STORIFY: Nonprofit Technology Show and Tell

The Digital Nonprofit planning meeting: February 9

Help us plan The Digital Nonprofit 2016. Join us during our next call.

The Digital Nonprofit 2016

Please join us April 13 for NetSquared Vancouver’s annual conference!

The Digital Nonprofit Conference is ready to take you and your organization to the next level of tech success. This year’s line up of presenters includes experts in the tech, nonprofit and private sectors, delivering deep dive discussions on topics ranging from:

Capacity planning in the digital world
Choosing the right tech tools to suit your organization’s values
Cultivating digital talent
Digital fundraising & donor engagement
Building community engagement strategies with corporate partners

We will mix big-picture thinking with practical, hands-on sessions during an inspiring day at the beautiful Creekside Community Centre. Enjoy an amazing menu with meals from Vancouver’s best food trucks and a complimentary on-site espresso cart.

Our first two conferences sold out, so please get your ticket before February 15 to take advantage of early bird pricing.

WHAT’S NEW IN 2016
This year we are adding a free post-event cocktail hour (seats are limited, so RSVP now) and breakout lunch & learn sessions so that you can get more one-on-one time with our presenters.

When: Wednesday, April 13. 8:45 AM – 5:00 PM
Where: Creekside Community Centre, 1 Athlete’s Way, Vancouver BC
Price: $75.00 (plus fees) early bird before February 15
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-digital-nonprofit-conference-tickets–21227669531

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Nonprofit leaders responsible for their organization’s strategy
Digital staff and fundraisers who execute online campaigns
Program and support staff who want to more effectively engage their stakeholders

PRESENTERS
Here’s our initial lineup of experts. We will continue to update the event agenda weekly with additional presenters.

Rory Green, Fundraiser Grrl and Associate Director, Advancement, SFU: Keeping the Digital Donor Love Alive & Thriving
Darren Barefoot, Capulet Communications: What Nonprofits Can Learn from the Paris Climate Talks
Jane Zhang, Executive Director, TechSoup Canada: Technology Planning
Ryan Saxby-Hill, Communications Manager, Canadian Internet Registry Authority: How Your Values & Technology Work Together
Destin Jones, Head of Community, Change Heroes

Plus, expert panels on Corporate Community Engagement and Digital Fundraising.

SPONSORS

A huge thanks to our sponsors. They make The Digital Nonprofit possible!

iATS Payments
BC Technology for Learning Society
NetSquared Vancouver
And you? Email us for details! events@nettuesday.ca

#Net2van: February Nonprofit & Tech Events

Hey friends, there’s lots of great events for the nonprofit tech community. Check ’em out! Or for the latest updates join our group on Facebook or follow us on twitter at #Net2van.

NETSQUARED VANCOUVER EVENTS

Most NetSquared events are free or by donation.

Nonprofit Technology Show and Tell

When: Tuesday, February 2
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/net2van/events/227347166/

This is a crowdsourced session, where participants are given up to five minutes to share a tool they use in their non-profit tech life. Learn from the best – each other. Share anything that helps you do the amazing work you do. It can be a CRM, communication tool, fundraising platform, some social media magic-sauce, automation or other clever web genius that helps you further your mission or cause or execute your work. We only ask that you can show the solution and say what and why you use it.

Creating Opportunities with Your Neighborhood Business

When: Tuesday, March 8
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/net2van/events/228113298/

Building Engaging Partnerships To Help With Next Level of Organizational Growth

Local businesses and nonprofits have a great many reasons to partner up, such strengthening community relationships, creating new business opportunities and building awareness around the needs of great causes. Hear from community managers on what they are doing to connect with local nonprofits and the successful engagement strategies they are using to create wins for all.

NETSQUARED VICTORIA EVENTS

Women in Technology Panel

When: Tuesday, February 23
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/Net2Vic/events/225147729/

Join us to be inspired, and hear real stories of regular women who found something in technology that delighted them, which sparked them to launch their careers in a predominantly male industry. With only 7% of top IT industry positions held by women, these are rare sightings, and they have extraordinary stories to tell – you won’t want to miss them!

