I've been looking for some good uses of blogs in the nonprofit sector.  My brand new Bloglines account, which is now gathering information I want to see (hurrah!) found one for me yesterday.  

The March of Dimes received an award in 2005 for its “Share Your Story” website.  This is a friendly combination of blogs and message boards for families of premature babies and those whose children spent time in Neonatal Intensive Care.  Their help page is wonderfully clear and written for blog babies like me (although finding the Help link in its soft pastel shade waaaaay off in the corner was not easy).  You just have to read a post about someone struggling with a critically ill baby, then the supportive responses from others who have been there to see the special community that is being built here.

They won their award for Best Community Building/Volunteerism and/or Activism (Non-revenue) Campaign from ePhilanthropy.org.  While this awards category includes the words "non-revenue," it's clear to me that the March of Dimes will definitely generate friends, then funds from offering this service.  Plus they'll learn a great deal about what their key constituents are experiencing.