Saturday, Sunday and Monday are heavy hitter days for SXSWi. Big keynote speakers like Elon Musk, and more sessions, workshops and book signings than any SXSW do-good-er could dream of attending in a weekend. All of this tends to take its toll on attendees, we understand.

Afternoon Refuel

That’s precisely why we have partnered up with Beacon Lounge to provide you with delicious afternoon pick-me-ups through our Sugar Shock Snack Break. Saturday through Monday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., we will be providing an array of cookies and soft drinks, for free, to help boost you through those afternoon sessions. Stop by to make sure you get your afternoon refuel before finishing up the afternoon sessions and evening’s festivities!

Hashtags to Stay in the Know

Whether you will be at SXSW or not, there is always an overwhelming amount of information coming from the conference. Be sure to follow two important hashtags that will help curate interesting, and hopefully relevant, information for you: #SXSWi and #sxgood.

Stay in Touch With Us

Also check out the #sxgood Twitter list, which will help you stay on top of all the social good news coming out of #SXSWi 2013. We, @Blackbaud and @BBInteractive, will also be there live tweeting from interesting sessions, as well as sharing nonprofit news and trends coming out of the conference.

So, breathe easy. At least part of your afternoon is planned. We look forward to seeing you in the Beacon Lounge for our Sugar Shock Snack Break. And don’t forget the free wi-fi, couches, and most importantly, OUTLETS for refueling all of your gadgets!

Hi everyone!  We’re excited to be taking part in the Beacon Lounge and helping Beaconfire bring together non-profits as a part of SXSW Interactive.

Small World Labs provides an online community platform for non-profit organizations so I thought I’d highlight a few online community building best practices, and connect them to SXSWi to help you get the most out of your experience there.

Listen
Credibility and value can come just from listening.  Everybody, organizations and people alike, want to talk about themselves.   Before you begin speaking, make sure you are first listening and responding to what people are saying to you.  If you want to build relationships, being a good listener helps.

Build better relationships at SXSW by being a better listener.

Lead by Example
When people get to a new place, online or offline, they often aren’t certain what to do.  If you’re the host, you can tell them what to do (which can sometimes come across as shouting) or, lead by example.

In my experience, people generally go to SXSW to 1. Meet People, and 2. Learn About New Things.  Be a connector and introduce the people around you.  Know of a good upcoming session, a place to eat (without a long line), or a cool new product?  Share it with others.  On that note, did you know that while Twitter didn’t technically “launch” at SXSW, it owes much of its success to the conference?

Be Purposeful & Have a Plan
It’s easy to get caught up in building community just to get people together to start talking.  However, remember why you’re there.  If you’re a non-profit, you want to build a community of purpose, whether it be to engage donors, attract volunteers, or support your beneficiaries.  Listen and lead, but with a planned purpose.

SXSWi has gotten so big (over 20,000 people attended last year) that it’s easy to just get caught up with the race.  Take a few minutes before SXSWi starts (or in the middle of it) to think about what you want to accomplish.  Are you there to network generally?  Are you there to learn?  Do you want to meet 5 key people?  The answers to those questions will determine if you’re better off going out till 3am each night or saving your energy pellets for daytime activities.

Measure & Improve
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.  You put a lot of thought into your community building efforts.  You worked hard and had fun.  What were the results?  What should you change based on what you learned?  How do you improve for the next phase?  Asking and answering these questions will help you constantly improve.

You put a good amount of time, energy, and (if you paid for it) money into attending SXSWi.  After it ends, take a minute to think about why you attended.  How did you do?  Did you learn about X number of new products?  Did you meet Y number of good connections?  What should you do differently next time to improve?

Aside from that, in the interest of sharing, here are a few of my SXSW lessons learned from years past:

1. The quality of sessions varies dramatically.  Pay less attention to the sensationalism of the title and more to who is presenting
2. Get to the after-hours events early.  Lines can be terrible (sorry)
3. Have a backup plan and be flexible (see #2).  You’ll often find that some of the smaller, non-publicized events are more accessible and are  an easier  spot to meet people
4. Plan your sessions by location.  There are tons of sessions covering lots of topics, and they are spread out over town.  Consider adjusting your schedule so that you can hit your “top” sessions and not have to rush across town to hit your “maybe” ones
5. Bring cards.  You’ll meet lots of people.  It’s hard to network if you run out
6. Daylight Savings Time.  On Saturday night, clocks move FORWARD an hour.  Account for that if you want to make the early morning sessions (and hear me talk at 11am on Sunday in the Beacon Lounge)

 
I wish you happy and effective community building at SXSWi!

