Issue 4
July 18, 2002

NEWSNOTES is a monthly email newsletter published by Nonprofit Enterprise at Work. It includes items of interest to the nonprofit community in Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas, as well as resources available at NEW. Feel free to share NEWSNOTES with friends and colleagues -- encourage them to sign up for their own subscription.

NEW would like to recognize the generous support of its partners:

IN THIS ISSUE

LEAD STORY

Maintaining and Enhancing Your Organization's Web Site:
Seven Practical Tips for the "Accidental Webmaster"

In many cases the responsibility for maintaining a nonprofit's Web site falls on an "Accidental Webmaster" whose primary responsibilities have nothing to do with HTML code, FTPing, and other arcane Web-related tasks. Fortunately there are many free tools and methods that can make Web site maintenance much easier, and you don't need a computer science degree to take advantage of them. Below are seven tips that will help Accidental Webmasters maintain and enhance the effectiveness of their organizations' Web sites without investing unreasonable amounts of time or energy. Please note that these tips assume a rudimentary understanding of Web page design.

Tip #1: Market Your Site With "Metatags"
What good is a site if no one can find it? "Metatags" are invisible lines of code that can help make your Web site more visible to popular search engines. To add metatags to your Web pages, simply go to the AddMe Web site and follow the instructions.

Tip #2: Market Your Site with Search Engine Registrations
In addition to metatags, another effective method of increasing your site's visibility is to register it with search engines. NEW's SBC Ameritech WebConnect program has the ability to register nonprofit Web sites with some of the more popular Internet search tools. Contact Neel Hajra (734-998-0160) for more information.

Tip #3: Track Your Site Statistics
Never underestimate the importance of basic site statistics. Information such as total site visits per month can be used as a marketing tool with potential funders. Furthermore, statistics can help you understand how your site is utilized by the public. Ask your Web host what kind of statistics services they offer. Another option is to use free tools such as WebSTAT, WebTracker, or Extreme Tracking.

Tip #4: Use "Cascading Style Sheets" to Save Time
A "cascading style sheet" is a single file that determines the style attributes of all your pages. Updating a single file instantly updates ALL of the pages on your site, which can save enormous amounts of time. Background information and instructions on how to use cascading style sheets can be found at HTMLHelp. Two common Web site editors, Dreamweaver and FrontPage, both support cascading style sheets.

Tip #5: Check for Broken Links on Your Site
Thanks to the ever-changing nature of the World Wide Web, it's very easy for links to become out of date quickly. Links that result in "page not found" messages represent a major annoyance to Web site visitors, and immediately reduce the credibility of your site. To check your entire site for broken links, download the free Xenu Link Sleuth. For an online tool that checks one page at a time, use the free Dr. Watson online tool.

Tip #6: Speed Up Your Site
Did you know that the average user will only wait 10 seconds for a home page to download before going to another site? You can take three simple steps to guard against slow Web pages:

• STEP 1: Test any page that you think might be too slow. Dr. Watson is a free online service that can estimate the download speed of a Web page on a 56k modem (many Web surfers still utilize 56k modems to download Web pages). Aim for 10 seconds or less.
• STEP 2: For any page that is too slow, make sure that graphics on that page are in the proper format. Photos should be in JPG format, while graphics with solid colors should be in GIF format. A free tool for converting graphic formats is Pic2Pic 1.1.
• STEP 3: Once your graphics are in the correct format, you can further speed up download time by "optimizing" them for the Web. A free online graphic optimization service is available at NetMechanic. Another option is a shareware optimizer called Xatio. Most commercial graphics programs also include a mechanism for optimizing the size of Web graphics.

Tip #7: Use NEW's Volunteer Matching Service
There are often technically skilled individuals who would be happy to serve as volunteer webmasters for nonprofits. NEW's SBC Ameritech WebConnect program matches qualified volunteer webmasters with organizations that need assistance with normal maintenance. Contact Neel Hajra (734-998-0160) for more information.

There are many other ways to maintain and improve your organization's Web site in a reasonable amount of time. In addition to the low-cost Web development services ($50 for a new Web site) and free volunteer matching services offered by NEW's SBC Ameritech WebConnect program, NEW also provides a wide range of formal and informal training for nonprofits relating to the use of the Internet. For basic Web design background literature, check out NEW's technology bookstore. Good luck!

