NCTech4Good

where tech meets social change

where tech meets social change

Don’t Feed the Trolls: Proactively Handling Offensive Comments Online

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Speaker: Kat Morgan – We’ve all seen it: trolls’ posts on FB pages, Twitter rants, or attacks in the comments section of online publications, blogs, and webpages. But what do you do? You may find yourself triggered or wanting to just ignore what’s happening. But when it’s your organization’s brand, reputation, and message on the line, it pays to be ready to respond intentionally, mindfully, and planfully. After all, your funders, partners, volunteers, Board, donors, staff, and clients will also see these comments and your response, or lack of one. How do you decide if, when, and how to respond? How do you respond in ways that address the content of trolls’ remarks without stooping to their level? Come explore key questions to ask yourself, scenarios and tools to consider, processes and policies that work. Share your experience and current response strategies, begin to build a plan, or revisit and refresh the plan you have.

Kat Morgan
Kat Morgan, Founder of ChangeAbility Solutions, and convener of Charleston's Reading Against Racism book group, has decades of experience in the nonprofit sector. As a consultant, she facilitates organization change, and provides training and coaching services. She delivered a TEDxCharleston Talk on breaking silence when you hear something offensive: Silence Is Not Always Golden (https://youtu.be/dtj6pEqH-gs). She’s passionate about calling people in to difficult conversations rather than calling them out. She's managed online forums and weathered cyber harassment. Her experiences have taught her how to engage in difficult online conversations and how not to.

Many Hands Make Light Work? A Peer-To-Peer Fundraising Case Study

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Speaker: Tiffany Albright – Modern fundraising is a minefield. With more tools than every, more potential audiences than ever, and seemingly less time than ever, how are you supposed to decide where to put your resources? Peer-to-peer fundraising tools and platforms have been lauded as a quick and easy way to engage current supporters and find new one. During this session, we’ll cut through the hype share how the North Carolina Theatre Conference engages their board and supporters in an annual peer-to-peer campaign, and lessons they’ve learned over the past four years. You’ll learn whether this style of fundraising is right for you, where they fit in an overall development plan, and how to apply these lessons to your next campaign.

Tiffany Albright
Tiffany is a director, producer, and writer based in Greensboro, NC. She has worked both as a freelance artist and staff member with organizations like the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Communities in Schools, and Triad Stage. She now serves at the Marketing Manager for the North Carolina Theater Conference. Her primary interests are in expanding arts access for all audiences and in finding ways to more closely align not-for-profit arts organizations with the needs of their communities.

Don’t Feed the Trolls: Handling Offensive Online Comments

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Trolls don’t just lurk under bridges any more. They post on FB pages, Twitter, and the comments section of online publications. And when they do, you may find yourself triggered or wanting to just ignore what’s happening. But when it’s your organization’s brand and reputation on the line, your volunteers, donors, staff, and clients may also see these comments. How do you respond in a way that addresses the content of trolls’ remarks without stooping to their level? Come find out!

Kat Morgan, Twitter: @ChangeAbilityKM
ChangeAbility Solutions / Allies Take Action
Ignite Talk

Speaker Bio
Kat Morgan, Founder of ChangeAbility Solutions, has decades of experience in the nonprofit sector. As a consultant, she facilitates organization change, and provides training and coaching services. She delivered a TEDxCharleston Talk on breaking silence when you hear something offensive (Silence Is Not Always Golden). She’s passionate about calling people in to difficult conversations rather than calling them out. She’s a lead organizer with the Charleston chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) which focuses on engaging white folks in the struggle against racism. Her experiences have taught her how to engage in difficult online conversations.

 

I Hate Twitter and So Should You

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Get ready to see why Twitter isn’t worth it any more. The social media darling is slowly dying. I have data and celebs on my side. Come at me with your 140 characters.

Dawn Crawford, Twitter: @bcdcideas, Instagram: @bcdcideas
BC/DC Ideas
Ignite Talk

Speaker Bio
The engine behind BC/DC Ideas, Dawn has dedicated her career to good. Before launching BC/DC Ideas in 2010, she earned her chops in 10+ years of communications leadership roles for public health, healthcare and youth-focused nonprofits. Working for nonprofits is Dawn’s dream job, and she loves that her 40+ hours a week make the world a better place.

These days Dawn brings her considerable experience and expertise to helping elevate the nonprofit sector. Our team’s lead strategist, Dawn is often seen leading our IdeaStorms, penning communications plans, or checking in with clients.

No Budget? No Problem. Social Media Tips, Tricks, and Hacks for Your Everyday Life.

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You’ve heard it once, twice, maybe three times: “pay to play” is the social media buzzword of late. But, what happens when you have very little budget, or no budget at all? How do you grow your social and digital reach? Join us for a dive into free tools you can use to help increase your social media reach and engagements. Discover how the WELL doubled their social media reach in under a year, and learn how you can advocate for your nonprofit using nothing but a computer and some creativity. We’ll take a look at popular social media platforms, data and analytics, and learn from one another.

