Bayer Center Fall 2011 Technology Classes and Clinics

Classes, webinars and Convenings

Bagels and Bytes
Join your nonprofit techie colleagues for a new season of this popular gathering. We continue our discussion of managing and maintaining your IT. If you’re responsible for your nonprofit’s technology challenges, you’re someone we want to know! Visit http://tinyurl.com/bayercenterbagelsbytes for more information.

Allegheny (Cost $10) ACHIEVA - Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 8:30–10 a.m.
Westmoreland* Eat n’ Park, Greensburg - Tuesday, Oct. 11 from 8–9:30 a.m.
Sewickley* Eat n’ Park, Sewickley - Thursday, Oct. 13 from 8:30–10 a.m.
Allegheny (Cost $10) UCP/CLASS - Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 8:30–10 a.m.
Westmoreland* Eat n’ Park, Greensburg - Tuesday, Nov. 8 from 8–9:30 a.m.
Sewickley* Eat n’ Park, Sewickley - Thursday, Nov. 10 from 8:30–10 a.m.
Allegheny/Sewickley* Dave & Buster’s - Friday, Dec. 9 from 1–4 p.m.
Westmoreland* Eat n’ Park, Greensburg - Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 8–9:30 a.m.

* Breakfast cost is individual responsibility and not included

Social Media Planning and Strategy for Nonprofits
Thursday, Oct. 6 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Like any other project, using social media for your organization requires planning, strategy and management. Learn what you should consider before getting your nonprofit started in the social media realm, what to expect afterwards and how to keep the ball rolling. You will have the opportunity to work on a draft strategic plan for your organization’s social media that you can take back to your office and refine. Basic social media concepts and terminology are recommended but not necessary for attending this class. We will focus on planning and strategy rather than on “how to” use the social media tools.

Instructor: Cindy Leonard, Bayer Center
Fee: $125 ($115 if paid online)

Choosing or Changing Your Fundraising Software (WEBINAR)
Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 9–11 a.m.

Don’t make a mistake! Choose fundraising software that’s right for your organization. We help you figure out what you really need and what you can do without. Then we point you in a direction that won’t break the bank or your database.

Instructor: Jeff Forster, Bayer Center
Fee: $40 ($30 if paid online)

TechNow Conference
Thursday, Oct. 27 from 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

TechNow is the only event of its kind in the region: an entire day devoted to technology in nonprofits. Not just for techies, TechNow features useful information and stimulating conversation for executives, Board members, finance people and fundraisers.

This year, the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management is pleased to feature keynote speaker John Kenyon, Principal at John A. Kenyon Consulting and Adjunct Faculty at the University of San Francisco. John’s presentation is entitled Cornerstones before Waterslides: Why your Website and Email Strategy Matter in the Social Media Age. Though social media is currently all the rage, a strong Website and email campaigns remain critical pieces in your organization’s online presence and engagement strategy. Find out why, and learn how to strengthen your organization’s Website and email in this interactive keynote session.

More details on the individual workshops and schedule are available online at http://technow2011.wordpress.com.

Fee: $100 ($90 if paid online)
Location: Sewall Center at Robert Morris University, Moon Township

TechNow is Presented by:

Facebook Fan Pages (WEBINAR)
Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 29–30, from 10–11 a.m.

Facebook pages are a great way for your organization to engage constituents and share content on Facebook. In the first day of this webinar, we’ll start at the beginning and go over the basics of creating and configuring a page. On the second day, we’ll discuss tips and tricks for making your page awesome! This webinar is recommended for beginning to intermediate Facebook users.

Instructor: Cindy Leonard, Bayer Center
Fee: $40

Free-Range Data
Tuesdays, Dec. 13 and 20 from 9 a.m.–noon

There’s tons of information in Access. But do you know how to retrieve, manipulate, format and use it? Learn practical and efficient procedures that make your Access database work for you. We teach you how to:

Access your data and manipulate information from single-record retrieval to aggregating data from multiple tables for complex analysis
Select fields, order records, enter and bundle parameters to create one-table queries, multi-table queries, queries based on queries and manipulation queries
Format your information legibly and attractively
Create summaries for groups of records and for an entire report
Manage reports with a user-friendly menu

For intermediate to advanced Access users.

Instructor: Jeff Forster, Bayer Center
Fee: $115 ($100 if paid online)

Excel Day for Office 2007

Excel Day consists of two sessions: Introduction to Excel in the morning and Intermediate Excel in the afternoon. Hands-on instruction with Excel 2007 includes an introduction to new navigation and features.

Introduction to Excel 2007
Thursday, Dec. 1 from 9 a.m.–noon

Learn Excel basics in the morning session including:

Worksheet creation
Formula creation
Cell formatting using “mouse pointers”
Absolute cell references
Printing your worksheet

Instructor: Cindy Leonard, Bayer Center
Fee: $65 per session ($55 if paid online) OR $115 for the whole day ($100 for the whole day if paid online)

Intermediate Excel 2007
Thursday, Dec. 1 from 1–4 p.m.

Learn more about Excel in the afternoon including:

Worksheet templates creation and use
Using functions
Creating links between worksheets
Database features
Chart creation and formatting

Instructor: Cindy Leonard, Bayer Center
Fee: $65 per session ($55 if paid online) OR $115 for the whole day ($100 for the whole day if paid online)

Clinics

Does Your Website Work?
60-minute sessions available by appointment

Your website may seem just fine to you, but maybe it’s time you had an outsider’s take on it. Sit down with our website expert as she provides an honest (and kind) assessment of your site and recommends changes that may improve it.

Instructor: Cindy Leonard, Bayer Center
Fee: $50 per hour

Now What? A Clinic on Access Databases
60-minute sessions available by appointment

Struggling with an Access database that came with the job and doesn’t make sense to you? Have you built a database that’s grown completely out of control? Bring a copy of that problematic database, and we’ll help you make sense of it. Our database guru will:

Examine and assess its structure and functionality
Recommend whether to scrap it and start over, buy something off-the-shelf, or clean it up and continue to use it
Build in some specific tracking and search features if you decide to keep using it

For intermediate to advanced Access users.

Instructor: Jeff Forster, Bayer Center
Fee: $50 per hour

Dreamweaver Clinic
60-minute sessions available by appointment

Have a great idea for a website, but no idea how to do it? Bring those Dreamweaver challenges and questions to our maven, and we’ll help you create the site of your dreams! This problem-specific clinic is for all levels of current Dreamweaver users.

Instructor: Cindy Leonard, Bayer Center
Fee: $50 per hour

Web 2.0 and Social Media Clinic
60-minute sessions available by appointment

Have you just been handed responsibility for your organization’s activities in the realm of social media? Are you baffled and unsure how to begin? Let our social media guru mentor you one-on-one, and you’ll be an active social media user in no time! Whether you are attempting to use popular social media tools (such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Flickr), need help setting up a blog or a wiki, or need assistance with social media strategy, we can help.

Instructor: Cindy Leonard, Bayer Center
Fee: $50 per hour

Excel/Spreadsheet Clinic
60-minute sessions available by appointment

Other people work magic with spreadsheets; so can you! For complete beginners to advanced users with specific questions, this clinic is your opportunity to become the Excel magician you’ve always wanted to be! We’ll teach you handy tricks of the trade that save time and effort:

Write timesaving formulas so that you never have to hand-tally again
Read formulas in existing spreadsheets and follow those crazy links
Format your spreadsheets for readability
Use spreadsheets to dynamically analyze scenarios

Bring your questions – or even better – a spreadsheet you want to improve.

Instructor: Jeff Forster, Bayer Center
Fee: $50