Jayne Cravens
via coyotecommunications.com
& coyoteboard.com
(same web site)
The original spirit of the Internet was to freely share
information and to freely collaborate, any time, anywhere. It was
a space built with the primary intention of sharing and
collaborating, in a way that was accessible and inclusive -- it's
intension was not exclusivity and profits, and certainly not
misinformation and manipulation.
The Internet was also meant to work across computer platforms and not to require users to buy a range of different devices apps to access different information.
Cyberspace, the Information Superhighway, the Internet, the Net - it was meant to create real connections between real humans, sharing thoughts and expertise and opinions and building communities.
I learned oh-so-much in the 1990s because of the generosity of oh-so-many people online and the ease of accessing information. That knowledge has been critical to my professional development and success. Special thanks in particular has to go to the participants of various early Internet discussion groups that talked about not-for-profit and public sector agency issues. It was the collective wisdom shared in such groups that makes the Internet such a great place to be in the 1990s and 2000s. See A Brief Review of the Early History of Nonprofits and the Internet for more about the early days of nonprofits and the Internet.
With that original spirit of sharing in mind, and to promote my expertise and services, I began creating and posting free tip sheets to various USENET newsgroups in 1994, mostly to the soc.org.nonprofit USENET newsgroup. Two years later, I created my own web site, in January 1996, under the web site name Coyote Communications, to post my materials and favorite links to help mission-based organizations (nonprofits, NGOs, public sector organizations, civil society organizations, charities, etc.) reap program-enhancing, money-saving benefits from technology. You can see that original web site if you cut and paste www.coyotecom.com into archive.org (that was it's original URL).
For its first eight years, the focus of my web site was exclusively on computer and Internet technology tips for mission-based (nonprofit, non-governmental, charities, civil society and public agencies) programs - provided without charge, and without having to log into anything except the Internet. As my expertise expanded, so did my web site, to include resources on communications, volunteer management and community engagement, and humanitarian work and community and human development abroad.
As we eased our way into the new millennium, I started adding
resources more focused on personal interests, like resources for people that want to volunteer,
as well as resources for women
that want to travel, women motorcycle riders
(particularly travelers), and books
I read. I've gotten as much fan mail and thank yous for
these personal interests as I have for the tech and nonprofit
stuff!
As my professional interests expanded, and as I saw information gaps that I thought I could fill, I expanded what this web site covers. And a few years ago, I decided to phase in a new domain name that better reflects that broader focus: coyoteboard.com. Coyote Broad is whatever I want it to be - because it's about me, Jayne Cravens. Imperfect human. Seeker of knowledge. Opinionated Kentuckian. Curious and confused. And when I eventually retire from talking about communications and community engagement for nonprofits, schools and governments, letting younger and, I hope, MUCH more diverse professionals produce trainings, books, articles, blogs and web sites to guide these mission-based programs, Coyote Broad will represent what comes next for me as I go through this life - whatever that might be.
My web pages have always been formatted so that you can print
them out and reference them offline - something I'm still amazed
so many people do. They also have always been formatted so that
they can be viewed on "low end"
machines and software -- many people and organizations are
not using the latest and greatest software, and I don't want to
turn away anyone (let alone potential customers)! I'm
still working on making most of the pages mobile-ready/smart phone
readable and to be fully accessible for people with disabilities
and using assistive technologies - as I'm not a web designer, as I
am a one-person shop, that's proven difficult but, still she
persists.
In 2026, this web site has been online for 30 years.
I am quite partial to canines, and I think the coyote is unique among all canines, with qualities I greatly admire. Coyotes are unique to North America, my birthplace and, usually, my home. My family in the USA goes back at least eight generations, and I bet they each saw a coyote at one time in their lives. Seeing a coyote connects me with them and with the land I love. Coyotes are amazingly adaptable to ever-changing surroundings - efforts to control or exterminate the coyote and the massive garbage-production of modern humans have produced an animal that is even more alert, opportunistic and able to survive, even flourish. Coyotes are incredibly misunderstood animals, much smaller than most people think, and often blamed for destruction not of their making. Coyotes are surprisingly, sometimes shockingly, intelligent, they have the reputation of being "tricksters," they work well in groups, they love to play, and they have boundless love for their families. At night, to hear the high quavering cry or the short, high-pitched yips of coyotes is the most beautiful song of the night that I know. When I do a road trip in the USA, seeing a coyote always sends a thrill through me.
I love the name Coyote Communications. I've been
using it for this web site since 1996. Unfortunately, it is very
hard for non-native English speakers to say, let alone spell, and
most people outside the Americas don't know the word. I'll still
use it - the URL will continue to work.
There are three different URLs for my web site. All work. Why three?:
coyotecom.com - my first web address, which I bought because coyotecommunications.com wasn't available. I have to keep it because I still find people linking to it.
coyotecommunications.com - my second web address, which I bought the moment it became available, the one I wanted originally.
coyotebroad.com - my third web address, one that I'm
gradually using more and more. It's easier for most people to say
and remember. It also captures the more broad subject matters of
my web site and my life, which isn't just about communications.
But please note: I do not have a business called Coyote
Communications. Or Coyote Broad. Or Coyote whatever. I sometimes
will get an email from someone wanting to do an employment
verification for someone who used to work at Coyote
Communications, and I have to explain that it's the name of
my web site, but that I don't have a business called that. There's
just me. And I don't employ anyone. Except a dog sitter a few
times a year. There's a company in Plano, Texas on LinkedIn that
called itself Coyote Communications. It ain't me, and I've never
been to Plano, Texas (and I have no idea why they use my web
site). There's another company called that in New Jersey. I have
never been to New Jersey (can you believe it?! Not sure how I have
never been to New Jersey, but, well, there it is). Honestly, at
this point in my life, if anyone wanted to buy
coyotecommunications.com, I'd probably sell it, so long as
somewhere on there they pointed to coyotebroad.com. But anyway...
I cannot give away all of my time, expertise and materials for free. I've got bills to pay and mouths to feed and loved ones to shelter and retirement to save for, just like everyone, and the maintenance and hosting of this web site, simple as it is, has real costs - costs I have to pay for with real money. The materials on this web site is what I give away for free, and I hope it provides quality information to help nonprofit organizations and NGOs, especially tiny ones, to explore, to innovate, to expand and to improve. I also hope it promotes my expertise such that I can get hired as a consultant and be able to pay my bills - including those for this web site!
how to support this web site (so
I can continue to post these free resources).
my home page my consulting services
& my workshops &
presentations my credentials & expertise my research projects my book: The Last Virtual Volunteering
Guidebook How to Support This Web Site & My
Work contact me or see my schedule Free Resources: Community Outreach, With & Without
Tech Free Resources: Technology Tips for Non-Techies Free Resources: Web Development, Maintenance,
Marketing for non-Web designers Free Resources: For people & groups that want
to volunteer linking to or from my web site Coyote Helps Foundation me on social media (follow
me, like me, put me in a circle, subscribe to my newsletter) how to support my work & this
web site 
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The art work and material on this site was created and is copyrighted 1996-2026