I agree with Gina’s statement to a certain extent. Quote:

“Facebook… is actually going more in the direction of connecting you with the people you have strong relationships with your real identity, with status messages, and with photo sharing… Twitter’s about news and real time events.”

Ning instead is about building (strong) relationships with people you may not know in real life. So they overlap nicely to a certain degree, in terms of what they allow you as an individual or as a business to do.

But I still feel they are in direct competition, not only against each other but with all other things that pull us in different directions in our lives. We each may belong to dozens of social networks (online), be a part of multiple networks (offline -think your children’s PTA, homehowner’s associations, trade groups, etc.) and each of these expect a chunk of our time. No matter how effective we are, days are still 24 hours long and we have a few hours we need to sleep every day. So in the end Ning, Facebook, Twitter and all manifestations of social media in our lives are in direct competition for our most valuable asset: time.

How do you manage your time in social media?

These are the slides from the presentation (with a few enhancements I made to them thanks to the feedback I got from participants). You can download the presentation if you prefer watching it offline.

• You may see a greater number of donations with a smaller average gift size.
• As much as the media talks of a possible economic rebound, prospective supporters will still be wary of donating to new causes.
• Email outreach will continue its upward trend, meaning more email in subscribers’ in-boxes.
• Recurring gifts will be a huge portion of online giving.
• As in the past, year-end gifts will account for a substantial percentage of total annual contributions.

Read the complete post

The event also served as a “send-off” for Assemblywoman Skinner as she heads to Copenhagen, Denmark this week for the 2009 United Nations Convention on Climate Change. This conference brings together 192 countries and 100 heads of state or government in negotiations to deal with the growing threats posed by global warming. Assemblywoman Skinner will represent California alongside State Senator Fran Pavely and other state leaders, and will speak about her energy efficiency legislation and California policies. She will also interact with the University of California delegation that is attending the conference to provide expert testimony through panel discussions.

Recognized as the California Assembly’s 2009 Rookie of the Year, Nancy authored landmark legislation this past year, including bills that will give foster youth better access to college housing, (AB 1393), make AC Transit buses more bike friendly (AB 652), and bring thousands of energy efficient jobs to California (AB758).

The Madera Group congratulates Assemblywoman Skinner for all of her achievements in 2009, and wishes her a victorious 2010!

Photo: CPUC Commissioner Dian Gruenich, Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, and Janice Lin from Stratgen Consulting
Photo Credit: Erik Johnson

DHF fosters a supportive environment where people touched by diabetes can connect with each other, hold informed discussions and share their experiences. As a result, their members find comfort in not feeling alone and together they promote a better understanding of life with diabetes. Since 2007, they have launched two social networks: TuDiabetes.com (in English) and EsTuDiabetes.com (in Spanish). Through their online communities, they’ve developed diabetes awareness initiatives such as Word In Your Hand, Drawing Diabetes, Diabetes Supplies Art, No-Sugar Added Poetry and the 14,000 People With Diabetes Test-in.

Click here to learn more about The Diabetes Hands Foundation and to make a donation to support this important initiative.

Here’s her list of ten tools and strategies:

1. RSS Feeds
2. Use the Add This widget
3. Pick Two Social Networks
4. URL Shorteners
5. Care2’s Petition Site
6. Google Grants
7. YouTube Nonprofit Program
8. Listservs
9. Create widgets to share content or actions
10. FreeCause Toolbar

Read the detailed article after the jump

Success in social marketing and fundraising means making our clients visible in a crowded online marketplace. Our agency works with clients to develop a strategy that not only uses social networks, but also persuades others to pass the word on. That means creating inspiring and thoughtful messages that work for both email inboxes and social networking sites. It means telling a story that communicates the meaning of the work we are describing, and showing the results that come from it.

The desired goal is to have the public, or the media, pick up a story and carry it even further — a bonus that is the reward for hard work and creative thinking.

Even better, is when an agency partners with a once-in-a-lifetime client who needs no introduction to the social marketplace — in our case, President Bill Clinton and his foundation, the William J. Clinton Foundation. On August 19th, President Clinton celebrated his 63rd birthday. To celebrate, The Madera Group collaborated with his foundation staff to launch an online birthday card fundraising campaign with the culminating message sent by his beloved friend Nelson Mandela.

By the way, it is not too late to send President Clinton a birthday wish and make a donation.

Happy Birthday President Clinton! We thank you and your foundation for all that you are doing around the world to fight climate change, eliminate childhood obesity, and give access to HIV/AIDS medicines to millions of people. Your work is an inspiration to us all.

This month, the Madera Group continues our work with Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, launching a new “campaign within a campaign” to help increase enrollment in their program, Make Mine a Million $ Business. Founded by social entrepreneur and author Nell Merlino (who created “Take your Daughter to Work Day”), Count Me In helps women entrepreneurs grow their businesses by providing (for free or at very low cost) a suite of online tools, webinars, national and regional events, and access to business development experts.
More than 60,000 women have joined the online community, and another 1,500 have paid a small fee to join a more focused “fast track” to business growth, the “Make Mine a Million $ Business Race” known as the M3 Race.

With a goal of registering 3,000 women by July 31st, we have launched the Race to 3,000, a special e-mail messaging campaign that aims to double the number of racers this summer. Every M3 community member will receive special attention in the next four weeks, through targeted multi-media messages that frame the values of the program using data gleaned from feedback the organization has received from past events. In addition, M3 members are invited to participate in CMI’s free on-line webinars each Wednesday, which teach a variety of business practices, strategies and tools, as well as offer helpful hints and ideas from featured entrepreneur experts.

This week’s webinar, What’s New in the M3 Race, will show participants how to navigate through their personal business resource tools, as well as help them discover new resources and discounts from Count Me In’s partners that are exclusive to M3 Racers. Count Me In’s Program Department will also be on hand to answer questions about how to tailor and personalize M3 RACE tools for specific businesses.  And that’s not all! On Monday, July 13th, M3 members are invited to hear Nell Merlino speak at a special Meet-Up event, the Girls Inc panel discussion: “Corporate Camp for Entrepreneurs” in New York City.

In her blog a few months ago, Nell Merlino wrote about bringing back the buddy system, reminding us that while self-sufficiency is important, the power of companionship and collaboration cannot be forgotten, especially when working toward a goal. Nearly everyone can identify with the experience of forming a supportive network of friends that help encourage one another to succeed, and that’s what the M3 community is all about. Count Me In brings together a national team of experts and allies, introduces them to one another, and connects them to thousands of potential clients and customers.  Amid a lagging economy, it’s vital that women business owners can come together, share their ideas and talk about how they are steering their way through these challenging times. The Make Mine a Million $ Business Race gives women the chance to move forward and accomplish their goals even faster. We encourage you to join the race by July 31st! Visit www.makemineamilion.org/race.

I am in San Francisco for the national conference of WBENC, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, giving the keynote address at lunch today.  As I prepare to speak I am overwhelmed with the importance of women getting together, reaching out and venturing out to talk with other business owners about how they are handling the dramatic changes in the marketplace, the economy and their family lives.

We can learn so much if we get out of our offices and homes, put down our cell phones, Blackberry’s and iPhones and talk with other entrepreneurs, as well as representatives from big corporations and government, about how the game has changed, what the new rules are this week, where the possible business leads are and strategies for survival and future growth. You’ll get very little insight sitting in you office trying to figure out why you are losing customers, clients and contracts all by yourself. The shame, doubt and blaming will set in if the only conversation you are having is with you. So set aside money if you can, and attend a few business conferences or meetings.  And when you can’t get away, keep stay connected by attending a few of our webinars.

By traveling to San Francisco this week I have had the opportunity to meet Kat Taylor, the founding Director of OneCalifornia Bank, the bank that made the SBA-insured loan that Linda Russell has been blogging about.  (Kat has an incredibly beautiful fish tank on her front steps that feeds an edible garden. I’ve never seen anything like it.) Thanks to Linda’s introduction we are now discussing how to introduce more women in the Bay Area to financing opportunities through OneCalifornia Bank.

I also have had the opportunity to talk with Lorene Arey – Count Me In board member who embraces change and always challenges me to face the future joyfully. I took that picture of the Golden Gate Bridge from her living room. Last night I had dinner with Kath Delaney of the Madera Group who is helping Count Me In optimize our web site and tonight I will be attending a gathering of M3 Racers at Molly Fuller’s business Hands on Gourmet.  I know I will come away smarter, calmer and clearer about what lies ahead and how we will all move forward together.

Practice staying connected. Being in a community in person and online is the best way to survive and thrive now.

Believe in you,
Nell