Institutionalizing a VOPE

June 1, 2014

2.7 Administering Voting

A VOPE is usually governed by a Board selected by the VOPE members from nominated individuals within the organisation.  The constitution for the VOPE typically contains an explanation of how the leadership and governance structure works. It usually outlines eligiblility criteria for Board membership and procedures for   nomination, voting, and election to these positions, including the term of office for each position.  The voting administration process should manage the nomination,voting and appointment of Board members.

ImageDescription

The election and voting process can be administered during a members meeting, such as an AGM, however since many VOPEs have geographically dispersed members, they opt to administer their elections electronically using online voting administration systems.  The elections process usually consists of four steps.

  1. Nomination
  2. Confirmation of Nominations
  3. Voting
  4. Appointment of the Board members

For voting administration systems, a VOPE generally has two options available.  The election and voting process can be conducted during a membership meeting, such as an AGM, where members can nominate and vote with the show of hands, ballot papers or electronic input devices.  Nominations can be made and confirmed during the meeting or before the meeting.  If the nomination process is completed before the meeting, ballot papers can be printed for voting.  In paper-based voting systems, votes are cast and counted by hand.

Alternatively, these systems can include an electronic input device and votes are counted electronically. Online voting (also known as e-voting) uses electronic systems to aid in the call for nominations, casting and counting votes.  A list of members should be available to enable members to have information on who can be nominated. Once the nomination period has expired the nominated candidates should confirm that they are prepared to serve as a Board member.  At this point information about the candidates can be published on the website or through relevant email communication.  Once the voting is declared open, members can cast their votes electronically using computers / smart phones up to the time the voting is closed.  The system should have additional functionality to ensure that members are eligible to vote and can vote only once.  Votes are counted electronically, the results published and members appointed.  All this can be done via the VOPE website if the functionality is included in the design of the website.

The two administration systems (supervised or remote) have different costs. Administering the voting through a meeting may appear low cost but more time and effort is required in supervising and counting votes.  Members may also incur travel costs.  An e-voting system may require an upfront fee but can save time in administration and counting.  – so the total cost of operating the voting administration system needs to be considered right from the start.

The voting administration system should allow the VOPE to:

  • Provide information about the members that can be nominated (members list)
  • Email / notify members of the nomination period and process
  • Open the nomination process
  • Allow members to nominate (checking against the membership database)
  • Store the nomination information
  • Close the nomination process
  • Notify potential candidates and ask whether they are willing to stand for the elections (checking against the membership database)
  • Provide information on nominated candidates
  • Email / notify members of the voting period and process
  • Open the voting process (checking against the membership database, allowing only active members to cast the determined number of votes)
  • Store voting information
  • Analyse and verify voting per nominee to confirm appointments
  • Publish results of voting (in a report, excel sheet)
  • Notify new Board members and confirm acceptance
  • Notify VOPE membership of confirmed appointees.

It is imperative that the steps for managing the system is clearly documented, for transparency and since turnover in staff is likely. Standard operating procedures for administering the voting process should be developed — clearly stipulating tasks, processes, roles and responsibilities.

Resources

Here are some software that may be helpful

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* Simply Voting is a web-based online voting system that will help you manage your elections easily and securely. Simply Voting: Online Election Perfection.  http://www.simplyvoting.com/. Once off or yearly fee dependent on number of members.

* Votenet offers  voting solutions for various types of organizations. Votenet Solution: Online voting.  http://www.votenet.com/online_voting.cfm . Proposal of costs can be requested online

* Helios offers an open source verifiable online voting system. Helios: Trust the Vote.  https://vote.heliosvoting.org/

ImageExamples

Here are some examples of Webpages and online nomination forms:

  • AES created a Board nomination form for their 2013/2014 board elections.

