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April 2005
In this issue:
Register for the 2005 OANO Conference
Assistive Technology Now at Cleveland Foundation Center
Our Secrets for Better Computing
Building Stronger Nonprofits: Preparing Today for a Challenging Tomorrow
OANO's 11th Annual Conference
May 5, 2005
Join more than 450 nonprofit leaders, funders and vendors from around the state at this year's OANO conference.
Jerry Greenfield will satisfy the sweet tooth by serving up a side of ice cream with his presentation titled: An Afternoon of Entrepreneurial Spirit and Social Responsibility. Greenfield started his famous business with partner and childhood friend, Ben Cohen in 1977. They had a modest beginning in Vermont where their ice-cream became known for its unique flavors and their business was recognized for its community spirit. Eventually they grew to be a multi-million dollar corporation, but along the way the duo never lost their ideas about values, volunteerism and giving. Greenfield serves on several boards of directors and has also established the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. He is often asked to speak all over the country about values and social responsibility. Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream will serve up a side of ice cream while he talks about values and social responsibility.
Break-out sessions include:
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Media Madness: Insights From The Inside
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Pay Benefits & Total Rewards: Trends in Compensation
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Working With Volunteers: Recruitment, Retention & Value
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Corporate Sponsorships: Securing Funding for Special Events
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Engaging the Board in Fundraising & Planning
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Government Regulation of Nonprofits, What's Next?
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Technology Tools: Cost Effective Ways to Achieve Your Mission
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Executive Transitions
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Intensive Grant Writing
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State Budget / Legislative Update
For more information, visit www.oano.org or contact Jennifer Eschbach, OANO External Relations Coordinator, at or 888-480-6266.
Foundation Center Adds Assistive Technology
The Foundation Center-Cleveland is pleased to announce that the library is now equipped with new assistive technology, thanks to a gift from the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation. The library is now equipped with an adjustable computer workstation for wheelchair accessibility, "trackballs" for easier mouse navigation, computer screen magnifiers in our library and computer lab, a portable reading easel, and handheld magnifiers. There are also extensive resources on serving people with disabilities.
For more information, visit www.fdncenter.org or call 216-861-1934 ext. 25. People with visual impairments may also wish to visit the For People with Disabilities area of the Foundation Center's Web site.
United Disability Services Hosts Art Show in April
United Disability Services and Kaleidoscope Magazine are hosting selected pieces of Key’s Accessible Expressions Ohio 2005 art exhibition through the month of April at the agency’s 701 South Main Street location. The exhibit is open to the public, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
VSA Arts Ohio is an arts service organization promoting the creative power of people with disabilities in Ohio. This year’s exhibit honors 53 professional and emerging artists from across Ohio. The work of Akron artist John Evans will again be part of the exhibition that will tour the state through much of the year. Kaleidoscope: Exploring the Experience of Disability through Literature and the Fine Arts is published by United Disability Services in Akron and has been providing opportunities for writers and artists with disabilities to showcase their work in an award-winning literary magazine since 1979.
For more information, visit www.udsakron.org or call United Disability Services’ Community Relations Department at 330-762-9755.
American Red Cross's 24th Largest Tsunami Relief Check Comes from Akron
Once again, Akron area residents were generous in the face of disaster, donating more than $458,000 to Akron's Tsunami Relief Fund. A joint project of Akron Community Foundation, the Beacon Journal, Coming Together Akron, FirstMerit Bank, and the Summit Red Cross, the fund began days after the deadly disaster. The fund used the same model as the community's Fire Truck Fund, which $1,396,975 for New York after 9/11.
Brad Bruggeman, board chair of the local Red Cross, said Akron's Tsunami Relief Fund generated the country's 24th largest check to the Red Cross for that purpose. He also promised 100 percent of all donations would go toward providing relief to tsunami victims.
