Yap-Take voicemail to the cloud (and gain analytics)

I'm a busy person.  I volunteer, I consult, and I run a nonprofit.  I don't always have time to answer the phone and when I return phone calls, I like to know how to prioritize.  Yap helps with that.  I've used Google Voice (free numbers are nice), but I wanted to give something else a whirl.  I like that I can text/email the caller back. 

Vertical Response: Email Marketing for Nonprofits (and others)

There are so many email marketing services out there: Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, etc.  Why should a nonprofit go with Vertical Response?  Because they have a free program that allows up to 10,000 emails per month and nice discounts on other services (postcards, surveys).  I'm also a fan of their marketing education library, which can be useful too.  A 98% delivery rate isn't bad either. Neither is social media integration. 

MailChimp: Reliving my youth through email

The Mailchimp logo looks like a cousin of Curious George.  I fell in love instantly.  Not only can I use it for free to create mailing lists of under 2,000 people and 12,000 emails/month, but the emails can include co-branding, social stats, facebook integration, templates and more.  It's also Storify friendly. This is perfect for enterepreneurs, startups and small nonprofits.

Freecycle---the originator

Freecycle: How Do I love Thee, Let Me Count the Ways:

1. Free
2. Local
3. Free
4. Where else can I get a free stove, groupon that expires tonight (since I didn't have a stove), cell phone charger, lemon tree, clothes, books, DVD, carpeting, AND scissors?
5.  Can be used within my worksite so I can give and get items from co-workers
6. I'm going green
7. You're finally outta Yahoo! Groups
8. I can get stuff for my favorite nonprofit or school's classroom
9. You kick people out for trying to sell and warn us from posting our newly acquired goodies on Ebay (shame on those who do!)
10. Did I mention free?
11. You're always looking for moderators (newly acquired job skill)

SwapTreasures: Barter, Trade, Swap

I love a site that runs a contest and Swap Treasures runs a $25 monthly giveaway.  Don't scoff...it's half a tank of gas! Register for free, gain access to the items and services you want.  It's a fairly new site and so I'm giving it time to grow before I make a final decision. Downside: they don't give as much information up front as other sites.

U-Exchange: Sway just about anything

You can search for items around the world using U-Exchange. They're up front about spotlight advertising by businesses, which is a plus in my book.  It helps keep the site free. I like that my email isn't available and that we have to use verification codes to post/send email.  People have pretty neat items they want to get rid of and I don't have to pay to browse listings (window shop before you ask for items). People even trade services. 

Flip Video--Ever wanted to design the camera casing?

Flip Video sells camcorders created by Cisco that are pretty cute.  They're small, plug into the computer without a cord and are being given away to nonprofits.  They're perfect for shooting videos for YouTube or photos to appear on Crowdrise.  Best of all, buy one and get one free as a nonprofit.  The design part?  If your organization (or an individual on behalf of an organization) can create a cool design, it will be imprinted on cameras that are sold in their online store. Did I mention that they're rated a "Good Buy for Everyone" on Retrevo?  Well, some of the models are anyway....not all.

Salesforce Foundation

The Salesforce Foundation gives away 1% of the products, time and money of Salesforce.  What is Salesforce? It's open source and allows businesses to manage contacts.  Nonprofits can manage mailing lists, donor contact lists, grant lists, track funding and so much more.  If you aren't chosen to receive Salesforce for free, as a nonprofit you can continuously renew your 30 day trial for free (don't say it). It more than rivals Constant Contact and has great support.