May Nonprofit Tech Events Roundup

Hey friends, there’s lots of great events for the nonprofit tech community. Check ’em out!

UPCOMING NET2VAN EVENTS

Most NetSquared Vancouver events are free or by donation.

CRM for Nonprofits: Salesforce

When: Tuesday, May 5
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/net2van/events/221057249/

We’ll take a look at the Salesforce platform and explore how it can help your nonprofit deliver better on its mission through constituent management, donor management, volunteer management, program management, and more.

The Digital Nonprofit

When: Friday, May 22
RSVP: https://register.canbook.me/digital-nonprofit

Join us for the second annual The Digital Nonprofit to hear from leaders and experts on:

  • How to structure our organizations to make them more effective online
  • How to embed the power of the internet into our daily operations
  • How to use data to make better decisions and be more effective in executing our missions

CRM for Nonprofits: CiviCRM

When: Tuesday, June 2
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/net2van/events/221045212/

Kevin Harding of Incipe Cooperative will talk about CiviCRM, the open source nonprofit-focused CRM. He’ll share stories of how nonprofits are using CiviCRM to be more effective and outline your next steps in starting a CRM implementation.

EVENTS PLANNED BY OUR COMMUNITY FRIENDS

YVR Fundraiser’s Connect: Dealing with Difficult People

When: Wednesday, May 6
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/YVR-Funraisers-Connect/events/222049332/

When You Face Difficult People, What Do You Do? Join us as Sophia facilitates our discussion on how to deal with difficult people. Because, we all want to be treated as people.

Groundswell: The 2015 Showcase Gala

When: Wednesday, May 6
RSVP: http://groundswellcommunity.ca/2015-showcase-gala/

We are very excited to present this year’s ventures, and the amazing group of participants making them happen, at Groundswell’s 2015 Showcase Gala! This is our chance to invite you to support our projects, learn about our work and contribute to the building of a community around an emerging, human centered economy.

Raiser’s Edge: Donor Wall Updates

When: Thursday, May 7
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/BCBlackbaudUsers/events/216592332/

Donor Walls and other recognition platforms/spaces, presention by Tovah & Kim – Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation.

Groundswell Info Session

When: Monday, May 11
RSVP: http://groundswellcommunity.ca/info_session_may_11/

Interested in joining an inclusive community of doers making positive change through social ventures and community projects? Check out what Groundswell is doing with young people in the city to rebuild an economy where people and the planet are put before profits.

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Got an event that should be in the next newsletter? Let me know!

Social Media Share Kit: The Digital Nonprofit

Help us promote the The Digital Nonprofit. It’ll be more fun with a full room!  You can use the sample tweets and facebook posts, or modify to your tastes.

General Info:

  • Conference Host: Net2Van: https://www.net2van.com/
  • Link to register: https://register.canbook.me/digital-nonprofit

SAMPLE TWEETS

Online fundraising best practices at the Digital Nonprofit May 22! http://ow.ly/Lj0Dx  brought to you by @net2van @NetSquared

I’m attending the Digital Nonprofit May 22, ARE YOU? @NetSquared @net2van #IncreaseYourImpact http://ow.ly/Lj0Dx #tech #nonprofit

The Digital Nonprofit happening May 22 w speakers @awsamuel @pwrinch @mrbenjohnson @nonprofitwballs Get your tix: http://ow.ly/Lj0Dx

I’ll be at the Digital Nonprofit May 22 feat @awsamuel @pwrinch @mrbenjohnson @nonprofitwballs @net2van Deets: https://www.net2van.com/

Get in on the Digital Nonprofit May 22! @net2van @netsquared Tickets are selling out fast! http://ow.ly/Lj0Dx #IncreaseYourImpact #nonprofit #tech

You don’t want to miss the Digital Nonprofit in #yvr May 22! @net2van @netsquared Get your tix: http://ow.ly/Lj0Dx #IncreaseYourImpact

The Digital Nonprofit is May 22! @net2van tickets: http://ow.ly/Lj0Dx #IncreaseYourImpact #nonprofit #tech

SAMPLE FACEBOOK POSTS

Learn online fundraising best practices at the Digital Nonprofit May 22. Stellar line up of speakers: Vu Le from Nonprofit with Balls, Alexandra Samuel from Harvard Business Review, Peter Wrinch from Nation Builder, and Ben Johnson from Frontier Marketing. https://www.net2van.com/
Select The Digital Nonprofit logo as link preview