Elizabeth Ruf
The WELL

Speaker Bio
Elizabeth Ruf is a one-woman marketing and communications shop at the WELL; a local, education-focused nonprofit serving high school students. In her spare time she is heavily engaged with the Triangle American Marketing Association, slated to be a Vice President on next year’s Executive Board and plays in a non-profit kickball league.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter… Oh My!

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You know that social media engagement is the “Yellow Brick Road” for your organization, but are you terrified about the journey? There are so many social media tools and resources that are available to non-profit organizations today and it can be really confusing! Should you use Facebook? Is Twitter the best option for you? How can you possibly use Instagram to reach your audience? Today, we will learn about the latest trends, strategies and resources, that will help you to effectively manage your online presence. Towards the end of the session, we will hold a general discussion, where you can ask questions and receive advice from colleagues, in your field of work! No question is off limits and technology use is encouraged.

Rebecca Beck
Partnership for Children of Cumberland County

Speaker Bio
Rebecca Beck, a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is a technology professional, training facilitator and leader in the public sector. Rebecca is the Vice President of Information Technology at the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County and began her career with the organization in 2000. Her strengths include; technology infrastructure planning, organizational leadership and social media strategy development. Rebecca has hosted speaking engagements on social media planning and business leadership at the National Smart Start Conference and other local events throughout the state. She also shares advice on a variety of technology topics via Twitter and her blog, IfItHasButtons. Rebecca has an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration (Public Administration) and will receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from Fayetteville State University in 2016. As an active member of the local community, Rebecca has received Citizen’s Academy certificates from Cumberland County and the City of Fayetteville. She also volunteers with human service organizations that strengthen the local community.

Analytics for Internet Supremacy

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Have you ever opened that Insights panel in Facebook and made this face 😖. Does Google Analytics confuse the heck out of you? And Twitter, how do you track those tweets?!

Let our analytics wizardry amaze you! In this session

  • Learn the basics of reading and understanding your analytics tools.
  • Get a map to Google Analytics and Facebook Insights plus a few tips on Twitter and Instagram tracking tools.
  • Walk out with a basic reporting tool to understand your internet engagement better.

DISCLAIMER: This session isn’t for fellow analytics level 20 wizards, this is for everyone else who wants to just learn a little bit more about the tools available.

Mary Alice Holley
BC/DC Ideas

Speaker Bio
The media mind of BC/DC Ideas, Mary Alice has spent the past five years honing her skills in public relations with a diverse mix of for-profit and nonprofit projects. Ranging from affordable housing to telecommunications and a few political candidates, she’s seen it all, but Mary Alice realized her passion for nonprofits and sustainability while publishing a local food guide with a teaching farm in Tennessee.

Now in Raleigh, Mary Alice brings her enthusiasm and PR experience to BC/DC Ideas’ nonprofit client roster. The team’s content and public relations manager, Mary Alice is busy behind the scenes writing digital content, executing award-winning media plans and getting our clients noticed. A positive Piscean and a March baby, she loves how her positive nature is working for the good of the nonprofit world every day.

Things that make her happy: Whipping up some kale smoothies and cold pressed juices, Bob Dylan, Raleigh’s live and local music scene, and of course, time spent with her dog Hazel.

How to Find and Tell an Amazing Written Story

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Being able to tell your organization’s stories is vital to connecting with your audience!

I will talk about how you can find some of your stories. But mainly I would like to focus on the process of written storytelling. You need to craft it so that it will grab your reader immediately.

I will discuss written storytelling and draw points from my blog series: http://www.howtoreachpeople.com/power-of-written-storytelling/

Some other points I’d like to make:

Story isn’t new! After all we have cave drawings to prove that! But what is new is the communication tools we use. Plus, the dialogue we facilitate.

There are so many places to tell a story. It’s difficult to know what medium to use.

Telling stories to your audience directly is a long-term plan, with amazing benefits.

Also, we’re running a storytelling speaker event and workshop in March and April in DC. So some of what I will talk about is based on what I learn there also!

Heather Ratcliff
NetSquared DC

Speaker Bio
I am a web content and social media strategist advocating for human rights and social change. I have worked with nonprofits and small businesses on reaching their audience, and prior to that, I was a journalist for about 10 years.

