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 Applications of Community Informatics for Building Community and Enhancing Civic SocietyThe thesis of this paper is that Community Information Networks (CINs) are acceptable and meaningful surrogates of physical meetings places which encourage civic engagement. After taking a detailed survey and analysis of CINs in Missouri it becomes apparent that although the tools of discussion and new decimation are available “communities have not yet learned how to apply this technology to creating public dialogue about community issues, concerns or capacities .” Without an adequate social interaction in and around theses centers are meaningless.Posted by CIC and 1 other to civic dialogue CIN society CI Social on Thu Oct 09 2008 at 14:36 UTC | info | related

http://mirlyn-classic.lib.umich.edu:80/F/?func=direct&doc_number=005422383

Just realized I stumbled into ict4d twitter chat w/ a href=http://twitter.com/ict_works@ict_works/a et al via #bsi-cic/b a href=http://bit.ly/35FgDNhttp://bit.ly/35FgDN/a , which happened to be at same time.

RT a href=http://twitter.com/lmclaug@lmclaug/a: RT a href=http://twitter.com/CNETNews@CNETNews/a: How your cell phone can diagnose disease (interesting ICT4D implications) #bSI-CIC/b a href=http://bit.ly/3vhNOdhttp://bit.ly/3vhNOd/a

SI-575 Fall 2008 Community Information Corps Seminar materials/videos available on a href=http://twitter.com/open_michigan@open_michigan/a as a href=http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23OER#OER/a a href=http://bit.ly/215BAhttp://bit.ly/215BA/a #bsi-cic/b

RT a href=http://twitter.com/CNETNews@CNETNews/a: How your cell phone can diagnose disease (interesting ICT4D implications) #bSI-CIC/b a href=http://bit.ly/3vhNOdhttp://bit.ly/3vhNOd/a

New Course Feedback: Information Technology and Global Development | Community Information Corps a href=http://bit.ly/319vSohttp://bit.ly/319vSo/a #bsi-cic/b

Source: Weather Channel Alerts

2009 was looking like a very uneventful hurricane season.  That is until Hurricane Ida slammed into El Salvador killing 91 people as of this writing.  It is now headed towards the gulf coast of the US.

About an hour ago I noticed a Tweet from Andy Carvin, NPR's Social Media Guru and social media disaster volunteer coordinator:

Please retweet: Online volunteers needed to help prep for Hurricane Ida, updating HurricaneWiki.org, etc: http://bit.ly/2lPQkr

I also received a follow up email with more details:

So it looks like we're going to get a hurricane after all this season. Ida is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast near the Alabama/Florida border late Monday or early Tuesday. I've already started updating the feeds on the homepage to aggregate Ida-related information, but there are still some tasks to be done.

Most importantly, we need to update the wiki: http://hurricanewiki.org. We need volunteers to review the wiki section by section and make sure that there are resources collected for Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Much of this was done last year but it can't hurt to be sure it's up to date. If you plan to work on a section of the wiki, please let us know which one.

Next, we need to identify useful Twitter accounts so I can begin aggregating them using the new Twitter Lists feature. If you come across any useful Twitter accounts related to Ida - local news accounts, weather spotters, volunteers, local orgs, etc - please add them to the wiki here:

http://www.hurricanewiki.org/wiki/Twitter_Resources

If you can help out in the next 48 hours, please let Andy know by responding to this thread.

Last summer, during the height of the hurricane season, Andy Carvin, interrupted his self-imposed summer blogging siesta, to help organize online efforts and coordinate volunteers in advance of Hurricane Gustav.  He set up a Ning site Hurricane Information Center.   This site worked much like  Katrina Aftermath,  with aggregations of content generated by the public, news orgs and govt agencies.  

I've just come across another site/platform that is designed for aggregating information for emergencies and they have also established a Hurricane Ida Information Site.  Well, off to do my micro-volunteer task for the day and add it here.

