Those with fundraising jobs are benefiting more and more from the Internet and social media.

As technology improves and more people have access to the Internet, nonprofit organizations are taking better advantage of online donations. Social media and other online outlets make it easier to spread the word about charitable causes.

A new report from Network for Good found that the number of people who have made donations online has increased significantly over the last 10 years. This is in part because access to online services has increased, and in part because donating has become more “mainstream.”

The report found that between 2001 and 2011:

• Online donations increased from 4 percent to 65 percent.
• Donations made toward disaster relief increased from one in 10 people to one in three people.
• The average online donation to Network for Good dropped from $226 to $73.
• The total amount donated to Network for Good increased from $3 million to $140 million.
• The amount of people using social media to promote charitable causes increased from relatively zero to 40 percent.

A different report from the Chronicle of Philanthropy found that the following charities raised at least 10 percent of their donations online this year:

• National Multiple Sclerosis Society – 33.8 percent
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – 33.2 percent
• American Lung Association – 22.3 percent
• Doctors Without Borders USA – 19.4 percent
• American Red Cross – 18.7 percent
• Partners in Health – 18.4 percent
• Mercy Corps – 14 percent
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – 13.8 percent
• Alzheimer’s Association – 12.5 percent

Those looking for nursing jobs in Arizona (http://azjobs.cancercenter.com) should see more positions available in the near future.

The U.S. Employment Index from eQuest increased from 101.81 to 102.03 during October, as a stronger-than-expected increase in job postings was somewhat offset by an increase in applicant traffic.

The healthcare industry experienced the largest increase in job postings over the month, while real estate reported the largest decrease. On a state-by-state basis, Idaho saw the largest rise in job postings, while California recorded the largest decline.

Industries that saw the largest increase in job postings:

1. Healthcare
2. Biotech
3. Retail
4. Consulting
5. Telecommunications
6. Energy
7. Pharmaceuticals
8. Computing
9. Environment
10. Advertising

Industries that reported the largest drop in job postings:

1. Real estate
2. Journalism
3. Distribution
4. Manufacturing
5. Construction
6. Tourism
7. Mining
8. Raw materials
9. Furniture
10. Paper

States that saw the largest increase in job postings:

1. Idaho
2. New Mexico
3. Arizona
4. District of Columbia
5. Virginia
6. Arkansas
7. Vermont
8. Iowa
9. New York
10. Washington

States that experienced the largest decrease in job postings:

1. California
2. South Carolina
3. Kentucky
4. Georgia
5. Florida
6. Michigan
7. Louisiana
8. Missouri
9. Mississippi
10. Alabama

Anyone looking for marketing jobs in Phoenix (Click here) may want to consider a position with Best Western.

The popular hotel chain is headquartered in Phoenix and employs about 1,190 people throughout the world. Best Western also operates a consolidated reservations center in the city, as well as one in Milan, Italy.

The company also has sales offices in: Atlanta, Bangkok, Beijing, Bogota, Boston, Buenos Aires, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, San Diego, Santiago, Seoul, Singapore, St. Louis, Sydney, Tel-Aviv, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington, DC.

Here are some other interesting facts about Best Western:

• With more than 4,000 hotels in 90 countries, Best Western is the largest family hotel in the world.
• Best Western has been booking more than $1 million in revenue per day since the beginning of 2005.
• The hotel chain has offered an independent advantage in the U.S. for 65 years and in Europe for 35 years.
• Best Western is the “Preferred Lodging Partner” of the American Automobile Association and Canadian Automobile Association.
• AAA/CAA rate 95 percent of the company’s hotels in the U.S. and Canada, and of those, more than 1,000 receive a three-diamond rating.
• More than 90 percent of Best Western hotels in Europe have three or four-star ratings.
• Best Western has a unique partnership with Harley-Davidson and more than half of the company’s NOrth American hotels offer special benefits to motorcycle riders.
• The company also has a customer loyalty program for NASCAR fans dubbed Speed Rewards.
• All Best Western hotels in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean offer free high-speed Internet.

More Dallas restaurant jobs (http://benchmarkinwestlake.com) should soon be created as a prominent indicator shows growth in the industry.

During September, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index increased by .7 percent to 100.1, which is the highest level since June. Any level above 100 signifies growth and expansion in the restaurant industry.

“The September increase in the Restaurant Performance Index was fueled by improvements in the same-store sales and customer traffic indicators,” Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the research and knowledge group for the NRA, said in a statement.