CALLING ALL FUNDRAISERS! You don’t want to miss the Digital Nonprofit  happening May 22. LEARN HOW to ‘Tell Stories with Data’, ‘Build the Culture to Win’, and ‘What separates charity websites that work’.  https://www.net2van.com/
Select The Digital Nonprofit logo as link preview

INCREASE YOUR IMPACT with the Digital Nonprofit  happening May 22nd in Vancouver. Maximize online giving with practical tools, organization culture, and data informed decision-making. Get your tickets today: https://www.net2van.com/
Select The Digital Nonprofit logo as link preview

Twitter handles:

  • NetSquared Vancouver: @Net2Van
  • Vu Le (Opening speaker): @Nonprofitwballs
  • Alexandra Samuel (Closing speaker): @awsamuel from @HarvardBiz
  • Peter Wrinch (Speaker): @pwrinch from @NationBuilder
  • Ben Johnson (Speaker): @mrbenjohnson from FMC

Sponsors

  • Vancity: @Vancity
  • iATS Payments: @iATSPayments
  • Bgenerus: @Bgenerus
  • BC Technology for Learning Society: @ReuseTechBC
  • Chimp: @WeAreChimp

Free NTEN Digital Storytelling Webinars this May

UPDATE: having problem with the discount code?

The code can be used an unlimited amount of times. NTEN has an issue where if you complete checkout and then try to get the next event in the same session (being logged in) it still sees it as already being applied.

We are now suggesting folks add all events to their cart before completing checkout to avoid this. Anyone that already went through then hit the error would be able to just go back and add the rest.
Untitled

If you received the “already used error”  logging out or clearing cookies should also refresh the code.

Thanks for your patience.

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In May our sponsor NTEN offers a three week series on Thursdays at 11:00 AM PT for our Net2van members:

Bethany Lister, Community Program Coordinator at NTEN wrote: 

We have an upcoming series of webinars we’d like to share with the Tech Club community. We have set up the promo code “NTENStory ” that can be used to get free access to any and all of these events.

Over the last year, The Rockefeller Foundation has teamed up with Hattaway Communications to create Hatch for Good, a new digital storytelling platform designed to help social impact organizations of all kinds use the power of narrative and networks to increase your reach, resources and impact. Learn how to effectively use Hatch for Good with in-depth instructions and prompts to create stories that will inspire and increase impact. Storytelling experts from Hattaway Communications will be available to provide insights and answer questions.

May 7th   – 2pm: Building Your Storytelling Strategy & Capacity

In this workshop, we’ll help you build your “Narrative Framework,” the overarching story that helps provide structure and consistency for all of the individual stories your organization will tell. We will also identify resources and skills organizations require as well as you as an individual need to share your stories.

Key Takeaways:

  • Foundation of your organization’s narrative 
  • Clear idea of the audiences your stories will speak to 
  • Definition of your organization’s (storytelling) goals 
  • Skills and resources needed to become a successful storytelling organization 

May 14th – 2pm: Creating Stories that Capture Interest & Imagination

In today’s competitive media environment, only the most compelling content gets noticed and shared. Storytelling is both an art and a science—and stories for social impact must show people as active agents of change, who play a central role in creating solutions to the problems they face.

In this workshop, we’ll help you map out your story based on a tried-and-true formula seen in narratives across the world.

Key Takeaways:

  • Clear idea of your storytelling objectives 
  • Structured storyline using the Social Impact Story Map to capture your audience’s interest and imagination
  • Setting the right format for your stories 

May 21st – 2pm: Engaging Your Communities & Measuring Impact

In this workshop, you will get guidance on best practices for using popular platforms and social networks for storytelling and setting metrics for evaluating your digital storytelling efforts.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Tips and guides on using popular platforms for storytelling 
  • Setting the voice and tone of your stories on social media 
  • Best practices on evaluating your digital storytelling effort 

Make sure to use the promo code “NTENStory ” 

[Video] CRM for Nonprofits: NationBuilder

What is NationBuilder and what is their unique approach to nonprofit CRM? Check out this screencast from Net2van’s April 14 event.

NationBuilder is a community organizing platform. It allows users to build and manage websites and offers tools to communicate with supporters.

NationBuilder is a unique community organizing system (COS) that empowers you to run your entire site, supporter and prospect database and donor recruitment and finance tracking from one site. You don’t need an extra content management system (CMS) with NationBuilder – it is one, with rich customizable themes that make it like a WordPress for organizing. NationBuilder allows you to quickly build a slick public-facing website complete with blog pages, calendars with Google maps, petition pages, customizable surveys and much, much more. Its got a whole social customer relationship management (CRM) built right in for keeping track of everything from mail and face-to-face contacts to your social media.