I blog at howtoreachpeople.com. You can read more about me here: http://www.howtoreachpeople.com/about/ You can read more about what motivates me here: http://www.howtoreachpeople.com/what-jolts-you-awake/

How To Become The Go-To Expert In Your Field Using Social Media

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Nonprofits can leverage social media platforms and content marketing to position themselves as the authority in their fields, with little to no expense. When this happens, your audience does much of the work to find you and you’ll give them great content in return. In the last year, I managed a vast content marketing plan and leveraged social media platforms to position Duke University Press as an expert in the field of Journal Publishing. This project included a 24 post blog series, 128 distinct project tasks, and coordination of more than three dozen contributors. The project now serves as the foundation for all journal acquisition marketing efforts. In my presentation, I will share everything I learned and how our marketing department is using this content marketing success as a springboard for future projects. Topics will include managing contributors, writing content, scheduling a blog calendar, utilizing social media platforms in different ways, and collecting analytics.

Katie Smart
Duke University Press

Speaker Bio
Publicist and Exhibits Coordinator at Duke University Press, coffee addict, and Durhamite by way of Buffalo and Houston.

Communication Planning & Implementation for Small Non-Profits

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Are you the only person running your non-profit? Do you have a small staff? Do you have lots of volunteers and need to get information out quickly? Do you find it really hard to find time to communicate with all of your stakeholders regularly?

If you answered “Yes!” to any of these questions, then this session is for you!

This session will overview various technologies that you can use to maximize communication with your constituents, convert social media likes to supporters or donors, strengthen your board, and raise monies. These web-based tools can be easily used, set up, shared, integrated, and maintained. It will also focus on the need for a social media plan which can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet.

This session will focus on the real-life implementation of various online tools to support non-profits and will include a portion for sharing ideas with the other participants.
Some of the tools which may be discussed will be: Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, E-Newsletters, YouTube, PayPal, Square, Crowdrise, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, Volunteer Sign-Up Programs, Surveys, and more. We will also talk about mobile devices and how to maximize their usage!

Speaker: Kathy McCullough-Testa

Organization: Beach Food Pantry & KMT Consultants

Speaker Bio: Kathy McCullough-Testa is the President & CEO of KMT Consultants, Inc., and serves as part-time Executive Director of the Beach Food Pantry in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Kathy helps her clients “Transform Visionary Ideas Into Reality” on a daily basis.

She is a motivated, personable business professional with experience in multiple industries including health care, government, financial, real estate, non-profit, retail, and education.

Kathy is the first executive director of the Beach Food Pantry. In her nearly two-year tenure, she has helped increase fundraising goals by 50%, increased volunteer participation, and strengthened and expanded community support through outreach events, fundraisers, and social media.

Session Tags: social media, communication, beginner, intermediate, blogs, marketing

Make your Organization Wikipedia Official: Insider Tips, Tricks and Strategies

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So your team has done it all – you’re on Facebook, Twitter, G+, LinkedIn, and Instagram? Now, it’s time to turbo charge your organization and take it to the next level with a Wikipedia page!
Join us to learn how to build legitimacy and reputation as well as premium placement within the first five Google search results for your organization, by getting your organization onto Wikipedia.

Kasey Baker and Frank Jones, Wikipedia’s former Regional Ambassadors and Coordinators for their Education Program, will give you an advanced crash course in how to start, actually write, or even improve an existing Wikipedia page for your organization. You will learn:

1. Why is it so important to have a Wikipedia page?
2. Why it is so hard to get into Wikipedia?
3. What you need to do to become a “Notable Organization.”
4. Tricks for writing your first article.
5. Tips for handling conflicts with “Wikipedians.”
6. And an open Q&A session.

Do not waste months just to have your article rejected, learn how to do it right and even if a Wikipedia page is best for you. Established organizations with active social media and existing community presence will gain the most from this presentation.

Speakers: Kasey Baker & Frank Jones

Organization: The Wiki Wizards – www.TheWikiWizards.com

Speaker Bio: Kasey Baker was the former Regional Coordinator for Wikipedia in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States from 2011-2014. During this time he also acted as the in-house Wikipedia Ambassador at Western Carolina University where he regularly guest lectured graduate level policy courses and ran training workshops for Wikipedia for new professors. He has helped hundreds of students, professors, librarians, non-profits and many others both write articles for Wikipedia and add content to existing articles. Baker also has been an active Wikipedian editing hundreds of articles and responsible for creating policy articles that received recognition by Wikipedia as an explanatory article,

Frank Jones acted for eighteen months as a Regional Ambassador for the Education Outreach Program at Wikipedia in the South East region, Jones has worked with professors and classes throughout the United States. While he spends most of his time working with his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jones has also supported classes at the University of North Georgia, Davidson College, and Appalachian State University. Jones is also an active Wikipedia and contributes inn his free time to articles on exotic locals he visits during his travels across the world.

Session Tags: Wikipedia, intermediate, search engine optimization, SEO, social media, organizational building, Google Search results

NCTech4Good, an affiliate of NTEN and TechSoup’s NetSquared, is the local resource for nonprofit technology information. Join the sharing and networking at monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of the month, 6:30-8:30 p.m. usually at UNC-TV, and our annual conference, https://www.nct4g.org/. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @nctech4good, and with the hashtag #nct4g.