JOBS

Qmunity: Engagement Coordinator

Do you know how to use communications and design to inspire others? Are you passionate about amplifying queer and trans stories? Is your gif game on-point? You should apply to be our next Engagement Coordinator!

Working with the Communications and Development manager, the Engagement Coordinator will support the execution of our Organizational Communication Strategy, with particular focus on attracting and retaining program clients.

Apply: http://qmunity.ca/news/engagement/

If you have a job to share reach out on Twitter using the hashtag #net2van.

OTHER COOL STUFF

Web of Change Canada

When: May 22 – 26
Applications open until February 22: http://www.webofchange.com/canada

Web of Change Canada is where diverse leaders working at the frontiers of technology and social change come to up their game. Over five days, we candidly share front-line campaign experiences, reflect deeply on our impact and find the network and meaning we need to do transformational work. Web of Change balances professional development and technical skills sharing with relationship building.

.CA Community Investment Grants now available

Deadline: March 4
More info: https://cira.ca/cip

Need support for a project that helps to build a better online Canada? Apply for a .CA Community Investment Program grant starting on January 20.

The .CA Community Investment Program gives back by funding innovative community projects and research to build a stronger, safer and more accessible Internet for all Canadians. .CA has supported 54 innovative projects across Canada to date, for a total of $2.2 million

Apply to be a Timeraiser Nonprofit

Timeraiser helps nonprofit organizations, large and small, connect with potential volunteers. Recruit skilled volunteers at Timeraiser who are committed to volunteering 25 – 100 hours over a 12 month period.

Deadline: February 19, 2016
Application form: http://www.timeraiser.ca/im-a-nonprofit.html

Webinar: How Creative Digital Media Campaigns can Win Attention, Inspire Donors and Increase Supporters

When: Thursday, February 4
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spot-the-purple-cow-how-creative-digital-media-campaigns-can-win-attention-inspire-donors-and-tickets–19941183617

In an increasingly busy world of social media and endless websites, nonprofits need to be able to cut through the noise. Join Agentic principal Phillip Djwa in an informative 60 minute webinar on examples of nonprofits that have successfully created highly shareable digital media campaigns that speak to the new kind of interactivity. You’ll learn the key concepts, processes and see examples of successful and, to use Seth Godin’s term,“remarkable,” digital media campaigns. Look forward to special guest presentations from Julie Szabo and Darren Barefoot of Capulet Communications.

Science World Presents: Science of Cocktails

When: Thursday, February 4
RSVP: http://bit.ly/1PegFWV

Science of Cocktails is the ultimate cocktail event where guests will celebrate the artistry behind the mixology and science behind the craft. Guests will take an in-depth, hands-on look at the physics, chemistry, and biology of cocktails, and engage in an exploration of their favourite drinks in ways that they have never experienced before. This is a fundraising event in support of Science World’s class field trip program for underserved schools.

EVENTS PLANNED BY OUR COMMUNITY FRIENDS

Happier At Work: Story as a Tool for Personal & Organizational Development

When: Wednesday, February 3

An immersive 2.5 hour workshop where participants tell their own stories, connect these to their organization’s stories, listen deeply to the stories of others, and analyze how impactful stories can inform our work and vice versa.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-amp-workshop-series-amp-up-your-impact-tickets–19937842624

AFP Vancouver: Keeping the Donor Love Alive & Thriving

When: Thursday, February 11
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/Association-of-Fundraising-Professionals-Vancouver-area/events/227486463/

Spend an hour with Rory Green and Beth Ann Locke as they explore real life #DonorLove examples and creative ideas with one purpose: helping you keep the relationship with donors alive and thriving. Be inspired to make #DonorLove a priority in your daily work and walk away with practical tips to help donors keep that loving feeling.

