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When I incorporated this nonprofit, BrokeButNotForLong, I wasn’t thinking about going green.  Instead, I was thinking about the low-cost possibilities of providing reliable job information on the Internet for the unemployed.  For around $300 a year,  our organization is able to host our Web site on the Internet.  Of course, there are numerous volunteer hours that go into building the 18-page Web site, not to mention the ongoing maintenance.  Luckily, I’ve been able to recruit a few other volunteer bloggers.  By utilizing social media, we’ve been able to be eco-friendly on the job everyday!

Besides the other legal costs involved in maintaining a non-profit, 501(c)3 charity, we’re able to exist as a virtual company with few expenses.  I didn’t realize that we were a green company until I started getting twitter followers from other green companies and university projects! For example, the University of Southern California is following us on Twitter [2] @broke4jobs. Twitter has proved to be the most powerful outreach for our organization.  “Broke” currently has 575 followers on twitter.  We’ve been able to network with universities, federal agencies, and companies involved in human resources, and individuals in need of a job without the waste generally involved with advertising, transportation, or running an office.

Furthermore,  my husband and I practice green living at our home office.  For instance, we recycle the ink cartridges, buy recycled paper, and recycle used paper, too.  Also, our Internet host, [3] www.1and1.com reduces its carbon footprint.  Furthermore, we’ve created online alliances to help promote our free resources.  We joined the local Chamber of Commerce which hosts our information on their site for potential networking and usage.  Also, we host the FDIC’s MoneySmart podcast on our Web site, which enhances our financial education outreach mission.  Additionally, we hope to advertise our resources on public radio which will reach a large audience  in an eco-friendly manner!

Lastly, I mentor job seekers online and over the phone to keep costs down and reach a larger audience.  I’ve blogged about the wonderful jobs I’ve had throughout my career.  ([4] See Diary of a Resume Parts 1 & 2)  Since I started mentoring teachers online for my profession, I thought about doing the same for job seekers.  It started with a few questions from my connections on LinkedIn.com.  I found that job seekers were so happy to get a response and interact with someone online!  You’re welcome to connect with me.  Here’s my public profile: [5] http://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrogers.

Technology has afforded us the opportunity to reach you, our reader, on this blog, as well as thousands of others!  Everyday I think about how I can use social media to provide outreach.  I hope we can connect with another nonprofit to help raise funds for a worthy goal that aligns with our mission on the Gulf Coast.   To that end, I’ve been creating a profile of our charity on GuideStar.org to encourage charitable giving and provide transparency.  Here’s their video: [6] http://videos.guidestar.org/Welcome.html.

April 9th was our 3rd anniversary as a nonprofit!

Sincerely,

Sandra Annette Rogers