Want to meet up at SXSWi? @wilsonmichael @smallworldlabs mwilson[at]smallworldlabs.com

But there’s a catch: you have to come to the Lounge to get it.

What’s this ‘data’ you say?

This year, NTEN is working with Beaconfire to make the sure the Lounge is full of conversation starters. Whether you are using the Lounge as a meeting place to make new friends or to have a quiet place to talk to long-time collaborators, the tables will give you something to learn and something to talk about. We have a different theme each day, and every table will have new facts and figures, pulled from research, reports, and new books. From staffing technology in your organization to engaging Millennials, be sure you plan to stop in the Lounge at least once each day to pick up some tweetable facts and figures!

Worried you’ll miss the fun? Not going to be in Austin for SXSW this year? Just connect with us on Twitter @NTENorg and we’ll be sure to connect you with all the in-Lounge fun each day.

You hear it over and over – the connections you make waiting to get into a SXSW session are sometimes more valuable than the sessions themselves. My colleague Suzanne Beranek, director of communications, and I are really looking forward to meeting other do-gooders and sharing ideas with the nonprofit/tech community next week! In that spirit, we’d like to share our top ten tips for staying healthy at SXSW. Do you have any healthy tips to share?

Eat your breakfast. Hit the ground running by making time for a healthy breakfast. Every morning at 9 a.m., stop by The Beacon Lounge with a Conscience (ACC Room 8BC) for a healthy breakfast, sponsored by the Colorado Health Foundation. There will be vegan options! A suggested donation of $5 benefits Reach Out and Read Texas.

Love your walk.  No need to worry about exercise since you’ll be walking all over Austin to get to sessions, events and parties. Just make sure to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for any type of weather. That means packing sunscreen, a jacket, extra layering and an umbrella.

Drink lots of water. Water not only balances out any alcohol you’ll be consuming, but detoxifies your system and can prevent you from getting the SXSW crud. Stop by the Beacon Lounge  to pick up a Colorado Health Foundation water bottle and fill it up at least twice a day.

Eat REAL FOOD Every Day. There’s a ton of great restaurants in Austin, but make sure to eat some fresh fruits and veggies at least once a day during the conference. Your body will thank you. Two places for a quick dose of nutrition are just a two-minute walk from the Convention Center:

• Daily Juice – This place has smoothies, juices, green shots and salads – a perfect pick-me-up before heading in to more sessions.
• Blenders and Bowls – This is an açaí café. Açaí has the highest concentration of antioxidants than any other known fruit in the world; it promotes overall health, increased energy, and vitality.  Yeah. You’re gonna need that.

Get some sleep. Give yourself a break – when you can’t absorb any more information, sleep in or cut out early to take a nap.

Be present. When you close your eyes, do you see a Twitter stream? That’s a sign you need to put down your screens and devices for at least an hour and experience reality. Just think how much faster information will travel to your brain without going through your cell phone first.

Wash your hands. Pack hand sanitizer and use it regularly. Also, stop touching your face. Lots of people mean lots of germs, and your defenses might be down from all that running around.

Laugh. Laughing boosts immunity, strengthens the heart, and improves lung function. Did you know there’s a SXSW comedy schedule? If you have a badge, you have access, so have a laugh.

Minimize your load. Remember that whatever you lug from your hotel room will have to be carried all day. If you can’t minimize, at least distribute the weight better by wearing a backpack instead of a shoulder bag.

Find your tribe. Mingle with other do-gooders to help you navigate the conference, lower your anxiety for finding the best sessions and amp up the fun. Stop by the Beacon Lounge and check out the #SXgood stream for great tips on finding social good at the conference.

“What are you changing?”

I’m not alone. Every year, more and more nonprofits are attending SXSW to share their web wisdom and stay on the cutting edge of web technology to engage new supporters and long-time advocates alike to change the world. Now more than ever, social good is part of the world wide web, and part of SXSW.

Of course, there will be no better place to talk about social good at SXSW than the Beacon Lounge. That’s why Change.org is teaming up with Beaconfire Consulting, Groupon Grassroots, NTEN, VolunteerMatch and a host of others great groups to bring back the “lounge with a conscience.” I’ll be joined by one of Change.org’s top online organizers and we can’t wait chat about all the successes (and failures) we’ve witnessed at intersection of technology and people-powered change. We’d be happy to swap stories, ideas, and best practices for online organizing, so catch us in the Lounge at the times below, or connect with us at @ChangeOrgs:

Saturday 3/9:  9:30 – 11:00am  &  1:30 – 3:00 pm
Sunday 3/10:  9:30 – 11:00am  &  1:30 – 3:00 pm

If you can’t make it to SXSW don’t worry, you can still get your social good fix. Change.org and the rest of the Beacon Lounge will be broadcasting all the best stories, trends and campaigns we find at SXSW with the hashtag #SXgood. I hope you join the #SXgood conversation to let the rest us know what you are changing. We’ll be listening!

