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Nonprofit Commons in Second Life Through the Nonprofit Commons project, TechSoup is assembling a community of nonprofits in Second Life to help lower the barriers of access to this emerging virtual world

Nonprofit Commons in Second Life Through this community, we provide free office space to qualifying groups, hold meetings, create a cooperative supportive learning environment and foster outreach, education, fundraising, all in a virtual space. Our goal is to create a learning community of practice for nonprofits to explore and learn about the virtual world, and to investigate the many ways in which nonprofits can utilize this unique environment.

Through this community, we provide free office space to qualifying groups, hold meetings, create a cooperative supportive learning environment and foster outreach, education, fundraising, all in a virtual space.

Our goal is to create a learning community of practice for nonprofits to explore and learn about the virtual world, and to investigate the many ways in which nonprofits can utilize this unique environment.

300 Total Members Over 60 Countries represented among NPC participants 1300 people attended 40 meetings in world 79 unique avatars attended since Mar 2007 32 NPC Tenant Organizations 1143 unique visitors to the NPC Blog 100 avatars in world and 70 people in the RL room at the Mixed Reality Event REACH Key Performance Metrics

300 Total Members

Over 60 Countries represented among NPC participants

1300 people attended 40 meetings in world

79 unique avatars attended since Mar 2007

32 NPC Tenant Organizations

1143 unique visitors to the NPC Blog

100 avatars in world and 70 people in the RL room at the Mixed Reality Event

Leadership and assistance through virtual community organizing In-world Meetings Wiki Website/community blog NPSL tag Management steering committee group Directory of Nonprofits in SL Branding as NPO experts and advisors to all new orgs in-world

In-world Meetings

Wiki

Website/community blog

NPSL tag

Management steering committee group

Directory of Nonprofits in SL

Branding as NPO experts and advisors to all new orgs in-world

Raising public awareness of Nonprofits in Second Life through the media . . . New York Times Contribute Magazine – Cover Story in Upcoming September Issue New Scientist – Upcoming September Issue Launch Squad KQED California Report Nonprofit Times- Upcoming Issue

New York Times

Contribute Magazine – Cover Story in Upcoming September Issue

New Scientist – Upcoming September Issue

Launch Squad

KQED California Report

Nonprofit Times- Upcoming Issue

. . . and at Conferences across the country SuperNova , San Francisco 2007 Games4Change, New York 2007 SLCC , San Francisco 2006 & Chicago 2007 BlogHerSL Conference , 2007 Online Community UnConference , Silicon Valley 2007 Northern California Grantmakers Briefing , San Francisco, 2007 California Association of Nonprofits Conference , Upcoming Fall 2007

SuperNova , San Francisco 2007

Games4Change, New York 2007

SLCC , San Francisco 2006 & Chicago 2007

BlogHerSL Conference , 2007

Online Community UnConference , Silicon Valley 2007

Northern California Grantmakers Briefing , San Francisco, 2007

California Association of Nonprofits Conference , Upcoming Fall 2007

Real wealth, virtual philanthropy, and the birth of the Nonprofit Commons The Commons was generously donated by Anshe Chung, the first person to become a millionaire in RL, by selling virtual goods and services. Guntram Graef, Anshe's partner, attended the SLCC last year and saw my talk on NPOs and SL. Following the talk, he offered me the management and ownership of the Nonprofit Commons, provided we select the groups and keep the space active. Launched in August 2007, 32 organizations currently building out their free office spaces. We have a plan to grow and expand!

The Commons was generously donated by Anshe Chung, the first person to become a millionaire in RL, by selling virtual goods and services.

Guntram Graef, Anshe's partner, attended the SLCC last year and saw my talk on NPOs and SL.

Following the talk, he offered me the management and ownership of the Nonprofit Commons, provided we select the groups and keep the space active.

Launched in August 2007,

32 organizations currently building out their free office spaces.

We have a plan to grow and expand!

NPC provides virtual offices to 32 organizations in a community setting

A Valuable tool for Nonprofits It costs virtually nothing to build a location in Second Life. Nonprofits can use the tool to raise funds (for example, the American Cancer Society's virtual Relay 4 Life just raised $115,000 Second Life offers a safe and anonymous means of self-expression. Second Life provides a space for the impossible to happen (for example, Simon Stevens, Community liaison and SL group Wheelies (disability nightclub) [June issue of newsweek] a group of adults with disabilities use SL interact in an environment without the physical constraints they experience in the real world). By meeting people in world you are reducing emissions and your carbon footprint

It costs virtually nothing to build a location in Second Life.

