CNRG Netiquette - The Posting Guidelines

Welcome to the Community Nonprofit Resource Group (CNRG) community. CNRG provides a resource network for engaging people in the nonprofit community. CNRG connects people, communities and organizations, and helps individuals gain skills to act as agents of change in collaboration with others.

A completely volunteer driven organization, CNRG's goal is to cultivate a vibrant, collective nonprofit sector. CNRG will build social capital in the community through:

• A clearinghouse of nonprofit involvment opportunities, resources, and collective knowledge,
• Mentoring, training, and career planning services,
• The creation of opportunities for coalition building,
• Recognition of emerging nonprofit leaders, and
• The involvement of CNRG members in the continuing development of a nonprofit sector that allows us to live and work together in a healthy, sustainable, civil society.

CNRG is a free, voluntarily-managed and moderated emailing list. There are no paid staff hiding behind the scene but there is a committee of volunteers who review messages to maintain a flow of high quality, relevant community information consistent with our Netiquette.

CNRG has one email distribution list: CNRG Digest.

CNRG's Digest is a distribution list specifically focused on the development and support of nonprofit professionals. Content in the CNRG Digest is organized into the following headings:

• community trainings,
• nonprofit Q & A,
• events,
• volunteer opportunities,
• jobs & internships, and
• news.

CNRG users can access the CNRG Digest in a variety of formats: simple text, full color html, or online (no email). Simple text messages are just that- a simple text listing of that day's messages. The Digest offers a colorful, easy to navigate publication with categorized content and links to CNRG's website. Online access allows users to view the Digests, and one week's archives, online at www.cnrg-portland.com, and no emails are sent out.

CNRG is a moderated list and will adhere strictly to the our posting guidelines. More information on netiquette rules that apply to CNRG Digest appear below.

Community Posting Guidelines

CNRG asks that you respect the following community guidelines designed to promote healthy and respectful dialog.

One among thousands

As a subscriber to the CNRG list, you have the opportunity to communicate directly with over 8,000 other CNRG users in the Portland area and beyond.

Know your audience

CNRG users include individuals, organizations and businesses that you have interacted with or will interact with in your daily life.

Lurking in the shadows

Feel free to simply read messages sent to the list. Especially when you first join, you may want to wait until you've gained some familiarity with the community before you send out a message of your own.

Whatchya talkin' about?

Please be efficient in the title of your message. Summarize the content to attract attention and save people's time.

Limit your length

Please keep your paragraphs short so your messages are easier to read and therefore more likely to be read. Postings (except for job descriptions) that exceed one page may not be posted. Long lists of email addresses or sample letters will not be permitted. If your message is longer than the one-page guideline, please include your email address and ask members to email you off-list for more information.

Full Disclosure

Don't forget to include a signature in your post. This allows other members to know who you are and how to contact your regarding your post.

Postings from organizations about events, trainings, and involvement opportunities must include contact information for the organization and event organizer. Savvy posters often use the footer of their emails to educate the community about their nonprofit's mission and include links to their organization's website.

Play Nice

When sending a response to the list, as a courtesy to other members and to email servers everywhere, please delete the text from the message you're responding to. You can rely on the "subject" line to inform everyone as to the thread of conversation you're following. When responding to a thread of conversation, please stay on topic and make your point as briefly as possible. Keep in mind that long and rambling contributions can disrupt the flow of the discussion.

If you posted a question to the list and receive a lot of good responses, please consider compiling your responses into one list and sending it back to the list so that all can benefit from the information gathered.

CNRG-ize, don't commercialize

CNRG only allows postings that promote a for-profit business whose purpose is to further the professional development of the CNRG community.

Non-profit consultants are allowed to post one message announcing their services to the CNRG community. No more than one post per month of this nature will be allowed.

Contact information for participating nonprofit organizations and consultants serving the nonprofit community will also be available on the upcoming CNRG website.

No Solicitors!

CNRG is not the place for direct fundraising for your organization. Please inform people of your event, but do not offer tickets or other items for sale within the content of your message.

Spamarama

Don't over-post one opportunity. One email will do. The moderators retain the right to block messages that are over-posted. No chain letters or petitions. No Calls-to-Action or lobbying - this is any request asking to contact a polititian or person of influence No political opinion pieces No heart-jerking stories or requests for support for individuals. No offensive posts. The moderators of CNRG do not censor posts and expect members of the list to self-police and peer-police for offensive messages. As this is an open and diverse community, please be sensitive to the beliefs of others.

Attachments

Attachments are not allowed on the list. If you have more information that you would have included in an attachment, please add it to the text of your message or direct people to a website or individual from whom they can get additional information.

Do You Kiss Your Mom With That Mouth?

CNRG is a community of professionals. Please be mindful of your language and expressions when participating in the list. Rude behavior is not acceptable or sanctioned and may be penalized by removal from the listserv.

Loud Mouth

AVOID USING ALL CAPS IN YOUR EMAIL. It looks like you're screaming...very unprofessional.

Warm Fuzzies :)

On the flip side, CNRG welcomes lighthearted discussions and a reasonable amount of embellishment with emoticons and the like.

Neighborhood watch

CNRG is a part of the Portland community. As a virtual village, we encourage dialog on community issues. CNRG is a free, volunteer managed and moderated email list. There are no paid staff hiding behind the scene but there is a volunteer committee who reads messages. CNRG counts on you, its users, to self-police and to police your peers.

Ready to post an item?

CNRG only accepts posts from site members. To create a new account, all you need is a valid email. You may modify your account at any time to reflect changes.

Once you have an account, you may create a digest post online or send an email (from the email address we have in your account) to cnrg@cnrg-portland.org.

If you have any questions, send them to: cnrgmoderator@cnrg-portland.org.