Improving All for Good: We Need Your Feedback!

It’s the holiday season – a moment of reflection as we look back on the year that passed and gaze forward at the year ahead.  All for Good remains a young startup in every respect.  Its hard to believe that our launch took place less than six months ago!  We are proud of what we have been able to achieve in a short period of time.  However, make no mistake, we still have lots of room for improvement.

To that end, we really need ideas, suggestions, thoughts, etc.  UserVoice has been a good forum to solicit ideas on new product features and functionality.  We review it on a regular basis, so please keep this feedback coming!   We hope that you will let us know how we can do better.

For time being, we are heads-down and planning ahead for a productive 2010.  We want to stick to our mission – to enable more people to serve – and to do so while supporting all our varied partners as much as possible.

One item that we want to undertake right away is to streamline the Terms of Service (TOS) for API partners.  Our partners at Volunteer Match brought to our attention the fact that our API appeared to require partners to “sublicense” our data.  Such a request would violate the terms of the specific version of the Creative Commons License (CCL) that governs our use of VolunteerMatch listings.  This claim prompted a deeper review of our API TOS further revealed that it contained some unnecessary language that we could shed without comprising the TOS itself.  Moreover, they also informed us that some API executions do not comply with the CCL requirements around attribution.

We are preparing to make some changes in early 2010.  Per the earlier point, we plan to eliminate the sublicense reference and delete other superfluous requirements such as the compliance with the  Google Base terms of service (this was a legacy issue that became obsolete after we integrated SOLR into our platform).  We also will be visiting with API partners to remind them of the need for CCL compliance.   As we plan to take these steps, we wanted to notify the public (you!) and open a channel of conversation.

Do you have other ideas about how we could improve All for Good and our API TOS?  If so, please let us know.  Feel free to add comments to this post.  You also could offer thoughts on UserVoice, especially if they are related to the core product.  Again, before we move ahead, we want to hear from you.

In closing, hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.  We wish you all the best for a productive and prosperous 2010.

Best,

Jonathan

Giving Back during the Holidays

Looking for a way to give back this holiday season?  Why not give the gift of ‘you’ to someone in need by volunteering?  The holidays are a great time to get involved in special outreach programs, find out about local volunteer organizations, and get to know other members of your community.

The Salvation Army always runs programs during this time of year, including toy drives, food bank support, and events to help the homeless.  Toys for Tots is currently seeking volunteers across the US.  Visit their site to find out about nearby drop-off locations and opportunities to get involved.  If you live in Boston or Philly, you might check out Cradles to Crayons which is a wonderful group that needs donations and labor to help bring school supplies and toys to children.

We salute the effort by the White House to expand the United We Serve campaign to encourage people to stamp out hunger during the holiday season.   Check out the toolkit posted online at serve.gov to learn more about how you can take personal steps to make an impact and alleviate hunger in your community.

Most people choose to volunteer on issues that have affected people we love.  Its unfortunate that so many of us know people who have suffered from HIV/AIDS.  It truly remains a global epidemic.  The world commemorated World AIDS Day this week, and many of the groups doing meaningful work to combat the disease need help, particularly during this time of year.  Our friends at google.org launched a useful microsite for World AIDS Day earlier this week that provides helpful suggestions on how to get involved (including All for Good!) so you might check that out.

Monetary donations can also be a great way to give back for those who might not have the time to volunteer.  Online sites such as JustGive.org and WorldVision offer a wide range of charitable organizations and causes that users can donate to.  Our friends at GlobalGiving and Universal Giving make it possible donate to organizations and projects online.   Try Changing the Present to give a very specific item in the name of a friend or loved one – while making a difference along the way.

If you care about improving schools here in the US (and who doesn’t!), we recommend DonorsChoose.  If you want to support education and literacy efforts overseas, visit Room to Read, an organization doing Carnegie-esque work around the world.  We also are intrigued by Vittana, a new service that allows you to help fund student loans in developing countries through person-to-person micro-lending.  Its an innovation on the Kiva model which we also love.

Finally, we are big fans of Network for Good, the nonprofit coalition that pioneered online donations.  They continue to do some of the most impressive work in the field to enable donations across the Internet.  And NFG CEO Bill Strathmann sits on our board, so we will take this opportunity to give a shout-out to his organization.

All for Good wants to inspire all Americans to donate something – their talent, their time, their capital – during this holiday season to support  the cause of their choice.  Help us make this goal a reality by spreading the word to your friends and family.  ‘Tis the season for giving… and volunteering!

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