Neighborhoods Online Update

[colist-admin at comm-org.utoledo.edu]

From: Ed Schwartz <edcivic at libertynet.org>

I'm pleased to report several developments relating to Neighborhoods
Online that are reflected on both our National and Philadelphia web sites.

First...A new company called "ZWorkz.com" has emerged with the goal
of providing a comprehensive array of online services to non-profits.
Its own web site--just launched last week--is http://www.zworkz.com
If you go to either 

Neighborhoods Online: National 
http://www.libertynet.org/nol/natl.html  

or Neighborhoods Online Philadelphia:
http://www.libertynet.org/nol/

You'll find a direct link to ZWorkz from the home page.

Once at Z-Workz, you will find menus linking to the major existing web sites
serving non-profits, along with the beginnings of a national database
of those organizations that sign-up on the Z-Works site--no-cost here,
just fill out their form. This is a bit like the "Action Without Borders"
site, 
but a ZWorkz 'best practices database" on the site
appears to be more  useful, organized around problems
 that non-profits  face in specific areas, 
like Board Development or fund-raising.

The second feature of the site relates to non-profit online
purchasing and fund-raising. ZWorkz is working to
become a effective broker for online discounts
on services and goods for non-profits. As a start, 
groups that register with their site can take
advantage of reduced rate long-distrance telephone
service (I know..who *isn't* offering that?), a low-interest
credit card,  and an organizational insurance plan--which
isn't readily available online. You can also become
your own Internet Service Provider via ZWorkz.
This relates to discounts.

The fund-raising is connected to these services as well.
Once registered on ZWorkz, the non-profit will
receive a commission on any of these and future
goods and services purchased through the ZWorkz
link on your site--a la Amazon.com. In fact,
the non-profit receives 60% of the sales commission--
with Z-Workz getting the rest. While revenues
from these initial services might be limited, as 
Z-Workz builds membership--and signs up
new vendors--these could grow. And again--
all you need to do is sign up on ZWorkz..there's
no cost. And if you don't have a web page--ZWorkz
will build one  for you.

So what does all this have to with Neighborhoods Online?

Well, ZWorkz features a link to 
Neighborhoods Online: National 
on its home page and is working to secure support
for creating local Neighborhoods Online sites in cities
beyond Philadelphia. If you're interested in becoming
a host city for this, send me a note at edcivic at libertynet.org.
The Philadelphia site is the prototype of what we'll
offer elsewhere.

Finally..I'm doing an online newsletter for ZWorkz
called "NetActivism"--carrying the themes of
the book forward. The focus will be online
resources useful to Netactivists--including 
funding sources (public and private), communications
and web tools, and information services and systems.
I'm not focusing here on advocacy groups around
the Internet and online public policy. The focal 
point are organizations--Left and Right, citizen
and electoral--that are using the Internet for
civic and political empowerment.

The first issue of "NetActivism" is on the ZWorkz
site. Hope you find it useful.

So this post is our general announcment of 
the partnership with ZWorkz, and since
I'm sending both to the lists and to the
lists in which to lists in which I participate, 
you're likely
to get it more than once. 

Sorry about that. But ZWorkz
shows great promise and I look forward
to working with them to strengthen 
the non-profit community.


Ed Schwartz, Institute for the Study of Civic Values, 1218 Chestnut St.,
Rm. 702, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 215-238-1434 edcivic at libertynet.org

The ISCV home page can be reached at
http://libertynet.org/~edcivic/iscvhome.html
Also check out  "Neighborhoods Online" at
http://libertynet.org/community/phila/natl.html. 

"Citizenship is the American ideal. There may be an army of actualities
opposed to that ideal, but there is no ideal opposed to that ideal."
                               --G.K. Chesterton