Donations to the fund ranged from $10,000 to $1. One, a single dollar bill sent by an 85-year-old woman, had a note attached to it: "I am sorry I can't give more, but I heard Bill Clinton say that if a million people gave $1 it would make $1 million." Akron's donations alone equaled almost half that.
Foundation President Jody Bacon explained that it is this pooling of resources that makes Akron Community Foundation so unique. "A community foundation allows us to accomplish together what we cannot accomplish alone."
Service Spotlight:
Computer Clean-Ups
330-315-1335;
Most computer problems are not really computer problems ... they are junk problems! Too much garbage in the processors, both inside and out!
Project Connect can clean out your organization's computers. For $75 per computer, we will:
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Open the computer case and clean out the dust.
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Clean the mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
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Run a preventative maintenance.
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Download updates
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Delete temp files
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Disk cleanup
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Defragment
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You can bring us the computers or, for an additional $75, we can come to your office. For more information about this service, or to suggest other services, call us at 330-315-1335 or send an e-mail to .
Amy's PC TIP:
Are you a PC Killer?
We all know that no matter how tempting, you shouldn’t kick your computer or toss it out the window when it’s not working. But there are other, less obvious ways to kill a computer, or at least reduce its performance. Here are the Top 10 Causes of Computer Death:
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Improper Shut Down Procedures. You should always attempt to shut down the computer via the software first. Go to Start > Shut Down (or Start > Turn Off Computer, if you’re using XP). If this doesn’t work, try pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del to view the Task Manager and see if any applications are holding things up. Look for anything that says ‘Not Responding’ – click on it and click End Task. If this still doesn’t resolve things, try the Shut Down button here. Still nothing? Then, and only then, should you use the button on the front of your computer to shut it down – press it in for about 10 seconds until the computer powers off. Wait 10 seconds, then you can turn it back on. ScanDisk will start running – let it go all the way through to make sure you don’t have a more serious problem, then Windows will load and you should be back in action.
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“We’ve got no power, Captain!” Should the power supply in your computer fail, it will often do so spectacularly, with sparks or smoke. What can you do to prevent it? First, stick to brand-name computers. If you (or a friend) are assembling a computer from parts, make sure that the power supply is from a reputable company (such as Antec, Aopen, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic or Vantec). A good way to prolong the life of your power supply, regardless of manufacturer, is to keep it off the floor and away from dusty environments (and pet hair). When dust and debris build up, the power supply can die before its time, most often because the fan has stopped. Power supplies can also be killed by poor voltage quality. If you have trouble with periodic brownouts or outages, you might want to invest in a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) or a power conditioner to regulate the electricity flowing through your computer. Even the best power supply can cause problems if subjected to surges or voltage drops.
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Heat Stroke. Heat is your computer’s worst enemy. Your CPU chip produces an incredible amount of heat while it’s operating – the faster the processor, the more heat it puts out. If you’ve looked inside your computer case, you probably can’t see the chip for the immense heat sink strapped on top of it. Many now have separate cooling fans as well. It’s absolutely critical that the heatsink be firmly seated – if not, the CPU can fry in seconds. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, make sure you follow the instructions for mounting the heatsink to the letter, and be sure it’s securely clipped in place, and the fan is connected. Dust and pet hair are real enemies to this fan also, so keep your case off the floor. Don’t put it in an enclosed space, either, or the fans won’t have any cool air to move around the case. If your desk has a little area for the computer to sit in, make sure there’s ample space all around it for air to circulate. If your system is making more noise than usual, or sounds like something is grinding, this could be a sign that your CPU fan is dying. Get it replaced immediately!
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Improper Assembly. If you add memory to your computer, or put the whole system in a new case, etc., make sure you connect everything properly. Motherboards should have little spacers underneath to keep them from touching the case. Memory sticks and video cards usually only go into their slots one way, but sure they’re fully seated. Don’t press too hard on anything inside the case – the plastic bases of these circuit boards aren’t meant to withstand a lot of manhandling. Double check all connections before turning on the power. And if you’ve dropped a screw inside the case (it’s inevitable, really), make sure you get it out – it could touch something vital and short the whole thing out. If you’re not comfortable working inside the case, find a pro or a trusted friend to do it for you – it’s cheaper than replacing the whole computer because of a short circuit.
