Thunder Bay Information Technology Solutions TBayIT - A Guide to Information Technology for Non-Profits

General Non-Profit Resources

Charity Village

Canada's supersite for non-profit groups is definitely Charity Village which is dedicated to serving and servicing Canada's non profit organizations.
• Click here to visit www.CharityVillage.com

Dan Cooperstock's DONATION Program

DONATION aims to be the leading program for tracking donors and donations and issuing charitable receipts for small to mid-sized charities, churches and other faith groups. It combines great ease of use and user-friendliness with good power, at an extremely affordable price.

DONATION has customized features and receipts for Canada (including Quebec), the U.S.A., and to a more limited extent Australia. Users in some other countries have also had success using it.

DONATION is shareware. You may download and evaluate DONATION for free, after filling in a brief registration form. However, if you decide to use the program for your organization, you are required to pay for it. Prices range from free to $100.

• Click here to visit www.Software4NonProfits.com

Open Source Directory

Before purchasing your next piece of software, take a look at the Open Source Directory to see if there an open source version with similar features and functionality available. You may be surpirsed with what you find.
• Click here to visit www.osdir.com

RealVNC

RealVNC provides a free program that allows you to use remote administration on any computer. Similar to Microsoft Window's remote desktop VNC is easier to use and setup. It is a great tool to access your home computer when you are at work or vice-versa. You will however require a somewhat static IP address or use a free dns service that resolves to the computer you want to remotely administrate. The more advanced versions that include encryption and better security will cost you a small fee to obtain.
• Click here to visit www.RealVNC.com

TechSoup.org

TechSoup is both the home to TechSoup Stock and many excellent resources, articles and information for non-profits. This is definitely one of the best sites out there of it's kind and highly recommended that you check out their site regularly to take advantage of donated software and free information.
• Click here to visit www.TechSoup.org

Thunder Bay - Local Non-Profit Resources

BoardMatch

BoardMatch® Fundamentals is a powerful board recruitment and educational tool, which was developed in order to help to enhance the charitable sector’s ability to deliver sustainable and quality programs for those in our community who are in need. BoardMatch helps to improve accountability and governance of non-profits by enabling them to draw on the expertise and enthusiasm of an expanded network of talented, local volunteers, particularly those who have a background in law, accounting, fundraising, marketing, human resource management, information technology, education, journalism, public relations and/or advocacy. It engages and empowers these volunteers to play a leadership role in the development of their communities. The local BoardMatch program is run out of Volunteer Thunder Bay located in Victoriaville Mall.
• Click here to visit www.VolunteerThunderBay.ca
• Click here to visit www.BoardMatch.org

Community Information and Referral Centre - Online Database

The Community Information and Referral Centre (program of the Lakehead Social Planning Council) has launched their community services database online. Currently the database holds over 1400 records of community, social and government services and also includes listings of local churches and service clubs.
• Click here to visit www.lspc.ca/circ

DigitalBoard.ca

The DigitalBoard software was created by Mark Walther of Thunder Bay Information Technology Solutions originally to help non-profit organizations communicate online through a set of secure tools. After many updates and new features it is now being released to the general public. This is the ideal solution for board of directors, volunteer coordinators, member based groups, etc. DigitalBoard has many features including a membership directory, common calendar, file sharing system and message forums all secured with 128 bit encryption. Although not free, the price is definitely worth the investment.
• Click here to visit www.DigitalBoard.ca

Imagine Canada

Imagine Canada is a registered charity that does five key things: Research, Engage Corporations, Encourage Dialogue, Share Information & Tools and Promote Ethical Conduct.
• Click here to visit www.ImagineCanada.ca

Lakehead Social Planning Council - Virtual Library

In 2005, the LSPC was invited as one of 5 provincial community partners to join the newly formed NonProfit Library Network - supported by the John Hodgson Library of Imagine Canada (the former Canadian Centre for Philanthropy). Through this network, the LSPC was able to better organize and increase their print resources to include a community collection of over 50 new titles, secured a dedicated computer to support access to virtual library resources and with financial support from the Thunder Bay Community Foundation we were able to furnish, catalogue, index and renew the look of our library. This library also includes publications listing possible funding sources, foundations and government grants.
• Click here to visit www.lspc.ca

MailFile.ca

MailFile.ca is a web-based system that allows businesses and organizations to manage their email lists and send out professionally authored newsletters. Although this system is not free, there are discounts available to non-profit organizations.
• Click here to visit www.MailFile.ca

Thunder Bay Community Foundation

The Thunder Bay Community Foundation grants are funded through the general endowments and gifts from local citizens. Each year, usually in early September, the Foundation issues a request for proposals from qualified charitable organizations in the District of Thunder Bay.
• Click here to visit www.ThunderBayCommunityFoundation.ca

Volunteer Thunder Bay

Volunteer Thunder Bay is Thunder Bay's official volunteer bureau that can assist non-profit agencies to find volunteers. VTB offers other services including leadership development, BoardMatch, the Junior Volunteeer Corp, and the Senior Volunteer Corp. Their website allows member agencies to post volunteer opportunities and recruit volunteers directly.
• Click here to visit www.VolunteerThunderBay.ca

• Return to Contents • Proceed to Part 5 •