Open Source

Famed football coach Lou Holtz once said, “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” Nonprofit managers are actually a lot like football players, when you think about it. But, they have less padding to keep them comfortable. They have to be quick on their feet, willing to adapt to a new game plan, and they have to be willing to charge forward even in the face of uncertainty. 

We look at a relatively lesser known yet equally compelling tool in the designer’s toolbox: the world of Creative Commons. Getting familiar with the world of Creative Commons can enhance your creative work in several ways: first and foremost, by giving you access to a vast library of open access resources that you can adapt and draw inspiration from. Secondly, it offers you flexible and simple means to make your work discoverable by others.

By building our awareness of how our human rights are impacted online, we can become better equipped to protect and extend them. In Canada, we need only look at the current headlines to see proof that there are pressing digital rights issues - existing and emerging - facing communities across the country. Read on for a look at some of the digital rights debates that are now impacting Canadians.

Today, technology touches nearly every aspects of our daily lives, affecting our activities both on and offline. In many ways, tech empowers us to exercise our rights more fully by providing new opportunities to build connections and share ideas beyond our immediate community. The internet has expanded the possibilities for work, education, access to healthcare, and more. But these same technologies can unfortunately serve to infringe our rights. They can be used to surveil and silence marginalized communities at a scale that was never before possible. 

Making predictions for the future is key to success, especially within the face-paced tech industry. Each year, TechSoup Canada predicts key tech and web design trends that will affect nonprofits the most. It’s our prediction that 2016 will be the year of user experience design. 

Now, let's look at some technologically oriented non-profits and charities that are using open source software as a major part or for all of their daily operations. Admittedly these cases are not typical in the non-profit world, but they do show off what can be done with open source software.

What is Open Source? Also, why should you your not-for-profit or charity be looking at open source source software for part or all of your computing needs?

A picture is worth a thousand words - making them a powerful tool in your storytelling toolbox. As a great illustration of this, Katya Andersen shared these photos from Common Ground in her My Charity Connects 2011 talk, showing the transformation of Laura, a meth addict, as she moved into housing:

Server-based databases for nonprofits

Practical ways to deploy and use open-source software