New Leaders, Twitter, and the Volunteer Management Conundrum

Volunteerism is certainly popular in our culture thanks to the encouragement of our leaders in Washington and in response to the many societal challenges that we face. The fact that more people have time on their hands due to a sudden outbreak of unemployment is a factor as well. The paradox is the fact that so many nonprofits truly need the help of volunteers in pursuit of their mission, yet it is fairly common for volunteers to report having had a poor experience. More

Checking Criminal Histories: Considerations Before You Begin

While not a panacea, careful screening of the paid and volunteer staff who work with vulnerable populations is an important risk management strategy. The failure to adequately screen applicants may place service recipients in dangerous situations. Checking the criminal history records of applicants is one valuable tool in a comprehensive screening process. More

Identifying and Stopping Spam

Spam is not only offensive and annoying; it causes loss of productivity, decreases bandwidth, and costs organizations a lot of money. Therefore, every organization that uses email must take measures in order to block spam from entering their email systems. Although it might not be possible to block out all spam, just blocking a large portion of it will greatly reduce its harmful effects. More

Volunteer Management Software – A Cautionary Tale

When shopping for software, think about how the data in this particular application will interact with data living (really or potentially) in other places. Don’t buy an application that just focuses on one point of pain without thinking about the bigger picture. More

New Research Initiative to Measure Qualitative Effectiveness of In Store Marketing

POPAI, the Global Association for Marketing at Retail, is launching retail-level research across multiple trade channels - including supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers and convenience stores - to determine what displays, marketing at retail materials and shelf layouts work best and, most importantly, why and how they turn shoppers into buyers. More

Despite 2.1 Percent Decline, Hope for Retail Sales

Sometimes numbers can be deceiving - though March 2009 comparable-store store sales declined by 2.1 percent from the same month of 2008, retailers’ moods seem to have lightened, and some shoppers may be emerging from hibernation as the weather turns warmer. More

How to Say Yes to Your Employees in Tough Times

The Kaplan Thaler Group rented an ice cream truck and parked it behind its offices for a day. Employees got any treat they wanted that day. "Nothing brings a company together like free food," says Linda Kaplan Thaler, the company's chief executive officer. She's one of many CEOs who have been finding creative ways to reward staffs that have been working harder in more trying times than ever before. More

Seven Easy Tech Tricks for Going Green at Work

By now you’ve probably heard all the basic ways to green your office. Setting up recycling bins, using energy-saving light bulbs, and fixing drippy faucets are just some of the easy ways to make your office eco-friendly. But why stop there? Here are seven creative tech tips to help you go greener at work. More