FEATURED ITEMS

Board Builders

Special offer for NEWSNOTES readers: Act by August 15 for half-price registration

Interested in bringing new faces to your nonprofit's board of directors? Seeking to diversify the skills on your board? Try Board Builders, NEW's answer for nonprofits needing help with board recruitment and retention. Let us connect you with potential board candidates who are trained in nonprofit governance and enthusiastic about serving on your board. Contact Liz Peintner (734-998-0160) for more details about how to tap into the talent of new board members. Half-price registration fee for NEWSNOTES readers offered until August 15, 2002. See www.new.org/bb for more details.

Managing for Nonprofit Excellence Workshops
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Gearing up for Fall: Watch for the Fall 2002 Managing for Nonprofit Excellence workshop catalog coming to your mailbox later this month or early August. Over 50 topics in nonprofit management will be offered, as well as ten free workshops! All the offerings are posted on our Web site and you are encouraged to register online.

Washtenaw County nonprofits are invited to apply for scholarships to attend workshops in the Fall 2002 Managing for Nonprofit Excellence series. Applications are due August 21. NEW is pleased to offer scholarship awards through the generous support of: the City of Ann Arbor, Junior League of Ann Arbor, and Washtenaw County.

NEW Co-Hosting Nationally Recognized Fundraising Course: Indiana University's Course 101: Principles and Techniques of Fundraising will be held September 9-13 at the Laurel Manor in Livonia. This intensive five-day, A through Z training is IU's definitive program for fund raisers. The class is sponsored by Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) and the Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership. The class is co-hosted by Nonprofit Enterprise at Work and the Accounting Aid Society of Detroit. The registration fee for members of MNA is $775; cost to non-members is $825. (IU's published tuition is $895.) More information can be found at the MNA Web site, where you will also find a registration form. QUESTIONS? Call MNA at 517-492-2400 or 888-242-7075, or email rlschult@mnaonline.org.

Another session of Course 101 will be offered November 18-22 at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership in Grand Rapids. For more information on that session, contact the Johnson Center (616-336-7585).

Nonprofit Reference Library

Could you use some training on different software programs? Rather than trying to fit a class into your schedule, come borrow Office 2000 Multimedia Computer Based Training on CD-ROM. Learn at your own pace on your own computer to gain skills in Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Access. Individual CDs can be checked out for a 3-week period. Contact Ann Gladwin (734-998-0160).

NEW Center Building News

The NEW Center is proud to be a new participant in Washtenaw County's Community Partners for Clean Streams program. This is a voluntary program available to local businesses and administered by the Washtenaw County Drain Commissioner's Office, which seeks to protect water resources by preventing the accumulation of pollutants in surface runoff. In April the NEW Center conducted an assessment of current practices and identified a number of steps that have been incorporated into a two-year Water Quality Action Plan for the building.

To participate in this program or gain additional information, visit the Clean Streams Web site.

Washtenaw County Nonprofit Resource Directory

Do you need a list of nonprofits operating in Ypsilanti? Health related only? Run a search in the online searchable database. Visit the focused search page and choose a zip code or a city name -- then choose a subject from the drop down box entitled "Services provided." Over 200 nonprofits are represented already. If your organization is not yet listed, please click "submit a new organization" on the directory's home page and enter information today!

Technology

The Inter@ctive is United Way Community Services - Michigan Comnet's premiere online technology newsletter for nonprofits in southeastern Michigan. Each month the Inter@ctive provides Tech Tips and News, Agency Profiles, Tech Training Information and loads of other valuable resources to the 300,000 members of the Michigan Comnet community. Check it out!

Get Solutions for Your Marketing Challenges

Would you like to brainstorm your marketing challenges with some of the brightest marketing minds in Washtenaw County - all for the price of an $8 lunch?

Marketers Making a Difference is a group of marketing professionals who meet once a month over lunch in Ann Arbor to network and sharpen their brainstorming skills by helping a featured nonprofit. They are currently seeking nonprofits interested in receiving feedback about their marketing plans at upcoming meetings this fall. For more information or to be considered as a featured nonprofit, contact Cynthia D'Amour (734-994-3375).

REGULAR FEATURES

Nonprofit Bulletin Board

Visit NEW's Nonprofit Bulletin Board to post and view notices about free resources, fundraising opportunities, and other items relevant to the southeast Michigan nonprofit community.

Nonprofit Calendar of Events

Visit the Ring!Michigan Calendar to find and post upcoming nonprofit events. Just select a county below and GO!