    AES: Call for nominations for Positions for the Board of AES for year 2013/2014.

    http://www.aes.asn.au/board.html

http://www.europeanevaluation.org/about-ees/ees-board-elections-2014.htm

FRENCH EXAMPLES 

Example

Exemples français des processus de vote et les règles:

ReBUSE_PV Election

SQEP Conseil d’administration – Société québéc

Ce site propose un tas de documents pour l’organisation de l’assemblée générale annuelle. Une partie des documents sont liés au processus électoral.

Assemblée générale annuelle 2014 – Amnistie internationale

Ceci est un exemple d’un document à envoyer à tous les membres pour que les personnes intéressées à être en mesure de communiquer leur intention de devenir membre du sanglier:

Conseil d’administration : déclaration candidature à un poste d’administrateur

Invitation to give Feedback

Have you used any of the resources recommended in this post? Tell others what you thought about it by leaving a comment below.

Acknowledgements, Licensing, Attributions

Full details about the acknowledgements, licensing and attributions of this content here.

Disclaimer

Note that depending on the size, development phase and purpose of your VOPE, the material presented in this post may need to be contextualised for your specific purposes. Also take note of the full toolkit disclaimer here.

June 1, 2014

2.6 Membership Management Systems

It is extremely important for a VOPE to make sure that it has actively involved and informed members.  The first aspect to be addressed is the membership policy statement.  Once this is clear the actual running of a membership administration system can be planned and implemented.  This post will provide some insight into the administration aspects of the VOPE member management system.

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Many existing VOPE’s make allowances for more than one type of member and differentiate the membership fees (if applicable) and benefits according to the member type.   Once the decisions about the types of members, their fees and benefits are made and documented in a membership policy statement (link here to member policy section), the other aspects for membership management that may need attention include:

  • Plan and setup up a member application / registration system and implement this,
  • Develop day-to -day membership operational procedures (standard operating policies) for maintaining and updating the membership data.

The remainder of this post will focus on the membership management system.

Informal networks might only require that members be added to an email distribution list, and the only administration that would be necessary is checking occasionally that all the bouncing email addresses are cleaned up. Service providers like Yahoo and Google and Facebook, amongst others, do provide automated listserv or group management options, where people can join or leave when they want to, without much intervention from an individual administrator.

More formalised VOPEs require members to provide some basic information about themselves and to pay a membership fee in order to become a member. It is possible to run a membership administration system with little more than paper based forms, an excel spreadsheet and a membership dues receipt book – but this has the drawback of requiring many hours of meticulous work from a person and the potential for errors to slip in, is huge. A better alternative would be to implement an automated system which runs off an online database and can automatically do more of the mundane tasks like issuing invoices, sending out reminders, etc. You will still require a person to manage the system, but the level of effort would be much lower, and it is likely that prospective members won’t be lost if they can’t get hold of the right person at the right time. Once a member has completed the application form, it would be necessary to consolidate the information into a central repository, in order to make sure that it is on hand if questions about membership is asked. Again –online systems make the collation into a central database very easy.

Other benefits of having an online membership application and administration system is that the information that members typically need – e.g. how to become a member, the cost of becoming a member, the benefits of membership can also be shared at the same time. If your VOPE has a web page, consider adding a module that has an online registration form. Remember to allow for different membership types in the application form and provide fee payment instructions and details. If you set up your form with some logic, it will prompt potential members to correct missing or incorrect information fields before submitting.

For membership administration databases, a VOPE generally has three options available:

  • Use paper or emailed forms to collect information, and have someone capture it in a separate spreadsheet (e.g. MSExcel) or database (E.g. MSAccess). This is often used as a starting point but ongoing management of the member information can become very cumbersome.
  • General purpose membership management databases and software systems.  This might be something as simple as the free Google Forms service,  or it may be a more customized membership administration service applicable to any organization with membership that are available at various costs. (See examples in the tools section).
  • A custom developed membership system for your specific VOPE integrated with your own website, and possibly a payment system. (An example of one such system is provided)

Bear in mind that if you go for a free or low cost service you are likely to have to spend more time in managing the membership system – so the total cost of operating the system is not necessarily apparent right from the start. In some cases it does make sense to pay for a more expensive system, and invest the time to get it set up for your purposes, because in the longer term it will save you time and money associated with administering the system, whilst also making sure that you don’t lose out potential members.  Especially if your organization is going to rely on volunteers to do the work of the VOPE, you would want to have a membership management system that is automated as much as possible.

A full specification membership system would allow you to:

  • Add a new member (some information to store – personal info, membership type, membership fees, join date), or multiple members from the same organization,
  • Store information on membership fees received and transaction dates
  • Update details of a current member (e.g. change email address)
  • Notify member of active / not active membership status
  • Deactivate member when membership expires or upon request of member
  • Provide automated receipts and invoices
  • Provide membership reports – for review by the person responsible for membership

Irrespective of the system you choose, bear in mind that you still would need a process for managing the information.  Standard operating procedures for maintaining the membership database should be developed clearly stipulating tasks, processes, roles and responsibilities.  If you are using part time or volunteer staff to manage your system, it is imperative that the steps for managing the system is clearly documented, since turnover in staff is likely.

Resources

ImageTools and Toolkits

Here is a list of tools and toolkits applicable to membership management:

* The Association Hub (as quoted from their website) provides “subject specific toolkits across a variety of topics designed to improve your association success and sustainability. The Association Hub – Toolkits: Member Research and Feedback. http://associationhub.com/membership-research-feedback-short.html

* Here is a toolkit with advice and links to potential tools you can use to store the membership data. The Idealware Website (www.idealware.org) provides information for Nonprofits to make software decisions. Idealware: A Few Good Tools: Low Cost Constituent Databases. http://www.idealware.org/articles/fgt_low_cost_dbs.php

ImageSoftware

Here is a friendly description about how to set up google forms for your VOPE’s data collection purposes.

* How to Make Forms, Surveys, and Quizzes in Google Docs By MarziahKarch. Accessed online 21 February 2014 from:http://google.about.com/od/toolsfortheoffice/ss/forms_googledoc.htm?p=1

* Tendenci is an open source software that provides your Association with a website capable of managing for example your memberships. tendenci.com – Membership Management Software. http://tendenci.com/tendenci-membership-management/

ImageExamples

Here are some examples of Webpages and online application forms

* The Community of Evaluators (CoE) is a platform that facilitates knowledge exchange between parties interested in evaluation in the South Asian region.  They have webpages with information on benefits of the different member types and links to an enrolment process. COE: Individual membership. Click here to enrol as an Individual Member. Accessed online on 21 February 2014 from: http://communityofevaluators.org/benefits

* SAMEA created a webpage with membership information as well as a link on the page that directs potential members to an online registration form. They have opted to develop their own membership management system using a private contractor. SAMEA MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES. JOIN us now and benefit from the huge discounts you get on SAMEA workshop and seminar fees and the SAMEA Conference fees Accessed online on 21 February 2014 from: http://www.samea.org.za/samea-6.phtml or link to the application development contractor http://www.dits-sa.com/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=4&pid=7

 

FRENCH EXAMPLES

Example

Voici quelques exemples de pages Web et les formulaires de demande en ligne:

ReBUSE_Carte de membre 

Devenir membre de la Société québécoise SQEP

Ce site est sur ​​les exigences juridiques de la gestion des membres. En outre, il propose un modèle de l’engagement des membres:

Comment enregistrer les adhésions dans votre association loi 1901

 

Invitation to give Feedback

Have you used any of the resources recommended in this post? Tell others what you thought about it by leaving a comment below.

Acknowledgements, Licensing, Attributions

Full details about the acknowledgements, licensing and attributions of this content here.

Disclaimer

Note that depending on the size, development phase and purpose of your VOPE, the material presented in this post may need to be contextualised for your specific purposes. Also take note of the full toolkit disclaimer here.