The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) is a Washington, DC-based non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to foster access and success in postsecondary education through public policy research and programmatic activities that inform and influence policy and practice. IHEP serves as a resource for government agencies, higher education organizations, philanthropic foundations, and others committed to increasing access and success in postsecondary education.
The Outreach Coordinator will support the organization’s outreach and communications activities and will provide support to policy and programmatic efforts. Position requires an individual who can successfully balance multiple projects with exceptional attention to detail. This position provides exposure to a number of critical areas of IHEP work and offers unique cross-project coordination and understanding. The position reports to the Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives.
Primary responsibilities include:
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Assist the Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives with various activities, including support for the Pathways to College Network, strategic planning, and policy initiatives.
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Work with staff on communications/outreach projects.
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Oversee all aspects of the publications process.
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Manage online/electronic tools, including IHEP’s email distribution list.
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Assist with the development of press releases, editorials, and marketing materials.
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Provide staff support on speeches/presentations for public engagements, as needed.

The Annual Giving Manager is primarily responsible for managing the direct mail and online solicitation and stewardship of unrestricted gifts for the Annual Fund. The position will be key to achieving the Newberry’s goal of growing the Annual Fund substantially beyond its current level of $1.35 million as part of a comprehensive campaign. Reporting to and supporting the Director of Annual Giving, this individual will be part of a small but dynamic Development team and will work with Library staff as well as interact directly with donors.

Department: Education & Community Services
Reports to: Family and Social Services Manager
Status: Full-time, Regular, 40 hours per week
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Range: Range 17 ($17.77-$19.75 per hour)
Close Date: Friday, November 20, 2009 or until filled

Neighborhood House Programs
Since 1906, Neighborhood House has been helping diverse communities of people with limited resources attain their goals for self-sufficiency, financial independence, health and community building. Our services include early childhood education (including Head Start and Early Head Start), mentoring and tutoring, emergency referral services, self-sufficiency/employment classes and services (including ESL and citizenship), job placement and training, substance abuse services, transportation and outreach for the elderly and disabled and publication of the Voice newspaper. Annually, Neighborhood House serves over 13,500 individuals. Of those, 80 percent are refugees and immigrants.

Scope
The Housing Coordinator is responsible for the overall implementation and oversight of our Eviction Prevention services to low-income, immigrant and refugee communities who face imminent risk of becoming homeless. This is a new position in our new program. The successful candidate will work in coordinating activities, program resources, information, assistance, available housing, financial planning, and partner collaboration to ensure housing stability and self-sufficiency for program participants. This position will take a vital role in fulfilling one of our agency’s mission goals ‘self-sufficiency’ through housing stability. This position will work closely with Family and Social Services Manager, Family Support Workers, other Neighborhood House (NH) staff working on employment and self-sufficiency programming as well as with partner agencies to support and promote housing and economic stability for participants.

