As part of our Social Media series for nonprofit fundraising,  I recently wrote that Twitter maintained 3rd place in the American market share for March 2013 amongst all social media platforms. Despite a low 1.72% share Twitter is a very popular network that maintains a fairly active community of users which many nonprofits are using to increase its engagement opportunities. In the past I have written about various user suggestions to optimize the Twitter experience including Twitter setup tips, management tools to measure analytics and understanding key Twitter metrics. Although the platform is incredibly user friendly navigating from one section to another and having to click various parts of the screen can be cumbersome. I am huge fan of keyboard shortcuts and always prefer using a shortcut over my mouse so I was incredibly excited when I stumbledupon an article outlining the various keyboard shortcut options that Twitter had that I never knew existed.

Although there are 25 shortcuts in total, I found that there are quite a few that can be very beneficial for time efficiency and maximizing productivity. Below are the shortcuts which Twitter has grouped into three types and for each type I have separated them into two sections – most and least used, as it’s probably better to commit shortcuts that are more often used to memory.

ACTIONS

Most Used – Tweeting, communicating with and interacting with others should really be the main function of any Twitter initiatives. These five action shortcuts make it incredibly easy to interact and keep up with the conversation.

• N – New Tweet
• F – Favorite
• R – Reply
• T – Retweet
• M –Direct Message

Least Used – Generally reading the actual tweets that are displayed in your timelines should be sufficient to capture the message of the tweet and seldom is opening a tweet required. The need to block a user is also not a very common action but it may happen at times. These are actions that require some additional thought that adding a click of the mouse doesn’t allow but is just as efficient.

• Enter – Open Tweet Details
• L – Close Open Tweets
• B – Block User
• U – Unblock User

NAVIGATION

Most Used – All these navigation shortcut keys are beneficial as it helps you maneuver through the platform fairly easily.

• J – Next Tweet
• K – Previous Tweet
• Space Bar – Page Down
• / (forward slash) – Search
• . (period) – Load New Tweets

TIMELINES

Most Used – Although two keys, it’s easy to remember that the first one is always G for ‘go-to’ and the second (with one exception) is the first initial of the type of timeline you want displayed.

• GH – Home
• GC – Connect
• GD – Discover
• GR – Mentions
• GF – Favorites
• GL – Lists
• GM – Messages
• GU – Go to User

Least Used – Unless you are constantly making adjustments to your profile and settings, these shortcuts are not likely to save very much time. Though I understand the benefits of the Activity timeline, I don’t find it as useful as I’m more interested in what is being said rather than who people are following and what they are “liking” as it lists all your connections with no filters.

• GA – Activity
• GP – Profile
• GS – Settings

It may seem like quite a bit to take in, but generally starting with a few short cuts at a time will help you learn them quickly. The best shortcut overall however is ? (question mark) as it immediately opens the ‘Shortcut Menu’ on the screen for you.

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For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linedin, Google+ and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.

As a Canadian call centre, we often feature where Canada ranked in global lists like the best countries to live, the smartest countries, the happiest countries, the  most peaceful countries, the most sustainable countries, the friendliest countries, the most charitable countries, the most prosperous countries, the best countries for quality of life, the Best Countries for Business in 2013, the top 20 countries for life expectancy at birth, the best countries for working women, the best country for World Travel & Tourism, the 15 best countries for human development, the top countries for Clean Capitalism and the best country for child well-being and the best countries from social progress. To continue on in this vein, today I am looking at the 10 best countries for higher education systems in the world. This top 10 list is based on the Universitas 21 2nd Annual U21 Ranking of National Higher Education Systems 2013.

Universitas 21 “is the leading global network of research-intensive universities, working together to foster global citizenship and institutional innovation through research-inspired teaching and learning, student mobility, connecting our students and staff, and wider advocacy for internationalisation.” Universitas 21 developed this ranking “as a benchmark for governments, education institutions and individuals.” The purpose of the U21 ranking is “to highlight the importance of creating a strong environment for higher education institutions to contribute to economic and cultural development, provide a high-quality experience for students and help institutions compete for overseas applicants.”

