Member Spotlight: Layal Rabat aka Ninlil Xeltentat

Layal Rabat, otherwise known as Ninlil Xeltentat in Second Life is the Volunteer Manager for Nonprofit Commons in Second Life. I had a chance to chat with Layal about her nonprofit work in real and virtual worlds.

What organization do you work for?

I’m currently a student pursuing an MA in the Social Justice and Human Rights (MASJHR) program at Arizona State University. In addition to working with TechSoup and the Nonprofit Commons, I also work withNijel,an organization that seeks to help organizations tell their stories through maps.

How’d you hear about Second Life and the Nonprofit Commons?

I heard about nonprofits in Second Life through one of my professors here at ASU and through the Soul of the New Machine conference at UC Berkeley last May. I hear Susan Tenby speak about the Nonprofit Commons and that sparked my interest in getting involved.

How are you using Second Life to help achieve your goals and those of your organization?

I am using Second Life to help accomplish my personal mission of networking with people from all over the world, and learning together how to use technology to increase efficiency, and give a voice to the voiceless. I manage volunteers for the Nonprofit Commons and match them up with the roles that best fit their skills and interest.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve found using Second Life for nonprofit work?

My biggest challenge is holding people accountable for work they volunteer for. I also have a hard time explaining the usefulness of Second Life in less than a paragraph. I want Tweet-worthy (140 characters or less) justifications to pass along!

What benefits have you experienced?

So far, my biggest success was arranging to have Kyle Reis (Zazoom Zimminy in Second Life) to speak to my grant writing class. He brought his knowledge from the Ford Foundation into my classroom, and gave us a jaw dropping lecture on innovations that the Ford Foundation has been working on. We learned about streamlining the funds request process, the usefulness of social media, and how the Ford Foundation is adapting to the digital age. If it was not for Nonprofit Commons, Kyle and I would not have never met.

Your favorite quote?

“Yea, death and prison we mete out To small offenders of the laws,
While honor,wealth,and full respect On greater pirates we bestow.”

-Gibran Khalil Gibran.

What social media tools besides Second Life do you use?

I’m using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

How can others connect with you?

You can follow me on Twitter @layalzebub, and see more about Nijel.org and the NonprofitCommons on Facebook.

Written by: penguin kuhn