It is startling what technology can do as we begin 2012. The rate at which data can move and systems can be connected is astonishing. The potential for harnessing this to create positive social change is compelling and inspiring.

And then you look at the price tags being charged to leverage all of this fancy, powerful stuff. It can be staggering. It isn't uncommon for us to attend conferences and sit in rooms with panel discussions showing off a nonprofit's custom-built solution to integrate their website, constituent relationship management system, email marketing platform, and other communication channels. The screenshots are slick. The crowd is wowed. The mind races with the possibilities for one's own organization.

Until the price tag is quoted. It's usually toward the end of the presentation. It's often mentioned almost as an afterthought.

"We paid $100,000 to a web development firm just for the front end web interface. The CRM setup was separate."

Or, "we raised $200,000 for this implementation."

Staggering. And everyone leaves the room feeling as if they live in a two-room shack and just watched an episode of Cribs that highlighted what they can never have. It's all great and impressive and inspiring - but the real question rolling around in everyone's head as they hit the hallway to go to the next session is:

"Damn! How in the world could they raise six figures for a web project?!?"

We shared this week and last about tools in Soapbox Engage that allow you to display data from your Salesforce account. You can share all sorts of information you've got socked away in all sorts of compelling ways - either on one site or across an entire network of sites. With Soapbox Engage, Salesforce isn't just your data repository, it's your megaphone. And oh, what a megaphone it is!

But you're not interested in simply droning on and on and on to your visitors, incessantly talking and never listening. You want to hear from them. You want them to contact you or sign petitions or submit job applications or apply for grants or do hundreds of other things that require communication back to your organization.

On Friday, we enlisted Fozzie Bear to paint a picture of all the great ways you can display your Salesforce data within a website. What if you don't have one website but two? Or twelve? Or two hundred and twelve?

What if you're the national headquarters of an affiliate network with fifty affiliates all over the country? Or an international headquarters with affiliates in every major city, borough, hamlet, and village in every country across this fair planet of ours? Tell me: what good is including all that good Salesforce data you've got in one measly, little old site going to do for you?

How amazing would it be if you could push all of that data you're looking to share from just one Salesforce instance to not just one website but to every single one of your affiliate sites?

Honestly, good gentles, 'tis child's play for Soapbox Engage! Read on! Read on!