Salesforce Nonprofit User Group: Learn about the NPSP 3 upgrade process

When: Tuesday, February 16
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/vnug-upgrade-month-special-learn-about-the-npsp–3-upgrade-process-tickets–21047947979

If your Salesforce org is still running on Nonprofit Starter Pack 2 (if you’ve been on Salesforce since before Fall 2014 and haven’t yet upgraded to Nonprofit Starter Pack v3), this is the meeting for YOU! We will cover all things NPSP 3 UPGRADE!

WHY you should upgrade
WHERE you should upgrade (hint: it involves a Sandbox!)
HOW to upgrade
WHEN you should upgrade (spoiler alert: ASAP!)

Good Graph, Bad Graph: Data visualization for broad audience appeal

When: Wednesday, February 17
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-amp-workshop-series-amp-up-your-impact-tickets–19937842624

Peanut butter and jelly. Bacon and eggs. Science and art? That last one may not be a classic combination yet, but we’re on our way there. Organizations large and small are embracing data visualization as a way to make complex information more accessible.

Towards Financial Sustainability: Social Based Pricing

When: Wednesday, March 2
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-amp-workshop-series-amp-up-your-impact-tickets–19937842624

Social Based Pricing is a pricing service designed and tested for non-profit organizations. The service is centered around designing and implementing new pricing structures in organizations. Does your non-profit offer a fee for service? Are you wondering how to increase your earned income without compromising your social purpose? This 1.5 hour workshop will go over the steps organizations can take to evaluate the current pricing structure of your services.

Beyond the Grant: Advanced Grant Writing, and Alternative Funding, Financing, Enterprise & Investment Options

When: Wednesday, March 16
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-amp-workshop-series-amp-up-your-impact-tickets–19937842624

In recent years, many go-to sources of grant funding for non and for profit organizations alike have either dwindled or become increasingly difficult to compete for. In this workshop we will cover:

Efficient and effective grant writing skills
Unconventional sources of grant funding
The funding landscape beyond the grant.

You will learn how to research other sources of funding and financing, and how to think creatively about how your or your organization’s projects could be funded.

DinnerPartyYVR

When: Saturday, April 9
RSVP: http://dinnerpartyyvr.com/

Take part in this a one-of-a-kind simultaneous dinner party event!

Here’s how it works: Hobby chefs — aka people who love to cook and entertain — host dinner parties across Vancouver in support of their favourite charities. Diners (aka you!) select a meal to attend and have an awesome night out, meeting new friends, and then joining up with all of the other dinner party guests, Hobby Chefs, charity representatives and partners at the after party.

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Got a nonprofit tech event that should be in the next newsletter? Let me know! Tweet at us using the hashtag #net2van.

Cooking for good, have you heard about DinnerPartyYVR?

DinnerPartyYVR is a great opportunity for those of you who love to cook, host dinner parties and have a favourite cause you would like to support. Hobby Chef registration is open until Saturday, January 31 and the dinner parties take place Saturday, April 9.

Net2Van committee member Michelle Sklar caught up with DinnerPartyYVR organizers Crystal Henrickson and Annika Reinhardt for a chat about coming into year three of this awesome fundraising event.

Tell us a little about DinnerPartyYVR and what the inspiration was for you to launch this? DinnerPartyYVR is Vancouver’s largest simultaneous dinner party event supporting charitable causes. On one night, homes across Vancouver will cook and host dinner parties for old and new friends. 100% of the ticket sales will benefit chosen charities.

I remember Annika (my co-producer) and myself having a lively brainstorm while eating burgers at the Jericho Beach Club a number of summers ago. The topic? How to create more opportunities for Vancouverites to connect. We both love hosting and attending dinner parties — it’s actually how we met — at one of Annika’s progressive dinner events. By the end, we’d decided to produce a simultaneous dinner party event, where anyone could attend and be almost guaranteed to meet a new friend!

Do I need some mad cooking skills to be a Hobby Chef?
You don’t need to be a professional chef to be a Hobby Chef. You just need to be up for hosting people in your home and serving a meal that you feel confident cooking. And no one should cook alone… we insist you pair up with a “sous chef”… a friend, a family member, a spouse. And along the way we’ll support you too: you’ll be invited to events at Whole Foods Market to help sharpen (haha pun!) your kitchen skills, past Hobby Chefs will share their “hacks” on our Facebook group, and you’ll even get a bag full of goodies including a gift card from Whole Foods Market, beer from Howe Sound Brewing, wine from Serendipity Winery and soda from DRY Sparkling to help complement your dinner party.

