In 2024, it’s practically impossible to function as a nonprofit without the right digital resources. Nonprofits use computer systems and applications for things like education, fundraising, engaging clients, and communicating with donors. However, with limited funding and expertise, it's often difficult to get the digital tools they need to fully support their missions.
The planet needs nonprofit organizations, and nonprofits need better digital tools. For decades, Adobe has provided nonprofits with the tools they need to fulfill their mission—helping them with everything from social media advocacy to educational videos to graphic design. Now, Adobe is offering the pro version of Adobe Acrobat for Nonprofits, the most requested and comprehensive set of document and e-signature tools, for just $15 per user per year, which represents a 94% annual savings off the regular price. This will make it easier than ever for nonprofits to streamline business processes and increase their impact with engaging educational and fundraising assets – from annual reports, contracts and grant submissions to brochures and white papers.
Keep reading to hear more about how Adobe helped one nonprofit improve efficiencies and giveback potential – and how you can start using Adobe tools today for your organization.
Albert Manero, a mechanical engineer and graduate of the University of Central Florida, founded Limbitless Solutions, Inc., as a passion project in a small lab. Today, Limbitless is celebrating its 10-year anniversary and has grown into an interdisciplinary team based at the University of Central Florida in Orlando that includes 50 interns with nine different fields of expertise. Their mission? To inspire and empower underserved communities through creative, accessible technology.
Manero and his team of experts create bionic, 3D-printed arms for children with limb differences. Combining visual storytelling with art and engineering, the Limbitless team wants children with limb differences to feel included and capable, while at the same time, able to express their personal identity more fully. Developing bionic arms covered in flowers or designed like Iron Man’s armor, kids with these bionic limbs can not only grip objects, hold hands and more, but can feel empowered to be themselves.
Limbitless, like many others, has utilized Adobe for Nonprofits offerings, which gives nonprofit organizations access to Adobe programs at a deeply discounted rate, including access programs like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Express and Adobe Acrobat as well as Adobe’s 3D tools.
Adobe solutions are the oil that keeps organizations running smoothly behind the scenes. For the grant application and reporting processes, employees at Limbitless have credited Adobe Acrobat with helping the team secure funding and communicating clearly with donors and partners. With Acrobat, they’re able to create, edit, and manage PDF documents that look professional and polished. The company has also transitioned most of its internal documentation to digital formats using Acrobat. This includes everything from design blueprints, brand guidelines, intern contracts, and user manuals for bionic limbs.
In addition to helping day-to-day operations run smoothly, Adobe has also helped bring Limbitless’ mission of inclusion and accessibility outside of office walls.
Using Adobe Express, the fast and easy create-anything app, Limbitless has been able to create quick how-to videos for young patients and their families that showcase how to use their bionic limbs, as well as a series of videos promoting STEAM (science, technology, engineering art and math) education. The company’s Operations, Advocacy, and Logistics team utilizes Express as well, developing content and visual assets for their social media accounts. Recently, Limbitless partnered with the Adobe Express’ Animate Characters team to create six unique, limb-different selectable avatar characters for their educational outreach and social media campaigns.
And Adobe is helping Limbitless empower kids with limb differences, too: Limbitless’ comic series, Bionic Kid, was created using Adobe Illustrator and features a superhero with limb differences who uses a Limbitless prosthetic arm. This inspired a fundraising concept initiated from the idea by a Limbitless prosthetic recipient Zachary Pamboukas, which has been used in fundraising efforts for more bionic arms and has already raised over $20,000.
Inside the organization and out, Adobe is enabling people to reach their full potential, contributing to better nonprofit organizations and, overall, a better world.
Learn more about the new Adobe Acrobat for Nonprofits offering and explore more ways Adobe can help your organization today.
A sad-looking Labrador Retriever
The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.
According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.
The French Bulldog’s popularity has grown exponentially over the past decade. They were the #14 most popular breed in 2012, and since then, registrations have gone up 1,000%, bringing them to the top of the breed popularity rankings.
The AKC says that the American Hairless Terrier, Gordon Setter, Italian Greyhound and Anatolian Shepherd Dog also grew in popularity between 2021 and 2022.