June 1, 2014

2.4 Developing a Social Media Presence for the VOPE

ImageDescription

Social media is a cost-effective way of disseminating your content and creating increased visibility for your VOPE.  There are several types of social media to choose from, including blogs (e.g. WordPress), microblogging (e.g. Twitter, Weibo), social networks (most notably Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn), media/photo sharing (e.g. Youtube, Flickr, Pinterest; Instagram); social news (e.g. Reddit, Digg and Leakernet), mobile applications (e.g. WhatsApp), wikis (Wikipedia, Wikia), document repositories (e.g. Scribd, Doocu), online magazines (e.g. Paper.li, Issuu, Flipboard, Rebelmouse) and bookmarking sites (e.g. StumbleUpon; Delicious).

It is usually a good idea to start off with a social media platform that is easy to manage and not that resource intensive to maintain and then to progress towards media that require more time or funds to manage over time.  Most well developed VOPEs have a Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn presence to start off with. Depending on your VOPE’s needs, communications plan and resources (mostly a pair of hands to moderate and post content), any or all of these media can be used with great success and is more user friendly than you think.

Some things to consider:

The establishment of your VOPE’s social media identity (including VOPE logo) should not infringe on any international or local copyright or duplicate another entity;

  • Basic rules (Terms of Use or Terms of Service) are very important when operating in the social media space – make sure that you have some ground rules for platform’s content, membership and usage.  Your basic rules should be drafted before you create any social media profile for your VOPE and should be easily accessible to members of your groups/profiles, these rules can mature into a social media policy later on;
  • If you have a website, make  sure that you cross post content to your social media platforms and vice versa to save time and resources, a simple service like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Zapier or IFTTT can help you set up automatic shares across platforms;
  • It is advisable that at least two dependable individuals have access to your  VOPE’s social media usernames and passwords  – individuals tend to forget/misplace passwords;
  • When creating your VOPE’s group “identity” on platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook, consider whether you want to form open (accessible to the general public) or closed (by invitation only) groups. Public profiles will give your VOPE more exposure but requires more work to manage and maintain, whereas closed groups limit your online presence but is relatively hassle-free. It is possible to use different “identities” on different platforms, though this should be clearly communicated to your users.
  • If you are unable to remove abusive users yourself, report any forms of abuse in violation with the Terms of Use/ Terms of Service to the site administrators immediately;
  • Keep content on social media platforms current – it is advisable to rather have two active profiles than ten semi-active and outdated ones; and
  • Prominently display your VOPE’s contact details where possible – donations and volunteerism is a great social media spinoff
  • When using paid services, e.g. web-hosting, mail hosting, premium paid social media options, etc. keep track of expiration dates of these services, whether they auto-renew and which payment details are linked to them.

Ideally, you would want to eventually move towards some form of automation if your VOPE is running multiple social media profiles; a social media dashboard which combines all of these different accounts in one place might be an option to consider and will lessen the workload considerably. Alternatively, you could opt to use volunteers or interns to manage your social media presence, but keep track of who has what type of right to post and alter your social media profiles.

To read more:

* TOP RESOURCE: The Nonprofit resource Center provides free access to the Nonprofit Toolkit in which how-to guides on various social media platforms are unpacked.  It also provides VOPEs with detailed instructions on how to develop and implement a social media strategy.  Although geared towards a US based audience, the universalism of technological concepts will require minimal customization. The Nonprofit Toolkit. Social Media Resources for Nonprofits. “How To” Guides for Using Social Media. Accessed online on 26 February 2014 at: http://www.oneoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Social-Media-Resources-for-Nonprofits.pdf

ImageTools

 

* Ramblers, a non-profit organization based in the UK, has put together a generic Social Media Toolkit which contains sections on how to moderate, engage with users and deal with negative and abusive comments – essential skills when managing your VOPE’s online presence. Social Media Toolkit. Accessed online on 26 February 2014 at:  http://www.ramblers.org.uk/volunteer-zone/volunteer-toolkits/social-media-toolkit.aspx