“The 2013 Universitas 21 ranking of national systems retains the methodology [from] the 2012 rankings. [They used] 22 desirable attributes [which were] grouped under four broad headings: Resources, Environment, Connectivity and Output.” Based on this methodology, the top 10 countries for higher education systems in the world are:

1. United States, score: 100 – The US score remained the same from the 2012 study and its best score was first place in output.
2. Sweden, score: 85.2 – Though Sweden remained in second place, its score improved by 1.6 points from 2012 and its best ranking was a third place finish in resources.
3. Switzerland, score: 81.6 – Switzerland moved up three spots from 2012 and its score improved by 1.3 points. Best ranking was sixth place in resources.
4. Canada, score: 80.0 – Canada didn’t only move down one spot on the list but its overall score dropped by 2.8 points. Best score was second place overall in resources.
5. Denmark, score: 79.8 – Denmark’s score dropped 1.2 points from 2013 but it was still able maintain its fifth place finish. Best score was first in resources with a perfect 100.
6. Finland, score: 79.4 – Finland dropped four spots from 2012 and its score went down by 2.6 points. Best score was fourth in resources.
7. Netherlands, score: 78.2 – The Netherlands moved up two spaces from 2012 and its score improved by 0.8 points. Best score was first when it came to environment.
8. Australia, score: 77.2 – Even though its score dropped by 0.6 points, Australia was able to maintain its eighth place spot from 2012. Best score was second place when it came to connectivity.
9. Singapore, score: 76.6 – Singapore finished 11th in 2012 but were able to move up two spots as its score increased by 1.2 points. Best score was third place in connectivity.
10. United Kingdom, score: 74.9 – Despite its score dropping 1.9 points, the UK was able to hold onto tenth place for the second year in a row. Best score was second in output.

Choosing an institution of higher learning is a very important decision and knowing where the best schools are is helpful in making an informed choice. In fact, it is “a crucial measure for governments whose nation’s economic development depends upon an educated and skilled workforce and technological improvements, based on research, that raise productivity.” Deciding on higher education is also the first step in building a student’s future making this study all the more relevant at this time of year when students are making final university and college decisions.

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For nonprofit, CSR business, Canada and other news, please connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin or subscribe to our RSS feed. Miratel Solutions is a Canada call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values and advancing the missions of the non-profits we proudly serve.

Organizations continue to face many challenges in their nonprofit fundraising efforts. Donors are now more discerning about the causes they financially support and the explosion of social media has leveled the playing field leading to more competition for donor dollars adding another layer to already complex strategies. My recent coverage of Underdeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising by Compass Point highlighted that many organizations are working with undeveloped leadership and in many cases no leadership at all leading to weaker communities of supporters and ultimately unfulfilled fundraising goals. This very same report also provided ten calls to action that nonprofits can use in an attempt to break the vicious cycle that they are facing. The following are 5 highlights that I thought would be excellent starting points:

• Organizational Culture – Only 12% of development directors felt that their organization had a culture of philanthropy. People must enjoy their jobs and part of that involves asking for money. If at the core of the team member’s beliefs is a dislike of performing this principle task then they are in direct conflict with the mission of the organization. Interestingly 14% of Development Directors and 18% of Executive Directors dislike asking for money. Those in leadership positions must change their own perceptions towards this key task. They have the power to shift the entire team’s perception towards fund development, as it should be at the core of each team member’s responsibility.
• Technological Innovation – The study also points to “continuous dialogue with stakeholders, [as] a central tenet of a culture of philanthropy”. As many new communication channels have emerged over the past few years it’s important that leaders continue to embrace technological innovations as a way to grow and engage their communities. From social media to digital marketing there are many creative and cost-effective ways to expand ones reach provided that directors believe in the initiatives and allocate the necessary resources to support them to ultimately further the organization’s mission.
• Setting Realistic Goals – Interestingly almost one third of responding development directors felt that they were given unrealistic goals and the study highlights that it’s important to include them as part of the goal setting process. Goals should not be simply set in financial terms but also include metrics such as “development and maintenance of the development department, cultivation and stewardship of relationships, staff and board relationship-building, and contribution to the vision, strategy and overall leadership of an organization.” In addition to fundraising revenue targets, goals really need to be all encompassing to have a better understanding of the progress that directors and their organizations are making.
• Share Accountability – Organizations are only as strong as their weakest team members. All levels of an organization need to be engaged and passionate about the cause and should feel a sense of responsibility towards fundraising goals and results. Expectations need to be very clearly set from the beginning and include assignment of fundraising activities to team members. To strengthen these expectations, regular performance evaluations must be conducted and compared to development goals and achievements.
• Fundraising Leadership – Identifying required changes should include personal professional development, building key team member’s management skills and establishing an action plan to make the transformation. Part of the plan must include creating a plan focused on increasing the organization’s capacity for fund development. The education of staff and team members is key to ensure that the culture of philanthropy is maintained and championed throughout the organization.