Responsibilities
Direct Client Services
Direct multiple outreach efforts along with Family Support Workers to screen, assess and enroll eligible participants into the program.
Establish action plans with the clients to work towards housing stability, income stability and long-term self-sufficiency.
Assist clients to resolve immediate crisis/problems that jeopardize housing and economic stability which may include, but is not limited to; issues of domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health issues, loss of employment, poor credit, and other crises.
Assist clients to access public and private benefit programs
Assess for need and provide one-time rental, utility or move-in assistance which includes inspection of housing units for HUD habitability standards.
Collect and input client data into Safe Harbors Homeless Management of Information Systems database.
Program Development, Coordination and Implementation
Develop and implement strategies to connect clients to different programs within NH and other services outside NH.
Provide oversight and serve as lead case manager for clients enrolled in both the Eviction Prevention Program as well as in another complimentary NH programs.
Establish relationships with landlords and housing providers to ensure fluid communication on behalf of clients, research and catalog available housing stock, research resources for housing stability and set aside reserved units for NH clients.
Build and strengthen the collaborations/partnerships with employment providers, housing providers, educational institutions, community-based organizations and other organizations in our service area to support strategies that increase the economic self-sufficiency.
Serve as the main NH resource for information, assistance and referrals for housing, financial planning and mentoring, advocacy and other issues directly related to client housing stability and self-sufficiency.
Work with partner agencies on cultural competency related to immigrants and refugees on issues of housing stability and self-sufficiency.
Assist with contract management, including developing and maintaining key project documents to support program, such as program reports, evaluations, satisfaction surveys.
Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services, Social Work or a related field; Experience accepted in lieu of degree.
Minimum of two years (preferably 4+ years) experience working in social work, employment or human services. Case management experience preferred.
Minimum of two years (preferably 4+ years) experience or working knowledge of emergency housing and/or property management.
Direct experience in successful project oversight which includes outcome monitoring, eligibility compliance and reporting.
Direct experience or working knowledge of financial management/field preferred.
Team player who is resourceful, proactive and comfortable working with diverse populations.
Strong communications skills; listening, oral and written and problem-solving skill.
Ability to work under limited supervision and considerable self-direction.
Ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment of both co-workers and community partners.
Demonstrated ability to perform job duties within the context of complex regulations and definitions and to complete extensive technical documentation.
Ability to excel in highly visible, highly public settings.
Computer literacy, including MS Office.
Proven organizational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks, including the ability to work on multiple projects.
Willingness to comply with established agency policies and performance standards, which may include productivity/personal responsibility, client/customer services, teamwork, and maintaining a professional demeanor.
Washington State Patrol background clearance (re-checked every two years).
Must have current Washington State Driver’s license, reliable, independent transportation and current personal vehicle insurance.
Current First Aid and CPR Certificate (within 30 days of hire, maintain current certificate during employment).
Child Abuse and Neglect Training (within 90 days of employment).
Family Development Certification (upon hiring if needed).

Benefits
Excellent medical, dental and vision benefits for self and family. Life and Long Term Disability insurance provided. Employer contributes up to 4% to retirement plan with employee match.

Employment Practice
Neighborhood House is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications are considered without regard to race, age, sex, color, creed, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, mental or physical handicap, sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality and gender expression of identity) or any other classification protected by law. Neighborhood House encourages and gives hiring preference to current and former Head Start parents. We encourage people of color and residents of the communities we serve to apply.

MAPLight.org, an innovative, award-winning nonprofit, is seeking a smart, motivated individual to design and manage web tools that support transparency-related research in the U.S. Congress and California state government. The Web Product Manager will work with research and technical staff to produce analytical tools and visualizations of the connections between money and politics. This position is full-time and located in Berkeley, California.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Designing new website features to analyze data on money and politics: specifying the information design, interaction design and information architecture design for both the external website for end-users and internal tools for researchers and writers.
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to gather informal and formal (interviews, surveys, focus groups, etc.) requirements on existing and possible site features.
• Ensuring that the live site reflects the specified information design, interaction design, and information architecture.
• Developing and maintaining a web products roadmap for how to roll out enhancements over time.
• Providing support for web producers by: drafting and maintaining HTML style guide; producing standards-compliant HTML using conventions documented in the HTML style guide; validating HTML and ensuring web pages look as expected across targeted web browsers; managing Drupal theme and administering Drupal.

Additional responsibilities may include:

• Ensuring website software and hardware meet business requirements, including determining whether current software architecture and hardware infrastructure meets current and anticipated needs; budgeting, purchasing and evaluating software/hardware changes.
• Pitching in on systems administration of application servers, administration of small business server and local network, and other office IT items as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 1 year experience in managing web-based products and web development teams.
• Minimum of 1 year experience as user experience designer for medium-to-large websites.
• Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical staff.
• Personal dedication to MAPLight.org’s mission and work.

