The ROI of NTC 2011 - It was worth the investment

      By: Amber Manning  |  March 21, 2011

      As a first-time attendee of the Nonprofit Technology Conference, I was not alone. The conference grew by about 40% from 2010 to 2011, which means that mine was one of approximately 600 new faces. If you were also there, I’m sure you saw one or two of them. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at NTC - from the sessions I attended, to the people that I met. I am already planning to put this conference on my schedule again next year.

      In case you weren’t able to make it, here’s a taste of what happened:

      We recognized great work. With limited resources and budgets, nonprofits do incredibly valuable work. It was nice to be able to stand with others in appreciating all that they do, from running book drives, to working to eradicate measles. It was especially powerful when top nonprofit/technology leaders and staff members were honored for their contributions at the Community Celebration and Closing Lunch. NTEN’s mission is to “enable [its] members to strategically use technology to make the world a better, just, and equitable place.” NTC was the perfect place to showcase all that has been achieved by nonprofits through the use of technology, and some of the exciting things that people are working on for the future.

      We shared valuable tools and resources. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the tools featured at NTC, but here are a few worth checking out:

      We learned by example. Almost every organization wants to utilize social networks to activate their supporters, but wanting to use them does not mean that they are being used effectively. Organizations often find that they can get people to “like” their content or campaigns, but their fans are not always compelled take the next step, to sign a petition, take a survey, or donate time or money. Active participation is much harder to encourage than a simple passive fanbase.

      One organization, The Harry Potter Alliance, seems to be breaking this pattern. They have had success in activating their supporter base through social media marketing and advocacy alone. How do they do it? Well, it turns out social media is more far effective than direct mail or email marketing when the vast majority of your supporters are teenagers! This may not help every organization today, but it is definitely something to consider as Generation Y ages. If you haven’t added social media channels to your marketing and communications plan yet – get started now. The ROI may seem low at first (maybe you won’t raise any money through Facebook this year), but you need to get active in these channels.

      We had fun and networked. In addition to the formal and informal sessions, there were numerous happy hours and after-hours parties that facilitated meeting new people and sharing tips and tricks of the trade. EchoDitto co-hosted the “Super Fun Times Party of Awesomeness” which was, as you can imagine, awesome. One hazard of all of this networking is the problem of where to stash the giant pile of business cards you collect - some potential partners or clients and some friends. To paraphrase what Peter Campbell, one of the 2011 NTEN award winners, said during the awards ceremony, “NTC happens once a year but it lasts all year round.” The community that is built at NTC will continue to provide support and help throughout the coming months.

      With over 100 sessions taking place over the course of the conference, there was no way to attend everything that sounded interesting, but I was pleased with the sessions that I did get to attend. If you missed a session you really wanted to go to, the presentation outlines and slides can likely be found online. Simply click here, choose the session of interest, then refer to the “Chatter” section for resources and recaps. Some of the sessions and plenaries were also filmed as part of the first Online NTC. You can watch those here.