As part of the NTC Agenda Planning Process, we identify major themes and ideas with a Steering Committee to shape the agenda in each of the following tracks. 

Please use this as reference but not as a limited factor when submitted a session.

Communications

Sessions in the Communications Track will focus on strategies and technologies designed to help you build, retain, and mobilize your constituents for multiple purposes. From planning, to implementation, to research, these sessions will give you a framework for improving your current practices as well as ideas and inspiration for where to go next.

• Communications across generations within an organization
• Audience-centric website design
• Branding and Social Media
• Online Storytelling
• Usability on a shoestring
• Traditional and New Media
• Segmentation
• Choosing the right communications chanels for your audience
• Mapping social media communication tools to strategy
• Collaboration/intranet software (ie: sharepoint vs. basecamp (et al) cagematch)
• Internal Communications
• Videoconferencing and webinar tools
• Social Media Best Practices - Begineer and Advanced
• What a "brand" is in a social sector context
• Microformats / Open Data
• Social networks - when to build your own or leverage something already there
• Video - engagement, creation, aggregation of playlists
• Open data feed mashups
• Online-offline event experiences
• Mobile
• Online and paper integration of communications
• Writing for web 2.0 - usernames, tags, etc.
• Data behind your stakeholderspersonalization, interactivity, community building
• Online presence beyond your website -- where do you need to keep info about your nonprofit and why

Fundraising

The Fundraising Track aims to explore the many ways that technology and the Internet are continuing to shape fundraising practices. Sessions in this track will help you create a plan, understand prevailing practices, and forge innovative new ideas.

• Can nonprofits really raise money via social media?
• Compare Social Media to how Email was viewed 10 years ago
• Connection with Fundraising and Engagement
• Storytelling for fundraising when you're not saving puppies
• Grant writing for technology projects
• Direct mail v. Online Fundraising
• Fundraising Failures
• Using analytics to inform fundraising methods
• Intergration between online/offline
• Balance between acquisition and renewal
• New "hip" nonprofit fundraising (non-email, non-FB, non-website)
• Predictive modeling and data mining
• How can you keep campaign donors engaged beyond
• List building/ recruitement
• Microdonations / Kiva example
• Personalizing the donor experience
• Friend as a friend / ambassador campaigns
• Launch a donor campaign in 24 hours
• Integration of Online/Offline
• Donation processing options (open source v. proprietary)
• Integration
• Calculating ROI
• Breaking the rules / Debunking best practices
• It's not your donor database, it's you
• Mobile Advocacy
• Fundraising on Twitter
• Legal refresher for online fundraising
• Social enterprise and nonprofits
• Reality Grantmaking
• Understanding house lists beyond email and direct mail
• Toolkits for your fundraising evangelists
• How fundraising changing in the online world?
• Choosing a payment processor

IT Staff and Consultants

This track is designed to cover the kinds of technical topics and strategy issues frequently encountered by IT staff at nonprofits and consultants focusing on IT issues. You'll find innovative ideas to try in your organization, the latest technology breakthroughs, and strategies for getting more done within your organization.

Major themes to consider:

• Greening your IT
• Low-cost IT tools
• Recruiting and Maintaining IT Staff
• VoIP and Unified Communications
• Implications of Cloud Computing
• Good IT Audit
• Basic Email Considerations
• Insource vs. Outsource
• Privacy
• IT standpoint on social media
• PCI Compliance
• Telecomputing
• File Sharing
• Diversity in your IT Department
• SharePoint
• Accidental Techie / Frontline Tech Considerations
• Budgeting and Advocating for Tech
• Empower your Clients (for Consultants)
• Capacity Building v. Outsourcing

Leadership

Designed for the decision makers at any nonprofit, the Leadership Track will provide a vision for the role of technology in your organization, help you lead your organization to that vision, and provide a framework for making smart technology choices.

• Social Media transformation among leaders
• Nuts and Bolts Social Media for Leaders (safe place to learn about basics)
• Communications Strategy
• IT Organizational Structure
• Steps to become a NPTech Leader
• IT Leadership vs. Non-IT Leadership
• Knowledge Management
• Aligning technology with your mission
• Integrated technology in all your channels
• Analytics dashboard - what a leader needs to measure
• IT Staffing
• New/Young v. Traditional Channels and Staff
• Transparency and Openess
• Open Source for NP Leaders
• Different purchase models and implications
• Distributed Data
• Budget/Funding
• Internal Collaboration
• Managing Remote Staff

Program

The Program Track is designed for the individuals who are on the front lines, serving their communities. In this track, you'll explore some of the most cutting edge applications of technology today and learn how technology can not only increase your efficiency, but your effectiveness.

• Using social media for program reporting / evaluation
• ROI in terms of Program Delivery
• Building online communities
• Social network analysis
• Mobile program delivery materials
• Technology as an accessibity tools
• Crowdsourcing as a program