Yup, 10NTC. We don't even have a conference logo yet, but it's time to start planning -- and of course, we want your help. I mean, last year, the NTC hashtag rolled right off the tongue: "Oh nine en tee cee". Nice, right? But "10NTC"? Not so much.

"Ten en tee cee"? Ehn. "Ten tee cee"? Too cutesy. It's mellifluidity we're after, so we hope you'll join us on the 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference Community Planning call to discuss this, and other -- perhaps weightier -- matters.

Join Holly and I on Thursday, July 16th at 11:00 am Pacific / 2:00 pm Eastern to chat about making the 10NTC the BEST place to connect, learn, and change the world!

> Yes, of course it's free! Sign up to join the 10NTC Community Call!

Planning and technology often seem like oil and water: How can you possibly plan in a field that changes every three weeks? Turns out, you not only CAN do it, you HAVE to do it.

Peter Campbell knows that better than most anyone. He's been at this for awhile now, first in law offices, then San Francisco Goodwill, and now at EarthJustice.

Peter is leading the session "How to Decide: IT planning and prioritization" at the 2009 NTC. (It's more than a session, it's a chapter in our book, Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission.) He took a few minutes out of his day to chat with me:

I'm an Executive Director now, so I have a new-found (and acute) understanding of just how complex that role is.

At a small organization like NTEN, a leader has to be ready to do just about everything, from fundraising to janitorial services. I'd been at NTEN for five years before I took the ED job, so I was lucky enough to know what I was doing -- mostly. But there are giant swaths of the job description I've had to learn from scratch.

Fortunately, the technology part wasn't one of them, but I can relate to the nonprofit leaders out there facing crucial decisions about technology everyday, and who have little idea how all this stuff works.

That's why we're so excited about our book, Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders. The book was written by NTEN members for nonprofit leaders struggling to find technology sea-legs.

The book will come out in March 2009. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon or purchase a copy from us for only $30 with your NTC registration, starting next week. We'll drop it in the mail to you when it's released.