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Nonprofit Technology Conference: a communicator’s 1st time
From April 10-13, 2013, I attended the Nonprofit Technology Conference for the first time. While a tech-oriented conference, there is a full communications stream and I was looking forward to meeting some social media friends and ‘celebs’ in real life. Here’s a little summary of my experience.
Storified by Marlene Oliveira · Tue, Apr 16 2013 09:33:21
At the gate in YYZ waiting for my flight to Minneapolis for #13ntc!Marlene Oliveira
Npengage
Things started off right at the opening reception. I was so pleased to finally meet Nancy Schwartz with whom I’ve only connected online. And at the table on my other side was the wonderful Jana Byington-Smith, who set the tone for how incredibly smart, friendly and welcoming the NTC crowd is.
Met with @mo_flow at #13NTC — looking forward to her nonprofitmarcommunity.com launch soon!Jana Byington-Smith
After spending the morning in the first-timers orientation, my first true session was the Marketing and Fundraising meet and greet. The format was all about advice from the experts and sharing insights among peers, which was fantastic.
Great session with my nonprofit marketing/communications idols! #13ntcmeet kivilm farra nancyschwartz… instagram.com/p/X-g7SIndq0/Katie B
Marketing #strategy has to focus on the move to action not just increasing awareness. #13NTCmeetAFAM_NFP
#13ntcmeet Your audience doesn’t care what department (silo) sent them a message. Must be one voice and consistent message.Damon Kirkpatrick
A few proactive Canadian made sure we could find one another. The #ntcCanucks crew was so big we had to relocate (and split up) several times before finding a spot that could fit us! This evening of meeting and laughs with great people was enough to make the conference worthwhile, but of course there was much more to come.
Cool. Thx! RT @Communic8nHowe: RT @SimrenDeogun: #ntcCanucks Meetup @ 7p tonite, Devil’s Advocate, 89 S 10th St, Spread the word #13ntcMarlene Oliveira
Friday morning’s plenary featured keynote speaker Dan Pallotta. I’m familiar with his message and wanted to start my day later because I knew it was going to be a long one. Though I did follow along on Twitter to catch his key points as well as other perspectives on his talk.
True @danpallotta is thought-provoking, but is he right? Read this response to his TED talk @SSIReview bit.ly/ZqOhXB #13ntcFarra Trompeter
Getting a seat at NTC session proved quite difficult, but I managed to grab one at the Digital Storytelling Tools Meetup. Great overview of tools at the beginning, and speed-dating style sharing of experiences and more resources. Again, loved hearing from fellow participants.
#13ntcstory slide – which network for what form of storytelling. #13ntc pic.twitter.com/72EFYD5uSmLyndal Cairns
#13ntcStory Digital Storytelling Tools meetup with @zanarama at #13ntc vine.co/v/bt9IavzVPzbDebra Askanase
After lunch, on to Air Traffic Controlling, How to Guide Your Content from Ideation, to Creation, to Publication. This was a super-informative session. I was interested in hearing the nuts and bolts of building a community of bloggers within an organization, as well drawing in outside expertise/perspective. They delivered.
Awesome content from #13ntcair about content creation from strategy to editorial calendars to the realities of managing guest bloggers!Marlene Oliveira
Lightbox Collaborative has a great Free Editorial Calendar @LBCollab #13ntcair – wonderful tool!mcdirk
Overlap of what you want to say + what your audience wants to hear = what content you should publish. #13ntcairMelissa Miller
Smart women talking about content creation: TY! @GirardinL @edutopiabetty #13ntcair Preview/highlights here: ow.ly/k17eRMarlene Oliveira
My #13NTCair prez is online bit.ly/13NTCairPPT Air Traffic Control: Guide Content From Ideation>Creation>Publication #13NTCLauren Girardin
The last session of Friday was another gem – Connect the Dots: Crafting the Arc of Powerhouse Campaigns. This session was presented by a panel of experts, along with a case study from ForestEthics.
Looking forward to learning about The Arc of Powerhouse Campaigns at #13NTCdots w/ J Russel, N Schwartz, S Stanley, & M Wallbeoff. #13ntcAnn K. Emery
Every campaign needs a goal that is winnable @NancySchwartz #13ntcdots #13ntcSue Anne Reed
Your campaign needs to inspire people to act *and* get them to share it with their friends. @NancySchwartz #13ntcdots #13ntcSue Anne Reed
Having a protagonist in your story arc allows your supporter to picture themselves as part of the story. #13ntcdots #13ntcSue Anne Reed
Is your campaign "story" too broad to present a coherent narrative? Focus on the story of a single person. #13ntc #13ntcdotsAbe Greenhouse
RT @rootwork: Brilliant: Story of your org is a clothesline. Each campaign is pinned to it. @samarie82 #13ntcdots #13ntc #nptechDebra Askanase
Though I was really feeling like taking it easy in my hotel room, my awesome NTC tour guide James Howe not only got me out for dinner, but out to the ‘hottest’ party of the night. 🙂
My badge of honor for making it out tonight. Thanks to @Communic8nHowe: awesome #13ntc tour guide & bad influence. pic.twitter.com/EYqwuBdSczMarlene Oliveira
Saturday: the last day! I had the honour of being filmed for Movie Mondays by Chris Davenport so that’s where I started my day.
Thrilled that @mo_flow is filming a Movie Mondays! pic.twitter.com/Vnp4XbR9QKMarc A. Pitman
Wrapping up filming a little late meant I was hard-pressed to find a seat in any of my chosen sessions. This led to me wandering, which led to me finding Kivi Leroux Miller and interviewing her for my new site, the nonprofitmarcommunity. Score! Yet another case of meeting someone not only super-smart, but super-warm and friendly.
How awesome that I managed to get a video interview of @kivilm AND she helped me with advice about my own work. #13ntc #soworthitMarlene Oliveira
Next up, lunch and NTEN awards, so many of which were presented to Canadians nonprofits!
Wow! Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario and BC SPCAs… Canadians cleaning up at awards ceremony #13ntcMarlene Oliveira
And my last session was the Social Media Birds of a Feather. Loved this facilitated session that focussed on sharing stories and challenges about implementing social media. Big takeaway: start with some form of strategy. Even a sentence or two articulating why you’re on social media will help you to be efficient with limited time.
The @TechSoup Social Media 101 wiki may be helpful to you guys : npsocialmedia101.wikispaces.com #13ntcsmbof #13ntc #SM #strategySusan Tenby
Everyone is just as confused as you are. Working through the confusion will help you grow. #13ntcsmbofSue Anne Reed
Last stop before leaving, ice cream break with fellow consultants to nonprofits (#NPCons)…
A mini #npcons meetup over ice cream with @mo_flow @Communic8nHowe & me at #13ntc #MarcD ow.ly/i/1TcZ8Marc A. Pitman
…time for some reflection before heading back to Toronto…
The #13ntc bonus material: hugs and hilarity. So much of both, and I have not met a single attendee in person before getting here!Marlene Oliveira
…and final thoughts!
Don’t spend time measuring things that won’t inform your program or future communication choices. #13NTCTakeaway @farraAvi Kaplan
Be curious as new digital tools emerge. Adopt only if they align with strategy + resources #13NTCtakeaway @farraMarcy Rye
Technology adds functionality but also complexity. Be smart about the tech you use and PLAN #13NTCTakeawayMarlene Oliveira
#13ntctakeaway: Be inspired by the amazing work of others and learn from them. Don’t just assume I/my org can’t do that.Dominique Hernandez
Thank you for a great experience, NTEN. I’ll be back!