Nonprofits can use the tool to raise funds (for example, the American Cancer Society's virtual Relay 4 Life just raised $115,000

Second Life offers a safe and anonymous means of self-expression.

Second Life provides a space for the impossible to happen (for example, Simon Stevens, Community liaison and SL group Wheelies (disability nightclub) [June issue of newsweek] a group of adults with disabilities use SL interact in an environment without the physical constraints they experience in the real world).

By meeting people in world you are reducing emissions and your carbon footprint

NPC tenants in Action: Information, Communication, and Inspiration Support Groups (for ex.AA,NA,Transgender Resource ctr.) Awareness-building Fundraising Teaching/Learning new graphics/building skills Demonstrating the impossible (A human heart sim built as a proof of concept experiment by Jeremy Kemp the host of SimTeach, a comm. for educators using virtual environments ) Creating Community far and wide w/International orgs

Support Groups (for ex.AA,NA,Transgender Resource ctr.)

Awareness-building

Fundraising

Teaching/Learning new graphics/building skills

Demonstrating the impossible (A human heart sim built as a proof of concept experiment by Jeremy Kemp the host of SimTeach, a comm. for educators using virtual environments )

Creating Community far and wide w/International orgs

Opportunities for Partnership Increase NPC capacity Build Reusable Tools Conduct 2 Awareness and Action Campaigns Organize Events both Virtual and Mixed Reality Foster a SL Developer Network for Nonprofits Evaluate Impact of Virtual Community in NPC

Increase NPC capacity

Build Reusable Tools

Conduct 2 Awareness and Action Campaigns

Organize Events both Virtual and Mixed Reality

Foster a SL Developer Network for Nonprofits

Evaluate Impact of Virtual Community in NPC

Goal 1: Increase NPC Capacity Develop additional sims Build office space for 100-300 organizations. Recruit new members Continue to refine weekly meetings and how-to workshops (as currently)

Develop additional sims

Build office space for 100-300 organizations.

Recruit new members

Continue to refine weekly meetings and how-to workshops (as currently)

Goal 2: Build Repeatable tools Virtual Volunteer Tour HUD and Kiosks Further Develop Nonprofit Starter-Kit “Office in a Box” Provide Resource Lists, How-tos, and Best practice Guides

Virtual Volunteer Tour HUD and Kiosks

Further Develop Nonprofit Starter-Kit “Office in a Box”

Provide Resource Lists, How-tos, and Best practice Guides

Organize at least 2 Campaigns with Nonprofit Commons Participants Campaigns should raise awareness of important issues Campaigns should provide means for immediate action Example: Virtual Gitmo, Bali conference, on climate change in December, working with OneWorld.net and One Climate island Goal 3: Organize Action & Awareness Campaigns

Organize at least 2 Campaigns with Nonprofit Commons Participants

Campaigns should raise awareness of important issues

Campaigns should provide means for immediate action

Example: Virtual Gitmo,

Bali conference, on climate change in December, working with OneWorld.net and One Climate island

Hold Virtual Events in-world Help Nonprofits produce events Hold Mixed Reality Events at RL conferences such as Netsquared or Council on Foundations Goal 4: Host Virtual and Mixed Reality Events

Hold Virtual Events in-world

Help Nonprofits produce events

Hold Mixed Reality Events at RL conferences such as Netsquared or Council on Foundations

Spur innovation by providing honorariums to volunteer SL Developers Support special scripting and SL development Goal 5: Foster a SL Developer Network for Nonprofits

Spur innovation by providing honorariums to volunteer SL Developers

Support special scripting and SL development

Goal 6: Evaluate Impact of virtual community in NPC Mine existing data such as extensive meeting transcripts, usage data, interviews. Conduct discourse analysis to determine how people are communicating, what strategies work well in which situations Conduct Open ended interviews Conduct Random surveys Sandy Anderson of ASU conduct discourse analysis to document impact of virtual community in NPC

Mine existing data such as extensive meeting transcripts, usage data, interviews.

Conduct discourse analysis to determine how people are communicating, what strategies work well in which situations

Conduct Open ended interviews

Conduct Random surveys

Sandy Anderson of ASU conduct discourse analysis to document impact of virtual community in NPC

Contact Susan Tenby Senior Manager -Online Community Devlopment, TechSoup Network susan@techsoup.org (415) 633-9333 SL avatar: Glitteractica Cookie http:// www.nonprofitcommons.org http:// npsl.wikispaces.com /