TechNow 2011 Early Bird Deadline is Only a Week Away!

October means colored leaves, cool days and cold nights, Halloween, and…TechNow!

There’s a week left to get into the TechNow 2011 conference at a discounted rate. October 20 is the last day for the early bird registration price of $90. (Regular pricing after that date will be $100.)

TechNow 2011 is presented by:

In addition to our incredibly smart and entertaining keynote speaker, John Kenyon, we have a variety of breakout sessions to help you get your geek on:

Breakout Sessions I

Feeling a Little Stuffed?: Managing the “All You Can Eat Buffet” of Social Media
Speaker: Jeffrey Inscho, Static Made
The current social media landscape is crowded with platforms that promise to help us develop audiences and connect with our communities. The choices are overwhelming: Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Vimeo, LinkedIn, and Google+. The list goes on. How can time- and budget-strapped organizations effectively decide in which platforms to invest? Once the decision to participate has been made, how can they manage the efforts efficiently and adequately? Learn how to create a social media evaluation matrix that can help your organization as it develops an overall social media strategy, including best practices (with a non-profit focus) relating to the management and execution of social media strategies.
A Different Kind of Switch: Managing IT Change when Change is Hard
Speaker: Jeff Forster, Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management; Garrett Cooper, Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management
When it comes to adopting new technology in organizations, choosing and acquiring “the stuff” can feel like the easy part. The hard part begins when we have to get actual humans to change their work habits and thought patterns to fully make use of the new tools. Using Chip & Dan Heath’s framework from their bestseller Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, this session will give you new perspectives on how to help new behaviors spread in your organization when new information technology demands it.
Getting Your Head In the Cloud: Cloud Computing Considerations for Nonprofits
Speakers: Steve McDonell, ACHIEVA; Bruce Lane, Vertical Solutions
The trend of “moving to the cloud,” or transitioning your data or files to a cloud computing environment, is become more popular among nonprofit organizations. Cloud computing is generally known for improving an organization’s technological flexibility, capacity and security. But, exactly what is cloud computing, anyway? In this session, you’ll learn about the various models of cloud computing currently available. Find out why you might want to consider cloud computing for your organization, how to evaluate whether or not you should make the switch and how to demonstrate return on investment to and gain buy-in from the decision-makers at your organization.

Breakout Sessions II

Mobile Marketing: How ANY Organization Can Use Mobile to Engage Prospects
Speakers: Scott Fingal, Behar-Fingal; Catherine Olteanu, Western Pennsylvania Humane Society; Stephen Eckert, Genius Marketing
Thinking about mobile marketing for fundraising and event promotion? Mobile can be a low-cost, yet effective means to engage new and existing customers. In this session we’ll show examples of how organizations of all sizes are using QR Codes and mobile marketing such as the mobile web, SMS texting and more. Find out how to engage prospect on their smartphones and how to use text marketing effectively. Learn ways to incorporate audio and video, the right way to use QR codes, and how to extend your print materials to the mobile environment.
We Didn’t Say That!: Minimizing Risk Via Social Media Policies
Speakers: Todd Whiteman, Enscoe Long Insurance Group; Dave Tinker, CFRE, ACHIEVA
Social media is a hot topic in nonprofits. It provides real-time communication between your staff, volunteers, consumers, clients, students, and constituents. Without social media policies, however, anyone might speak on your organization’s behalf, potentially opening up your nonprofit to liability. In this session, the key components of a social media policy will be explained. In addition, you’ll learn how risk management and insurance policies for nonprofits can help protect the organization as well as cover potential liabilities caused by social media. Various types of insurance options for nonprofits that address social media will be discussed and explained as well as discussion on common mistakes that can lead to a claim. Online resources and examples of social media policies and insurance policies will be shared.
Deep Collaboration: The Nonprofit’s Guide to the SharePoint Galaxy
Speakers: Michelle Hines, UCP/CLASS; Bob Walker, synergIT
This session cannot give you the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything in relationship to Microsoft SharePoint, but rather will provide nonprofit with knowledge on what SharePoint can offer for their organizations. Information on the features of SharePoint will be explored along with examples of how SharePoint is in use for others. Hints and tips will provide guidance on where to find more information and demonstrate methods of how SharePoint can be mostly harmless when deployed in organizations. We want to share and enjoy our knowledge of and experience with SharePoint with you.