* Hootsuite is a social media dashboard that allows you to manage/integrate different social media profiles and platforms (including mobile apps) from one convenient central location. It has a handy analytics feature that will help you customize your content to fit your audience’s needs.  The basic package is free of charge. Hootsuite Social Network Management. Accessed online on 26 February 2014 at:  https://hootsuite.com/features/social-networks alternatively http://www.searchenginejournal.com/top-10-tools-managing-social-media-accounts/87843/

* Confused by all the different forms of social media? Help is on the way in the form of a short  video: What is Social Media? In Simple English. Accessed online on 26 February 2014 at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ8J3IHhn8A

* The Legacy Foundation has put together a guide for creating a social media policy and takes you through key elements  of social media management. Nonprofit Social Media Policy Workbook. Accessed online on 26 February 2014 at:  http://www.legacyfdn.org/PDFs/Social%20Media%20Wkbk.pdf

 

ImageExamples

Here are some examples that might come in handy in setting up your VOPE’s social media accounts:

  •  Terms of Service: WordPress has made their Terms of Service available for use by other organizations and requires a moderate level of customization.  WordPress Terms of Service. Accessed online on 26 February 2014 at: http://en.wordpress.com/tos/
  • Wikipedia:  The American Evaluation Association’s Wikipedia entry is a good example of typical VOPE related content that can be added to the site free of charge. American Evaluation Association Wikipedia Entry. Accessed online on 26 February 2014 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Evaluation_Association

 

FRENCH EXAMPLES

Example

Ce guide présente les différents médias sociaux et la meilleure façon de les utiliser. Il expose également la nécessité d’une stratégie de médias sociaux et des exemples:

L’ABC des médias sociaux pour les organismes sans but lucratif

Ce document présente un aperçu des risques liés aux médias sociaux:

Gérer les risques des médias sociaux

Ce document présente la plupart des médias sociaux et d’identifier les meilleures pratiques liées à leur utilisation:

Tout ce que vous avez toujours voulu savoir sur les médias sociaux sans jamais oser le demander

 

Invitation to give Feedback

Have you used any of the resources recommended in this post? Tell others what you thought about it by leaving a comment below.

Acknowledgements, Licensing, Attributions

Full details about the acknowledgements, licensing and attributions of this content here.

Disclaimer

Note that depending on the size, development phase and purpose of your VOPE, the material presented in this post may need to be contextualized for your specific purposes. Also take note of the full toolkit disclaimer here.

 

June 1, 2014

2.3 Developing an Online Presence for the VOPE – Website

ImageDescription

In many instances, a VOPE’s website is its flagship product.  It is usually a good idea to start off with a page that meets your basic needs and then add additional modules to the site as your VOPE matures and gains additional resources.

First Things First

You can register and pay for your VOPE’s domain (a once off fee and usually annual or bi-annual payment renewal) and website hosting (usually monthly or annual fee) yourself, or include it in your web developer’s contract.  Most VOPEs choose an .org domain as it is associated with non-profit organizations.

You can either take the open source or proprietary route in terms of web development.  Keep in mind that proprietary solutions are more expensive but support and skills sets are more readily available, whereas open source solutions at the outset are more cost effective.  Make sure that the relevant support and skills set for your choice is available in your local market.

Keep in mind that, just like a database, a website has a “front and back-end”.  The back-end constitutes the administrative tools, membership database, archived content etc. that is linked to the front (user end) of the website. Both these aspects should ideally be included in the website Terms of Reference for contractual and change control purposes. Technical specifications, maintenance requirements, content creation and content management should be specified as clearly as possible.

Most VOPE website design caters for sections on the VOPE itself (board, policies, membership – becoming a member and some sort of membership directory, reports, and minutes), training and job opportunities, newsletter and listserv signups, information for donor or volunteers, resources, events and news.  The inclusion of good search functionality will enhance the user friendliness of your website considerably. Other forms of social media (e.g. links to Twitter and Facebook) are usually also embedded in the website.  If resources allow, consider embedding a full membership management module (automatic membership expiration notifications, links to membership payments, voting eligibility etc.) and an online board voting module into your website, creating an electronic audit trail for these important VOPE management functions.