How can I get my favorite charity involved?
We think it’s special to see the variety of our hobby chefs, from the food they cook to the charities they support. With over 50 homes cooks, we might end up with just as many supported charities. No matter what the charity — provided you choose a registered charitable organization — 100% of the ticket sales from your meal will be donated to them.

We encourage our hobby chefs to reach out the charities they are supporting and we personally invite all of the supported charities to the after party that follows so they can participate!

Do I need to sell my own tickets?
Spreading the word is a joint effort, because sharing is caring! We’ll be working hard to sell out like we have for the past 4 years. All of the meals will be displayed on dinnerpartyYVR.com where diners will get to select their top choice for a meal. After the event, we donate 100% of the ticket sales to the designated charities.

Do you have a favorite story from a past DinnerPartyYVR you would like to share?
You know, it’s been a pretty remarkable year of connections made because of past DinnerPartyYVR’s: we’ve heard of relationships starting at the DinnerPartyYVR after party, hobby chefs going on to cook professionally, and diners being inspired by charities who attend or host the dinner parties that they began volunteering with the organizations.

I heard the after-party last year was a blast, what surprises do you have in store for us this year?
We do like to throw a good party! We promise there will be a bar, delicious bites for desserts, great music, and the opportunity to toast to all of the dinner parties. The rest… you’ll just have to attend to find out!

Calling all Community Managers: This course is a must!

Our objective at Net2Van is to provide opportunities for the nonprofit community in Vancouver to have access to education, networking and the tools to help your organization thrive in the quickly changing world of technology. We understand that the lifeblood of any organization wouldn’t be possible without the support of donors – individuals and businesses. Building an engaging community strategy is key to forging new opportunities, raising awareness, recruiting volunteers and retaining those vital, hard-won relationships.

The UBC Continuing Education Studies department is offering a course on community management The Evolution of the Community Manager from January 25 – February 22, 2016. Net2Van committee member, Michelle Sklar, caught up with the program facilitator, Crystal Henrickson, to learn more about the course (that you don’t need to be a UBC student to attend).

Check out their interview below:

Tell us about the Community Management course you are teaching at UBC?
This is the foundational course in the Community Management Award of Achievement program offered at UBC’s downtown campus. In this 4 week course, that starts on January 25th, you’ll learn what the community manager landscape looks like — what skills and experiences are required, the types of roles and responsibilities of a community manager, how community managers differ and are complementary to other roles in the marketing/communications departments. We’ll also dig into the stages of communities that help community managers decide on where to focus their efforts.

What’s great is you don’t need to be a registered UBC student, or a university graduate to attend, as The Community Management program is part of Continuing Studies.

What topics will you be focusing on?
The focus of this course starts with properly defining a community manager’s role within an organization, and assigning roles and responsibilities to this role. We then move on to understand the DNA of different types of communities and how they act at various levels of maturity.

Can you tell us a little about the program format?
What’s great about the Community Management program at UBC is that the class sizes are small, meaning there is a lot of peer to instructor time and deeper discussions amongst peers. Our case studies and industry experts are curated from a number of industries: technology companies, non profits, online social networks and lifestyle brands. We take a lot of care to simulate real world community scenarios and use modern communication tools like Slack to give students a very practical approach to Community Management.

Who is the ideal participant for this course?
Industry professionals who are working in communications and marketing roles and want to increase engagement levels amongst their audiences, career transitioners who want to deepen their skills in community management, hiring managers and executives who want to understand emerging community roles.

Can you share with us some of the fun things you have in store for your students?
You’ll get to experience hosting your own AMA’s with community builders, “hangouts” online and offline with local industry experts, and unlimited access via Slack to program instructors (myself and Destin Jones: Change Heroes, formerly of Hootsuite, Latergramme).