This Study of the Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising brought to light that strengthening fundraising results starts from the top of an organization as both executive directors and development directors must be role models to their teams. They must instill a strong culture of philanthropy while keeping fundraising goals at the heart of all activities.

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For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linedin, Google+ and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog for our latest Meatless Monday vegan recipe share. We took the Meatless Monday pledge to support reducing meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week for planetary health. We consider our support of this great movement part of our CSR business strategies as it stresses the importance that our food choices have on our environment. We feature a new recipe every Monday to help make going meat-free easier.

Even though it’s spring, there is still a chill in the air and this healthy but satisfying dish will be perfect. On the menu tonight is a vegan lentil, mushroom & sweet potato shepherd’s pie that is the epitome of vegan comfort food. Our recipe comes courtesy of  The Kichn.

Lentil, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients (serves 6):

Image courtesy of thekitchn.com

• 5 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 cup brown or green lentils, washed and picked over
• 3/4 cup dry steel cut oats
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until very soft to the touch. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium pot, combine the lentils, oats, bay leaf and salt with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are soft but not mushy, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Discard bay leaf and drain mixture into a colander or sieve.
3. While the lentils and oats are cooking, finely chop half of the mushrooms and set aside. Cut the remaining mushrooms into quarters. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the quartered mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until browned and soft. Add the chopped mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent. Lower heat to medium and add the lentil and oat mixture, followed by the vegetable stock, wine, tomato paste, soy sauce, paprika, and parsley. Taste and add salt if needed. Simmer mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add a few grinds of black pepper.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel sweet potatoes with your hands and place in a medium bowl. Use a fork to mash them into a smooth paste and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Evenly spread the lentil mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish. (For thicker layers, use a 9×9-inch pan.) Spoon the sweet potato mixture on top and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling at the edges.

Though this may seem like a daunting recipe for a weeknight, you can make and assemble the dish ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for up to two days. You could prepare this on Sunday when you have more preparation time and then cook it on a Monday. This recipe also freezes well “after assembling, cover and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake uncovered at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until filling is bubbling at the edges.” Don’t forget when freezing meals to label it with what is, when it was made, a best before date and the thawing/cooking instructions so anyone can get dinner ready.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.

Those who are working to make the world a better place should be commended and we regularly feature the CSR business efforts of corporations that go above and beyond. This is also true when it comes to celebrity philanthropy as it often doesn’t get near the attention it should so that that is why I often highlight the altruistic work of celebrities in posts like the 10 Most Charitable Celebrities from the 2013 Oscar nominees, the top 20 Celebrity Gone Good Part 1 (and Part 2), the 5 Celebrity Charity Events by Musicians, Hurricane Sandy relief Part 1 & Part 2, the 10 Celebrities Doing Interesting Things to Change the World and the 10 most charitable celebrities. Today, I’ll be focusing on the 10 Celebrities Doing Good for Women and Girls with the help of Care2 and Look to the Stars.

