Why Do Organizations and Institutions Trust the CharityChannel Professional Forums?

Until now, nonprofit-sector discussion forums, particularly discussion lists, have been the electronic equivalent of the Old West — open to anyone (and we mean anyone!), unsupervised, victims of spam, susceptible to unprofessional shoot-outs, exposed to Google and other search engines, and, well, just plain unprofessional at times. It is little wonder that organizations and institutions often discouraged participation on such discussion forums before CharityChannel brought a new level of professionalism to forum participation.

The CharityChannel professional discussion forums have earned the distinction of being the most trusted professional discussion forums in the nonprofit sector. Here's why:

• Higher Level of Professionalism. Only CharityChannel members may access the forums. This means that discussions are among established professionals who are serious about their work, who are likely to have more experience and a higher level of commitment to their profession, and who are more willing to help a colleague when they can.

• Cannot be Googled. Postings to our forums are incapable of being Googled. Participating on many of the public forums brings with it the risk that donors, the media, or others who Google their organization or institution will turn up postings where "shop talk" might be misunderstood.

• Supervised Forums. With 17 years of experience supervising over 200 public and private discussion forums, no one in the nonprofit world has more experience than does CharityChannel at ensuring that discussions continue to be on a professional level. If a colleague ever needs help with regard to a forum, we're here by phone or via the Live Support chat system. If you've ever tried to get support on a public forum, you'll appreciate our commitment to prompt, effective support.

• Commercial or Promotional Postings Prohibited. Among the rules of participation is the iron clad prohibition of postings that advertise a product or service, or that are self-promotional.

• Participate by Web Browser or Email. Colleagues can now either participate on the forums by logging in, or via listserve.

• Update Your Forum Settings Easily. Colleagues can now easily update their forum settings, including email address if they elect to receive the forum postings as a listserve.