News from the NTEN Connect Blog

NTEN's Technology Leadership Academy Returns for 2012

Submitted by Brett on Fri, 02/03/2012 - 2:43pm

We're excited to announce that the Technology Leadership Academy is returning in 2012. Even better, thanks to the generous support of Google and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we're able to offer the Academy at no charge to qualifying organizations.

The Academy gets at the very heart of what NTEN does. We believe that with improved tech leadership, nonprofits like yours will provide more and better programs, inspire more communities, and involve more volunteers to share their time.

> Learn more and apply by February 24th!

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Member Round Up: We've got dancing babies!

Submitted by Amanda on Fri, 02/03/2012 - 2:41pm

This week, our members are releasing new fundraising tools, hosting workshops, and even awarding grants. While we’re encouraged by some statistics our members released regarding nonprofits and technology, we’re also thrilled that anyone could like us this much:

Thank you so much for all your help in the NTEN Champions Fundraising Campaign, Corey Pudhorosky!

Have more news to share? Drop us a line or include your links in the comments!

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Why You Need a Mobile-Enhanced Email Template

Submitted on Thu, 2/2/2012 - 2:57pm
Nearly 90 million Americans use their phone to read email. If you don't improve your email template, you may be ignored by a large part of your audience.

By Brett Meyer
Communications Director, NTEN


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Communications Styles: How to Get Your Message Out (When People Aren't Listening Properly)

Submitted on Thu, 2/2/2012 - 12:19pm
While communications styles may clash, we still need to find ways to work together. Knowing what your own style is may help.

By Karl Hedstrom
IT Director, NTEN


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Your Nonprofit Video in the Spotlight (and on YouTube's Homepage)

Submitted by Anna on Wed, 02/01/2012 - 4:24pm

The DoGooder Nonprofit Video Contest is back and calling for your best 2011 nonprofit videos!

Are you a nonprofit? Did your organization create impactful videos in 2011? Do you want your organization to be recognized for making great videos and maybe win some incredible prizes? Perfect.

The 6th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Contest is taking submissions starting February 1st.

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Technology is 90% Psychology

Submitted by Holly on Wed, 02/01/2012 - 12:02pm

Flickr photo: Dom de OliveiraFlickr photo: Dom de OliveiraIf you've ever implemented a technology project at a nonprofit, you know it's true: technology is 90% psychology. Success rarely hinges on the hardware and the software; technology hinges on the humans involved.

These days, technology has forced its way into every single aspect of our organizations. While we used to use change mangement strategies to help soothe the fears of those who would reject the new database, now we need something slightly more radical: entirely new organizations.

I'm a long-time fan of Maddie Grant, so I was excited to see her and co-author Jamie Notter tackle this very topic in Humanize. Their premise is quite simple: to succeed in today's world you've got to throw your old models out the window. 

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Welcome NTEN’s new Educational Program Manager: John Kenyon!

Submitted by Brett on Wed, 02/01/2012 - 9:26am

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to the NTEN team: John Kenyon. It’s likely that his name rings a bell for you.

John has been with NTEN since the early days when we were just 200 members. He has worked to shape the nonprofit technology sector over his career of 20+ years of working with and educating nonprofits to use technology strategically. John authored the chapter “Effective Online Communications” in the NTEN book Managing Technology to Meet your Mission (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2009). The commitment and dedication John has to the nonprofit technology sector is tremendous -- from his work on the very first Nonprofit Technology Leadership Series to the one-on-one work he has done with many nonprofits.

NTEN is pleased to bring John’s enthusiasm and experience to the Educational Program Manager role to deepen and expand NTEN’s program offerings.

Please join us in welcoming John to the NTEN team in the comments, below or by tweeting @jakenyon with the hashtag #welcomejohn.

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Activating Your Base of Supporters (with Evan Bailyn)

Submitted by Brett on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 5:30pm

Evan Bailyn, our presenter for "Activating Your Base of Supporters", has more 112,000 fans on Facebook. In his just-released book, "Outsmarting Google", he details how he attracted more than 50,000,000 visitors in a year. That's a lot, so he's doing something right.

In our next webinar, he'll explain how to use Calls To Action to activate potential donors when they're most energized and willing to give.

By the end, you'll know which social media practices are a valuable use of their time and which should be avoided.

> Learn more and register today!

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Things We Like (January 2012)

Submitted by Brett on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:21am

A monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources and other goodies. Read more posts on our blog.

  1. Feeling overworked? Try saying "no" to projects every once in awhile. You'll thank us later.
  2. A simple "no", for example, could have saved these companies a listing as one of the "20 worst-named tech products, ever". (Hint: English already has plenty of words.)
  3. It's also important to say "no" to reality blurring. All those magazine cover models use Fotoshop by Adobé to some degree. The truth will out!
  4. And then there are those Facebook friend requests that push the limits of decency.
  5. If you do push things a little too far, or even make a simple mistake, an apology is still appropriate. (New for 2012: now with more scientific backing!)
  6. Remember back when marketing was simpler? No? Check out these "Vintage Computer Advertisements from the late 1970s".
  7. Okay, we've progressed in a lot of ways. Things change, we adapt. We mean, social media is only a few years old, and we're already shifting our strategies.
  8. One thing we can say "yes" to, one constant: cats. Cats remain cute, even as HTTP Status messages. (You may recognize one of them as the star of NTEN.org's updated 404 page.)
  9. So, after brushing up on the new Google Analytics features, giving the gift of charity, and pickling your website, why not stop by your local animal shelter?
  10. We bet you won't be able to say "no".
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Member Round Up: Working Together!

Submitted by Amanda on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 2:02pm

Flickr:.reid.Flickr:.reid.I’d like to start off this week’s NTEN Member news by congratulating my colleague, Annaliese Hoehling.

Many of you know Annaliese as a great resource for questions regarding any aspect of NTEN’s resources, as well as nonprofit technology in general. Last year she changed her focus at NTEN to became our Research and Publications Director, and she’s already receiving huge honors for her work: Stratton Publishing just named her their “Publishing Trendsetter of the Year” for her management of the NTEN:Change Journal!

[So, if you're not already reading NTEN:Change, you really should be. It's free to subscribe!]

We’d also like to thank the NTEN:Change Journal’s editoral committee for their contributions and support creating an award-winning publication. Thank you, Debra Askanase, Chris Bernard, Rick Birmingham, Britt Bravo, Barbara Buswell, Gavin Clabaugh, Martin Dooley, Deborah Elizabeth Finn, Paula Jones, John Kenyon, Kivi Leroux Miller, Julie Macalik, John Merritt, Laura Quinn, Amy Sample Ward, Ash Shepard, and Michael Stein! 

This award is evidence that when the nonprofit community works together to support each other’s causes, we can achieve great things!

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