Telling Your Story Visually: Online Maps

Last week we wrapped up our visual storytelling series on Google+ by sharing ways that online maps can help you tell your organization’s story.

We began by watching this video tutorial from the Google Earth Outreach team about how to create a custom map to embed in your website, create a narrated tour on Google Earth and map spreadsheet data.

Then we looked at this detailed article on how to plan a map project when you’re just getting started with adding them to your site. From defining your goals to acquiring the right talent, this article gives you step-by-step instructions and resources to begin your project.

We saw a great example of telling a story through maps from the Google Maps and Google Crisis Response teams. Check out their map that is tracking the current and projected location of Tropical Storm #Isaac.

Google Maps also shared their experience working with Map Makers across Africa. Learn more about the Map Maker Africa Regional Conference and Google Maps participation here.  

We finished our series by joining a Help Desk Hangout on Air. Check out our Google for Nonprofits team discussing visual storytelling examples and engagement strategies in this recording on the Google and Your Business YouTube channel.

We’ve learned some great strategies on how to tell your story through photos, video and online maps. If you’d like to learn more or share your thoughts, make sure to visit our Google+ page.

We can’t wait to see how you use these recommendations to tell your nonprofit’s story!

Posted by Andrea Xu, Google for Nonprofits team

Grow Your Gifts: Trends in Online Giving

It’s hard to believe fall is almost here and with it the holiday season.  While shoppers in many parts of the world begin to look for the next great toys and other memorable gifts, donors are starting to look for non-profits to support with end-of-year charitable gifts.
To help you get ready for the upcoming fundraising season, our team will be sharing tips and best practices on how to use Google tools to plan and organize your fundraising strategy. Check our blog and Google+ page over the next few weeks through our Grow Your Gifts series.
Kicking things off, we’ll take a look at three things to know about online giving as you plan your fundraising strategy:
1. Online giving is growing. While the majority of giving is done offline, mainly through direct mail, the sixth annual eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, released by M+R Strategic Services and Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), showed that growth in online giving from 2010 to 2011 was up 20%.
2. New donors and young donors give online. According to Blackbaud’s 2011 donorCentrics Internet & Multichannel Benchmarketing Report, it’s become increasingly common for new donors to give their first gift online. In fact, new donors between the ages of 18 - 64 are more likely to give online than by mail.
3.  Online donors give more than offline donors. According to the same Blackbaud report, online donors tend to have higher household incomes than mail-acquired donors. Those online-acquired donors also tend to give much larger gifts and to give more in total revenue each year. And in aggregate, online-acquired donors have much higher cumulative value over the long term than traditional mail-acquired donors.
So now that we know that online giving is on the rise, our next post will explore when people actually start thinking about end-of-year giving. 
Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team

Grow Your Gifts: Online Giving Seasonality

We know that online giving is growing and that end-of-year donations are a big part of that giving. But, when does “end of year” begin and what does that mean for you?

October, November and December combined bring in most online donations; however, September has become noteworthy. In 2011, 34.8% of online giving happened in October through December according to Blackbaud’s 2011 Online Giving Report.  December alone brought in 20.3% of 2011’s online giving. What you may find surprising is that September was 2011’s second largest online giving month with 8.8%, beating both October (7.7%) and November (6.8%).

The nonprofit sector is also seeing the end-of-year season expanding beyond December and into January, with January carrying 5% of of online giving according to the same study. Is your non-profit seeing the same trend?

With Google Insights for Search, you can compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties.  By entering search queries related to your nonprofit into the tool, you can get an exact of idea of when and how much people are searching.

Let’s take a look at an example. We wanted to see how search volume for the term ‘homeless shelters’ changes throughout the year. In Google Insights for Search, we entered the term ‘homeless shelter’ and filtered for the United States between July 2011 and July 2012. The graph below shows that searches began to rise in September, peaked dramatically in December and then declined into January.

For more information on Google Insights for Search, check out this Google and Your Business tutorial to how the world is searching for terms related to your organization.



Join us next week as we share how you can target donors and optimize your existing AdWords campaigns to grow your gifts this season now that you know when to begin.

Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team

Conyers to host CBCF Jazz concert, September 20, 2012

GRAMMYAWARD WINNER TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON, NEA JAZZ MASTER JIMMY HEATH ANDANTONIO HART HEADLINE CBCF JAZZ CONCERT ON SEPTEMBER 20th 

Washington, DC – Rep.John Conyers, Jr., of Michigan, ranking member of theHouse Judiciary Committee, and dean of the Congressional BlackCaucus, will once again serve as the Honorary Host of theCongressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Jazz Issue Forum and Concert. The events will take place during the Foundation’s 42nd Annual Legislative Conference, September 19 -22, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (WCC), 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW,Washington, DC 20001.
TheJazz Issue Forum, entitled "If You Really Are Concerned: AnAfrican-American Agenda For Jazz, " will be held from 2:00 to4:00 pm, in Room 209-A of the WCC. The panel discussion will focuson African-America’s cultural engagement with jazz. The panelistswill include Dr. James Patterson, Clark-Atlanta University, WillardJenkins of Open Sky Jazz as well as recording and performing artistsTerri Lyne Carrington, Gerald Clayton, Antonio Hart, Jimmy Heath andLizz Wright. Rep. John Conyers will make remarks. ALC Jazz ExecutiveProducer Cedric Hendricks will provide an update on H.R. 2823, theNational Jazz Preservation and Education Act.

TheJazz Concert will be held from 8:00 to 10:30 pm, in Ballroom A of theWCC. Doors for the concert are at 7:00 pm. At 7:30 pm, WillardJenkins will facilitate a Meet the Artist conversation featuringTerri Lyne Carrington, Gerald Clayton, Jr., and Lizz Wright. M.Carrington’s recent recording date, a re-imagining of the DukeEllington, Charles Mingus, Max Roach collaboration, MoneyJungle,will be the focus of the conversation.Theconcert will open with a performance by Grammy nominated saxophonistAntonio Hart and his Quintet. A graduate of Berklee College of Music,Hart first appeared on the jazz scene in the eighties, initially as amember of Roy Hargrove’s band, and then as a leader in his ownright. He has appeared on over 80 recordings, including nine as aleader. His latest is AllWe Need(Chiaroscuro Records). Mr. Hart also studied under Jimmy Heath atQueens College, earning his Master’s Degree. He is currently afull-time Professor at The Aaron Copland School of Music, QueensCollege. Performing with Hart will be Jeb Patton, piano; John Lee,bass; Lee Pearson, drums; and special guest Jimmy Heath, saxophones.Headliningthe concert will be drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and her MoneyJungle Project, featuring: Gerald Clayton, piano; Tia Fuller,saxophones; James Genus, bass; and Lizz Wright, vocals. The Projectcommemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the recording of the seminal1962 Duke Ellington LP, MoneyJungle.Earlier this year, Carringtonwas awarded a Grammy for her ground-braking recording, TheMosaic Project,showcasing many of the leading female instrumentalists and vocalistson the scene today. Carringtonhas studied, performed and recorded with some of the most importantartists in contemporary Jazz, including Geri Allen, Jack DeJohnette,Herbie Hancock, Patrice Rushen, and Wayne Shorter. She was the housedrummer for the Arsenio Hall Show, and has released several,critically-acclaimed recordings as a leader, including RealLife Story,Jazzis a Spirit,Structure,Moreto Say; Real Life Storyand TheMosaic Project.Rep.John Conyers will present James Edward Heath with the 2012CBCFALC Jazz Legacy Awardfor his six decades of contributions to jazz and world culture. Knownworldwide as Jimmy Heath, Mr. Heath is legendary and still active asa tenor and soprano saxophonist, composer and arranger. In 2003, hewas presented with the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts(NEA) Jazz Master Award. Jimmy Heath is the recipient of numeroushonorary degrees and lifetime achievement awards. Theoldest living member of the Philadelphia-based Heath Brothers jazzfamily (bassist Percy and drummer Albert), Jimmy Heath rose toprominence during the forties, as a member of the Howard McGhee BigBand. He also played with and composed for Dizzy Gillespie, MilesDavis, Kenny Dorham, Milt Jackson, and Art Blakey. Many of Heath’scompositions have become jazz standards, including “C.T.A.,” and“Gingerbread Boy.” He has minted over twenty critically acclaimedrecordings, including ReallyBig!,Loveand Understanding,NewPicture,LittleMan,BigBand,and Endurance.Heath first worked as an educator with Jazzmobile, New York City’spremier not-for-profit jazz program. In 1987, he was appointedProfessor of Music at the Aaron Copland School of Music at QueensCollege, City University of New York. Professor Heath created theJazz Program at Queens College, where he taught and mentored ageneration of musicians, before retiring in 2004. In 2010, heco-wrote IWalked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath,with Joseph McLaren (Temple University Press).Boththe Jazz Issue Forum and the Jazz Concert are free and open to thepublic.Conferenceattendees may register at https://show.jspargo.com/cbcf12/reg/Mediamay register at https://show.jspargo.com/cbcf12/reg/?caller=prs