The French Bulldog was famous among America’s upper class around the turn of the 20th century but then fell out of favor. Their resurgence is partly based on several celebrities who have gone public with their Frenchie love. Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Thee Stallion, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Reese Witherspoon and Lady Gaga all own French Bulldogs.
The breed earned a lot of attention as show dogs last year when a Frenchie named Winston took second place at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and first in the National Dog Show.
The breed made national news in early 2021 when Gaga’s dog walker was shot in the chest while walking two of her Frenchies in a dog heist. He recovered from his injuries, and the dogs were later returned.
The French Bulldog's complicated past took them from brothels (yes) to royals.
— American Kennel Club (@akcdoglovers) March 16, 2023
Listen to their full history and more in the Uniquely Urban podcast episode of Down & Back: https://t.co/Jx2jPNCVMb pic.twitter.com/wBQd9fsRlt
They’ve also become popular because of their unique look and personalities.
“They’re comical, friendly, loving little dogs,” French Bull Dog Club of America spokesperson Patty Sosa told the AP. She said they are city-friendly with modest grooming needs and “they offer a lot in a small package.”
They are also popular with people who live in apartments. According to the AKC, Frenchies don’t bark much and do not require a lot of outdoor exercise.
The French Bulldog stands out among other breeds because it looks like a miniature bulldog but has large, expressive bat-like ears that are its trademark feature. However, their popularity isn’t without controversy. “French bulldogs can be a polarizing topic,” veterinarian Dr. Carrie Stefaniak told the AP.
An adorable French Bulldog
via Pixabay
French Bulldogs have been bred to have abnormally large heads, which means that large litters usually need to be delivered by C-section, an expensive procedure that can be dangerous for the mother. They are also prone to multiple health problems, including skin, ear, and eye infections. Their flat face means they often suffer from respiratory problems and heat intolerance.
Frenchies are also more prone to spine deformations and nerve pain as they age.
Here are the AKC’s top ten most popular dog breeds for 2022.
1 French Bulldogs
2 Labrador Retrievers
3 Golden Retrievers
4 German Shepherd Dogs
5 Poodles
6 Bulldogs
7 Rottweilers
8 Beagles
9 Dachshunds
10 German Shorthaired Pointers
This article originally appeared last year.
Mom wants to date son is all the 'rage bait.' Don't fall for it.
Since many families live states away from each other, they rely heavily on social media to post updates for far away family members. You get a new job, you share a smiling selfie announcing the news. You kid's soccer team just made the championships, you snap an amazing shot showing their excitement and hit upload. It feels like a harmless way to stay connected and if you're diligent about privacy settings and keeping your friends list down to only family and really close friends, it's usually fine.
But everyone's pages aren't locked down like a vault in the back of a bank, and sometimes people we once loved become strangers that no longer feel safe. There are also instances of influencers sharing family photos or cute pictures of their kids to help their followers feel connected to their lives. But it's been proven that as technology continues to advance and people with cruel intentions gain access to private details, nefarious things can happen to good people.
Currently there's a picture of a woman and her son going around social media. The photos looks completely harmless and likely were originally giving an update to friends or followers but the caption that now accompanies the picture suggests an incestuous desire on the mother's part. The content is so disturbing that it has gone viral across multiple social media platforms with people across the globe lambasting the mother.
Internet Twitter GIF by Achievement HunterGiphy
It immediately activates people's protection response to see a parent speak that way about their child causing most people to comment and share without doing any further research. Jae Sprint saw this going down online and decided to do a reverse image search and warn people of the dangers associated with these sorts of posts.
"What you're seeing there is a post of a mother who posted her child and basically said that she's intimately in love with her kid and how if it was another life they'd be together, like physically," he says before explaining the issue. "Guys, when you see like these crazy, outrageous, rage bait posts like this and all you see is selfies of people, please do a quick reverse image search on this. I looked her up, it's not even her. Some random person created an account just to completely slander and defame this woman."
Angry Fire GIF by Gerbert!Giphy
Sprint explains that he's seen this happen to a lot of people and it can have extreme consequences to those whose pictures are being used. At the beginning of the video he says people have lost their jobs, friends and more over these fake posts that many times they have no idea exist.
"Guys, if you see stand still images of people and just a bunch of crazy rage bait, you never actually see any videos of that person, please do some research because you're going to ruin this woman's life," he pleads.
