NTEN's Amy Sample Ward shares from her experiences at the Games for Change Festival.

James Shelton, US Department of Education:

Education is probably the area where we have failed to innovate the most. This morning we talked about creating clusters of innovation, bringing in various communities, etc. But before we got there, we talked a bit about the problem. I want to frame first the opportunity: we often talk about the competitiveness frame in education, that the US used to be number one, and now we are "falling behind." The truth is that other countries are passing us by.

Flickr photo: Gilberto ViciedoIn her book "Zilch", Nancy Lublin recounts the time she was seated next to "The Donald" at a play. They had a little chit chat, which included Mr. Trump asking her, "Oh. So you're in the not-for-profit sector. You don't find that boring?"

I can now say from experience that Nancy Lublin is neither bored nor boring. (Seriously. When I met her, she was wearing a necklace made of plastic hula girls, and she WORKED it.) From what I know about you, you aren't either.

As Nancy points out in the book, it's hard to be bored when there's so darn much to do and so little time do it in and so little money to do it with. This is where innovation comes in. They say necessity is the mother of innovation -- and we know all about that in this sector.

We have a lot of work that NEEDS to get done. 

Flickr Photo: _heather_r_My mother-in-law is famous in our family for one phrase: "Get Over It." I've adopted it pretty broadly; it's handy when your husband or child is whining. But it also has useful business applications. Though I rarely say it out loud, I think it a lot, then try to find slightly more tactful versions, like "Maybe there's another solution to this problem?"

I do a lot of public speaking on social media, the cloud, business intelligence, and other emergent trends in nonprofit technology. No matter what the topic is, I'm asked some variation on, "I'm a nonprofit. I don't have any money. I can't afford to be innovative. How can I be expected to think about these changes?"

I've been asked this question so many times, I should probably say what I really mean about embracing innovation. Here are a few reasons I think you should get over it, and what to do about it:

Elissa Perry, Leadership Learning Community

"When knowledge gained somewhere doesn't move elsewhere, that's not a learning organization; that's just a bunch of projects." - The Saratoga Institute

It can be difficult to encourage new ideas and innovation from people who aren't in positions with leadership titles or much technical authority. People fear speaking up for reasons tied not just to personal style, but also -- and perhaps more commonly -- to organizational culture. There are a number of challenges as well as supports that can limit or open the space for learning and exchange in an organization.

You should start by fostering and supporting a culture of learning and innovation.

Flickr Photo: Jeff KubinaI spent yesterday at the Salesforce Innovation for Nonprofit Success event in New York. It was a really fun event, and I met a whole host of really interesting people doing amazing work at their nonprofits.

I sat in on most of the sessions yesterday and heard a lot of interesting ideas. What really struck me, though, was that almost every session, including my own, had one theme running through it: the empowerment of nonprofits.

We are moving to a new model of software delivery for nonprofits, and it means more than convenience. Software as a Service is on its way. Google Apps provide just one example you're probably familiar with. Most of the Web 2.0 tools you use also qualify, from your blog software to Facebook.

They are always on, and always available. More importantly, they work the same whether you are Microsoft or Save the Bay. Software as a Service means that we all have access to the same platforms and all they can do for our organizations. It will help bridge the technology gap between nonprofits and the for-profit sector.

There's another benefit...