“Among the forward-looking indicators, restaurant operators are more optimistic about sales growth in the months ahead, while their outlook for the overall economy remains cloudy” Riehle added.

The Restaurant Performance Index is made up of two parts – the Current Situation Index, which increased by .8 percent to 100.1 during September, and the Expectations Index, which rose by .7 percent to 100.2.

The report further found:

• 50 percent of restaurant owners reported stronger same-store sales over the last year.
• 43 percent of owners saw higher customer traffic between September 2010 and September 2011.
• 43 percent of operators made a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion, or remodeling during the last quarter.
• 37 percent of restaurant owners expect to see higher sales in the next six months.
• 22 percent of operators expect economic conditions to improve in the coming months.
• 47 percent of owners plan to make a capital expenditure in the next six months.

As the American population continues to age, there will be a strong need for more qualified candidates to fill occupational therapy jobs Arizona (Click here) in the coming years.

Every day this year, and continuing for the next 19 years, it’s expected that 10,000 people will reach the age of 65. That means that the number of people enrolled in Medicare will increase from 46 million to 80 million by 2030.

According to a recent article from TodayinOT.com, this generation of seniors will be different than those before, mainly in the way they hope to remain active. Seniors today want to live longer, work longer, travel more.

This is great news for occupational therapists, who will become more in demand as these seniors aim to remain active. Many seniors will need some help as they age, especially those who look to live at home longer.

“AARP did a survey that showed more than 80 percent of this generation wants to stay in their home as long as possible,” Carolyn Sithong, OTR/L, MS, SCENm CAPS, owner of Home For Life Designs, said. “But most houses don’t accommodate long-term living. They have stairs, narrow doorways, and bathrooms that would not work with a walker or a wheelchair.

“Aging-in-place design will be the new trendy thing to do,” she continued. “It will save them money in the long run. OTs are in a great position to consult and advocate for the home dweller.”

Seniors also want to work longer, which means many workplaces will have to be modified to meet the needs of the elderly. And aside from working and living, seniors are doing their best to stay healthy longer.

“PTs and OTs who provide a targeted service such as an exercise class that is supervised and geared toward baby boomers can secure and increase their business,” Nitin Chhoda, PT, DPT, CSCS, co-author of “Marketing for Physical Therapy Clinics,” said. “Also, developing a separate website or newsletter to offer your clients that serves baby boomer needs would do very well. Boomers are out there looking for information to help them.”

Increasing holiday sales should create more sales jobs in Phoenix (Click here) this year.

A recent report from the National Retail Federation is predicting that holiday sales will increase once again this year, allowing retailers to hire hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers, which is great news for the millions of unemployment people throughout the U.S.

The NRF is predicting that holiday sales will increase by 2.8 percent to $465.6 billion this year. The projected increase is considered average compared to last year’s sales growth of 5.2 percent.

“Retailers are optimistic that a combination of strong promotions and lean inventory levels will help them address consumer caution this holiday season,” Matthew Shay, president and CEO of NRF, said in a statement. “While businesses remain concerned over the viability of the economic recovery, there is no doubt that the retail industry is in a better position this year to handle consumer uncertainty than it was in 2008 and 2009.”

Although retail sales have increased for the last 14 months in a row, consumers are still concerned about the stock market, higher gas and food prices, fiscal policy, and stagnant job growth – all of which could impact holiday spending this year.

“Just when you think the U.S. economy is turning around, another factor comes into play that changes the game,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz, Ph.D., said. “Persistently high unemployment, an erratic stock market, modest income growth and rising consumer prices are all combining to impact spending this holiday season. How Americans will react to shaky economic data is the question, but the good news for retailers is that shoppers have not yet thrown in the towel.”

The projected increase in sales should push retailers to hire anywhere between 480,000 and 500,000 seasonal workers this holiday season, which is similar to the 495,000 seasonal workers hired last year.

“The hundreds of thousands of jobs created during the holiday season help people support their families by supplementing their household income and providing generous employee discounts,” Shay said. “As the retail industry bounces back from the recession and continues to add jobs, some holiday employees could find themselves with an opportunity for even more: a new career in one of the most innovative industries on the planet.”

Students preparing for IT jobs Phoenix (Click here) who are interested in starting their own businesses may benefit from a new program.

The Arizona State University Venture Catalyst and Arizona Technology Enterprises are teaming up to launch the Rapid Startup School, a new program that will help post-doctoral researchers and graduate students start their own companies.

