Open Source conference in Wellington – January 2010
Even if you are not a FOSS aficionado, this event might well make a good introduction to the genre and its a rare enough opportunity to make the connections as an Aussie event comes to NZ. linux.conf.au [Read more →]
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December 17, 2009 1 Comment
Connecting Up Conference lays down the challenge
Thanks to Stephen Blyth for the conference updates. To get an idea of the overall tenor of the event, have a look at Connecting Up CEO Doug Jacquier’s Opening address. The text is at his blog, The Blog Stump, the video for those who have what Jacquier calls Fraudband, is here
The bottom line out of all of that is that if you are waiting for governments to help you develop your capacity then your funding strategy may as well consist of buying lottery tickets.
Couple that with the greatest economic crisis we have faced since the Depression, created by the greed of those least likely to want to pay their taxes, to say we have a challenge before us goes beyond the level of understatement. [Read more →]
May 15, 2009 No Comments
Emphasis on Social media at Connecting Up conference, Sydney
When the Connecting Up Australia conference compere Doug Jacquier asked everyone to tap on their keyboards quietly, there was almost a sense of surprise. Among the community group reps, advisors, consultants, salespeople and government officials, there are actually only a few with laptops. [Read more →]
May 13, 2009 2 Comments
Day 2 at NTEN – group action just got easier
The morning got off to a flamboyant start. Prior to the event, Executive Director Holly Ross had undertaken to do something embarrassing if attendees donated $10,000 for scholarships. The donors would vote on which one of 3 potentially embarrassing (or health-hazardous) things she'd do if they reached their goal. The voters choice was a video of her performing Beyonce's 'Put a ring on it' - good job Holly, looks like you have a YouTube career option!
In her intro we learnt that attendance at the event is up by 30% despite the recession - perhaps a sign that when a system is under pressure it is time to learn some new tricks. She also referred to the conference attendees as being a movement changing the way we change the world. Nice. [Read more →]
April 28, 2009 No Comments
Online seminars for non-profit decision makers
The other day I mentioned Idealware's report on CMS and while looking around their site came across their seminars for non-profits to give you the tactical advice you need to make software decisions.
They include advice and product comparisons of the reports and articles on which they are based conducted by the author of those reports.
The seminars are run out of the eastern USA so unless you are prepared to get up at an unsociable hour, the best option might be to check the recorded version. It wont enable you to ask questions like the other participants, but you hear what they ask and get the answers and it IS half price at $20 US. via Idealware: Online Seminars.
I asked them to let me listen to a sample and I'm impressed. Its a nice programme, collaborative, unaggressive, a few bumbles, some silences while the presenter waits for the participants to check in with a question, an occasional glitch with the presentation tool, in other words people like us, well a lot like me anyway.
It actually inspires some confidence that these people are not trying to sell you something, just trying to get the facts across in a way that non-specialists find accessible and unthreatening.
Worth a try. Topics include:
- Considering Social Media for Your Organization
...a hype-free look at how social media tools and techniques can fit into your online communications mix, how to make they work for you, and some examples of what other organizations are doing. - Choosing Broadcast Email Software
... what you need to know in order to setup, send, and track emails effectively, and talk about some of the reliable and affordable (even free!) tools most useful for nonprofits. - Getting Started with Online Distributed Fundraising
... best practices for succeeding with distributed fundraising, and take a look at some of the software options available to support it. - Building An Effective Email List
... how do you build your list with the addresses of constituents truly interested in your cause? - Choosing a Low Cost Constituent Database
... everything you need to know to pick the right database for your organization, and consider the specific pros and cons of commonly used databases - Getting Started with Online Conferencing and Seminar Tools
... learn about online seminar (webinar) tools ... via an online seminar - Getting Started with Online Donations
April 28, 2009 No Comments