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Random Acts of Nature. We said it in our summer computer care guide, we’ll say it again. Lightning is dangerous. Even a strike clear down the street can affect your system – the power surge can travel down electrical, cable or telephone lines and damage your computer. Don’t use your computer during an electrical storm, and make sure your power cords and phone cords are plugged into a high quality surge protector (or unplug everything during a storm).
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Disconnect Power Before Servicing. Any time you plug or unplug anything into the back of your computer (or inside it, for that matter), shut down the computer (see #1), and unplug it. Never, ever turn the power on when the case is open! And just in case you’re curious, that little red switch on the back of the computer near the plug should always be on 115/120 volts – 230/240 volts is for Europe, and will fry your computer instantly.
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Death by USB. USB devices are everywhere now, and by the nature of some of them, are meant to be plugged and unplugged frequently. This can cause wear and tear on the port mounted onto (as mentioned previously) a tender little circuit board, causing cracks or short circuits. Consider a USB hub or extension cable for frequent plugging – the end that is in your computer stays put, and all the wear and tear is on the easily replaceable hub.
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Static Electricity. Static does more than make your socks cling to your shirt – it can pack a real wallop to delicate electronics. Generally, this is only a serious threat if you are working inside the computer case, but when we’re all bundled up in the winter with our fleece pullovers, we’re a walking static bomb. Try touching a doorknob or other metal object not connected to your computer before touching the computer to discharge any static buildup.
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Movers and Shakers. There are lots of parts inside your computer that may be snugly attached when sitting on your desk, but can be jarred loose if you move your computer around a lot. First rule of thumb: never move a running computer. Your hard drive disks are spinning at several thousand rpm, and a slight jar can cause the heads that read data to scratch it horribly. Turn it off before you move it and the hard drives aren’t spinning, and the heads are safely parked away from the precious disks. Moving can also dislodge things like that weighty heat sink on your CPU, resulting in overheating, or a crack in the motherboard. If you have to move it, do it gently – treat it like the whole thing is made from glass.
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Overclocking. While many of us have probably never tried this, if you have an avid video game player using your computer, they may be tempted to “overclock” the processor. Overclocking is the process of trying to make your computer run faster than it’s supposed to. It should be pointed out that overclocking voids your warranty, so even if you have a cool software tool to do it, don’t be tempted. It may not result in immediate death, but it shortens the life span of the entire system – and remember, you’ve voided your warranty, so don’t expect the manufacturer to help you out.
Be kind to your computer, and you should be rewarded with years of productivity. If you are kind to your system, you should only have to fear obsolescence, not death.
Adapted from Beginners Guides: Most Common Ways to Kill a PC, by PC Stats (www.pcstats.com).
Join us this spring for a refresher course ... or learn something entirely new! Call 330-315-1335 or e-mail to register or receive a copy of our winter schedule. Cost is $40 per person for staff and volunteers of member organizations; $60 per person for staff and volunteers of non-member organizations.
Don't know whether your organization is a member? Visit our members page to find out: Project Connect Members
Not a member? Join Project Connect today and save! Visit infolineinc.org/connect.htm for more info.
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Microsoft Excel
Adobe PageMaker
Microsoft Publisher
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Website Development
Microsoft Word
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Visit infolineinc.org/connect/training.htm to see our latest training schedule. Or call us at 330-315-1335 and we'll fax you a copy.
Are you getting the best deals for your technology dollar?
Don't buy anything technology-related until you've visited these three websites first!! They offer significant discounts for nonprofits with Microsoft, Dell, CDW, Adobe, and more!
As always, we are interested in hearing from you to learn how we can best meet your technology and connectivity needs. Give us a call at 330-315-1335 or e-mail us at .
Enjoy!
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