The procurement and Terms of Reference for any web development should be in line with the VOPE’s procurement policy.  Consider whether you want to /imbed Mobile or other technology to the website’s development, and remember to include browser/operating system compatibility testing in the Terms of Reference.

Managing the VOPE Website

It is advisable to design the website in such a way that VOPE members can easily add and edit content.  There are various user friendly website toolkits available that can be incorporated into your site to enable content management.  As with social media and listservs, various administration related functions and membership information (usually only partially searchable unless the member indicates otherwise) should always be password protected in line with your VOPE’s Privacy Policy.

There are multiple tools available to assist in managing website content. Generating and keeping website content current are usually the most labour intensive task of managing a website. Crowdsourcing/communities of practice – contributions/collaborations/peer review functions from fellow online members can add great value to a website – but, as with a listserv,  it can potentially require time and effort to moderate responses if open to the general public.  There are drawbacks to closing sections of a website off to members only – the content in these sections are often not detectable by search engines, which in turn generates less traffic to your site.  The counter argument is that members-only sections of a website (particularly job and training opportunities) might encourage a higher membership subscription.

Managing content created by third parties, whether VOPE members or not, requires documented rules and guidelines in the form of a website policy.  Care should be taken to review content for appropriateness, copyright infringement etc.

Creating Traffic to your  Website and Website Analytics

Link exchanges/business directories are the most common way of diverting additional traffic to your site.  Many VOPES/other organizations will agree to post a link/information to and of your website on theirs and vice versa.  Another user friendly method to generate traffic is search engine optimization. For well-resourced VOPEs, most major search engines have a pay per click option where your website search ranking is increased in exchange for – often not so cheap – rates.  The more relevant content and keywords your website contains, the higher your search engine ranking will be, so the pay per click is not really necessary for non-commercial ventures.

Website Analytics will assist you in tracking your users (demographics), which pages are most popular, how often they visit and many other useful titbits without infringing your visitor’s privacy.

Some reading and resources:

* TOP RESOURCE:  Free Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Toolkit developed by Microsoft Web. The SEO Toolkit with its detailed analysis and search engine friendly suggestions helps improve the relevance of your website in search results. Did I mention it was free? Free SEO Toolkit Accessed online 27/02/2014 from:  http://www.microsoft.com/web/seo/

ImageTools

 

* The Association Hub has put together a Communities of Practice Toolkit which is available for purchase since early in 2014. Toolkits: Communities of Practice. Accessed online 26/02/2014 from:  http://associationhub.com/communities-of-practice-short.html

* Mashable  has identified 13 potential tools to test multiple browsers across multiple platforms and resolutions, most of which are available free/ at a minimal cost – a great time- and headache saver if you are going the DIY website design route. 13 Essential Tools to Check Cross-Browser Compatibility. Accessed online 26/02/2014 from:  http://mashable.com/2014/02/26/browser-testing-tools/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link

* Open Source Content Management Software to assist you in updating your website content. 30 Day Free Trial Available. Tendenci Content Management. Accessed online 27/02/2014 from:  http://tendenci.com/cms-content-management/

* Easy domain registration from GoDaddy at reasonable prices. GoDaddy find a Domain. Accessed online 27/02/14 from: http://za.godaddy.com/ or  http://za.godaddy.com/domains/search-new2.aspx

* Free of charge Piwik Analytics  is a PHP MySQL based service that provides detailed reports on your websites and visitors (open source alternative to Google Analytics ) Piwik  – Liberating Web Analytics OR Google Analytics. Accessed online 27/02/14 from:  http://piwik.org/ or  http://www.google.co.za/analytics/

* Capterra has put together a list of top Association Management Software Products with a short description and link to each. Top Association Management Software Products. Accessed online 27/02/14 from:  www.capterra.com/association-management-software

