Readings that get me reved

October 22nd, 2011 § 0

A Consumers Guide to Grants Management Software (PDF) Updated Oct 2011

There’s a huge variety of grants management systems, ranging from options for small foundations at only a few thousand dollars a year, specialty options for niches like arts grantmaking or medical research foundations, and robust, completely configurable solutions for large foundations starting at $100,000 or more

Huge variety!? How dope is that? I had no idea.

The Role of Community Organizations in the Transformation of the Social Development Model in Québec – Christian Jetté at UdeM

ABSTRACT
Community organizations have played a major role in the delivery of social services in Québec since the 1970s. Their activities aimed to provide an alternative to the heteronomous, bureaucratic practices of the public sector. But their desire to move away from the public sector did not prevent them from demanding financial support from the state. Historically, these associations’ struggles have led to the establishment
of an original partnership and a funding mode whereby they could retain their organizations’ autonomy. This autonomy was the guarantee of both their specificity and their ability to innovate in terms of social practices. While this state recognition certainly remains in some respects ambivalent, it is nonetheless undeniable that these associations today constitute a significant component of the Québec model of social development.

RÉSUMÉ
Les organismes communautaires jouent un rôle important dans la prestation de services sociaux au Québec depuis les années 1970. Leurs activités se sont développées dans l’optique d’apporter une alternative aux pratiques hétéronomes et bureaucratiques du secteur public. Cette volonté de se distancier du secteur public ne les a toutefois pas empêchés de revendiquer le soutien financier de l’État. Historiquement, les luttes menées par ces associations se sont donc traduites par la mise en place d’un partenariat original et l’établissement d’une mode de financement qui leur permet de préserver l’autonomie de leur organisation. Cette autonomie est le gage de leur spécificité et de leur capacité d’innover sur le plan des pratiques sociales. Certes, cette reconnaissance étatique demeure à certains égards ambiguë. Néanmoins, il est indéniable que ces associations constituent aujourd’hui un élément important du modèle québécois du développement social

Keywords / Mots clés
Community organizations; state; social development model; innovation; funding / Organismes communautaires; État; Modèle de développement social; Innovation; Financement

Read it. True, increased management (the MBA-ing of social service delivery) is going to result in reduced innovation. However, this report is kinda one-sided. There is not sufficient understanding for why that increased management happened and what the results would be if they were removed.

Voluntary Sector Organizations and the State – Building New Relations by Rachel Laforet
Actually, I won’t be reading it since it cost $85. I’ll be reading the first chapter, since it’s available as a sample PDF.

I’ll have to read it before I hear her speak in Toronto. I’ve decided to take a roadtrip to TO for this conference and I’ll add in a few meetings with prospective clients.
The Recession and Beyond: Taking stock of evolving government-nonprofit relations. It’s a one-day conference before an American conference on the non-profit sector also happening in Toronto.

Alright, that’s about it. There’s other stuff that I could share that I’m even more excited about, but I don’t want to give away too many details since it fits into work plans.

Ripples

October 21st, 2011 § 0

I found out today about another Canadian community using some free/open source software that Ile sans fil created in 2003. An excerpt from the email:

Hello,

I have been running the WiFidog service for all 96 of Newfoundland & Labrador Public Libraries for the past 3 years.

http://wifi.nlpl.ca/hotspots_map.php

Currently, the way I have it configured is using 1 WifiDog Authentication server with Gateways in each location. I am in the process of upgrading to Authpuppy.

Here is my question:

“Is it possible to have 1 Gateway located in the same location as the Authentication server? Can that one Gateway then authenticate all 96 nodes if I forward all data from the Wireless of each site directly to that Gateway?”

Has anyone configured it in this way?

Thanks,

(Authpuppy is the software that we started working on in 2009. It’s a nextgen Wifidog.)

Check out that link in his email. All of Nfld and Labrador’s libraries. In Montreal we paid at least $80,000 to set up wireless in each of our libraries.

It’s beyond gratifying to see innovations we developed here in Montreal take root across Québec and in other provinces.

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