Breakout Sessions by Time
Early Morning Sessions 7:45 – 8:45 a.m.
Jumpstart a Fundraising Campaign with a Small Budget (Facebook Advertising 101)
Track: Marketing & Communications (Advanced)
With a bit of creativity, some research, and a few hundred dollars you can reach thousands of people and thousands of their friends on Facebook. Learn how to set up a Facebook advertising campaign for your organization or cause. By attending this session, you’ll learn how to use the Facebook targeting tool, how to set up your ad campaign, and how to measure your success and optimize return on investment.
Hilary Le Bon, Interactive Marketing Consultant and T.J. McLeod, Director of Social Media, CRAVE Restaurant Chain
Back Pocket Tech – Free Resources and Tools You Must Plug Into
Track: Technology Planning & IT
Know where you can find huge discounts on computers and software? Interested in finding low-cost tools for scheduling, virtual meetings and more? This session is your whirlwind tour of resources and applications to empower your organization to do more on a tight budget. We'll start by learning about organizations that provide discounts and learning opportunities like TechSoup and MAP TechWorks. Then belly-up to our “tech buffet” and learn about open source tools like Google Apps, Springpad and more. You will leave with an idea-packed mini-notebook for your own back pocket, as well as connections to keep learning year-round.
Mary Davis, Program Director, Duluth Children’s Museum and Cary Walski, Manager of MAP TechWorks, MAP for Nonprofits
Building Bridges to Learning: How Quality Online Classes Create Access to Continuing Education
Track: Program Delivery
In this session you’ll examine what constitutes a quality online learning program and understand the components that are necessary to develop and maintain one in your organization. In addition, you will view a nonprofit program that has almost a decade of success in online education. Attend this session to discover different types of online program delivery that can benefit your nonprofit, hear testimonials from programs that have used online learning programs, and gain knowledge about how in-depth online learning can support your program staff and clients.
Grace Kintzinger, Technology Specialist and Cory Woosley, Program Manager, Eager-to-Learn, MNCCRR Network
Engaging Youth through New Technology
Track: Program Delivery
This engaging session will discuss tools that nonprofits and educators can use to engage youth deeply into community and content through the use of new media tools and projects. MIGIZI Communications has spent the last four years developing a New Media Pathway and other program elements that give youth the tools and experience necessary to create quality new media products with subject matter that has relevance for youth. Pre-production, production and post-production tips, as well as programmatic approaches that can be used with youth from pre-school through high school will be shared in this media- enhanced discussion.
Graham Hartley, Director of Programs, and John Gwinn, Media Specialist, MIGIZI Communications, Inc.
Developing your Nonprofit Voice on Twitter
Track: Social Media & Mobile Technology
What could Twitter do for your nonprofit? How do you build a voice on Twitter and find followers? Is it okay the get volunteers to Tweet or hire an intern? What is my organization risking by exploring Twitter? By attending this session, you’ll learn the answers to these questions as well as how to Tweet properly, how to use lists to find followers, and you’ll learn the risks associated with using Twitter.
Ryan May, Principal, RDM Consulting
Blogging: Be the Storyteller for Your Nonprofit
Track: Website
Your websites, social media channels, newsletters and print communications all let you tell parts of your nonprofit’s story. But how do you pull everything together to continue to showcase, organize and curate these stories, while also capitalizing on search engine optimization and creating a resource people will return to? Your blog is your online newsroom. It offers the perfect opportunity to engage your supporters, create community and showcase what your nonprofit is doing. Unlike newsletters and traditional communication channels, blogs are not confined to size limits, are ever-evolving and allow for collaboration among your team. Attend this session to discuss questions like: How do you launch a blog? Why invest in a blog vs. other tools? How do you generate creative posts for it? How much time, and how many people, does it take?
Joel Barker, President, Backpack Tactics and Jamie Jacobsen, Lead Project Manager, Spyder Trap Online Marketing
If Content is King, Design is the Kingmaker
Track: Website
We all know that fresh, engaging content is the lifeblood of your organization's website. However, words and information make up only part of the user experience on your site. How this information is presented not only creates the environment where you deliver your organization's personal brand and narrative, but it also controls how effectively this content can be delivered. This presentation will help attendees move past the design generalities of “fun” and “clean” and work with a designer to set goals for the look and feel of their websites.
