If you look in other parts of this site, you’d see all kinds of nerd-a-licious posts about the functionality of different web applications, but all you really need to know is this:

There are several free websites and applications out there that can help your group be super organized and efficient.

The whole premise of that buzz word “Web2.0″ that you hear thrown around is that we can utilize existing technology to make things as easy to access and use as possible.

I have dealt with a multitude of community organizations that were hindered by one thing: bureaucratic omnipresence that is self created. These groups have so often mired themselves down in Robert’s Rules that they have trouble getting anything accomplished in their monthly meetings and then want to spend less and less time together because of the frustrations of the meetings – thereby destroying both the purpose and effectiveness of having the group.

What if you only met once a quarter and were 4 times as effective? Keep reading…

You can do it. I promise. All you need are members with regular access to the internet and motivation. It’s nothing complicated, and you can do it. Here are the elements:

1. Email – I know this seems like a no-brainer, but email is something that gets seriously under-utilized. It usually stems from email fatigue caused by being on the mailing list of a million people sending you the same forwards and junk mail that clogs our inbox and makes us not want to big through the filth to find the good. You can change this though.
   1. Switch to Gmail – Some people may think that email is email, but it’s not. Google’s Gmail service has redefined email for millions of people. Imagine an environment where only ONE item of spam gets through a month. That’s what it’s like. No extra software. No false-positives where friends emails get trashed – just the email you want. Plus, you can access it from any computer with internet, from your mobile phone, and from most any other mobile device. Not to mention it frees you from having to switch email addresses when you change service providers. I don’t even know my email address from my current provider.
   2. Stop the forwards – Trust me, you can do it. Starting right now, reply to every person that regularly sends you forwards, and say “Hi! I want you to know that I appreciate you thinking of me when you receive something cool in your email, but I am trying to organize my life – and that includes my email. I’d love to receive messages directly from you, but I’d rather not receive forwards. Thanks!” It works, I promise. It also works face-to-face with friends, family, and co-workers. Just say it without malice. I only receive forwards from my grandfather, and I usually like them. Everyone else has stopped.
   3. Use Filters & Labels – When you switch Gmail (and you will), you’ll learn how easy it is to start a new filter. For example, I have several companies from whom I voluntarily receive sales emails. The first time I get an email from that company, it gets a filter with Gmail’s “Filter Messages Like This” function. The next time I get a message from them, it has a bright red SALES prefix. That way I can visually separate it from the other email. Labels also allow me to quickly pull up any message with that label at any time, and Gmail’s large storage capacity means I can keep all the messages that I want in the archive.
   4. Declutter – Right now there are 7 messages in my inbox. All of them are active conversations or actionable items. Anything that I’ve read that I’m not going to follow up on, or that I’ve read and no action needs to be taken is either deleted or archived. Archive means that it’s still there, it’s just not in the inbox. I went from 7,600 messages to 7. Read more from LIfehacker. (1) (2) (3)
   5. Have One Inbox – When you start using Gmail, you’ll be able to use it to reply to any address that you can get to forward to it. I have 11 addresses coming to mine I think. Every domain or webmaster account that I have comes back to my primary account except for work. Simply set your other email accounts to automatically forward all messages to your gmail or Google Apps account and then tell Gmail about it. Bam! Time Saved!
2. Google Docs – stop wasting time revising documents, sending them to someone, getting them back, sending them somewhere else… just stop it. Google Docs (included in Google Apps for Domains as well as with your free gmail account) gives you the ability to share and collaborate on Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations in real time. You start a document, you share it with others, and you all access it at anytime to work together on it. It has revolutionized our workspace, it can do the same for yours.
3. Newsletters – it’s never been easier to put together an opt-in newsletter for your organization. Every organization has key people, and every group has people that need simple actions for simple causes. If we are honest, we know that a few people really run the show – so in order to pull off the bigger projects we need to know how to motivate the others. One way to do this is to use a newsletter with simple calls to action. Newsletters are most effective when people know to expect them and are prepared. If it’s daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly make it on time every time. We use 4th Monday of the month as close to 1pm as we can. Use newsletters to tell your people where to be, when to be there, and what to do once they get there – and see your organization flourish.
4. Contact Relationship Mangers – To some of you, this may be a new concept, but a Contact or Customer Relationship Management is a very necessary device. CRM’s like Highrise from 37Signals provide cost effective access to simple CRM software that is accesible from anywhere. You can input your entire organization or upload their contact info from an existing utility like Outlook using Windows CSV formats. With Highrise you can keep up with interaction with each member (up tp 250 for free), what you told them, what you did, and then easily set a task that will remind you of what needs to be done. We use this at my office, for my High School Reunion, and at home. Next up: my Lodge. One way around the subscription fee for more users is to create your second account as a shared account while you retain the admin account.
5. GTD Apps or To-Do Lists – I can’t even begin to tell you what good can come from using a To-Do list like Remember The Milk. Several of the key members of our office staff now collude on this incredible free application with share lists. Image being able to set a task, put a due date on it, add a note about how to accomplish it, set it to repeat however often, and then have each person that is sharing that list get email or a text message about it when the time comes. How awesome is that? Learn More.
6. Get a Phone Number – You used to have to pay for this stuff, huh? Google acquired a company by the name of GrandCentral last year. GrandCentral is a site dedicated to the concept of a permanent phone number. For example, you can sign up, get a new phone number (yeah, a real one, in your area) and then put all of your contact numbers in and the create simple or very complex rules about who can reach you when and where. Here’s the real trick though; once you get it, you can turn all your phones off (so that calls aren’t forwarded) and then just have everything go to voicemail. Bam. Instant phone number and voicemail for your organization. GrandCentral will just send you an email or text message letting you know that there is a new message. If you enter the email as a mailing list address, then it notifies everyone on that list. Cool, huh? GrandCentral’s Closed Beta has closed. We’re all waiting breathlessly to get it back open. Get on the wannabe list on the main page.

Now, don’t freak out over the volume of stuff I just told you about. You don’t have to do it all at once. Pick one place to start and complete it. With a list of things like this, I might suggest Remember The Milk first. When you get done with one project make time for the next one.

For Example

1. Register for Gmail, tell everyone who matters that you’re switching, and pick a date to make it final.
2. Set Up Remember The Milk, get others in org to sign up and share some lists
3. Register for Highrise and import your outlook or other contacts, agree on who is responsible for keeping it updated or share the responsibility
4. Put in your email for a chance at GrandCentral if you need digits.

The important part of all of this is to make your organizations (and thereby your life) easier to manage. When you have to spend less time to accomplish more in each of you groups then you’re time ahead. When you get time ahead on your groups, remember to make time to organize your home life too. (my wife and I use the shared To-Do lists to manage our house maintenance and other chores).