* Tendenci Business Directory software to share and manage VOPE partner information on your website. Business Directory Software. Accessed online 27/02/14 from:  http://tendenci.com/tendenci-business-directories/

* A free eBook on mapping online media strategies, specifically geared towards non-profits.  Mapping your Online Media Strategies: A guide for non-profits. Accessed online 27/02/14 from:  http://nonprofit-network.org/

 

ExampleExamples

* Open Source Website Development Terms of Reference from the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) SAMEA Website Terms of Reference. Accessed online 26/02/2014 from:

* The SAMEA website design is a good example of a modular open source website design. South African Monitoring Evaluation Association (SAMEA) Website. Accessed online 26/02/2014 from: www.samea.org.za

* The SAMEA and African Evaluation Associations’ (AfrEA) membership directories could give you some ideas about layout and design. SAMEA Membership Directory. And African Evaluation Association Members. Accessed online 26/02/2014 from:http://www.samea.org.za/index.php?module=pagesetter&tid=2 or  http://www.afrea.org/?q=page/members

* Example of a Login page from the Australasian Evaluation Association . Login Page (AEA). Accessed online 26/02/2014 from:  http://www.aes.asn.au/component/users/?view=login

* Example from the European Evaluation Society (EES)’s website – Listing of Institutional Members. ESS Institutional Members. Accessed online 27/02/14 from:  http://www.europeanevaluation.org/community/ees-institutional-members.htm

* The Australasian Evaluation Society Consultant directory registration form. Register to be included in the Consultants’ directory. Accessed online 27/02/14 from:  http://www.aes.asn.au/services/consultants-directory/register-to-be-included-in-the-consultants-directory.html

* Search Functionality for listed evaluators on the American Evaluation Association’s Website. Find an Evaluator. Accessed online 27/02/14 from: http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=108

* The Australasian Evaluation Society Consultant Directory. Consultant’s Directory. Accessed online 27/02/14 from: http://www.aes.asn.au/consultants-directory.html

 

FRENCH EXAMPLES

Example

Ce site présente les risques liés à la création et la gestion d’un site web (compatibilité, type d’appareils):

Comment fait-on pour créer des sites web. 

Cette page offre des conseils sur la façon de gérer un site Web sur une base quotidienne:

Comment bien gérer son site internet au quotidien

Cette page explique comment créer un site Web et comment le mettre en ligne:

Créer un site web

 

Invitation to give Feedback

Have you used any of the resources recommended in this post? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Acknowledgements, Licensing, Attributions

Find details about the acknowledgements, licensing and attributions of this content here.

Disclaimer

Note that depending on the size, development phase and purpose of your VOPE, the material presented in this post may need to be contextualized for your specific purposes. Also take note of the full toolkit disclaimer here.

 

June 1, 2014

2.2 Email Communication for the VOPE

ImageDescription

Setting up a Listserv (mailing list) is one of the easiest and most cost effective (read free) start-up requirements of a VOPE.  Mailing lists are popular because VOPE members access and pass on information via their email, a medium that most people are comfortable with.  The drawback with a typical listserv is that you are not always able to search for information as easily (it comes down to searching through a ton of email). There is commercial listserv software available, for which there are free versions that support up to 500 recipients. Popular paid listserv software with free versions available examples are L-soft Listserv and Groupmail Free. However, their functionality is replicated just as efficiently by free online applications such as Yahoo Groups and/or Google Groups.

It is also possible to set up a distribution list in Microsoft Outlook, but poses the risk that your entire listserv is usually located on a local computer and not online, risking all if the computer crashes. Depending on your email provider there might also be a limit to the number of recipients per email or in time.

