2014 Nonprofit Technology Conference

#14NTCcare
Is online advocacy in a rut? Many of us have mastered the art of flooding Congress with emails, but studies suggest that legislators don't care. Digital organizers are trying new ideas and new tactics to generate powerful engagement that makes a difference. Hear stories of challenges and triumphs from veteran online campaigners as we tackle the big question: how do we use technology to give our activists real, meaningful ways to create change in the world?

Attendees will walk away with: 1) An understanding of the limitations and shortcomings of traditional online advocacy; 2) Examples of campaigns that have used online to create real-world impact; 3) Exciting ideas for where the future of online advocacy might be going, and new tactics to try. 

#14NTCMedia

The year is 2014. Two community media centers, one from the east coast, one from the west embark on a journey to: youth learning media skills; online citizen journalism and community storytelling platforms; production grants for local filmmakers; free community film screenings; and collaborations with high schools, non-profits and government agencies.

Hear about youth projects in the small, rural towns of Gilroy and Hollister, CA who learned critical thinking, media arts, & advocacy through entering a national Dr. Phil anti-dating violence PSA contest, and about teen moms who wanted to share their controversial “safe sex” message via media. Inmates in Northampton, MA are documented constructing the first labyrinth inside the walls of a U.S. prison. And much more! Then we’ll engage you to tell your stories and create a dialogue about challenges, questions and winning strategies.

#14NTCtechtrain

You may find it hard to believe that there are STILL people out there who don’t use the Internet. While providing public access to computers and the internet may seem pretty straight forward, there are many challenges when it comes to providing technology training. This session is about utilizing community of practice (CoP) forums to share information amongst a group of colleagues that share similar professional interests, both within a single organization and regionally. Attend this session and learn about two CoP platforms built to support this work. This session is for nonprofit professionals who are interested in improving their public technology access and training programs, and learning about how a CoP might benefit their delivery of services. 

Attendees will walk away with: 1) An understanding of how a community of practice can benefit their programs; 2) Examples of two CoP platforms related to public technology training that they will be able to access and use; 3) Connections to other nonprofits who are doing similar work, through a facilitated group exercise; 4) An action plan for how to implement the use of a CoP in their organization, or to develop a CoP specific to their needs.

#14NTCFB

Facebook has become one of the most important channels for engaging supporters online. Learn about specific tools, strategies and tactics to reach new supporters, deepen relationships with existing fans, and capture data so you can engage people off Facebook as well. This session is for the Facebook and social media page manager interested in list growth, supporter engagement and online funder cultivation.

Attendees will walk away with: 1) Strategies for list building and supporter engagement on Facebook; 2) Access to free tools for assessing the performance of your Facebook page; 3) Recommendations for improvement based on your page’s current size and engagement score; 4) Insights into which of Facebook advertising options have been proving most cost effective.

**Special Bonus - All organizations that attend will be given free use of ActionSprout for 60-days

Online Gift Catalog fundraising programs are driving nonprofit fundraising revenue up using innovative multi-channel programs leveraging print, web, mobile, social and other digital media along with innovative tactics from the commercial sector, especially e-commerce. Save the Children shares their program highlighting their success with digital acquisition and mobile including their mobile gift catalog. Eve Smith from Merkle shares insights on other gift catalog programs that are bringing in new donors and new revenue. 

Attendees will walk away with: 1) Understanding how gift catalogs can improve your fundraising program and grow your donor base; 2) Strategies for tuning up a gift catalog program across channels; 3) Key metrics for evaluating success.

#14NTCCC

Creative Commons is a powerful resource for nonprofits, as it provides free access to creative and informational content, and a simple solution for anyone looking to widely distribute educational and creative works. This talk will introduce the basics of copyright law and the legal underpinnings of Creative Commons. Through case studies, we’ll explore how you can use Creative Commons to engage with your community and to disseminate videos, images, and publications in a way that raises your organization’s public profile.

You will learn about the various Creative Commons licenses, how to search for works by a particular license, how to distribute a work under a Creative Commons license, and why you should be cautious when using works licensed with a non-commercial restriction, even at a nonprofit.

#14NTCanCon

Meet three fabulous fundraising Canucks who will walk you through a series of case studies in raising money online - north of the 49th parallel. Using a selection of campaigns undertaken in our respective organizations, mostly small and medium sized shops, we're going to explore diverse programmatic uses of technology. This session is all about how to use a small budget to make a big impact. What works north of the border, may just work south of it, eh?