I've researched different project management systems over the last 8 years or so.

I've played with Microsoft Project quite a bit and have found it to quite useful in very linear projects but the tool can be quite complicated and sometimes managing the tool takes longer than managing the project.

The emergence of Web 2.0 applications and social networking was bound to spawn new tools.

Back in my WESTAF days, I used BaseCamp when working with Work Industries on search engine optimization. Really BaseCamp is a fancy to do list with some other features. One thing that I think is pretty slick about BaseCamp is the ability to integrate into BlinkSale, the invoicing system I use for my personal consulting. BaseCamp is good for small projects but doesn't really suit larger projects.

Recently, I was told about MyQuire on a forum I help moderate. The service is a social network with a project management element to it. MyQuire is a newish service that allows you to create projects, groups, and tasks. You can create buddy lists and networks of those buddy lists for projects. You can upload files to the system, message folks in your network and chat.

For a free service, MyQuire is really quite robust. I wouldn't use it for large projects--tasks aren't flexible enough to allow for really complex systems to be built. However, it would work very well for small to medium sized projects. I think I will probably use it for PTA activities.

You can upgrade to a premium account for $5.99/month which gives you 50 projects (basic gives you 10), the ability to gift others with a premium account, and a watermarked profile photo. I'm not sure that the extra features warrant the cost.

So, for small nonprofits, this tool could be a great addition to the cadre of free tools that keep popping up on the Internet.

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