Shopping "green" is the latest big trend in retail, and online auction giant eBay didn't want to miss out on it. To attract the new breed of "green"shopper, eBay has just launched a brand-new marketplace called "World of Good." On this new site, shoppers will find environmentally friendly and fair trade goods as well as other products that will appeal to the socially conscious.

On this special  special report by Philanthropyjournal.org, you will find the latest strategies for your nonprofits to find and pay for the fundraising software that works. it also look at the next frontier of fundraising software, and feature an article on how to use software to engage donors.

Great material ... read it now !!!

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by Vinay Bhagat, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Convio

I'm passionate about the impact that technology can have on nonprofits, and believe that smaller nonprofits in particular stand to gain significant efficiencies through its effective implementation. Technology can help them level the playing field with much larger organizations, many of whom can learn from their smaller peers.

Some of the most innovative nonprofits I've observed were founded in the last decade — a time when technology was frequently considered a lower cost alternative to hiring people. For these "youngsters," the Web was the de-facto place to begin their marketing efforts.

In 2004, nine-year old Austin Gutwein of Mesa, Ariz., raised almost $3,000 by shooting 2,057 free-throws, one for each child orphaned by HIV/AIDS during a typical school day.

He used a fundraising page he set up himself, with technology from Firstgiving, and directed the proceeds to orphans in Africa by way of World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization operating in 100 countries.

The idea caught on, and this year the group, known as "Hoops of Hope," aims to recruit 10,000 people from across the U.S. to shoot free throws with the goal of raising $150,000 to build a medical facility in Zambia.

This is one of the commonest questions in the charity world. And I don't know the answer.

Although it’s easy to mock charities like the Royal Opera House, which last year paid its top-earner over £500k, there is another side to the story: charities need to attract talent. That needs to be paid for. And however altruistic charity workers are, they’re not saints.

A great discussion is taking place on SocialEdge.com about how can social entreprise find the necessary financing.

"When entrepreneurs start a social venture, they are immediately in conflict: A social venture develops social connectedness, intellectual resources and skills, creative expression, personal health, a safer and cleaner environment.

But most equity investors measure their own success by financial returns, thus the social enterprise must also meet financial expectations. When setting course, social entrepreneurs may be immediately caught between a rock and a hard place.

Microfinance has emerged as a solution by providing debt, which changes the expectation of risk, thus of returns.  Microfinance manages risk through its small scale and other methods. Yet social enterprises, particularly in developed countries, often require an investment scale that microfinance can't address But a hybrid is possible"

Congratulations to the N2Y3 Winners, in order: Ushahidi, KnowMore.org and Social Actions! Continue to show your support for all 21 Featured Projects. Watch conference sessions on Fora.tv's NetSquared Channel.

In May, we discussed many different ways that social media could be used for social change. One company that has been using the medium for doing social good is SocialVibe. In the past, we described this company as "an online popularity contest that turns corporate advertising into money for charity." With SocialVibe, you get to choose a brand to endorse, which earns you both brand perks and points. The points are then turned into funds for the charitable cause of your choice. The situation is somewhat of a win-win - companies get valuable social media promotion and individuals get to raise money for charity. The only question was whether or not the idea would work. Apparently, it does: SocialVibe is announcing that they've now raised more than $100,000 for charitable causes.

GlobalGiving has launched the GlobalGiving Green scoring system, a new tool to measure the positive impact on climate change, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, by development projects.

GlobalGiving Green selects projects from the main GlobalGiving website which demonstrate clear benefits in combating climate change. Signified by a GlobalGiving ‘green leaf’, they are rated according to five key benefits: