Google has combined all of these services in order to better serve their nonprofit audiences. They are effectively making their product more personable to their audiences, which is beneficial for the company and its consumers.

Lack of Volunteers

After completing last week’s management dilemma, I have decided that most Americans have a willingness to volunteer, but are often unable to spare any time. Today our society demands that in order to survive, we must work harder and longer. After 8 or more hours of work, family obligations, and home responsibilities, most average people are exhausted. In our ‘working’ country, free time is diminishing before our eyes. Furthermore, due to these various ‘busy’ factors, most Americans have resorted to giving donations to charitable organizations rather than their time. How do you think this will affect our non-profit organizations in the future? If everyone decides to simply write a check for a charity, who’s going to run it?