Meleck Davis, Interactive Designer, and Pat Thompson, Senior Designer, Triangle Park Creative
Morning Sessions 10:30 – 11:45 a.m.
The Impact of Inclusive Communications: Meaningful Marketing to Diverse Audiences
Track: Marketing & Communications
We know that marketing and communications are key strategies to increasing your organization's impact. However, those strategies and messages might not resonate, and they may even be ignored, among diverse constituent groups and communities. With the faces of our communities—our potential partners, clients, and donors—rapidly changing, you're risking the success of your organization's goals and mission with strategies that don't reach and foster genuine connections with diverse audiences. This power-packed session will help you develop a framework for marketing to diverse audiences and show you how your communications can play a role in helping to create a more inclusive organization. We will tap into the expertise from a panel of subject experts, including fellow nonprofit staff currently mastering or working towards integrating these efforts into their marketing and communications strategies.
Aaron Kesher, Principal Consultant, deepSEE Consulting; Terryl McKaye, VP of Marketing and Communications, Boys & Girls Club of the Twin Cities; Jamie Millard, Communications Coordinator, Charities Review Council; and Adaobi Okolue, Communications Strategist and Board Member of Young Nonprofit Professionals Network – Twin Cities
Is it Time to Refresh Your Brand?
Track: Marketing & Communications
Is it time to refresh your brand? Does your logo feel outdated? Is your tagline stale? Learn how to go about assessing your brand and make updates to attract new fans – without alienating your current ones. This session will assist you in evaluating the current status of your brand in all areas - logo, tagline, printed materials, and website - and discuss simple and more expansive ways to make changes. In this session, we'll also discuss the emotional and financial aspects of making brand improvements.
Jack Fahden, Associate Creative Director, JWT Minneapolis and Sara Sternberger, Executive Director, Bridging
Why Nonprofits Should Be Jazzed about the Cloud a la Google
Track: Technology Planning & IT
No matter what their mission, by moving to the Cloud, nonprofits in particular can significantly increase the security, reliability, and portability of their critical information while driving down expenses. This presentation will illustrate what it means to use a Cloud-based technology, and why nonprofits should find the new approach appealing, especially when considering cost and the potential for collaboration. The session will focus on one leading Cloud-based solution, Google Apps, which is used by Fortune 500 companies as well as small nonprofits, and how it is helping to transform the way Volunteers of America –Minnesota fulfills its mission without breaking the bank or sending staff running for the hills. By the end of the session, attendees will have a broader understanding of the Cloud and be able to evaluate whether the new technology could better serve the needs of their organization.
John Nesbitt, Director, Network and Information Systems, Volunteers of America-Minnesota
Security on a Shoestring Budget
Track: Technology Planning & IT
Attend this session to get an introduction to fundamental security techniques that any organization can apply which will significantly reduce organizational risk and improve resiliency to attack. By attending this session, you will learn why risk matters to decision-making in your organization; how to measure, mitigate and avoid risk; and Information Security fundamentals. Participants need no prior Information Security or risk management experience to attend; the content level is applicable to all skills and levels of an organization.
Matthew J. Harmon, Owner, and Natascha Shawver, Technology Consultant, IT Risk Ltd.
Innovation in Service Delivery
Track: Program Delivery
Nonprofits are under unprecedented pressure to produce better results, with more clients, for less money. To shed light on how organizations are meeting this challenge, MAP for Nonprofits commissioned a study by Idealware to investigate how Minnesota service providers are using technology to innovate their service delivery, with an eye to factors that foster innovation. Based on a survey of 180 nonprofits and in-depth research with more than a dozen innovative organizations, we've developed a four-part framework as to how nonprofits can define ways to use existing and affordable technologies to address their own organization's needs. We'll present the framework, case studies on how organizations are currently innovating, and give participants an opportunity to brainstorm innovations for themselves.
Rick Birmingham, Manager, IT Services, and Amy Wagner, Associate Director, MAP for Nonprofits
WordPress.com 101
Track: Website
WordPress.com is a great way to get your small nonprofit or project online without a lot of money or tech skills. After just an hour of WordPress 101 you'll have the skills you need to plan and set up a basic website/blog. Attend this session to gain some basic website planning skills and tools, gain a basic understanding of a content management system, and learn how to set up a basic WordPress.com site and begin posting.
Baya Clare, Technology Educator, Sisters of St. Joseph
Email EQ: Tips to Tap the Emotional Brain
Track: Fundraising
Back by popular demand, this session will help you examine how to craft donation appeals that tap into the "emotional" brain of donors. Research has yielded surprising results about what does, and does not motivate people to give when they receive an e-mail from a nonprofit. Attendees will learn simple strategies to optimize both the look and language of e-campaigns to leverage the unintuitive insights yielded by research on how people think and behave online. Email your enewsletter to cwalski@gmail.com in advance to participate in small group discussion of how your e-campaign or enewsletter can be optimized for success.
Cary Walski, Manager of MAP TechWorks, MAP for Nonprofits and Kevin Watson, Communications Coordinator for Development and Alumni Relations, Hamline University
Connecting the Dots: How Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Your Blog Work Together
Track: Social Media & Mobile Technology (Advanced)
In this advanced session you’ll learn how to make all of your online profiles work together. The session will give you a tactical, take-home example of a structured social media model, from which you can launch fundraisers and marketing campaigns. Additionally you’ll be introduced to helpful tools to manage this process. This session will focus on optimizing your Twitter message, turning your Facebook posts into advocacy efforts, trackable back-linking, blogging like a pro (and its critical role), measuring your success, and monitoring your brand and conversations relevant to your key industry.
Hilary LeBon, Social Media Consultant and T.J. McLeod, Director of Social Media, CRAVE Restaurant Chain
Early Afternoon Sessions 1:45 – 3 p.m.
Bringing it All Together: Technology, Public Art, and Widespread Engagement
Track: Marketing & Communications (Advanced)
The Cities of Bloomington, Edina, and Richfield began a public/private collaboration with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota aimed at changing policies, systems and environments that negatively affect active living and healthy eating in those cities. This partnership, named do.town, is using a unique combination of community organizing, technology, and public art to spark a widespread conversation about re-envisioning the city as a place where the healthy choice is the easy choice. Through these engagement strategies, do.town is building a community-led movement that uncovers the specific demands for change and effectively matches local decision-makers with residents to build public policy from the ground up. This session will outline the specific strategies and tactics that do.town is using to lead community-wide visioning and policy discussions. Specifically, this presentation will outline how the combination of texting, mobile web, social media, and good old-fashioned organizing and public art can connect people with common goals to co-create systematic change.
Katherine Bass, Senior Community Prevention Consultant, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota; Alexander Falconer, do.town Campaign Manager and Daren Nyquist, Senior Project Manager, Grassroots Solutions
Art Eye for a Tech Guy: The Novice’s Guide to Creating Stellar Marketing Materials
Track: Marketing & Communications
Are you sick of using boring generic template flyers (yes, the ones that look the same as the ones used by every other small nonprofit on the face of the earth)? But do the combination of the blank white page and your lack of creativity terrify you? Well then this is the session for you! The “accidental graphic designer” will learn how to use some basic rules and elements of art and design to create visually appealing marketing materials that get your message across. You will then put your knowledge to the test and work together to create a giant “simulation flyer” for your organization. Feel free to bring examples of current print materials from your organization to share and use as a launching point for brainstorming.
Mary Davis, Program Director, Duluth Children’s Museum
Hot Tech Trends: Looking Back at 2011 and Ahead at 2012-13
Track: Technology Planning & IT
Join our panel for a discussion of some of the hottest technology trends of 2012. What has happened in the last year and where are things headed? Topics will include but are not limited to: Consumer technology taking over the workplace. Will Google+ pass Facebook by? How is Pinterest changing how we use the Internet? Should we “Fail Informatively” or begin to “Fail Intentionally” to be successful? Proprietary systems versus open source; plus what about those open API’s (Salesforce, CiviCRM, Drupal)? Mobile apps versus mobile sites? Greater insight into our data and the perception of decreasing privacy. What were the topics at SXSW?