Recommended Qualifications

• Experience as IT manager for small organizations.
• Advanced computer skills, including experience with Drupal, HTML, CSS, PHP, and SQL.

Salary, Location and Benefits

Salary commensurate with experience. This position is based in downtown Berkeley, California (one block from BART) and includes health benefits, dental and paid vacation.

About MAPLight.org

MAPLight.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Berkeley, California. We illuminate the connection between Money and Politics (MAP) using our groundbreaking database of campaign contributions and legislative votes. We combine data from the Federal Election Commission, the Center for Responsive Politics, GovTrack.us, the National Institute on Money in State Politics (NIMSP), the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and other sources to better inform Americans and local and national media about the role of special-interest money in our political system. Hundreds of newspapers, TV stations, radio shows and online news sites have cited our research, including CNN, the public radio show “Marketplace,” Harper’s magazine, The Washington Post, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal. MAPLight.org’s lean, focused team has received numerous awards including a Knight-Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism; a James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and a Webby nomination for best Politics website. To learn more, visit MAPLight.org.

 
Photo by Billie Hara

Late last night (or early this morning),  Amy Sample Ward reported that Causes notified 184,725 users that its MySpace app will be removed from MySpace as of today.  The email encouraged MySpace users of Causes to join the cause on Facebook.  

One wonders what the motivation was?   Amy's post spoke about the implications for individuals and communities, raising the question - "In abandoning MySpace, is Causes abandoning nonprofit groups organizing online with poorer users and people of color?"  Justin Mass went as far as to say that the move was "social network redlining."

Marshall Kirkpatrick, on ReadWrite Web, wrote a post further analyzing the situation, raising the question:  Or are neither MySpace or Causes any big loss for social change organizations?  Marshall goes on to quote an interview he did with Peter Cashmore from Mashable on Netsquared who questioned whether MySpace was a place for "social media for social good."

Without specific data on active users (versus app installs) of Causes app on Myspace or how effective it has been as a friendraising tool on MySpace by individuals and 40,000 plus nonprofits, it it is hard to quantify the loss.  Ivan Boothe points out, fundraising efforts have probably not be spectacular because there isn't engagement built in.  (I've criticized Causes interaction design in the past for being like a one-night stand, although they have improved since the two years that I wrote that post)

One wonders if this provides an opportunity for another fundraising and friendraising application to set up shop on MySpace, one that perhaps has a true interest in the nonprofit and community there.

Ivan Boothe points out a larger lesson for nonprofits moving forward:

I think Rebecca Leaman said it best — don't put "all fundraising eggs in one third-party basket!" These services are useful, and can help your organization advance its mission, but it's not accountable to you — and you need to have other options.

Those other options are a CRM where you own your relationships and donor data like email addresses.  Yes, social media is about giving up control of your message, but you shouldn't be giving up your donor and supporter relationships.

Online Recruitment and Outreach Specialist

New York Blood Center, one of the nation's largest community based independent research, blood and clinical services organizations, has an excellent opportunity for an Online Recruitment and Outreach Specialist for our Manhattan office.

You will conduct recruitment and outreach activities utilizing on-line sources to increase potential study participant pool and broader community awareness of research studies and fulfill related projects at site. Additionally, you will organize chat room recruitment effort, identify/implement online media placement opportunities as well as utilize social networking sites in recruitment and outreach efforts.

The William J. Clinton Foundation seeks an experienced and innovative development professional to serve as Development Officer (Corporate/Foundation; Major Gifts). Working with the Director of Development, this individual will take a leading role in developing and implementing a successful corporate and foundation relations strategy; this will include identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding top corporate and foundation donors nationally and internationally on behalf of the Foundation. This position will also play a significant role in soliciting major gifts -- managing an ambitious portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and securing contributions of $1 million and more. As part of this responsibility, the Development Officer will actively promote planned giving as a viable option for major gift donors, strengthening the Foundation’s endowment.