Follow Crystal on Twitter: @marketing_girl

Follow Michelle on Twitter: @michelle_sklar

Creating Opportunities with Your Neighborhood Business

Building Engaging Partnerships To Help With Next Level of Organizational Growth

RSVP on Meetup

When: Tuesday, March 8, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: The HiVE, #210 – 128 W Hastings St.

AGENDA

5:30 – 6:00 PM: Networking and snacks
6:00 – 7:00 PM: Presentation
7:00 – 7:30 PM: Q&A and Wrap
7:45 – 9:30 PM: Post-event social!

HOST

Michelle Sklar

I am a performance driven Executive with nearly two decades of comprehensive achievements in marketing, communications, sales, operations and entrepreneurial endeavors. I have focused my professional career development on bringing ideas from inception to execution in the Emerging Technology, Digital Media and Nonprofit industries.

My broad cross-functional expertise is in brand and digital asset management, consumer engagement and community building, and project management and analytics. I thrive in startups and faced paced environments, where culture and vision match the desire to be transformative. I am a firm believer in community and am currently active with several nonprofit organizations.

TWITTER
Event hashtag: #Net2van
Speaker: TBC
Host: @michelle_sklar
Venue Sponsor: @HiveVancouver
Event Sponsors: @iATSpayments @TechSoup @NTENorg @onedaywebsite

ACCESSIBILITY

Mobility Access: This venue does not have ramps and elevators and is not wheelchair accessible.
Hearing Access: Speakers at this event will use microphones.
Sight Access: Contact the organizers if you need an advance copy of the presentation.

We want everyone to be able to participate in the Net2Van community and events. Please don’t hesitate to let us know what we can do to accommodate your needs.

Mapping Your Data + QGIS Slides

January’s NetSquared Vancouver meetup featured a free-flowing discussion about how data can be mapped and visualized. Event host Noah Ferguson shared his experience working in the political realm and we received an overview of GQIS, an open source GIS program, from Jim O’Leary and Rick Davidson. They’ve generously shared their slides.

Qgis demo for NetSquared Vancouver from NetSquared

If you’d like to learn more about QGIS and Geospatial technology Rick and Jim are also offering a course at Langara.

Langara Qgis Course

Starting with Introduction to Geospatial Technology on Tuesday January 19, 2016, our new program offers five courses that can be taken individually or combined to qualify for the GIS Certificate.

Geographers, cartographers, environmental activists, urban planners, data visualizers, health policy researchers: whether you are looking for a way to access GIS software to

map climate change or traffic patterns,
supplement expensive proprietary software or use it in the field, or
enable your constituents to test various choices from different data sets,

GIS is a great addition to your skill set.

Using open source software loaded on your own laptop, you will build knowledge, skills and a portfolio of mapping projects to enhance your career, advance your cause or communicate your research.

In demand in a world increasingly focussed on visual representation of data to explain, persuade and project, a foundation in GIS principles and hands-on, practical experience with open source freely available software gives you a technological advantage with employers. And a powerful tool for making effective use of Open Data.

For course details, go to http://langara.ca/continuing-studies/programs-and-courses/programs/geographic-information-systems/index.html

To Register, call 604.323.522 today.

January Nonprofit & Tech Events

NEW: We’ve added a jobs section.

NETSQUARED VANCOUVER EVENTS

Most NetSquared events are free or by donation.

Mapping Your Data

When: Tuesday, January 12
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/net2van/events/227120918/

Data can make you powerful! But it needs to be handled cautiously too. Join us for a discussion of how your nonprofit can discover surprising new truths by mapping your existing data and hear case studies from nonprofits and campaigners who are already using these powerful techniques, including political parties and charity marketers.

Nonprofit Technology Show and Tell

When: Tuesday, February 2
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/net2van/events/227347166/

NETSQUARED VICTORIA EVENTS

Resolving the Design & Content Challenge: Automated and Curated Newsletters

When: Monday, January 11
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/Net2Vic/events/227384108/

In this talk, Jonathan Stoppi will share two great options for nonprofits to produce good looking newsletters with original content, with minimum outlay of time, effort, or cost:

Automated newsletters based on blog posts, and
Curated newsletters, using a mixture of original content and linked content from related sites.