Rick Birmingham, Manager, IT Services; David Erickson, Director of e-Strategy, Tunheim Partners; Bruce Lindberg, Executive Director, Advance IT Minnesota; and Brian Roemen, Lead Tech & Owner, Backpack Tactics
Doing More with Less (it is possible!) - Database Selection and Integration
Track: Technology Planning & IT
Is your organization ready to finally get a database, or are you considering a transition to a new database? By identifying challenges and thoughtfully considering your organization’s needs and resources before, during and after the selection process, you CAN effectively choose and use a database that will benefit your organization. Whether it is for membership or donor management, community organizing or service delivery, transitioning to a new database is an opportunity to examine your organization’s processes and procedures for gains in efficiency. Equally as important, considering how your organization collects and manages data will help you more effectively reach your target constituency. The first part of this session will help identify the challenges inherent in choosing a new database, help you strategize how to overcome these challenges, and outline some important things to consider in the process. The second part of the session will address technology integrations strategy – walking you through the steps to integrate your new database with your organization’s accounting software or current accounting systems and procedures.
Natalie Brenner, Operations Manager, Progressive Technology Project; Tim Jewell, IT Consultant, Blanski, Peter, Kronlage & Zoch; and Robyn Perry, Communications & Program Associate, Progressive Technology Project
Pulling it All Together – From “Just a Bunch of Numbers” to “Increased Community Impact”
Track: Program Delivery
Do you feel like you spend too much time collecting too much data, for too many different stakeholders? And, once you finally get all your data "in the system", do you wish you could do something useful with it? If so, please join us to learn how one nonprofit organization, HIRED, partnered with the State of Minnesota and for-profit IT consultants to tackle these issues head-on. This session will show you how your organization can also "pull it all together" to the great benefit of your staff, funders and the communities you serve every day.
Brian Allie, Director Application Development and Support, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED); Chuck Bies, Senior Consultant, Aeritae Consulting Group; Matt Derosier, Senior Program Manager, HIRED; Jodi Schlichting, Business Analyst, HIRED; Tejpal Thatte, Senior Consultant, GNet Group; and Jim Thibodeau, IT Director, HIRED
WordPress.com 102
Track: Website
Continue to build on what you learned in WordPress.com 101 by learning to add static pages and widgets to your site. We'll also customize the look of the site, create a media library, and learn how to schedule content. You do not need to have attended WordPress.com 101 to attend this session.
Baya Clare, Technology Educator, Sisters of St. Joseph
Making Accessible Communications Work for You
Track: Website
Making your website, print materials, videos and meetings/presentations accessible doesn’t need to break your budget. In fact, building accessibility into the program development process can often increase the value of your assets as well as improve your outreach. Learn about the range of accessibility needs, the different types of accommodations tools available, and how to know what to do in various situations, from presenting to constituents to posting a pdf online.
Tanya Belanger, Senior Project Consultant, Office of Enterprise Technology – State of Minnesota and Jay Wyant, CEO, Remotocom
Dashboards, Metrics, and Insights: Measuring the Value in Social Media
Track: Social Media & Mobile Technology (Advanced)
Have you been told it’s impossible to prove the ROI (return on investment) of social media? This session will provide you with the inspiration, methodology, and tools to understand and communicate the economic- and mission-value of your social media efforts. We will walk through how to directly connect your social media efforts to your organization’s strategic priorities by developing “goals” in Google Analytics and creating a social media engagement dashboard. Once you understand the value of your efforts, you can make informed decisions about how to improve your social media strategies to ultimately better advance the mission of your organization. Instead of covering the basics like how to tweet and gain followers, we will be diving in to specific analytics features like “goal setting” and “custom segmentation.” We will also provide attendees with a downloadable dashboard they can use to start collecting their own social media data, and a toolkit with all of our favorite online and social media applications.
Jamie Millard, Communications Coordinator, Charities Review Council of Minnesota and Chris Oien, Web Communications Associate, Minnesota Council on Foundations
Late Afternoon Sessions 3:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Understanding the Content Your Audience Needs
Track: Marketing & Communications
With proliferation of so many new communication tools, the nonprofit marketing and development professional needs to focus his or her attention on what an audience needs in order for them to become more engaged. This panel discussion will focus on field practices in audience research, building market segments and profiles, matching the right communication tool to the right audience, and developing messaging campaigns that not only inform but also engage the audience in a meaningful experience.