Happy sleeping kitty rocked the Beacon Lounge last year.

First off, I’m not saying any of you have a karma problem. Far be it for me to judge how anyone spends their time, energy, or soul points.

Even though we live in a dog-eat-dog, nature red in tooth and claw, sink or swim world, most of us manage to be pretty good folks despite it all. And most of us definitely want to be helpful.

So, no, I’m not saying you have a karma problem.

But let’s just say you did.

And let’s say you brought that problem with you to SxSW Interactive this year.

And let’s say that buried deep within your list of private to-dos (you know the to-do list that you keep inside of you that you would never, ever show the rest of your team, god forbid) there’s a little bullet point there that says, “Do better. Make a difference. Figure out a way to turn this crazy job of mine into something that helps people.”

If that’s you – and I’m not saying it is! –  you could do a lot worse than drop into the Beacon Lounge this year. Not only is the Beacon Lounge the place to talk, walk, and leverage emerging technology for the good of all, it’s also the perfect place to shower your soul with warm, soapy positivity.

If that sounds good to you, here are five great ways to burnish your karma in the Beacon Lounge:

1. Get to know an awesome nonprofit who understands the power of technology.

Each year I’m blown away by all of the cool social entrepreneurs, cause marketers, and other nerdy do-gooders who are leveraging technology to make a difference. But it’s the nonprofits that have my heart. So often it’s the nonprofits in our communities who are best-suited to leverage the time, talent and money of the community. You can find some of the coolest in the Beacon Lounge. And you never know with a new relationship will take you.

2. Do your cause-related business in the Beacon Lounge.

If you’re a veteran of social good tech, bring your SxSWi experience to the Beacon! We need your energy, insight, and expertise to inspire everyone else to stop by and be moved by their time in the Lounge. Come in, pull up a couch, grab a cup of coffee or a beer, hold your meetings here. Do your business. . And then make yourself available and open to anyone who is interested in getting to know you.

3. Check out the programming in the Beacon Lounge and learn about the intersection of technology and social good.

Thanks to the good work of our friends at Beaconfire, some of the smartest minds in social technology will be presenting during SxSW. It’s totally free, so why not come in and learn something new about measurement, audience engagement, content strategy, storytelling, and more.

4. Donate to an awesome cause.

Nonprofits need more than just your time and attention – they also need your money! Coffee, snacks, and beer are available this year on donation basis for organizations like the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

5. Be cool.

Finally, the number one way to rebuild your karma in the Beacon Lounge this year is simply to bring your good vibes.  SxSW can be stressful, competitive, exhausting, scary, and distracting!  The Beacon Lounge, on the other hand, is all about collaboration and good old-fashioned “helpyness.” And even if you don’t have a great idea or powerful innovation to share, sometimes the best thing we can do for someone else is to smile, offer a hand, and say something nice.

Keep an eye out for me in the Beacon Lounge too! You can reach me before and during SxSWi at @volmatchRobert.

Robert J. Rosenthal is vice president of communications and marketing at VolunteerMatch, the web’s largest volunteer engagement network. He is a frequent public speaker on nonprofits, technology, volunteering, and cause-related marketing. You can connect with him on Twitter (@volmatchRobert) or find more about VolunteerMatch at http://volunteermatch.org.

(Photo: Ella Mullins/Flicker Creative Commons)

To celebrate our 5th anniversary, we just redesigned our website to make it easier to learn about The Beacon, sign up for event updates or explore photos & videos from past years. Over the next two months, check back to see daily schedules, new blog posts from our incredible sponsors, and our expanding Pintrest board with inspiration to get you psyched for SxSW 2013. You can follow us @beaconfire for the most up to date news as well.

Our media partner, Groupon Grassroots, just launched a Blog series called “PhilanthroTech: Making a Difference in a Digital World” which will also get the juices flowing leading up to the opening of The Beacon Lounge on March 8th in Austin. Over the next 9 weeks, don’t miss all the great insight from blog contributors like Amy Sample Ward of NTEN, Robert Rosenthal of VolunteerMatch, Danielle Brigida of The National Wildlife Federation, Wendy Harman of The Red Cross, Carie Lewis of The Humane Society, David Neff, among other “Change-Ineers”. Keep up with the conversation with using the #philanthrotech hashtag.

Special thanks to our sponsors, without whom we couldn’t do what we do: Salsa Labs, Colorado Health Foundation, Blackbaud, NTEN, Change.org, VolunteerMatch, Small World Labs, and Cause.it

Remember: if you want to get your good on, there’s no better place for it than The Beacon: Lounge with a Conscience. We can’t wait to see you all in March!

To provide a break from the chaos, The Beacon Lounge is returning for our 5th year as an oasis in the middle of the madness for the non profit community at sxsw and other cause-focused geekeratti. While the comfy seating, awesome vibe, great company and steady flow of food & drink (Thanks to our amazing partners) keeps everyone sane, we never want to forget what has brought us all together in the first place: The desire to create lasting social good in the world. While having massive (sleepless) amounts of fun, that is.

The Beacon exists for our dynamic community at sxsw, but also because of it. And so, our theme was born: Play hard. Do good. From raising money for Reach out and Read Texas at breakfast (thanks to the wonderful people at the Colorado Health Foundation) to happy hours (sponsored by our dear friends at Salsa labs) that benefit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, giving back has always been the cornerstone of The Beacon. While you’re having a blast in Austin, we hope you can also help us make a real difference for real people.

Follow @beaconfire  to stay in the loop.

Editors Note: This post was originally written 2 years ago upon return from SxSW. However, 2 months out, it’s fun to revisit and remember … 

So five days in Austin filled with technology, panels, geeks, gadgets, software, social media, analytics, food, beer, music and sunshine can sure alter your reality. So far I’ve been back in the real world for about 36 hours and I’ve been displaying major signs of SxSW Interactive withdrawal.  Here are a few of the telltale signs:

7.  Eye contact anxiety. In a room/bus/street full of SxSWi folk, the majority of people have their head down tap-tap-tapping away on some mobile device, if not multiple devices. Back in the real world, not everyone is so obsessively connected.  Which had me a little paranoid on my commute to work this morning.  What exactly is everyone looking at?  What are they thinking about?  Are they really just sitting there?  Huh.  And, am I the only one on this bus wearing jeans and Chuck Taylors right now?

6. Hash tag fever. While prepping for a client conference call today, I actually took time to consider what the hash tag for the meeting should be.  #notsomuch.

5. Phantom geek speak. At SxSW I was constantly thinking, speaking, and overhearing in geek, which has led me to see and hear phantom geek speak everywhere I go. Flipping through a magazine on my flight back, I ran into an ad for SEO lip gloss.  I sat and stared at it for a little too long.  Could this really hold the key to getting to the top?  Nope, absolutely nothing to do with Search Engine Optimization.  I overheard a conversation on my lunch break about CSS and was wondering if they were as disappointed in the WC3 panel as I was.  But no siree, turns out were actually talking about the band with the same name.  I’m afraid this might be a long lasting symptom.

4. Device delusions. Did I remember to bring my iPad to work yesterday?  Yes.  Did I need it?  Not really.  Did I remember to bring my laptop to work yesterday?  No.  Did I need it?  YES!  Doh.  No concept of reality on this one as I almost even grabbed my SxSW badge on my way out the door.

3. WiFi High. I don’t know about you, but I’m still adjusting to the fact that there is not free WiFi and charging stations everywhere I go.  Leading to dead batteries and loss of connection.

2. Lone Star Dry Mouth. I didn’t have tacos, chips & salsa, BBQ, or beer all day yesterday.  Alright, so maybe I had a beer.   But only with dinner and not with lunch.  And definitely not between meetings.  And it wasn’t a Lone Star, nor was it free, nor was it surrounded by live music.  So needless to say, it left something to be desired.

1. Cat meme hallucinations. Between cats with mustaches, cat meme stickers, and conversations about famous internet cats carved out of giant blocks of cheddar, these pesky felines managed to have worked their way into my dreams.  I wish this was a joke, but it’s not.   I had a dream about cat memes last night.  Seriously disturbing.

meow

So in an experiment back home in being unplugged, I sat at a coffee shop sketching notes for this blog post on a napkin and the two guys sitting next to me were engaged in a in-depth conversation about donor database management.  That I can relate to.  Plus I work in an office full of geeks, live in a neighborhood full of hipsters, and it’s 70 degrees today here in the DC area. So maybe my reality isn’t that far off from my time in Austin.  In a good way.  One more day of SxSW and I might have turned into a robot.