There’s little doubt that non-profits as a group are better off because of the Web. The advent of the medium has meant, for many of them, the difference between near-total obscurity and nominal “success”. But it seems, these days, that just having a .org website and a PayPal button isn’t enough. The availability of cheap hosting and free CMSes made it easy for orgs to get their sites up and to begin engaging their audiences online. For many of them, it was a bit like being led into a house with plumbing and electricity from a neolithic cave. And though this was a quantum leap, it seems doubtful that non-profits have kept up with their for-profit counterparts, in terms of their exploitation of the Web for revenue growth. Part of the reason for that disparity is simple lack of resources. Non-profits run lean. They can’t offer the kinds of salaries the best (or even any) online marketer would expect. But I think the bigger impediment is fear of being able to deliver a sustainable return on investment. Until there is both the capacity to adequately measure the effects of online investments and the willingness to make those investments, opportunities like SEO, paid search marketing and the social web will remain untapped.

To answer the need for greater information and understanding among non-profits of the online opportunity, Washington DC-based Weinberg Consulting is launching a new seminar series called Non-Profit 2.0. Each seminar will address specific areas where organizations can benefit and learn from tools, techniques and best practices of the new web. The first seminar, “General Strategy and Best Practices” (scheduled for October 27th), will be focused on broad themes in web 2.0 and social media.

“Non-profits have a unique relationship with their audiences and constituents and they have not thus far been able to take advantage of the social web as a marketing channel.” said Dave Weinberg, president of Weinberg Consulting.  “I created this seminar series to serve as an entry point for non-profits who may be curious about these new techniques but may not have the resources to invest in an online marketing consultant.”  Very cool.

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