Responsibilities
•Work with the Director of Development to create and implement an innovative corporate and foundation giving strategy, significantly expanding the Foundation’s outreach and impact globally.
•Identify top corporate and foundation prospects nationally and internationally, cultivating, soliciting and then stewarding them on behalf of the Foundation.
•Cultivate and solicit an ambitious portfolio of major gift prospects, substantially increasing contributions of $1 million and more.
•Advance planned giving as a key contributor to the Foundation’s endowment.
•Collaborate with colleagues in Marketing, Communications and Digital New Media to promote planned giving as a viable option for donors and create appropriate collateral materials.
•Work with the Prospect Researcher and program directors to create effective and persuasive proposals and grant submissions.

Qualifications:
Experience and Desired Skills
•Bachelor’s degree in a related field. Advanced degree and/or fundraising credential preferred.
•Minimum of five years experience in successful development operations with increasingly responsible positions. This experience should reflect comprehensive knowledge of major gift, corporate and foundation fundraising, and an understanding of planned giving.
•Knowledge of current trends in giving and awareness of major philanthropists and organizations.
•Proven track record in developing and implementing successful major gift, corporate and foundation strategies, soliciting contributions of $1 million and more.
•Must be detail-oriented, able to prioritize and manage multiple projects, and work both independently and with other departments in accomplishing goals.
•A strong work ethic, supported by commitment and follow through.
•The intellectual depth and curiosity necessary to understand the complex social and economic issues that drive the Foundation’s programs; enthusiasm for the mission and purpose of the Clinton Foundation and its accomplishments.
•Excellent written and oral communication skills.
•Ability to travel, both domestically and internationally
•Integrity and the highest ethical standards.
•Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Raiser’s Edge.

This position will report to the Director of Development.

The William J. Clinton Foundation & Office of President Clinton are Equal Opportunity Employers. This job description is intended to convey information essential to understand the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the positions.

================================================= The usual disclaimer from your Nonprofit Tech Jobs list administrator: I am merely forwarding news of this

Weeksville Heritage Center is a historic site of great national significance. Weeksville is one of the only African American historic sites in the Northeast on its original property and the only African American historic site in New York that teaches post enslavement history. During the 19th century, the village of Weeksville was a vibrant and independent African American community. Weeksville is steward to three historic houses, each restored to a different time period: the 1860’s, 1900’s and 1930’s. Our mission is to document, preserve and interpret the history of free African American communities in Weeksville, Brooklyn and beyond and to create and inspire innovative, contemporary uses of African American history through education, the arts, and civic engagement.

Weeksville seeks a part-time Preservation Manager who will be responsible for actively researching the historic Hunterfly Road Houses and related architectural properties in the area. The Preservation Manager will report to the Director of Research.

Primary responsibilities:

* Pursue detailed buildings and architectural research on key sites in area
* Research, catalog and annotate historic map collection
* Follow-up on potential landmark designations in historic Weeksville area, as identified by staff, community members and independent researchers
* Supplement existing architectural research on historic Hunterfly Road Houses
* Investigate national monument and world heritage status for relevant sites
* Work with community boards to identify cultural assets in area
* Investigate the possibilities of a Weeksville historic district

Requirements/Qualifications
The ideal Preservation Manager candidate will:

* Have 3 to 5 years of professional experience in researching historic sites or conducting place-based research
* Hold an advanced degree in a relevant discipline (Master’s or above), such as preservation, urban planning or architecture
* Be an excellent project manager and communicator, capable of thinking and working strategically and handling administrative tasks thoroughly;
* Have a dedicated work ethic, including being a self-starter with the ability to work independently but also be able to be a hands-on team member;
* Be well-organized, detail-oriented, and able to handle multiple projects simultaneously, often under time constraints; and
* Have excellent database, computer, and time management skills.
* Familiarity with GIS applications preferred.

The candidate should be flexible, committed, personable and comfortable multi-tasking while working in a small, fast-paced office.