In Second Life, I have found a wonderful and practical way of aligning my work and my interest in social networking.

Second Life is an enormous virtual world that enables people to create and operate moving and interacting avatars which communicate with each other and live a parallel existence to real life.

One area of particular interest to me is the Aloft Nonprofit Commons.

This is four Sims working together as a gathering place and presence for Not for Profit organisations worldwide. TechSoup sponsors the entire four sims. (TechSoup New Zealand provides donated software and hardware from companies such as Microsoft to eligible New Zealand Charities, Voluntary and Community Groups).

To understand this, let me explain that instead of suburbs and cities, there are areas called sims. These average out at about 64,000 square meters per sim. Each sim therefore is about 256 x 256 m. They are all named and positioned and you can explore most of them if you wish. Because Second Life is virtual, there are simply thousands of sims.

I am currently negotiating to have an office for The New Zealand Council of Social Services on a bit of land at Not-for-Profit Commons. This has involved a lot of discussion with the doyen of Not-for-Profits, avatar Coughran Mayo. Coughran is the Vice President of Planning and Development for a large American Midwestern nonprofit mental health and substance abuse counselling agency. Coughran is a real life and Second Life coach and is an on-site consultant to not-for-profits interested in developing a presence in Second Life. I asked Coughran about how other nonprofit organisations (PHO’s) work their presence in Second Life on the Nonprofit Commons.

Q: How do the PHO’s work in Second Life?
A: Some organisations come in, set up an office and are never seen or heard from again; others get very active.

Q: What sorts of things do the active organisations do?
A: Many hold events. For example, live music concerts interspersed with speakers, like an Awareness Day. An event can attract a couple of hundred avatars (up to 200 people in real life).

Q: Is fundraising successful here?
A: I think that it is more successful having a presence. Even our largest fundraiser of 100,000 Lindens (Lindens are Second Life dollars) was in real life only equal to $US375.00.

Q: What is the greatest value of being on Second Life for a NPO?
A: The virtual world presents an innovative way to get your message out. It does take commitment to develop a meaningful presence but there are now 75 to 80 international nonprofit organisations here on these Sims.

Q: Tell me the history with TechSoup?
A: TechSoup is the unifying force behind NFP Commons. They began with a single Sim and now have expanded to 4. They are beginning to specialise in Second Life by having entire Sims where the nonprofits are allied in a cause. For example, Eco Commons is for organisations with ecological issues.

Q: Do organisations get together?
A: There is a big nonprofit meeting, which is held for 90 minutes each Friday at 8.30am (Second Life Time). There are also social events, and it is really good for staff of organisations to immerse themselves a little in these events. It is a great way to network and connect.

Q: Do many organisations have staff at their Second Life offices?
A: Most do not have regular office hours, but people visiting can contact them via emails and instant messaging if they need to.

Q: What about you Coughran? What does your organisation do on Second Life?
A: My nonprofit won a grant to do counselling using virtual worlds. For stability and security reasons we are doing this on a private server.

Q: Can any organisation use the Nonprofit Commons sim?
A: Absolutely, any registered charity or nonprofit can apply and TechSoup will give them a parcel of land and a building.

So for anyone out there, who wants to know more, or follow the progress of NZCOSS on Second Life, please feel free to contact me:

Ros Rice, Executive Officer, New Zealand Council of Social Services
nzcoss@nzcoss.org.nz

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