The new program, which is slated to begin October 25th at the ASU Tempe campus, will be free to graduate students and post-doctoral researchers. The school is modeled after a successful program at the Dublin City University in Ireland.

“It is a matter of evangelizing entrepreneurship to those ‘latent’ entrepreneurs that exist within Arizona State University,” Gordon McConnell, executive director of the Venture Catalyst, said in a statement. “In a sense this is a ‘school’ that isn’t a school in the traditional sense.

“We want to cover the main aspects of creating a new venture, taught by people who do this as a day job, but with an emphasis on the participants thinking about their own venture or idea,” he continued. “An MBA student or a young researcher may have an idea from one of the university’s research labs, but doesn’t know where to start in terms of developing the idea or a team to execute the idea.”

The part-time program will use a “pracademic” approach to develop an entrepreneurial mindset among students. A set of in-person and online modules will be taught by adjunct faculty members from external organizations.

Students will take part in a series of modules lasting two or three hours and some networking sessions at the Tempe campus. Once the program is complete, they will have one-on-one meetings with similar new startups.

Many non for profit jobs (Click here) could get a boost from a new program led by the most popular coffee company in the U.S.

Starbucks recently announced that it is joining forces with the Opportunity Finance Network to launch the Create Jobs for U.S.A. program. The program is aimed at creating and sustaining jobs throughout the nation.

The program will provide capital grants to Community Development Financial Institutions, which will in turn provide financing to underserved community businesses. Financing will include small business loans, community center financing, housing project financing, and microfinance.

To start the program, the Starbucks Foundation has made a $5 million contribution. Starting November 1st, anyone who makes a donation of $5 or more in-store or online will receive a wristband with the message “Indivisible” on it.

“At Starbucks we’re committed to doing our part to help accelerate job growth in the United States through our stores,” the company said in a statement. “We hire about 200 partners per day in the country, and we plan to hire about 70,000 partners in all by the end of 2011. And we’re planning to add 200 new stores and remodel more than 1,700 stores in the United States over our next fiscal year. These efforts may create approximately 2,000 full and part-time jobs across the country.

“While our business contributes to the communities we serve, we recognize that in this time of crisis, we can and must do more – especially when the small business community, where Starbucks has its roots, is so challenged,” the company added.

Three groups are teaming up to open a new center that will support a number of positions, from radiology roles to RN jobs Arizona (Click here).

Abrazo Health Care, Imaging Advantage, and Arizona Medical Imaging are working together to open the Abrazo Center for Telemedicine and Innovation, a new radiology reading center in Paradise Valley Hospital.

The center will be open 24-hours per day, seven days per week. It will be staffed by local board certified radiologists and other staff who can communicate easily with physicians at Abrazo hospitals.

The center will feature:

• CT scans
• Ergonomic work stations
• Modern surroundings
• MRI
• Superior lighting
• Ultrasounds
• Video conferencing
• Voice recognition software

“The highly innovative Center will give our radiologists the opportunity to interpret diagnostic imaging tests utilizing world-class technology to provide quicker results to patients,” Dr. Mark Kestner, chief medical officer for Abrazo Health Care, said in a statement.

“The Center is truly unique not only to the Valley but across the country and will ultimately improve our ability to perform more advanced and complex imaging reads in a shorter amount of time,” he continued. “We anticipate a measurable impact on turnaround time, length of stay and most importantly, quality.”

Those looking for Arizona pharmacy jobs have a great place to prepare for their career right nearby.

With all of the competition in today’s workforce, it’s more important than ever before to obtain the proper education before embarking on your career. Attending college will prepare students to become pharmacists or researchers in hospitals or clinics.

The University of Arizona – one of the best schools for pharmacy students – is located right in Tucson, Ariz. The school offers a comprehensive pharmacy program that will help you get ready for your future career.

According to Education-Portal.com, the top 10 schools for pharmacy students include:

1. Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio
2. Purdue University - West Lafayette, Ind.
3. University of Arizona – Tucson, Ariz.
4. University of California-San Francisco – San Francisco, Calif.
5. University of Illinois-Chicago – Chicago, Ill.
6. University of Iowa – Iowa City, Iowa
7. University of Kentucky - Lexington, Ky.
8. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor – Ann Arbor, Mich.
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Chapel Hill, N.C.
10. University of Southern California – Los Angeles, Calif.