Google for Nonprofits Newsletter - April 2012

[Leslie Hernandez]

Google for Nonprofits Newsletter - April 2012

May 1, 2012

In this issue By the way What's new Tools in action Expert corner Connect

By the way TOP

Google For Nonprofits Training at NTEN Conference On April 2nd, the Google for Nonprofits team participated in NTEN’s annual Nonprofit Technology Conference. We enjoyed hosting a free training session for participants on a variety of Google products. Videos from those trainings will be posted on YouTube and announced on our Google+ page soon. Read on to get updates on Google+, Google Earth Outreach and more.

What's new TOP

A more functional and flexible version of Google+ More than 170 million people have joined Google+. The Google+ team has rolled a more ‘seamless social experience’ throughout Google+ to make it more simple and useful for users. It includes a new profile with personalization and large photo features, a navigation ribbon, Gchat features, a dedicated Hangout page with new features and tips, YouTube sharing, and a new Explore page that shows what’s popular across the platform. Check out these new features and more with this walkthrough of the updated Google+. Google and Historypin launch online gallery to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee To commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, Google partnered with Historypin to compare glimpses of the Queen’s 60-year reign with how they look today. The Historypin platform enables you to pinpoint the exact location of where imagery was captured. This application could be helpful for nonprofits that want to archive their photos, or share milestones with users in interesting and interactive ways. Opening Up the World of Art with Street View As part of a continuing effort to expand Street View, Google announced a significant expansion of the Art Project. The Art Project is an online application where users explore art from participating museums all over the world. It now features higher resolution Street View images and over 30,000 pieces of high resolution artwork. Any nonprofit that wants to raise arts awareness could leverage this tool to bring the world’s museums to their community. Google Ads, Now on Google+ The Google Ads team has joined Google+ to as a useful resource for advertisers and users. Their page will provide ongoing product news, tips and training. Hangouts will be available for interested G+ followers. Access the Google Ads page here for more information. Introducing Google Drive An extension of Google Docs, this new product will allow users to store, edit, and collaborate docs, videos and pictures across various devices, including mobile. This handy tool can help you archive events, meetings and even cross-collaborate with co-workers on present projects, regardless of their location. For more information, check out this video or read more here.

Tools in action TOP

Tools in Action: Remás Remás is a start-up nonprofit using YouTube to effectively reach their audience and explain their mission. Remás uses this video to explain their web and mobile comparison apps that help money senders find the best way to send money to their families back home. As a member of YouTube for Nonprofits, Remás was able to embed text and a link to their website using the “annotations” function, enabling viewers to click directly on the video to visit their website and learn more about their work. Does your organization want to use the power of YouTube to broadcast your message? Find out more about the YouTube for Nonprofits program here.

Expert corner TOP

This month we caught up with Raleigh Seamster to hear how nonprofit organizations can take advantage of Google Earth Outreach.

Q. Why is Earth Outreach Important for Nonprofits? A. We find that when nonprofits can visualize complex problems in a geographic context and share that map visualization with stakeholders, everyone can get on the same page about what the issues and impacts really are. With Google's mapping tools, nonprofits can collect, host, analyze, visualize and publish map data using the power of the cloud. Google Earth Outreach exists to help provide nonprofits with the knowledge and resources they need to use Google's mapping tools to improve operations, visualize their cause and tell their story in Google Earth and Maps. Q. Do you have any tips for an organization that's just getting started? A. If I worked at an organization new to Google's mapping tools and I wanted to learn more, I would head to the Google Earth Outreach website. Our website recently received a visual makeover and we've added a ton of helpful new resources. For starters, you can now get anoverview of all the mapping tools that Google offers. Then if you'd like to learn about real-life examples of how nonprofits have used these tools for public benefit, you can explore our case studies. Once you've identified a mapping tool that you're interested in, you can learn how to use it with our detailed tutorials and or apply for a software grant if you decide you need the tool's premium features. Q. Can you share any cool stories of nonprofit organizations using Earth Outreach? A. One of my favorite stories of nonprofit organizations that Google Earth Outreach works with is The HALO Trust, the world’s oldest, largest and most successful humanitarian landmine clearance agency. HALO uses Google Earth for minefield survey (the process of identifying and mapping mined areas), data validation and to produce maps for donors, governments, and other NGOs. They also use the satellite imagery in Google Earth to help identify and map the mined areas, such as mined power pylons in Mozambique. Power pylons transporting energy from South Africa to Mozambique were mined during the civil conflict. The mined pylons ran through populated areas and as such, posed a serious threat to locals living nearby. Google Earth was used for the initial mapping of 200 power pylons along a distance of 80 kilometers. HALO staff were able to identify the mined pylons that were clearly visible from Google Earth’s imagery. This imagery showed that the area within 20-30 meters from the pylons was not cultivated, suggesting the presence of landmines. Being able to use Google Earth to create this map saved HALO significant time and effort. To learn more about The HALO Trust's use of Google Earth, check out their case study on our website. Q. Where can nonprofits go to find resources and support for Earth Outreach? A. As I already mentioned, the best place to go for resources and support is the Google Earth Outreach website. To stay connected with the very latest new, you can also follow us on Twitter or sign up for our mailing list. For nonprofits looking for additional training beyond our tutorials, keep an eye on our events calendar and check out the full set of training materials available for download on our website. If you have technical question not answered in our materials, ask it on the Google Earth Nonprofit Outreach / Education help forum.

Connect TOP

Share your story! Have you had a great experience with a Google product that you'd like to share?  Tell us about it.

Submit feedback View the archives Help center Join our discussion group

If someone sent you this email and you’d like to join our mailing list, click here.

Reach more donors | Improve operations | Raise awareness Make a change: google.com/nonprofits

2012 Google Inc. All Rights Reserved. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google Inc. www.google.com 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043