The NonProfit Times Goes Mobile

Smartphones are all the rage these days. Whether it's an app for this or a mobile website for that, businesses and nonprofits are taking advantage of this new technology to expand their reach. With the launch of our new website, The NonProfit Times has officially joined the mobile world.

We've always wanted to give our readers the ability to easily browse the latest nonprofit news on their smartphones, and our new website does just that. While you could always access NPT on the go with our previous site, it was hard to read without zooming in. Now that it is mobile optimized, readers can easily check the latest happenings in the nonprofit sector no matter where they are.

A look at how NPT looks on your mobile phone

It's not just the news articles you can access via your mobile phone; you can also view our jobs page, the resource market place, and our online store.

How do you like the mobile optimized site? Let us know in the comments section below.

The NonProfit Times Store -- An Overview

One of the key features of our redesigned website is the new online store. Whereas before it was located on a separate URL, we have now integrated it into the main NPT website for optimal use.

This integration means that the store will be easier to access and, maybe more importantly, you will still be able to browse the rest of the website even when you have items in your shopping cart. It works like this: Say you decided to purchase the 2012 Salary and Benefits Report but are alerted to a breaking story on the NPT homepage. Instead of opening a new tab on your browser, you can simply navigate to the news story without any affect on your purchase.

As you browse the rest of the site, you will see an icon on the side of the page reminding you that there are items in your shopping cart. Once you are done with your other business, you can click on that icon and complete your purchase.

A look at the new shopping cart functionality

Some of the main items currently available in the online store are:

• Print and Digital Subscription to The NonProfit Times
• Print and Digital Subscription to Exempt Magazine
• The NPT 50 Best Places To Work in 2012 Report
• All of the 2012 Salary and Benefits Reports

Head over to the new online store, try out the new functionality and, as always, continue to give us your feedback.

The NonProfit Times' Resource Marketplace

In our ongoing look at the new and/or improved features of The NonProfit Times' new website, today we will take a look at the Resource Marketplace.

This section of the site acts as a directory for a variety of nonprofit services, ranging from online fundraising to grant writers. If there is a service your nonprofit needs, chances are we have links to companies that offer them. This feature was on our website before, but we have made a couple of changes to make it a little easier to navigate.

First of all, we have included the number of resources included in each category so readers know immediately how many services are being offered. We have also included a "Latest Resources" feed, which automatically updates whenever a new service is added to the page.

Keep an eye on the Resource Marketplace as we continue to add new services, and let us know what you think of the redesign.

The NonProfit Times eNewsletters: An Introduction

One of the features that received an overhaul in our website re-design is our eNewsletter page. Whereas before users would individually sign-up for the newsletter they wanted to receive, the process has now been streamlined to make it much more user-friendly.

The first thing you will see when you enter the new eNewsletter page is a simple box asking you to enter your e-mail address. Once you do that, you will receive a message at that address asking you to confirm that you do want to receive messages from The NonProfit Times. After confirming you will be bought to your eNewsletter preferences page (see picture below) where you can manage which newsletters you want to get (Weekly, Instant Fundraising, Jobs, Technobuzz, and Exempt).

The eNewsletter preference center allows users to customize which newsletters they want to receive, and more.

We believe that this new format will make it much simpler for users to decide which eNewsletters they want to receive. Your inbox is likely cluttered with all sorts of messages, so there's no need for you to be getting information you don't want.

What do you think about the new design? Let us know in the comments section below.

Welcome To The New NonProfit Times

If you have been to The NonProfit Times' website this morning, you will have noticed it looks a little different. This is the result of a new design we have been working on for some time now which will make the site easier to navigate.

“This new evolution of our web platform reflects a year-long effort to meet the information needs of our readers and advertising partners,” said John McIlquham, president/CEO of The NonProfit Times. “We're proud of these changes because our subscribers have been vocal in what type of information presentation they need us to provide. Our advertising partners also provided valuable feedback.”

The new web platforms for The NonProfit Times, Exempt Magazine and the Nonprofit Job Seeker, the site's career center, incorporate more than an updated new design that allows for greater video and audio capability. It is also built on a content management system featuring a new ecommerce platform and recommendation engine. The new features allow more content centric access to a huge catalog of articles, interviews and videos.

The launch offers a more integrated approach to executive functions so that web visitors can tour information on all three sites from one location. There will be interactive links to education, online libraries, grants and jobs boards that multiply a visitors’ ability to tap into a substantial and growing information base.

We are also happy to announce that the new website has been optimized for smartphones and tablets, allowing users to access the latest nonprofit news and information wherever they are.

A look at the mobile version of the new site

"We're excited about this new effort to reach out to more organizations looking for expertise in managing, hiring and promoting their cause," McIlquham noted, "because technology has opened vistas for our subscribers in accessing information that will translate into new ideas, new opportunities and new funding for their missions." Visit http://www.thenonprofittimes.com to learn more about the re-designed site.

7 Ideas For Website Content

One of the age old battles of the Internet is whether a website with bad design but great content is better than one with amazing design but weak content. This battle is still raging on with no clear end in sight, but one thing is clear: You do need some content on your page to remain relevant.

The textbook definition of a great website is one that the user wants to come back to every day. For that to happen, the site has to have constantly updated content, and not just anything will do the trick. As Robbin Zeff explained in “The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet,” your content needs to be interesting, relevant and, most importantly, new.

There are many different forms of content, and it’s up to you and your webmaster to determine what needs to be on your site. Zeff suggested starting off with the following 7 ideas:

• Identity: Who you are – your mission statement, a listing or profiles of staff;
• Programs and Services: What you do – your programs, projects, meetings, seminars, conferences, etc.;
• Contact Information: How you can be reached – address, e-mail, telephone numbers, office, hours, etc. If you have chapters or member organizations, list how they can be reached;
• Available Resources: What material you have for free or for sale – newsletters, magazines, publications, t-shirts, posters, etc.;
• Current activities: What information you want to highlight – press releases, news reports, etc.;
• Links to related sites; and,
• Help requests: What your needs are – donations of time, information, or money.

5 Suggestions For A Modest Website Redesign

When you hear the words "website redesign," images of major overhauls and hours upon hours of work come to mind. This is often the case for sites that have serious problems but, thankfully, that doesn't necessarily describe your nonprofit's webpage.

This was exactly the point that Jono Young and Rahell Guba of Blackbaud made during their session, "Better Nonprofit Websites: 52 Tweaks in 52 Weeks," during the 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) in San Francisco. As the title of the session suggests, Young and Guba offered 52 tweaks that nonprofits can make to their websites without having to commit major resources.

Here are five of those suggestions that you can use immediately that will make a world of difference when it comes to your website design:

• Use fifth grade language: Clean, simple, understandable external language. Making it relatable is better than making it likable.
• I don’t just want your money: Provide alternate ways to support in addition to donations, such as social media, email, word of mouth, blog about us, templated messages.
• Pictures speak louder: Visualize your achievements, goals, mission, appeals and campaigns. Use an infographic approach and make content digestible.
• Content approval workflows: Have a second, or third or fourth, set of eyes review your content before it goes public.
• Social your confirmation pages: These are your top supporters – help them brag about what they just did and market your organization for you.