There are over 581 celebrities support causes that better the lives of girls and women around the globe and 10 of the most dedicated are listed below:

Amy Poehler's Smart Girls

1. Amy Poehler. The Parks and Recreation star founded “Smart Girls at the Party [which] is a rapidly expanding online network that aims to help the process of cultivating the authentic selves of young women and the young at heart.” Poehler has also supported: Artists for Peace and Justice, Autism Speaks, Rosie’s Place, The Trevor Project and Worldwide Orphans Foundation.
2. Angelina Jolie. Jolie is well known for her work as a United Nations ambassador and she recently shared her very personal health journey to educate women on the importance of being proactive with cancer prevention. She also launched a new jewelry line, Style of Jolie, where 100% of the profits will go to charity. The jewelry line has already funded an all-girls school in Afghanistan. Angelina has also supported: Afghanistan Relief Organization, Direct Change, Motion Picture and Television Fund Foundation, Alliance For The Lost Boys Of Sudan, Cancer Schmancer Movement, Care to Learn, Cinema For Peace, Clinton Global Initiative, Daniel Pearl Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, Global Action for Children, HALO Trust, Human Rights Watch, Jolie-Pitt Foundation, Kids in Need of Defense, Millennium Promise, Millennium Villages, Muhammad Ali Center, Not On Our Watch, ONE Campaign, Peace One Day, Project A.L.S., Reporters Without Borders, Sophie’s Gift, SOS Children’s Villages, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN Millennium Project, World Food Programme and Yéle Haiti Foundation.
3. Madonna. The material girl founded her nonprofit Raising Malawi, which works to help vulnerable children and their caregivers receive food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care. She’s now auctioning off her original Fernand Leger Cubist paintings called Three Women and donating the proceeds to helping educate girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Madonna has also supported:Afghanistan Relief Organization, American Foundation for AIDS Research, Amnesty International, BID 2 BEAT AIDS, Bony Pony Ranch, buildOn, Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, Children in Need, Children of Peace, Every Mother Counts, Live Earth, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Millennium Promise, Millennium Villages, MusiCares, Music Rising, Partners in Health, Raisa Gorbachev Foundation, Ray of Light Foundation, Sentebale, Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, Treatment Action Campaign, UNICEF and UN Millennium Project.
4. John Legend. The Grammy winner was quoted by the Telegraph saying, “All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights the world will be a better place.” He has written a song about feminism and on June 1st 2013, is headlining the London Chime for Change concert which “serves to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world. [They] focus on three key areas: Education, Health and Justice.” Charities he has also supported include: Aid Still Required, Artists for Peace and Justice, Feeding America, Get Schooled Foundation, Global Fund, GRAMMY Foundation, i.am scholarship Fund, International Rescue Committee, LIFEbeat, Live Earth, Malaria No More, Millennium Campus Network, Millennium Promise, MusiCares, Nordoff Robbins, Oxfam, Peace One Day, Reality Cares, (RED), Red Cross, Save The Music Foundation, Show Me Campaign, Stand Up To Cancer, Steve Nash Foundation, The Black Eyed Peas Foundation, The Gentlemen’s Fund, THORN, Tide Loads of Hope, UNICEF, Unite for Japan and War Child.
5. Oprah Winfrey. The media mogul famously opened The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa to help better the lives of girls who wouldn’t otherwise get educated. Oprah’s philanthropy is legendary and she has also supported: 46664, Born This Way Foundation, Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, William J. Clinton Foundation, Elevate Hope Foundation, Free The Children, Heifer International, Lower East Side Girls Club, Mississippi Animal Rescue League, Mpilonhle, Oprah’s Angel Network, Peace Over Violence, Project Cuddle, Red Cross, Robert F Kennedy Memorial, Somaly Mam Foundation, V-Day, Women for Women International, Women in the World Foundation and Worldwide Orphans Foundation.


