The folks over at NetSquared (or net^2, depending on who you talk to) and Social Actions are asking some good questions this week about how nonprofits can connect with each other online:

There are so many different ‘green’ nonprofit websites – so many different ‘human rights’ websites – so many different ‘health’ websites, etc. How can we connect the dots so these orgs’ sites can talk to each other and help us find the information we need from across their issue-based networks?

Don’t let the post’s title fool you–these folks are far from believing the opportunities for nonprofit organizations to connect and share data are past their peak.  We couldn’t agree more.  Every day we see nonprofit organizations getting better and better at raising awareness and funds through their online fundraising efforts.  For example, check out the online fundraising success of the Humane Society of Broward County’s annual Walk for Animals Event:

This nonprofit organization certainly hasn’t jumped the shark–their 2009 event has already raised over $230,000 online–that’s almost a 25% increase over last year’s total.  How do they do it?

Fundraising success happens when organizations connect the dots between themselves and their supporters so that they reach not only their own networks, but their supporters’ networks as well. This allows them to share resources, raise awareness, and raise lots of money for lots of impact.

Do you invest time in connecting with other nonprofit organizations?  What are the benefits of developing these kinds of partnerships?  Are there drawbacks?

How do you connect with your supporters?  What kind of data do you gather from your network of fundraisers and volunteers, and how do you use this information to raise awareness and inspire action?