The 11NTC Scholarship Auction has officialy opened, and the bids are starting to pour in! Make sure you get your bids in and keep an eye out until Feb 11, when the bidding closes.

Want to bid on these, or any of the other items (like the NTEN staff hand delivering a 5 Guys meal to your NTC lunch table)? Here's what you need to do:

1. Create an account at our auction site. You must use our link to register: http://allthis.com/rR1BK. (The system will send you a confirmation email you must respond to before you can log in for the first time. It went into my spam filter, FYI.)
2. When you see an offer you want to bid on, click on the "I want this button" in the upper right hand corner of the item. You should also choose to "Follow" any items on which you bid.
3. Each day, all auction items will be updated with the latest bids, so keep an eye out to see if you've been out b
4. Bidding closes at 5pm Pacific on February 11. We'll contact winners and arrange for payment then.

Here are a few more amazing items in the auction:

Flickr: visit~ fingerlakesWhere I come from, there's a lake, and every year on the Saturday before Labor day when the sun goes down, everyone who lives on that lake turns off their house lights, lines their waterfront with lit red flares, and builds a bonfire. This is how we mark the end of summer (high tourist season) and the beginning of a new year. For the past few years, I've been in Portland, OR, far away from this tradition -- which may explain why it feels a bit like September has smacked us over the head, as it walked unannounced into our summer party.

Regardless of how it got here, it's already September and before we know it, October, November, and December will soon follow. In preparation for your end-of-year campaigns, NTEN has devoted September to talking about fundraising. I thought I'd do my part with a few of 2010's best resources (so far).

Tad Druart, Convio

Anecdotally and intuitively, you know that changing demographics and technology are driving a shift in your engagement with donors, volunteers, event participants and other people your organization relies on to fulfill your mission. That's one of the reasons you soak up all NTEN has to offer about technology and engagement. Do a Google search and you can find a great deal of research on virtually all aspects of interests, attitudes and aptitudes for Gen Y, Gen X, Boomers and the Matures.

What has been missing is information that how different generations learn about, engage with and donate to charitable organizations -- until now.

Flickr Photo: feastoffunThe rumor on the street is Miss Piggy registered for the NTC. She'd love to see you at there. So would Convio and NTEN!

That's why we've teamed up to offer 57 scholarships to this year's Nonprofit Technology Conference in Atlanta, April 8-10. Convio is matching donations dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $10,000. We are now accepting applications for these coveted spaces.

> Apply for a 2010 NTC Scholarship!

 

You know that organization. The one that that does all that amazing work in your community with MacGyver-like tenacity? The one that is changing the world with just one working laptop, a used printer, and a lot of duct tape?

There are a lot of orgs like that out there, managing to get great things done in the face of greater adversity. The fine folks at Convio recognize the problem and want to give these great orgs a leg up this holiday season. They are sponsoring 50 free memberships for the heroes of the nonpropfit community.

So starting today, anyone can nominate their personal holiday heroes at www.convio.com/nphero telling why they are deserving of the free membership and what makes them worthy of the recognition. Everyone nominated will be entered to win one of 50 free NTEN memberships, compliments of Convio! Submissions will be open through the end of day next Tuesday, December 22, and like it says on the page, it’s as easy as 1 – 2 – 3 to get involved:

1. Nominate your hero
2. Share the contest with your peers and increase your odds of winning each time you use the hashtag #nphero on Twitter
3. Leave a comment at www.convio.com/nphero and give a shout out to your hero for everyone to see

And to show our gratitude for helping share the campaign and making sure everyone has the chance to recognize the person of their choice, each time you Tweet the contest we’re counting your submission as five.

So what are you waiting for? Get your nomination and recognition on over at the Nonprofit Holiday Heroes page! And then stay tuned the first week in January when we announce winners.

 

Meg Murphy, Convio

Do these statements sound familiar?

"I don’t have enough resources to do online fundraising and marketing", and

"I’m not sure I can afford to invest in online fundraising."

Those points are common in the nonprofit sector despite the growing number of studies and reports that show that online fundraising continues to grow — even during the tough economy.

Flickr Photo: amankyIt makes me really happy when folks set up their own events inside the NTC. All of the dinners, coffees, and, in this case, breakfasts, that go on mean you all have more chances to meet each other and make the connections you can take with you when you leave the conference.

If you're planning anything for the NTC, let us know so we can highlight it here on the blog. And don't forget to follow 09NTC on Twitter. When you do, every NTC related tweet will go out through that account, reaching oodles of NTC attendees.

So let the fun begin! Long time NTC supporter Convio is hosting two breakfasts at the NTC: one for partner organizations, and one on their CMS. Info about each is below, and space is limited, so if you want to attend, RSVP to Jennifer ASAP! Send your name, organization, and phone number, and which breakfast(s) you'd like to attend:

With a week and a half to go in the scholarship challenge, I'm excited to report that we're a third of the way to our goal of $10,000!

76 community members have donated over $3,000. With matching funds from Convio, we've now got enough funding to send 18 people to the NTC. Of course, we want to send even 57 folks to the NTC, so we need you to drop everything and give us five minutes and 5 dollars. Just click on the "Donate Now" button in the widget up there!

Wasn't that easy? We can add a little extra incentive as well: On Friday, February 20, one of our favorite NTEN members, John Merritt, will match our first $100 donation of the day. Thanks John!

When you donate, you're helping some amazing organizations connect with the most amazing nonprofit technology community around -- you and the rest of the NTEN gang. There are some terrific people who want to attend. Here's a sampling of what they've shared with us:

All week, we've been running our CRM plus Consulting hours give-away, and I'm excited to announce the nonprofit NTEN organizational member that will be receiving the following:

• 2 free seats for the first year of Common Ground, the new CRM from Convio
• 10 free consulting hours to help get things set up, from Causeway Interactive

And the winner is:

Each morning when I get ready to blog about that day's Member Appreciation winner and activities, I first think, "They're probably going to get tired of this. . ." Then I remember, "Hey, I'm giving away free stuff here. How can folks get tired of that?"

So, I'm giving away more free stuff today!

To start things off, I'm happy to announce today's member receiving an NTEN give-away, a free NTEN Webinar: