NTEN

Things We Like (May 2015)

Steph — Thu, 28 May 2015 16:57:56 +0000

Following is the monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources and other goodies.

This great piece extends context to the long, painful, and repetitive history of how Baltimore became Baltimore.
Privilege and racism in history extend far beyond Baltimore’s gates. Walidah Imarisha answers the question, “Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon?” in this video.
[This space reserved for your own reflection of historic racism in your city and region.]
Activists used over 4,000 flowers to help Detroit reflect on the experience and place of abandoned homes.
User Onboard invites you to reflect on the user experience of newcomers to a website. What should you use, and what should you shuck?
When should you use a carousel on your site?
When shouldn’t you place a kitten on your site?
And why shouldn’t an orangutan play Mom or Dad to a litter of baby tigers? They’re actually like kittens.
Here are 29 Dad jokes that are so bad they’re actually good. Tuck them in with an eye roller!
Eyerollable joke or no, Rumba the Wonder Horse can tuck himself in, thank you very much.
People everywhere will thank you for using Do Not Link, which allows you to issue a bad review of a website in a way that blocks any mention of them as far as SEO is concerned.
There’s now an app that blocks any mention of the Kardashians.
There’s always room for another app. Comedy Hack Day had a stunning list of winners. Be sure to catch the grand prize winner, “Well Deserved,” a marketplace for monetizing the hierarchy of privilege.
Seth Godin has a list of the hierarchy—a ladder, if you will—of organizational needs.
Mobilization Lab has this “beyond the vanity metrics” look at measuring the ladder of membership engagement.
NTEN’s own Jessica Holliday is working on a way to be better at kids’ camp engagement, with Campthing.
We finish Things We Like with Dusty, a kid kangaroo who is convinced he’s a dog.

Our Hiring Practices Are Inequitable and Need to Change

Steph — Fri, 22 May 2015 18:36:02 +0000

Vu Le

Executive Director

Rainier Valley Corps

Go ahead and bake some unicorn-shaped cookies. While you're at it, how about taking some time to ponder more equitable hiring practices?

We have been relying heavily on the for-profit world’s hiring model, which has not been aligned with our sector-wide values of equity and community. It leaves out too many good people, and it is time that we as a field examine and change how we hire people.

A Note About Those Notes

Steph — Thu, 21 May 2015 20:20:32 +0000

Ash Shepherd

Education Director

NTEN

A reveal of the magic behind the 15NTC collaborative notes URL creation.

For a number of years at the Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC), we have created “Collaborations Notes” for each of the sessions. This is a Google Doc that anyone can access and contribute to before, during, or after the session. We have found it adds great value for those who attended and also for folks who, for whatever reason, couldn’t attend that particular session.

Announcing the Digital Inclusion Fellowship

Amy — Thu, 21 May 2015 15:07:14 +0000

Only when everyone is online can we truly support our entire community with necessary services, access to education and information, avenues to employment, and social connections to friends and family regardless of income or where someone may live. Today, more than 60 million Americans still aren't using the Internet at home. Most organizations don't have the know-how or resources to address key barriers of digital literacy, awareness of affordable options for access and devices, or even availability of digital trainers.

Digital Inclusion Fellowship

In partnership with Google Fiber, we’re launching the Digital Inclusion Fellowship. The Digital Inclusion Fellowship will pair 16 individuals with local community organizations in the eight Google Fiber metro areas - Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Kansas City, Nashville, Provo, Raleigh-Durham, and Salt Lake City - where they’ll spend a year expanding, designing, or building digital inclusion programs.

“We’re looking for emerging local leaders who are passionate about helping people in their community,” said Andrew Bentley, Google Fiber’s Digital Inclusion Program Manager. “Through the Digital Inclusion Fellowship, these leaders will have the chance to work with organizations that are committed to getting more people online. We’re excited about the projects that the City Host organizations and their Fellows will lead, and the impact they’ll have on the digital divide in the eight cities.”

Digital Inclusion in Every Mission

At NTEN, we see the impact that having a digitally engaged community can have on social impact work and want to be sure that every nonprofit and community based organization understands how to be part of the digital world, bringing their communities along with them. NTEN's mission is to ensure that all organizations - regardless of budget size, number of staff, location, or specific mission focus - can use technology to effectively meet their missions. That requires every organization, regardless of size or mission or location, understands the barriers their community members face in getting online and can address those barriers as they deliver their services and programs.

NTEN is proud to launch this new Digital Inclusion Fellowship program to demonstrate our direct investment in resource and capacity development to address the digital divide. We hope you'll join us! Applications for the 16 Fellowship positions are open now through June 10th!

Learn More

Check out the Digital Inclusion Fellowship and review the 16 open Fellowship opportunities. If you are interested in sharing your experience or expertise, participating in educational programs, or staying informed of this work, you can sign up or let us know. We will have a Community Call on Wednesday, May 27 at 11:00 am PT to discuss this new program and hear from you - bring your questions and ideas!

Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day: A roundup of accessibility resources

Megan — Wed, 20 May 2015 20:05:00 +0000

Recall a time when you encountered one of those websites where it was hard to read and navigate. You wanted to get some basic information or perhaps complete a simple transaction, and you ended up spending a lot longer than necessary, or maybe even left the site in frustration. For many people with disabilities, this is a daily reality when they encounter the common problem of non-accessible websites.

In recognition of these challenges, May 21 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). GAAD was conceived four years ago after Joe Devon, a web developer, wrote a blog post reflecting on the lack of information available about web accessibility. He realized that, while many people want to make technology accessible and usable by persons with disabilities, they often do not know how to do so or where to begin. From there, the idea sparked for a global day to get people talking, thinking, and learning about digital accessibility and users with different disabilities.

In honor of GAAD, we've rounded up a collection of NTEN resources to help you mark the occasion, and take part in making the digital world a more accessible place!

Articles:

How Kickstarter Got Subtitles and Captions by David Peter
Free Tools to Test Your Nonprofit's Website for Accessibility by Cindy Leonard
Beyond the Shuffle: Data Accessibility in the Cloud by Kirsten Kippen
Case Study of NTEN's Website Relaunch

NTEN:Change Journal - Digital Inclusion and Technical Divides

15 Minutes to Better Website Accessibility by Wiebke Herding

Community Discussions:

Mobile apps with a focus on accessibility

Cloud computing companies and ADA compliance

501 Tech Club Presentations:

Web Accessibility 101 from Brett Meyer at PDX Tech4Good December 2014

Web Accessibility and You from Dave Minton at NCTech4Good May 2014

15NTC Presentations:

Accessibility Awareness for Nonprofits from Nisha Patel and Melissa Townsel
Test for the Rest: Making a Priority of Accessiblity from Dan Mouyard

And be sure to check out just a few of the NTEN Members doing accessibility work:

Follow the #gaad hashtag and check out the many virtual and in-person GAAD events you can take part in on May 21!

How are you/your organization going to commemorate this day? Let us know in the comments.

Utilizing Campaigns to Grow Long-Term Organizational Strength

Steph — Mon, 18 May 2015 17:24:34 +0000

Charles Denson

Membership Director

Civil Liberties Defense Center

The ability to harness a campaign for the long-term benefit of the organization's mission and vision is an art.

Campaigns are short term and set out to accomplish a goal, while long-term organizations are more permanent and mission based. A successful organization will have many campaigns during its time. Sometimes campaigns can grow larger than expected and build great momentum for your organization, which is why it is important to be prepared to engage supporters of the campaign.

16NTC Session Submissions Now Open

Ash Shepherd — Mon, 18 May 2015 15:00:00 +0000

It's that time again to start the process of gathering session proposals from the NTEN Community to help inform the program for the 2016 Nonprofit Technology Conference (16NTC) in San Jose, California on March 23-25. So whether you have a few sessions you would like to present or some great ideas to suggest for community voting and have others present, we want to hear from you!

Submissions will be accepted May 18 - June 26, 2015.
>> Submit your proposals here

We are working on a different platform than previous years. Some key differences this year for submissions include:

The ability to review and modify your own proposals throughout the entire submission period
The ability to see all submissions during the submission period and prior to Community voting

Timeline and Important Dates

Submissions: May 18 - June 26, 2015
Community Voting: July 8 - July 31, 2015
Steering Committee & Staff Review: August 3 - August 21, 2015
Program Selection: August 24 - September 25, 2015
Notification: September 28, 2015

Key Tips for a Good Submission

Make sure the description conveys things like format type (panel, lecture, small groups, etc) and intended takeaways
Include enough details to make it clear what makes your session unique or different from similar proposals on the same topic
Clearly share how your session will include multiple points of view on the specific topic
Capture the right balance of education and fun that align with NTEN’s Community Values
Clearly connect your session to one of the 5 focus areas: Leadership, IT, Program, Marketing & Digital Strategy, and Fundraising

More Information
Still have questions or looking for more info? Join us on May 20 for a free webinar, when we will be going over things in greater detail and giving folks a chance to ask any questions.

Bonus
If you’re feeling excited about this, we’re sweetening the deal. If you participate in the 2015 Tech Staffing Survey, you’ll be entered to win your choice of a free 16NTC registration or a $500 Amazon gift card! The survey is only 15 minutes long, and the value of the data will continue to help nonprofits benchmark their technology planning (to help them change the world).

16NTC Steering Committee
We would like to thank our great group of Community members who answered the call back in April for volunteers to be on the 16NTC Steering Committee. We look forward to their contributions and insights throughout this process.

Jeanne Allen, Consultant & Instructor, Duke University Nonprofit Management Program
Jennifer Breakspear, Executive Director, Options for Sexual Health
Stacy Clinton, Web Manager: Programs & Partnerships, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health
Rosa Del Angel, VP of Strategy and Client Services, RedEngine Digital
Megan Farrington, Director, Internet Communications, Drug Policy Alliance
Erin Fogel, Project Manager & Drupal Site Builder, DevCollaborative
David Forrester, Director of Consulting, 501 Commons
Lauren Girardin, Marketing & Communications Consultant, Lauren Girardin Consulting
Mark Hallman, President, Evergreen Digital Marketing
Samantha Kyrkostas, Development Associate, Illinois Legal Aid Online
Peter Panepento, Principal, Panepento Strategies
Neel Patel, CEO, Magnify It
Robin Perry, Creative Director, Lautman, Maska, Neill & Co.
Joe Prosperi, Lead, Relay For Life Product Management, American Cancer Society
Sue Anne Reed, Project/Production Manager, The Engage Group
Julia Reich, Chief Soup-Stirrer, Stone Soup Creative
Dar Veverka, Vice President of Technology, LIFT

Join us in DC! Apply for a 15LCS Scholarship

Joleen Ong — Fri, 15 May 2015 21:47:48 +0000

The 2015 Leading Change Summit is coming up, and we want you to attend! We understand the financial commitment to attend the summit, and thanks to our amazing Community Champions who helped to raise funds for registration scholarships, we are able to offer 25 of these opportunities.

Scholarship applications are now open. Please review the eligibility requirements, and apply today!

Eligibility requirements:

1. Applicants must be able to describe a technology project or strategic goal related to technology that they plan to design and develop further at LCS and implement in their organization.

2. Following the LCS, applicants must be willing to be featured in an NTEN case study on how organizations are using technology to improve their work.

>> Fill out the short online application for LCS scholarships today!

Applications must be received no later than June 30. Notifications will be sent no later than the second week of July.

Know someone who might be interested in participating in the Leading Change Summit? Please share this scholarship opportunity with them today!

Beyond the Thank You Card: Meaningful volunteer appreciation

Steph — Fri, 15 May 2015 18:26:57 +0000

Liza J. Dyer

Program Coordinator in Volunteer Services

Multnomah County Library

Get on the same page with your volunteers' preferred methods of appreciation or watch them walk out your door.

Effective recognition is a big deal when it comes to ensuring volunteers feel like they're a part of your nonprofit or organization. When I say “recognition,” I’m not just talking about thanking volunteers, although that’s essential, too. What I mean by recognition is the act of being acknowledged or appreciated or even seen.

Inbox Zero? Ain't Nobody Got Time for That

Steph — Fri, 15 May 2015 18:15:29 +0000

Joe Newlin

Founder & Principal

vsbly

Try these realistic shortcuts to tame your crazypants inbox.

I am rich beyond all decency, and I am here to tell you how you, too, can follow my path to abundance and extravagance. I don’t mean money-rich; I mean email-rich. “Why the over-indulgence?” the Inbox Zero types ask. To which I reply: “Stop mailshaming!”