Christy Turlington's Every Mother Counts

6. Christy Turlington Burns. The model and Actress founded the charity Every Mother Counts and the No Mother’s Day event in support of maternal mortality reduction globally. She was also was the driving force behind the documentary No Woman, No Cry along with her husband Edward Burns. She has also supported: Action Against Hunger, African Rainforest Conservancy, American Cancer Society, CARE, Music Rising, ONE Campaign, PETA, (RED), Roseann’s Gift, Stand Up To Cancer, Walkabout Foundation and Worldwide Orphans Foundation.
7. Salma Hayek. The actress founded her Salma Hayek Foundation, which started out supporting “organizations giving aid to and raising awareness for battered women, [and] has now branched out to work with disadvantaged children on the streets of Mexico, helping them to overcome problems such as drugs, violence or lack of education.” She’s also supported: 10×10, American Foundation for AIDS Research, Children’s Defense Fund, Chrysalis, Conservation International, Entertainment Industry Foundation, First Star, Fulfillment Fund, Global Green, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana, ONE Campaign, Peace Over Violence, Raising Malawi, Room to Grow, Solar Neighbors Program, Speak Out Against Domestic Violence, Stand Up To Cancer, The Art of Elysium, UNICEF and V-Day.
8. Meryl Streep. The multi-Oscar winner has been a tireless champion of the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) and even donated her Iron Lady salary to the cause. “NWHM is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and celebrating the diverse historic contributions of women, and integrating this rich heritage fully into [United State’s] history.” She has also supported: 10×10, Actors Fund of America, American Foundation for AIDS Research, Artists for Peace and Justice, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Equality Now, Healthy Child Healthy World, Heifer International, Prince’s Trust, Stand Up To Cancer, St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters, The Rainforest Foundation and Women in the World Foundation.
9. Hillary Clinton. The former Secretary of State has been recognized for all the work she has done with Vital Voices which works to “identify train, and empower emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe.” She has also supported: American Foundation for AIDS Research, American India Foundation, Apne Aap, Avoided Deforestation Partners, Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, William J. Clinton Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Friends of the High Line, GLSEN, Heifer International, HELP USA, Human Rights Campaign, It Gets Better Project, My Good Deed, Stop Global Warming, The Trevor Project, US Doctors for Africa and Women in the World Foundation.
10. Charlize Theron. The Academy Award winner founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project to keep Africa’s youth safe from HIV/AIDS. She filmed a commercial in South African opposing violence against woman as part of the Real Men Don’t Rape campaign (see video below). Additionally she has supported: 21st Century Leaders, American Foundation for AIDS Research, Artists for Peace and Justice, Best Friends Animal Society, Clothes Off Our Back, Dogs Deserve Better, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Food Bank For New York City, Global Green, Luke Neuhedel Foundation, Madisons Foundation, Make It Right, Mpilonhle, Much Love Animal Rescue, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Onyx and Breezy Foundation, PETA, Population Services International, Project Angel Food, Red Cross, Stand Up To Cancer, Whatever It Takes and YouthAIDS.

Charlize Theron – Real Mean Don’t Rape

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kudos to all these celebrities and others like them – they should be commended for their dedication to helping improve the lives of women and girls around the world.

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For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.

As part of our Social Media series, I have written extensively on how organizations can optimize nonprofit fundraising and engagement opportunities through Facebook via set-up tips, considerations for Facebook fundraising and outreach, utilizing Facebook’s changes and understanding its analytics. As the platform has evolved several changes on how the content shared reaches your fans have occurred over the past few months, including the prioritization of paid posts. However in the midst of all the changes, there is a clear formula on how content is presented in newsfeeds and by understanding how it works behind the scenes, nonprofits can strategize how to position their content to effectively reach their community.

Securing ‘Likes’ on Facebook is challenging on its own and engaging fans with content adds another layer of complexity. An estimated 96% of fans never visit a brand’s page after initially liking it and on average only 16% will ever see your postings in their timelines. Similarly to how Google uses their PageRank algorithm to determine the placing of web pages in their search engine, Facebook uses an algorithm to rank content that is posted and displayed in user’s newsfeeds. Though Facebook doesn’t officially have a name for this system it’s commonly known as EdgeRank and there are three main variables that determine if your content will appear on your community’s newsfeeds.

1. Affinity – An affinity score is assigned to user’s interactions with a connection whether a friend or a brand page. The more a user interacts with a page – whether through ‘Likes’, comments, posting or sharing the page’s content – the higher the affinity score. The best way to increase your fans affinity score in relation to your page is by posting valuable content that they are interested in and will engage with thereby increasing the score even more.
2. Weight – Each story or post shared on your brand’s page is given a weight value. Each type of post is weighted differently, with photos and videos ranking the highest, followed by links and text only updates ranking the lowest. The higher the weight value of a story increases the likelihood that it will be viewed in your fans newsfeed. Nonprofits should tailor their content to ensure that higher weighted content is shared with their communities in order to optimize their engagement efforts. Also worth noting is that new Facebook features are usually weighted heavier to encourage usage of the feature.
3. Time – Newsfeeds are displayed to users in reverse chronological order. Therefore the age of the post ( i.e. the amount of time since the content was posted) also affects how it is ranked and listed on a fans newsfeed. The more time that has passed since the content was first posted, the deeper it is buried in a fan’s newsfeed. There is no real strategy to circumvent this obstacle other than to post (or in some cases repost) content frequently.

