We almost skipped the NetSquared convention this week, given the 21 web-based projects presenting are all not-for profit organizations. But hey, GigaTeam needs to feel all warm and fuzzy sometimes too.

So we spent a few hours watching pitches from social organizations that used the conference to swap resources, look for funding, and compare notes on how to make their web projects more effective. There were a lot of really admirable people with helpful ideas, but not a lot of high level web knowledge. I guess that was the whole point of the show.

The highlight of the show is the cash prizes for the organizations that were voted the best. I thought the voting outcome was spot on. Here’s the winners, and three interesting do-gooder web sites you should check out:

• 1st place, $25,000: A Light on Money and Politics: MAPLight.org
• 2nd place, $15,000: Miro Open Source, Open Standards Video
• 3rd place, $10,000: Freecycle Network:

The other contestants didn’t leave the conference with empty pockets, they each got $2700 plus change. Which might not be much, but as Daniel Ben-Horin, the founder of the company behind the conference, Compumentor, put it, so “they can afford cab and airfare and a little extra.”