In this section you'll find materials and presentations from all sessions relating to nonprofit programs staff.
We've gathered presentations and handouts from every session at the NTC, and also have videocasts of the most popular sessions. Browse through the list of sessions below and click on the ones you're interested in for more information and materials.
This session is intended for organizations who want to provide online registrations for events. We'll review the best practices for managing ticketing and registration online, focusing on the user experience from first click to confirmation email.
Training your clients and stakeholders used to involve a large physical space, equipment, and travel costs. New tools and increased Internet access mean you can provide real-time and asynchronous training online. This session will introduce several methods to present online learning opportunities and will highlight what's important to make each work.
Broadband access cards and wireless devices have the potential to change the way data is collected in nonprofits that provide services outside of office buildings. This session will explore the carious ways these new technologies can vastly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your work in the field. Nonprofits that can make use of these technologies include Homelessness and Outreach agencies, canvassing and other advocacy organizations.
Many times an organization quickly jumps into the question of which technology to choose without first defining what they need and what the organization will need to do in order to achieve the benefits of the technology. This session will review how to define your organization’s technology needs, what changes your organization will need to make, and how to review available solutions. An organization that has recently made a technology solution decision will discuss the approach they used, lessons learned, and their satisfaction with the outcome.
FreeClinics serve the 45 million uninsured Americans. Most of the clinics are small, grassroots based organizations that are strong on passion but low on funding and staff. To build capacity, the National Association has brought over $50 million dollars worth of donated product and discounted products to their member free clinics. The Free Clinics implemented of a supply chain management system with their technology partner, a fellow nonprofit, the Aidmatrix Foundation.
Often, we assume that our low-income clients don’t have access to technology. Usually that’s not the case at all, though sometimes it’s a different kind of technology and it’s not always “a computer accessing the Internet” kind of model. In this session we’ll identify the kinds of technology tools our low income client’s use, and make some suggestions for how you can tailor your programs to their needs and means. The session will also provide information on access points, and helping our client community effectively use technology. This session will focus on the experience and research in the United States.
Recruiting and maintaining relationships with volunteers is tough work. But it's a whole lot easier when you have a system to help you understand who your volunteer is, what they're interested in, and what they're best suited to help with. Volunteer recruitment and management systems can help you do just that! In this session, we'll hear from nonprofits that are using these systems to manage their one-time and long-term volunteers. You'll hear how they use the tools; how the tools have impacted their work, and even get a peek at some of the tools.
The 2008 election campaigns are already in motion, especially at the presidential level, and they’re harnessing tools and technologies that barely existed in 2004. What can we learn from Gov. Warner’s press conference in Second Life, Barack Obama’s social networking tools, or John Edwards’ blogger debacle?
In addition to distilling the lessons of 2004 and 2006, this panel’s experts will tell you what’s coming in 2008 and how the NTEN community can stay ahead of the curve.
NPO’s have always faced great challenges integrating data systems in order to increase efficiencies and simplify complex reporting. This is becoming more of a mission-critical task all the time, with donors and funders looking for richer examples of how we meet our social bottom lines. But, the task just became more complex, as more and more of our data lives on external systems like Salesforce.com and ETapestry. How can we best meet these new challenges, and what tools do we need to be aware of to help us succeed?
Effective organizations plan for success. Learn the basic concepts and practices of planning and evaluating your programs to ensure sustained effectiveness. In this interactive session, the presenters will demonstrate Innovation Network's Point K, a suite of free tools recently featured by SocialEdge as a Web 2.0 tool for planning and measuring effectiveness in the social sector. The presenters will highlight new ways of engaging with funders and other stakeholders that support more formative, participatory approaches to planning, monitoring, and assessing program performance. The session will feature real case studies of how Point K community members are leveraging the tools, and the implications and possibilities for organizations to share and collaborate with a broader network as a means to articulate, measure, and communicate the impact of their work.
Inventory tracking in nonprofits is big business. Fortunately, many of the same technologies that actual big businesses are using have become more accessible in price and ease of use. This session will present case studies of some of the most innovative and accessible inventory tracking options available today.
People are gathering themselves into online communities and social networks even as they are gathering themselves in churches and youth soccer leagues. But how do we navigate these online communities and mobilize grassroots action among them? The trick is to create a voice in these communities and use that voice to help people turn their voices into an organized action. The panelists will address these basic questions, how do you effectively spread your message in social networks, how you use your message to drive people to take action, and how you turn your activist into a community that makes the stakes of goals their own.
Information technology provides new and powerful ways to deliver both direct and indirect services to low and moderate-income clients. From self-help legal materials and resources on keeping healthy to the ability to locate food banks and shelters and determine eligibility for public benefits, clients now have unprecedented access to information that has the potential to empower and transform their lives. This session will look at the ways in which information technology has been used to increase the quality of, and access to, services for low and moderate-income clients. Issues such as usability, accessibility, and privacy will be discussed, as well as strategies for outreach, communications, activating community partners and ensuring that service delivery is tailored to the unique needs of clients and identifying where non-technology or hybrid solutions may provide better outcomes.
Believe it or not, online games are about more than car races and shoot-em-ups. And with a new movement, we're not talking about boring edutainment either. Last spring, MTV reached more than a million young people with a game on the Darfur genocide. Youth groups are building games about social issues and fostering leadership skills in the process. A growing coalition is emerging to reach a new generation in the language so many of them already speak: games. Cheaper tools and new partnerships are emerging, as well as important differences between making games and other media. Games are already a mainstream form of media, and can help traditional nonprofits go beyond preaching to the converted and find new audiences. This session will outline some of the easier ways to implement gaming strategies and give you tips to make your endeavor a success.
Many "Web 2.0" tools are all about bringing people together online. This session will highlight the many ways Web 2.0 tools can help you engage and build community, the technical challenges you'll face, and the organizational questions that you'll have to address. By focusing on case studies from the sector, you'll walk away with real-world lessons.
This session will addresses the “why” and “how” regarding online communities for nonprofits. We’ll discuss how online communication and collaboration adds value to a nonprofit’s mission and programs, highlight the return on investment potential, and how to measure and achieve success. Moderated by Sarah Golightly of GoLightly Community, this session features noted learning and community coach Marcia Conner. We’ll showcase best practices in online community building, and review several case studies including NTEN's Affinity Groups, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, and others.
Municipal wireless projects will mean that you can create social change in new, bold ways. Soon, your organization, your clients, and your stakeholders may have access to free and low cost wireless Internet access through a municipal wireless system or at least have access to a wireless system that covers your whole city. Imagine if:
What will you do with when the municipal wireless project goes live? Come find out! This session will inspire you to dream big, encourage you to identify real programs and projects you can implement, and connect you with the resources and skills you’ll need to make it happen.