It’s critical to regularly post valuable content that carries higher weight to ensure maximum exposure as you are often competing for space on your supporter’s newsfeeds with their other connections. Knowledge is definitely power in this case and understanding Facebook’s newsfeed algorithms will help with preparing stronger engagement strategies. A future post will explore ways of improving your page’s ranking and engaging your supporters with your content.

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For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linedin, Google+ and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.

As a born and bred Canadian I find it interesting to learn how our great nation compares on a global scale and have written about many rankings that have delved into areas like the best countries to live, the smartest countries, the happiest countries, the  most peaceful countries, the most sustainable countries, the friendliest countries, the most charitable countries, the most prosperous countries, the best countries for quality of life, the Best Countries for Business in 2013, the top 20 countries for life expectancy at birth, the best countries for working women, the best country for World Travel & Tourism, the 15 best countries for human development, the top countries for Clean Capitalism and the best country for child well-being in rich countries. Today I’m adding to this list with the 10 best countries from The Social Progress Index released by The Social Progress Imperative.

This is the inaugural edition of this report which defines social progress as “the capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and communities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential.”

Covering 50 countries, The Social Progress Index “allows individual countries to identify specific areas of strength or weakness in terms of social progress, and also allows countries to benchmark themselves against peer countries both at the level of individual indicators as well as in terms of an aggregate measure of social progress.”

The methodology used to compile this data was extensive but its “framework is composed of three main dimensions: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity.” These dimensions were then broken down into four components containing various levels and when all combined “summarizes an interrelated set of factors that capture the primary dimensions upon which a society can achieve a given level of social progress.” Based on this research, the 10 best countries according to The Social Progress Index are:

1. Sweden. Social Progress Index score 64.81. Sweden’s highest ranking was 2nd in Opportunity and its lowest was 5th in Basic Human Needs.
2. United Kingdom. Social Progress Index score 63.41. The UK’s highest ranking was 2nd in Foundations of Wellbeing and its lowest was 6th in Basic Human Needs.
3. Switzerland. Social Progress Index score 63.28. Switzerland’s highest ranking was 1st in Foundations of Wellbeing and its lowest was 7th in Opportunity.
4. Canada. Social Progress Index score 62.63. Canada’s highest ranking was 3rd in Basic Human Needs and its lowest was 11th in Foundations of Wellbeing.
5. Germany. Social Progress Index score 62.47. Germany’s highest ranking was 2nd in Basic Human Needs and its lowest was 10th in Opportunity.
6. United States. Social Progress Index score 61.56. USA’s highest ranking was 1st in Opportunity and its lowest was 16th in Foundations of Wellbeing.
7. Australia. Social Progress Index score 61.26. Australia’s highest ranking was 3rd in Opportunity and its lowest was 15th in Foundations of Wellbeing.
8. Japan. Social Progress Index score 61.01. Japan’s highest ranking was 1st in Basic Human Needs and its lowest was 15th in Opportunity.
9. France. Social Progress Index score 60.70. France’s highest ranking was 5th in Foundations of Wellbeing and its lowest was 11th in Opportunity.
10. Spain. Social Progress Index score 60.43. Spain’s highest ranking was 6th in Opportunity and its lowest was 12th in Basic Human Needs.

It’s interesting to learn how countries score in each individual component and seeing how those with similar GDP don’t necessarily have similar levels of social progress. The valuable information contained in The Social Progress Index details exactly where countries can improve when it comes to the social freedoms of its citizens.

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For nonprofit, CSR business, Canada and other news, please connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin or subscribe to our RSS feed. Miratel Solutions is a Canada call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values and advancing the missions of the non-profits we proudly serve.