May 5: How Salesforce can help your nonprofit rock

http://www.meetup.com/net2van/events/221057249/

How Salesforce can help your nonprofit rock

Join Net2van for the second in our three-part Constituent Relationship Manager (CRM) series where we invite experts to present on NationBuilder, Salesforce and CiviCRM.

We’ll take a look at the Salesforce platform and explore how it can help your nonprofit deliver better on its mission through constituent management, donor management, volunteer management, program management, and more. With a thriving global nonprofit user community, a generous license donation from the Salesforce Foundation, and the customizability to manage nearly anything in the cloud, Salesforce is a great option for many nonprofits.

RSVP on Meetup

When: Tuesday, May 5 2015, 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

Beth Breisnes for Net2vanBeth Breisnes has been working with nonprofits and social enterprises on Salesforce since 2009. She loves working with innovative nonprofit organizations and helping them deliver on their missions more effectively through technology. Active in the Salesforce community, she co-leads the Vancouver Nonprofit User Group and was named a Salesforce MVP (one of just 134 in the world) in Summer 2014 in recognition of her expertise and community contributions. Beth is a Salesforce Certified Developer and Administrator and currently helps a variety of nonprofits with their Salesforce implementations as a consultant with Bigger Boat Consulting.

TWITTER

Event hashtag: #Net2van

Presenter: @bethbrains

Host: @Net2van

Venue Sponsor: @HiveVancouver

Event Sponsors: @iATSPayments @bgenerus @TechSoup @NTENorg

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.

April Nonprofit Tech Events Roundup

Hey friends, there’s a wealth of great events for the nonprofit tech community. Check ’em out!

UPCOMING NET2VAN EVENTS

Most NetSquared Vancouver events are free or by donation.

In addition to our Digital Nonprofit conference on May 22 Net2van is also planning a trio of CRM and database-focused events. This is a great opportunity for any organization exploring their options for tracking and managing their supporters.

EVENTS PLANNED BY OUR COMMUNITY FRIENDS

Salesforce Nonprofit User Group: New in Spring ’15! Duplicate Management and Lightning Process Builder!

When: Thursday, April 2
RSVP: http://goo.gl/cDt10T

We will be hosting our next VNUG meet-up on April 2, and this time we’ll be looking at two AMAZING new features from the Spring ’15 release: native Duplicate Management, and the new automation tool called Lightning Process Builder! BRING YOUR LAPTOP if possible so you can follow along in your own sandbox! And as always, come with your questions and we will work together to find answers.

Marketing for Hippies: The Niching Spiral

When: Saturday, April 4
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/vancouver-the-niching-spiral-tickets–15674626229

A day long, pay-what-you-want workshop to help conscious entrepreneurs figure out their niche from my friend the amazing Tad Hargrave.

VA Breakfast: A Visual Analytics Overview

When: April 8, 2015
Price: $25.00
RSVP: http://goo.gl/eBnlNJ

If you have never heard of Visual Analytics or are just curious to know more about how it can help your organization get more out of your data, then we invite you to attend the VA Breakfast! This hour-long event will give you the essentials of what VA is while a delicious breakfast is served for you to start off your day. Get a chance to meet people with similar interests in the visual analytics community.

The Grant That Writes Itself (with Dr. Ray Hsu)

When: Wednesday, April 8
RSVP: http://goo.gl/MYO8pM

Have you dreamed that your grant could write itself? With the help of a bit of technology, writing a grant is as easy as pressing a button. Now is the time for a revolution in the way we write grants.

Random Hacks of Kindness 4 Peace Hackathon

When: Saturday, April 11
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/rhok4peace-hackathon-tickets–16214588270

PeaceGeeks is hosting its 1st hackathon of 2015 and its 2nd ever Random Hacks of Kindness to help some incredible organizations that are working on peace and human rights issues around the world.

How to Build a Successful Legacy Program

When: Wednesday, April 15 in the Fraser Valley
RSVP: http://www.afpvancouver.org/Upcoming-Events.aspx

Come hear our guest speaker Simon Trevelyan discuss legacy giving in his engaging presentation, “What do Don Draper of the TV show Mad Men and legacy giving have in common? How to build a successful legacy program."