Any listserv requires some degree of management – approving requests to join and post, removing and banning members, managing spam and legitimate mail stuck in spam filters, and appointing moderators to assist in managing the listserv. Content moderation is the most important of these management duties.  Although most platforms hosting these free listservs (e.g. Yahoo, Gmail etc.) have their own user agreements, it is imperative that you also document your own VOPE’s set of rules for the mailing list.  It is also important to keep content relevant to the scope of your VOPE, as even the most well-managed listservs get spammed with inappropriate content from time to time.

Keep in mind that no one should receive your mails unless they have requested them explicitly, and there should be a very clear and user friendly unsubscribe / opt-out process.  Once your members have joined one of your mailing lists, you must obtain their explicit permission to add them to other lists, even if these lists are also M&E or VOPE related.

The ideal is a listserv with the search capability of an online forum – it is a good idea to imbed your mailing list functionality into the Terms of Reference  for your website development or forum – and the advantages of taking this approach are multiple:

Your membership module can be directly linked to your mailing list – when a member updates their email on their membership profile, your mailing list is automatically updated;

  • The listserv is more easily managed from a central location instead of having to log in elsewhere;
  • You can more readily search for specific themes/topics if the mailing lists, can do more complicated searches and
  • As explained in the Website Section of the VOPE toolkit, an embedded mailing list will generate content for your website which will, in turn, automatically improve your website’s search engine ranking.

To read more:

* TOP RESOURCE: Running a Yahoo Group Listserv is Free – this brilliant Guide by GO! Onderwijs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap takes you through all the essentials.

* How to use Yahoo! Groups. Accessed online 18/03/2014 from: http://www.ginconet.eu/sites/default/files/conferences/izmir/presentations/P-W2.1-How_to_use_yahoo_groups.pdf

Tools

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* wikiHow has put together a step by step instruction guide on how to create a Listserv in Gmail (Free). How to make a Mailing List in Gmail. Accessed online 18/03/2014 from: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Mailing-List-in-Gmail

* A YouTube video on how to create a mailing list subscription pop-up from your blog or website. How to create a mailing list subscription pop up from your blog or website using Mail Chimp. Accessed online 18/03/2014 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76jzGPwHMD8

* readwrite has put together a Non-Profits Web Toolkit which contains information on various free listservs, including Google, Yahoo Topica, CircleUp, CitizenSpeak, and some paid options like Groundspring.  The toolkit Includes an overview of email list tools. Non-profits Web Tool Kit. Accessed online 18/03/2014 from: http://readwrite.com/2007/09/13/non-profits_web_tool_kit#awesm=~oySJ8ONhydwix5

* If all else fails – Microsoft Outlook allows for the creation of a Contact Group (distribution list). Create and Edit a Contact Group (formerly distribution list). Accessed online 18/03/2014 from: http://office.microsoft.com/en-za/outlook-help/create-and-edit-a-contact-group-formerly-distribution-lists-HA010354963.aspx

Examples

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Here are some examples that will be useful in managing your Listserv:

  • The American Evaluation Association (AEA) is a good example of an organization which has embedded their email archive in their website:  The American Evaluation Association Email Archives. Accessed online 18/03/2014        http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs014/1100694346064/archive/1101943350484.html
  • The South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) have put together rules and regulations for their Listserve and can be modified for your VOPE. SAMEA List Serve Rules. Accessed online 18/03/2014          http://www.samea.org.za/samea-5.phtml

 

FRENCH RESOURCES

Software

Cette page explique comment envoyer un e-mail personnalisé sans avoir à les gérer un par un:

Utiliser le processus de fusion et publipostage pour envoyer des messages électroniques personnalisés à votre liste d’adresses de messagerie

Ce site offre des conseils sur la façon de gérer des listes de diffusion efficace:

Les listes de diffusion : L’infrastructure technique

D’autres exemples:

Créer et gérer des listes de diffusion

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 Acknowledgements, Licensing, Attributions

Full details about the acknowledgements, licensing and attributions of this content here.

 Disclaimer

Note that depending on the size, development phase and purpose of your VOPE, the material presented in this post may need to be contextualised for your specific purposes. Also take note of the full toolkit disclaimer here.