I regularly write about the many nonprofit fundraising reports based on the latest industry results, trends and projections. Examples of reports I have featured include Blackbaud’s Charitable Giving Report, the 2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study and the 2013 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report. I also review the monthly Blackbaud Index and while the latest Index revealed a slight decline in fundraising in 2013’s first quarter, the Nonprofit Fundraising Study gave reason for increased optimism in 2013.

New research I have come across is focused on better understanding the challenges nonprofits face as many organizations continue to struggle with growing their fundraising revenue. A joint research project by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and Compass Point produced the first edition of the report titled Underdeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising. Based on several focus groups and a survey of 2,700 Executive Directors, Development Directors and board members throughout the U.S., the research revealed extensive problems facing nonprofits and points towards areas that require attention or improvement. 3 highlights include:

1. High Turnover – There is often high turnover in the role of Development Director. Of those surveyed, half responded that they expected to leave their current roles within two years with the highest being 57% of smaller organizations with operating budgets of $1 million or less. A further 40% of overall respondents are not committed to careers in development. These stats signal a drain of experienced resources in the upcoming years. Also concerning is that 25% of those surveyed confirmed that their previous Development Director was let go and almost a third of those cited poor performance as the reason for their termination.
2. Lengthy Vacancies – Development Director position in particular tend to remain vacant an average of 6 months with 46% of respondents reporting vacancies for longer periods. Also troublesome is the median length of Development Director vacancies for smaller organizations doubles to a full year and overall 16% of those with current vacancies have had the role vacant for two or more years. These results ultimately can have a negative effect in donor and supporter engagement as a lack of consistent leadership results in a lack of vision and direction to move an organization forward.
3. Talent – One key contributing aspect is the lack of qualified candidates with basic fundraising skills and experience to fill director level positions. The report highlights that the pool of available talent is smaller than the number of roles available and that generally organizations with larger operational budgets tend to secure the best talent with higher paying salaries. 53% of executives were dissatisfied with the available talent pool as they did not possess the right mix of skills and experience to step into the Development Director role. The size of an organization also played a factor in satisfaction of Development Directors as 41% of larger organizations reported to be very satisfied in comparison to 27% of smaller organizations. Almost a quarter (24%) of respondents said that their current Development directors had no experience or were novices in their roles.

Additional survey results revealed that an astonishingly 23% of respondents had no formal fundraising plan in place, 21% had no fundraising database and 9% responded they had sufficient capacity for their fund development activities. The 36 page Underdeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising report lists additional statistics and also provides helpful calls to action for nonprofits to take to break the underdeveloped vicious cycle.

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For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linedin, Google+ and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog for our latest Meatless Monday vegetarian/vegan recipe share. We took the Meatless Monday pledge to support reducing meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week for planetary health. We consider our support of this great movement part of our CSR business strategies as it stresses the importance that our food choices have on our environment.

Our recipe today is for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Tagliatelle With The Greatest Ever Tomato Sauce from the Food Revolution Day website. Food Revolution Day takes place on May 17th, 2013 and is a “global day of action for people to make a stand for good food and essential cooking skills.” The aim of Food Revolution Day is “to raise awareness about the importance of good food and better food education for everyone by focusing on three simple actions – cook it, share it, live it.” Today’s pasta recipe will be a perfect choice for Food Revolution Day to share with both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

Tagliatelle With The Greatest Ever Tomato Sauce Ingredients (serves 6):

For the sauce

Image © David Loftus from foodrevolutionday.com

• 2 small onions
• 1 small leek
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 red peppers
• 2 courgettes
• 2 carrots
• olive oil
• dried oregano
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 small butternut squash
• 4 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pasta

• 500g fresh tagliatelle
• optional: 225g of asparagus stalks
• optional: small bunch fresh basil
• fresh Parmesan cheese (omit for vegan or sub with vegan alternative)

Directions:

1. Start by prepping your veg: peel the onions, trim your leeks and celery, halve then deseed the peppers, then roughly chop everything. Use the coarse side of a box grater to grate the courgette and carrots.
2. Put a large saucepan (big enough to hold all the ingredients) over a medium heat and let it heat up. Add a good lug of olive oil to the pan, followed by all your chopped and grated veg. Add a large pinch of dried oregano and 2 fresh bay leaves then cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes with the lid on, or until the vegetables are nice and soft but not starting to brown or colour.
3. Meanwhile, peel the butternut squash. Carefully cut it in half lengthways then scoop out all of the seeds and coarsely grate the flesh into the pan of vegetables.
4. Add the tins of plum tomatoes, 2 cups of water and a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
5. Take the pan off the heat and spoon out the bay leaves. Let the sauce cool slightly before blitzing with a hand-held blender, until nice and smooth (you can also do this in a blender or food processor, just make sure the lid is on properly before you start blitzing, and whizz up in batches if need be). Have a taste then either use right away, or leave to cool then portion up for storage.

