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"Don't send money to Japan." Depending on how you word it, you get anywhere from 3,000 to 8 million results for a Google search of that concept. Some are people complaining that Americans give too much overseas and not enough to help folks in their own backyards. Others question the integrity and effectiveness of the organizations collecting the money. There's reaction to Japan telling the world, "Gee, thanks, that's nice and all — but we really don't need your money." And so on.

Your social-media plan — if you have one — should consist of goal-setting, implementation and measuring, among other things. That last part, metrics, frequently is overlooked, partly because the tools for measuring are still maturing and partly because there's 
no clear agreement over what to measure.

One hundred top industry leaders, in a variety of sectors from across the world, made a public commitment (“The Palindrome Pledge”) in order to change the way they give back to the nonprofit sector. The Palindrome Pledge grants that advisors will take a more prominent role in the board management or operations of a nonprofit, pushing the traditional role beyond fundraising and volunteering to address the pressing business and management needs of many nonprofits.

Digital maps assembled by far-flung networks of online volunteers through the process called crowd-sourcing have been powerful tools in humanitarian relief work in the last few years.

In Japan after the earthquake and tsunami, crowd-sourced maps have helped give local relief workers a clearer picture of the situation on the ground as they set priorities for food, shelter and sanitation services. The Web maps are also being used to track the fighting in Libya and the needs of refugees fleeing that conflict.

You already know that technology can help you and your organization create the change you want to see in the world. The Nonprofit Technology Network's mission is to help you do that. As part of that effort, NTEN is excited to introduce NTEN:Change, a quarterly journal for nonprofit leaders. Through in-depth articles, case-studies, best practices, leader profiles, and discussions, NTEN:Change will provide the guidance and practical considerations crucial to making the sound investments and decisions that will help your organization achieve its mission.

Google wants in on the nonprofit technology front and is offering nonprofits a special way to use Google Apps. The Google blog outlines the program, which includes an application process to weed out those deemed unworthy.

The strongest-ever earthquake to hit Japan triggered a tsunami that moved across the Pacific Ocean. The Associated Press reports that at least 300 people have already died.

Here are early responses from large international-aid charities, grant makers, and other groups:

Technology is great, but it takes human beings to make the most of it. Ask these questions to make your fundraising efforts successful this year and beyond.

Here are seven ways  nonprofits can solve the mobile giving puzzle by using cell phones to rake in the cash.

It took almost a decade for donors to trust Donate Now technology. Similarly, it might take years for them to trust apps and widgets (and mobile-giving technology), but can you imagine if we had listened to the naysayers and thrown out Donate Now buttons in 2005 because the results weren't immediate?