Introduction to Visual Analytics: Half Day Course

When: April 15th, 2015 and April 30th, 2015 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Price: $120.00
RSVP: http://goo.gl/jv1hK4

If you have just been introduced to the term “Visual Analytics”, we encourage you to participate in this half day “Introduction to Visual Analytics” course! The goal is to provide a solid foundation to audiences who are not familiar with VA. The course includes real world examples, videos, and interactive demos of visual displays.

The Art of the Ask

When: Thursday, April 16
RSVP: http://afpvancouver.org/Upcoming-Events.aspx

Back by popular demand, this interactive workshop will help hone your face-to-face asking skills. Expert fundraisers will lead each table in different ask scenarios to guide your approach and build your confidence.

YVR Fundraisers Connect: Let’s Meet & Talk About Facebook & Our KPI’s: Does it help? How do we know?

When: Wednesday, April 22
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/YVR-Funraisers-Connect/events/221179661/

Let’s get this thing started by kicking it off with our first meeting. I scheduled it in April since I know that for many of us, we are still tying up loose ends for our fiscal year ends to CRA this month. RSVP! Can’t wait to meet you all and chat about all stuff related to the business side of charities and fundraising! It’s at Cafe Crepe on Granville and Smithe. I booked the private room at the back.

From Theory to Practice: Two Day Course

When: April 22nd and 23rd from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Price: $960.00
RSVP: http://goo.gl/SFRvjY

This course consists of two days which provide in-depth theory and hands-on tutorials with modern visual analytics software tools such as Tableau and Gephi. This course is suitable for those wanting a solid treatment of the many aspects of visual analytics. We’ll provide real-world data to practice with – or bring your own!

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Got an event that should be in the next newsletter? Let me know!

Alexandra Samuel: Telling Stories with Data

DNP_Logo_500x500The theme of this year’s The Digital Nonprofit is “data” and we’ve assembled a mighty team of experts to share their expertise. Our closing keynote will be delivered by Alexandra Samuel, the VP of Social Media at Vision Critical and an experienced nonprofit campaigner.

Her topic is “Telling Stories with Data”, which sounds innocuous but was actually the most controversial and provocative plenary session at last year’s Leading Change Summit in San Francisco. Noted nonprofit blogger Beth Kanter was there and captures the mix of outrage and admiration in the room as Alexandra gave here thesis: rigorous data gathering and analysis can get in the way of effective storytelling by non-profits.

There are only 100 tickets available, so register today.

Telling Stories with Data

Alexandra Samuel, VP Social Media at Vision Critical

The advent of big data has challenged organizations to gather and analyze tremendous volumes of data on the people and communities they serve, as well as on the members and donors that support that work. But whether we’re dealing with big data or “little data” — smaller, more manageable datasets that can nonetheless provide deep insight — we need to develop the capacity to not only understand and learn from it, but to tell effective stories with it. Alex will help you work more effectively with data in your organization by mapping out the steps to developing an effective data strategy.

More About Alexandra Samuel

UntitledAlexandra Samuel is the author of Work Smarter with Social Media, forthcoming from Harvard Business School Press. She is a digital researcher, writer and speaker with two decades of experience on the forefront of the social web. She has led social media R&D for customer intelligence leader Vision Critical, directed the research for Don Tapscott’s Governance in the Digital Economy program, and founded one of the world’s first social media agencies, Social Signal. Her work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic.com and Oprah.com. Alexandra holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University.

Additional Background

Vu Le: The Role Of Data In Equity And Social Justice

DNP_Logo_500x500The theme of this year’s The Digital Nonprofit is “data” and we are SUPER EXCITED to have Seattle’s Vu Le as one of our two keynote speakers. He’ll be talking about the role of data in equity and social justice.

Expect to laugh and cry – Vu is both a noted nonprofit humorist (a real thing!) and the Executive Director of a nonprofit that brings more leaders of color in to the sector.

There are only 100 tickets available, so register today.

The Role Of Data In Equity And Social Justice

Vu Le, Executive Director of Rainier Valley Corps

The nonprofit sector has seen an increased focus on data, metrics, outcomes, etc. Some of this is due to the complex nature of our work and the difficulty of defining success. The focus on data is an attempt to tame the chaos. However, data can be both very helpful, or very detrimental to the work. The narrow definitions of what constitutes good data and outcomes, for example, can leave many marginalized communities behind. We need to understand how and when to use data, who uses it, and how to apply the lens of equity in looking at data.

