Good Works Grapevine

I (or perhaps Cordelia Gothly) was asked today to complete a profile for Nonprofit Commons in Second Life and it forced me to sit down and write out some of the things that tend to sit in my melon until someone forces it out (thanks Megan!) What I wrote seemed helpful, so I’ve decided to share it with you! Enjoy my brain droppings of the day!

Brief summary of your organization

GoodDogz.org is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to educating potential dog owners on dog selection and care and supporting the efforts of rescue groups. We believe that by assisting with good dog-owner matches, we’ll give each family the best opportunity for a life-long relationship with their new dog and help to keep dogs out of shelters.

How did you find out about the NPC and why did you get involved?

I found out through Susan Reynolds initially and since I was new to SL, I had a burning desire to know more! I love finding ways that nonprofits can effectively leverage emerging technology and SL is about a “new and shiny” as you can get! I’ve come to find that NPC is chocked full of great, creative people with a mind for social good. I’m excited to be involved!

Is your work here in Second Life as an individual or are you representing a foundation?
Until my organization becomes a little more technically savvy, I work here as an individual. My hope (and dream) is that I can generate a new volunteer base in-world so that GoodDogz.org can have an active presence.

Some say the professional networking opportunities in SL have been extraordinary. Have you found this to be true? If so, what advice would you give someone for effective professional networking in SL?

Yes! My advice is – don’t be afraid to approach people with your ideas. I’ve met several people that have never chatted with anyone in SL. I may just be lucky, but I’ve found almost everyone I’ve met in-world to be accessible, pleasant and extremely helpful. Find like-minded people and exchange ideas. You’ll make a friend as well as a potential business contact.

Why do you think virtual worlds such as Second Life are valuable for non-profits?

Networking is the obvious answer – but I also think that it gives nonprofits an opportunity to reach out to folks that wouldn’t normally have access to. Some might be next door and some may be halfway around the world. But if they are interested in your initiatives, they may want to get involved. And human resources (in SL or RL) are critical and hard to come by.

Do you think every non-profit should have a presence within SL or is it only appropriate for particular types of organizations?

I think that if a nonprofit can have an “effective” presence in SL, they should be part of the Non-Profit Commons. But, with all initiatives, SL takes resources – time, human, monetary. If you can’t tend to your SL presence actively, I think groups should hold off until they are ready with a strategy and a team.

More than likely you are fairly new to SL. Since there is a learning curve, what advice would you give to make being in SL easier?

Again, talk to people and make friends. Most people in SL are very nice and don’t mind helping new folks out. If you’re just not finding the right people, pull up the map – look for a populated area – and transport. And start chatting again. Eventually, you’ll find folks who are like-minded, fun and ready to befriend you in SL.

Upcoming projects/events

We would love to have a presence in SL. If there are any animal welfare folks out there who would be willing to lend their time and expertise to our organization, we’d love to have you. We are also in our busy season in RL, with a major pet adoption event in November, two fundraisers in October and another in December. So, if you live in the DC area, give me a shout!

Current/On-going Needs (RL or SL)

As always, we need volunteers – both in SL and RL. Ping me if you’d like to get involved!

A colleague (thanks Carrie!) sent me this article. Twiiter is somewhat of an enigma to a lot of folks. This article breaks down WHY its a powerful tool despite it’s tiny size.

If You Don’t Twitter Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later

Recently, YouTube created a new channel for non-profits and as a promotion offered a free video camera to the first 300 organizations to sign-up. As this seemed like a great opportunity (and what group couldn’t use a new video camera?) - I signed us up. This took place around Christmas. About a week later, I received an email advising us that we had been approved - Yea! So I immediately set-up our channel, added our favorite videos, customized the look - the works. To date, we have not been “added” to their Non-Profit Channel. I started poking around the Web to find that many non-profits have had issues with this new program. I have tried contacting YouTube about the issue, but can’t seem to get anyone who can help. I did find a lovely lady through Facebook.com that is having the same issue and actually had the number of a human at YouTube that she has been calling (poor guy). So she has taken on my cause as well to try to get us posted. We haven’t received a mention of a video camera (let alone the actual camera). I’m pretty sure we were one of the first 300. So this leads me to ask…While I’m sure that YouTube’s intentions are good - execution is key. Are they truly ready to support the needs of non-profits? YouTube is an effective, wonderful resource for non-profits to spread their message, attract donors and members and have fun doing it. But, lack of support and technical bugs may be the channel’s downfall. These organizations have a difficult time making time to set-up and maintain a YouTube account, much less chase down problems.

So, I am still hopeful that they will get their act together (and that I’ll hear from them soon), but the jury is still out on whether this program will be an asset to the non-profit community.