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Conyers Announces Two Grants Totaling $1.9 Million for the Restoration of Belle Isle

(DETROIT) – Today, the Great Lakes National Program Office in the United States Environmental Protection Agency awarded two grants totaling $1.9 million to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Friends of the Detroit River. These grants will jointly go towards the Habitat Restoration Projects program for the restoration of fish and wildlife habitats on Belle Isle. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued this statement following the grant awarding ceremony:
“I am happy to announce that the Great Lakes National Program Office in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has provided two grants, totaling $1.9 million, to the Friends of the Detroit River and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,” said Conyers.
“This grant funding will go towards restoring biodiversity and protecting the ecology in areas that had previously been contaminated on Belle Isle. Specifically, the grants will be put to use reconnecting the mouth of the Blue Heron Lagoon to the Detroit River, as well as creating a spawning reef for fish and wildlife habitats nearby the island.
“With this financial assistance, Belle Isle is on a path towards being delisted as a Great Lakes Area of Concern. Through a unique collaboration between the Friends of the Detroit River, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Detroit, and Congressman Hansen Clarke, Belle Isle’s ecosystem can continue to rebuild and recover.“
Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) alongside Congressman Hansen Clarke (D-Mich.) accepting grant money for the restoration of Belle Isle.
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Conyers Welcomes Pennsylvania Supreme Court Decision Against Voter ID Law

(WASHINGTON)—Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a 4-2 decision, instructed a judge on the lower Commonwealth Court to cease implementation of the state’s Voter ID law and for the lower court to further review the case. Specifically, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court instructed the Commonwealth Court to determine whether or not the law disenfranchises voters, and to assess the ease of access to ID cards. Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement following the decision:     
“I commend the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for calling into question the lower court’s findings on Voter ID laws, and for directing the lower court to re-examine the effect these laws have on the right to vote,” said Conyers.
“The law as it stands places significant restrictions on the right to vote by imposing photo ID requirements. More troubling, the exceptions to photo ID favors gun owners and the employed, and excludes poor voters, unemployed voters, and even veterans who do not have the stricter forms of ID. Simply put, upholding this law would amount to voter suppression and a restriction of the franchise.
“Fair and free elections, accessible to all, is a core principle for democracy in America. There is no more fundamental right than the right to vote, the bedrock of all of our rights under the Constitution.  We are now at a crossroads; we can continue to expand the right to vote, as we have done since the historic passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, or we can retreat to a modern day version of poll taxes.”

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Conyers Announces $96K Law Enforcement Grant for the Michigan Department of State Police

(DETROIT) – Today, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, within the Department of Justice, awarded a more than $96,000 law enforcement grant to the Michigan Department of State Police. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued this statement in response:
“I am delighted that the Michigan Department of State Police has been awarded a grant of more than $96,000 through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program of the Department of Justice,” said Conyers.
“This vital funding will help the Michigan Department of State Police use data analysis to reduce crime and improve public safety. In addition, this grant money will be used to hire more staff and safety personnel.
“This past August the House of Representatives passed legislation, that I was an original cosponsor of, reauthorizing the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. I urge the Senate to take up the legislation and reauthorize this critical program that protects our local communities.”

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