More About Vu Le

Vu-Le-with-mug-graphic_0Vu Le is the writer behind the blog nonprofitwithballs.com. He is also the humor writer for Blue Avocado. Vu is the Executive Director of an organization in Seattle, Rainier Valley Corps (RVC), which aims to bring more leaders of color in to the nonprofit sector and support existing leaders to work together to effect systemic change. Vu serves as chair of the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC), which rallies families, schools, and community together to support students in Southeast Seattle to succeed. He sits on the Executive Committee of the Race to the Top grant for Washington state and the strategic planning committee of United Way of King County. Vu was chair of the Southeast District Council, a neighborhood council that provides information sharing, fosters collaboration among neighbors, and allocates resources for neighborhood-improvement projects. He was also on the City of Seattle’s Families and Education Levy advisory committee, which drafted a plan for a $232M levy for education. He founded World Dance Party, a multicultural dance party that draws 200 to 400 people of all ages and backgrounds. This year Vu was recognized by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as a “Writer with Attitude.”

Video: #OpenData for Non-Profits

On March 18, NetSquared Vancouver and OpenData BC presented a panel event showing how nonprofits can use and create open data.

Panelists:
• David Vogt of Urban Opus
• Alex Jurgensen of Camp Bowen and Accessibility Hound
• Tom Ash of Charity Science

Hosted by the Hive Vancouver

May 22: The Digital Nonprofit Conference

The conference is SOLD OUT but sign-up for the waiting list and we will email you if any spaces open up.

When: Friday, May 22. 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Price: $75.00 early bird before April 1

Tickets: https://register.canbook.me/digital-nonprofit

Agenda: https://www.net2van.com/2015/05/agenda-the-digital-nonprofit-2015/

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It’s 2015 already – and you’re online! But is anything coming from your investment in going digital?

Join us for the second annual The Digital Nonprofit to hear from leaders and experts on:

  • How to structure our organizations to make them more effective online
  • How to embed the power of the internet into our daily operations
  • How to use data to make better decisions and be more effective in executing our missions

We’ll mix big-picture thinking with practical, hands-on sessions during an inspiring day at the beautiful Creekside Community Centre. We’ve got an amazing menu booked with meals from the Vij’s and TacoFino food trucks and a complimentary espresso cart onsite.

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

KEYNOTE PRESENTERS
The day will open and close with one hour keynote presentations.

Vu Le, Executive Director of Rainier Valley Corps
“The role of data in equity and social justice”

The nonprofit sector has seen an increased focus on data, metrics, outcomes, etc. Some of this is due to the complex nature of our work and the difficulty of defining success. The focus on data is an attempt to tame the chaos. However, data can be both very helpful, or very detrimental to the work. The narrow definitions of what constitutes good data and outcomes, for example, can leave many marginalized communities behind. We need to understand how and when to use data, who uses it, and how to apply the lens of equity in looking at data. Read more on the NetSquared Vancouver blog.

Alexandra Samuel, VP Social Media, Vision Critical
“Telling Stories with Data”

The advent of big data has challenged organizations to gather and analyze tremendous volumes of data on the people and communities they serve, as well as on the members and donors that support that work. But whether we’re dealing with big data or “little data” — smaller, more manageable datasets that can nonetheless provide deep insight — we need to develop the capacity to not only understand and learn from it, but to tell effective stories with it. Alex will help you work more effectively with data in your organization by mapping out the steps to developing an effective data strategy. Read more on the NetSquared Vancouver blog.

PRESENTERS
We will feature a number of 30 minute talks and workshops from local experts including:

Peter Wrinch, Lead Organizer, NationBuilder and former Executive Director, Pivot Legal Society
“Building the Culture to Win: A Deep Look at Non-profit Culture, Structure & Tech”

When Peter Wrinch took over the leadership at Pivot in 2010 the organization was struggling. Despite an incredible vision, a strong community of support, and a great team, the bank accounts were empty, people worked in silos, and the organization was suffering from mission drift. At his first staff retreat as Executive Director, he asked the staff to work with a new style of leadership – one that put each of them at the centre of their own respective areas of expertise. As Executive Director he would supply the tools for their success, but the responsibility for growth, movement, and ultimately Pivot-style social change rested with them. And it worked!

Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director, Frontier Marketing Company
“55 ways to love your donor”

Frontier has recently conducted a study of online fundraising practices among Canadian Christian Charities. They’ll present their findings, which lay out a series of best-practices that can be used to evaluate any charity website, as well as actionable steps to make some of the most critical changes.

SPONSORS

A huge thanks to our sponsors, without whom The Digital Nonprofit would be impossible.