Carlo Cuesta, Managing Partner, Creation In Common; Helen Franczyk, VP External Affairs, Minnesota Children’s Museum; and Mike Stadelman, Director of Marketing and Outreach, CaringBridge
Communication Strategies Targeting Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Communities
Track: Marketing & Communications
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) is the fastest growing ethnic group in Minnesota, encompassing diverse populations with respect to highly varied educational and socioeconomic backgrounds, cultural/linguistic characteristics and the unique conditions of countries of origin. Such diversity has increased the difficulties in approaching the group as a whole, and the different cultures within necessitate different communication styles and patterns for reception of information. This session will utilize the AAPI cultural ways of communication and teach best practices for information dissemination in order for nonprofit organizations to better develop and disseminate critical information serving these target audience(s).
Ange Hwang, Executive Director, Kang Vang, Programming Director, and Khou Yang, Coordinator for Health Education and Promotion, Asian Media Access
Stop Keeping Secrets from Your Database – Eliminating Rogue Databases
Track: Technology Planning & IT (Advanced)
Your donor database is a key component to your nonprofit’s success. It is vital to have accurate and up-to-date information on your constituents. So why do we so often keep secrets from our database? Is it because we don’t know where the information would go? Or the database can’t handle the information we want to include? In this session, we will discuss how to integrate your data with your database. We will discuss how much time and money can be saved when your database knows all of your organization’s data secrets. Finally, we’ll provide you with the tools you need to provide flexibility, while still communicating with your database.
Joel Barker, President, Backpack Tactics and Karen Graham, Director of Business Development, thedatabank
Building Digitally Inclusive Communities
Track: Program Delivery
Are you relying on more technology to support your work? Do your clients need help learning technology tools to improve their lives and reach their goals? While we may view technology from different perspectives and different sectors, we need a good understanding of digital inclusion and why it’s important. In this session, you will gain definitions and perspective, an update on local and national digital inclusion efforts, and see the areas of life where technology tools and skills can have critical impact on success. Learn the key principles that communities can use to evaluate their strengths and needs in order to ensure that, per a proposed national framework, “all people, businesses, and institutions will have access to digital content and technologies that enable them to create and support healthy, prosperous, and cohesive 21st century communities.”
Elise Ebhardt, Interagency Coordinator, City of Minneapolis - Information Technology; John Richard, Adult Education Coordinator, Waite House-Pillsbury United Communities; and Mary Ann Van Cura, Library Development & Continuing Education Coordinator, Minnesota State Library Services, Minnesota Department of Education
Managing a Successful Website Redesign (from Two Nonprofit Project Managers Who’ve Been There)
Track: Website
A nonprofit’s website is its front door to the world – donors, volunteers, clients, and supporters. So, when your site doesn’t put your best foot forward, it may be time to consider a redesign. In this session, you’ll learn best practices and tools a nonprofit should know when considering a redesign. The presenters (both of whom have recently led a website redesign process at their organizations) will share tips and advice to help you as you go through a needs assessment, RFP process, vendor selection and implementation. This session is for those who are anywhere on the spectrum of a web project redesign – from those just curious or considering undergoing the process of a website redesign to those who have begun working with a designer or are in the midst of implementation.
Christine Durand, Communications and Marketing Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and Jason Samuels, Manager of Information Technology, National Council on Family Relations
Increasing Donations through Video & Storytelling
Track: Fundraising
Whether it's a meeting with donors, a special event like a gala, or an online campaign, a powerful video can showcase a need and highlight how donations make a positive impact. The key to a successful video is effective storytelling founded on a strong, concise message. In this session you’ll learn what elements make a memorable story and how videos can make an impact on financial giving. From the length to the main characters to the budget-friendly tools that can be used to produce a video, this session will take you from start to finish. The days of spending tens of thousands of dollars to get a successful video are over. You’ll leave this session ready to create and share a video that tells a powerful story.
Sara Brown, Director of Marketing & Communications, Restart Inc. and Kristi Piehl, Owner, Media Minefield
QR Codes and Nonprofits: Scanning for Success
Track: Social Media & Mobile Technology
The private sector is plastering QR codes on everything from bus stops to cereal boxes. But how is our sector using this new technology, and what best practices should nonprofits use in campaigns? Join this session for a whirlwind tour of the good, the bad, and the ugly of QR code campaigns. Then do a deep dive into a case study to learn strategy. You’ll leave with a better understanding of the tools and guidelines to conduct a successful QR code campaign for your own organization.
David Erickson, Director of e-Strategy, Tunheim Partners