Women in Technology Panel

When: Tuesday, February 16
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/Net2Vic/events/225147729/

NONPROFIT TECH JOBS IN VANCOUVER

Information Technology Administrator at BC211

As a key member of the bc211 team, reporting to the Manager, Resources & Publications/IT, the Information Technology Administrator will monitor and maintain the existing computer and telephone networks. He/she will evaluate and recommend new technologies to improve efficiencies and streamline processes.
Apply here: http://www.bc211.ca/career-opportunities/

OTHER COOL STUFF

Free Online Tech Checkups for Nonprofits

Do you wish you had access to a team of tech consultants for a tech checkup? Now you do!

The Community Corps is partnering with Tata Consultancy Services to offer free technology checkups to nonprofits this Winter. Over the course of 4 weeks meet with a team of consultants to discuss your current technology pain points and receive specific recommendations for improvement. Sign up today to reserve a checkup as capacity is limited!

Deadline: January 15
Sign-Up: http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=06211c2821392de304f7ad028&id=d2b84dd64c&e=%5bUNIQID

Dreamers + Doers

We’re looking for amazing grassroots organizations or individuals to tell us about their projects. We’ll pick our top five to pitch their cause live at our next event where attendees will vote on who we choose to support with our Dreamers + Doers prize pack, which includes $1000 cash, social media management tools, a professional photography session, video and more. It’s a simple process to submit, and costs nothing. Write down in 300 words or less what you’re currently doing, and how we can help you.

Deadline: January 17, 2016
More info: http://dreamersanddoers.ca/

EVENTS PLANNED BY OUR COMMUNITY FRIENDS

Luminate Online Discussion Group

When: Friday, January 15
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/BCBlackbaudUsers/events/227697013/

Luminate Online sharing workshop. Everyone will have an opportunity to discuss your organization’s perspective. To build on our Luminate Online user conversation, this session will focus on e-receipting methods and challenges.

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Got a nonprofit tech event that should be in the next newsletter? Let me know!

February Event: Nonprofit Technology Show and Tell

http://www.meetup.com/net2van/events/227347166/

This is a crowdsourced session, where participants are given up to five minutes to share a tool they use in their non-profit tech life. It can be a CRM, communication tool, fundraising platform, some social media magic-sauce or other clever web tool that helped further your mission or cause or execute your work. We only ask that you can show the solution and say what and why you use it.

The goal is to learn about other tools and techniques, and connect with people that may be using similar solutions or have similar problems. Bring something to share, and be ready to steal from others!

RSVP on Meetup

When: Tuesday, February 2, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: The HiVE, #210 – 128 W Hastings St.

AGENDA

5:30 – 6:00 PM: Networking and snacks
6:00 – 7:00 PM: Presentation
7:00 – 7:30 PM: Q&A and Wrap
7:45 – 9:30 PM: Post-event social!

PRESENTER

Chad Leaman – Director of Development, Neil Squire Society

I’m passionate about how technology can be used for social change. I work for a non-profit organization, the Neil Squire Society, where we use technology and skills development to empower people with physical disabilities. I am Vice Chair of the BC Technology for Learning Society, which provides over 8,000 computers a year to schools, nonprofits, new comers to Canada and low income families. I also have volunteered with NetSquared Vancouver for the last four years! At home, I’m the father of young twins which is a continual source of joy, exhaustion, and extended karaoke sessions.

TWITTER
Event hashtag: #Net2van
Speaker: @ChadLeaman
Host: @Net2van
Venue Sponsor: @HiveVancouver
Event Sponsors: @iATSpayments @bgenerus @TechSoup @NTENorg @onedaywebsite

ACCESSIBILITY

We want everyone to be able to participate in the Net2Van community and events. Please don’t hesitate to let us know what we can do to accommodate your needs.