The picture the account comes from is fairly new and that photo with the upsetting content is the first video uploaded. There are only three videos uploaded to that page and they are all just still images with music behind them, no actual videos of the people in the photos. When clicking on the tagged accounts of her "children," they are also new accounts with one to three videos that only feature still images set to music. There doesn't seem to be a real person behind the accounts which proves Sprint's assessment is likely correct.
People were thankful that he pointed this information out with someone saying, "I got the “ick” so quick, then the judgement without any second thought. Reacting on emotion. Thanks for the reality check! We all need it."
Disgusted Paris Hilton GIFGiphy
Another person writes, "This is awesome to bring awareness & serve as a cautionary reminder. People hear/see something & automatically react w/ out investigating or actually looking into. I think many, myself included has been guilty of this at one point or another honestly."
"Wow! Never entered my mind anyone would ever do this! Guess I need to remove my rose colored glasses," someone shares.
"That poor woman. Do better people, that could be any of us too. That’s scary AF," one person chimes in.
It is scary and with the rise of AI, there may be more of this sort of thing popping up but Sprint's reminder to research before reacting when something makes you angry online is an important reminder. Hopefully, this woman and any other person dealing with this is able to get it remedied quickly.
Man's tour of his $1200 NYC micro-apartment is wild
There is likely not a single adult that doesn't know that living in New York City is ridiculously expensive. It's been expensive since before there was a Carrie Bradshaw refusing to let go of her rent controlled apartment and the prices in the late 90s show "Sex and the City" were much lower than current day. Most people are not expecting reasonable rent for reasonable sized apartments in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
What people likely weren't expecting was how expensive an apartment the size of a walk in closet would cost. That's not an exaggeration, the micro apartments in New York city are so small that it would take someone three to four steps to make it to the other side. But somehow the space accommodates a bed, which doubles as a couch, a bathroom and what they're labeling as a kitchen.
Seeing the micro apartments empty makes it difficult to imagine how someone would live in such a small place. Quincy Weirts, a dog groomer in NYC wanted to give his family and friends a tour of his new micro apartment which unintentionally ends up satisfying the curiosity of strangers after he uploaded it on social media.
barcelona lego GIF by MakeSpaceGiphy
From the start of the video it's evident that the apartment is much smaller than one would expect. Weirts is standing in the middle of the apartment and sits down onto his futon pointing to the front door and other areas around the room. A friend is sitting on the floor directly in front of the door as there doesn't appear to be anywhere else they can sit. Just a couple steps from the front door is the kitchen space that sits right outside the bathroom door.
The kitchen has a small sink that also doubles as the counter space and two burners to cook with and no oven. There's a micro-fridge that fits in the space under the burners. Surprisingly the bathroom isn't much smaller than a half bathroom that you'd find in just about any small house or apartment. While the apartment lacks some serious storage space and the only closet is blocked by the bed, it does seem to have everything a college kid or single adult needs to live contently in the city.
Season 5 Ifc GIF by PortlandiaGiphy
The video has over 2.5 million views leading to comments from people fascinated by the tiny living space and the extraordinary price point. And while some were worried about the dog not having enough space, Weirts assured viewers that his dog goes on multiple walks a day and goes to work with him daily.
Once everyone got over the shock of the price tag for the micro apartment, people were quick to jump in with ideas to help with functional decorations to add storage space.
Someone offered a solution for Weirts not having enough space to hang his television saying, "Get a projector and watch tv on the brick wall across the ally."
Another suggests, "Get rid of extra. Like keep 2 mugs, 2 cups etc. store all the kitchen stuff above the cabinet. I think being more minimalist would really improve the way it looks and feels."
One person offers ideas for making more space, "Storage on the back of the bathroom door for spices, cooking utensils etc and then a cover for the stove so it can be used as a counter top."
Someone else thinks the tiny apartment videos should become a regular thing, "So hear me out… make this a series. Let us watch you make it your cozy home! I’m super excited for you!"
Of course there were people very focused on the price compared to what you get, but the man shares that he's happy with the apartment. He was recently accepted into Columbia University and wanted an apartment within his budget near the college and the micro apartment fit his needs perfectly. Weirts is dedicated to making his home feel cozy and now he has an unexpected audience ready to come along on his journey.