Image taken from foodrevolutionday.com

To turn that delicious sauce into a lovely asparagus tagliatelle for 6:

1. Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Pour 1 litre of your amazing homemade tomato sauce into the pan and let it heat up for a few minutes while you snap the woody ends off your asparagus stalks and throw them away. Slice the asparagus stalks finely with a knife (or use a food processor), leaving the tips whole.
3. Add the sliced asparagus and the tips to the sauce, let it simmer for 1 minute or so, then take it off the heat. Stir through a few fresh basil leaves, if you like.
4. By now your pasta should be cooked. Save a cupful or so of that starchy cooking water before draining the pasta in a colander in the sink.
5. Quickly add the tagliatelle to your sauce and gently toss together, adding a splash or two of that pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a fresh grating of Parmesan cheese.

Look who’s supporting Jamie on Food Revolution Day 2013 – join in too!

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.

I often write about how Canada ranks on a global scale in areas such as best countries to live, the smartest countries, the happiest countries, the  most peaceful countries, the most sustainable countries, the friendliest countries, the most charitable countries, the most prosperous countries, the best countries for quality of life, the Best Countries for Business in 2013, the top 20 countries for life expectancy at birth, the best countries for working women, the best country for World Travel & Tourism, the most sustainable countries, the top countries in Clean Capitalism and the best country for child well-being in rich countries. It can also be interesting to take a look inwards and see how various cities or provinces within Canada compare to one another. Recently, I’ve delved into this topic by looking at Canada’s 10 best (large) cities and 10 best cities for new immigrants in 2013. Today, I’ll be adding to this list by looking at the 10 best places to retire in Canada 2013 released by MoneySense.

MoneySense is “Canada’s leading personal finance magazine and leading personal finance website.” In compiling this series of lists, 200 Canadian cities were rated and MoneySense added “11 new categories to [their] process, bringing the total number of categories [they] track to 33 to get an even better picture of what life is like in each community.” The main criteria used were: walk/bike to work, transit, weather, population growth, unemployment, housing, household income, discretionary income, new cars, income taxes, sales taxes, property tax rate, property tax paid as percentage of income, crime, doctors, health professionals, number of doctor’s offices per thousand people, amenities, and culture. The 10 best places to retire in Canada is made up from the findings of MoneySense’s Canada’s Best Places to Live 2013 list. The relative information was then compiled to make up the mini lists like the best places to retire in Canada. According to MoneySense, the top 10 best places to retire in Canada 2013 are:

Festival Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, Canada Credit: Malak, Ottawa

1. Victoria, British Columbia
2. Saanich, British Columbia
3. Kingston, Ontario
4. Burlington, Ontario
5. Ottawa, Ontario
6. Toronto, Ontario
7. Joliette, Quebec
8. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
9. Stratford, Ontario
10. Winnipeg, Manitoba

It seems that the best overall province for those looking to retire is Ontario, as it held five spots in the top ten. Overall you’ll find that most of the cities on the list have affordable real estate and property taxes, which is important because retirees often downsize to smaller homes. Access to a strong healthcare system can also be a deciding factor because as people age their medical needs tend to increase. Other important factors are access to culture, the arts, sports and other activities. This is because people want to be able to enjoy their golden years by taking part in these kinds of activities. With the ageing boomer population there is a greater demand for certain services and products so businesses can benefit from catering to this ageing customer base. Knowing the demographics of an area can help when it comes to marketing and your media approach. ____________________________________________________________________________________

For nonprofit, CSR business, Canada and other news, please connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin or subscribe to our RSS feed. Miratel Solutions is a Canada call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values and advancing the missions of the non-profits we proudly serve.