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2010 - 5th Annual Central Ohio Nonprofit IT Conference
Here's What You Missed...
…if you weren't at GroundWork group's 5th Annual Central Ohio Nonprofit IT Conference October 15.
"Good ‘take back' info" –conference evaluation
"Excellent speakers and topics of discussion" –conference evaluation
"Interesting in that non-tech folk can benefit" –conference evaluation
"Thank you so much for the scholarship" –conference evaluation
Technology Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow…Mapping the Way
From Wires to Wireless…Verizon Wireless' Executive Director Bobby Morrison and Associate Director Scott Caine shared how technology has changed the way we work, think and act. To take advantage of what advances in technology have to offer us, we must answer 4 questions:
- What (or who) do you want to connect? 4G allows us to connect more than just people, it allows us to connect everything – interact with everything and changes the way we view our future opportunities.
- What do you wish you could do? Your imagination drives innovation – technology enables it. Challenge the new ecosystem to overcome your challenges.
- What do you wish you could talk to? Wireless mobility and 4G technology enable you to consider any electronic device, anywhere, with any application.
- Where (or what) do you want your info to go/do? Building communities, managing costs, breaking barriers.
What's coming around the corner? 4th Generation Wireless – 4G – and it's 10 times faster. Any application, any device can be connected anywhere – bringing seamless technology across the country and across the globe.
Businesses and organizations in Columbus can learn more about the technology and what it can help you achieve on the 18th of November at COSI. This is an invitation only event hosted by Verizon Wireless and supported by Alcatel Lucent, ngConnect, and a host of technology companies. If you are interested in attending please contact Scott Caine at scott.caine@verizonwireless.com.
The biggest questions?
- Cost – Yes, it will allow for different cost models and create more efficiencies. In its simplest form – this means it eliminates the time or labor to run wires.
- Connectivity – Yes, it will be more reliable because it is a larger, wider and higher speed information highway. It's signals work differently too – meaning it has the capability to reach deeper through physical barriers.
- Security – Yes, it will be more secure as security features are inherent in its core technology.
- Help for the nonprofit sector – the Verizon Foundation will help put 4G to work for nonprofits.
Security: From Filing Cabinets to Cloud Computing
Doug Davidson, President & CEO of Jacadis moderated the session featuring security tips from Jerod Brennen of Abercrombie & Fitch, Lee Ayres of Interhack Corporation and Phil Grimes of Microsolved, Inc. The discussion highlighted measures to consider when protecting the information in your organization.
- Data Security – where is your data…on a server, on local machines or "in the cloud"?
- Backups – Are you backing up your data regularly, and are you testing your backups?
- HR Security – What do you do when there is staff turnover?
- Documentation – Where are passwords stored, and who has access to them?
- Social Media – How secure are sites such as Facebook and Twitter? Does usage make your organization vulnerable?
- PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliance – With increased online credit card contributions and event processing, is your organization following all PCI Data Security Standards?
- Mobile devices and security – Are your technology policies inclusive of all devices in use?
- Continuity – When signing a cloud contract, be sure the vendor documents their responsibilities to restore your system in the event of a technology failure.
Your organization's best defense against technology fraud can be your own employees. Be sure your employees follow acceptable use policies; train them about identity theft; and, increase their awareness of technology security issues. They will likely spot unusual activities on your systems. Need more tips, ideas or training – check out GWg's monthly Nonprofit IT Forum (second Tuesday of every month – details always in the GWg eNews) and/or check out the online resource www.sans.org.
Online Organizing: From Face-to-Face to Facebook
Why do nonprofit organizations use social media?
Communicate with supporters……Create new content and spread awareness
Monitor conversations about them and their interest areas……Raise money
Bill Balderaz – Founder, Webbed Marketing – shared these tips on how your nonprofit can be using social media:
- Social Media is a powerful tool that allows nonprofits to reach targeted audiences quickly and to facilitate fundraising.
- Initiate conversation with your supporters.
- Be on Facebook and YouTube – many people are using these sites in place of search engines.
- LinkedIn – you stay connected with your audience – for life. Email addresses and jobs change, but an individual's LinkedIn profile is theirs for life – once you are connected you will always be connected.
- Twitter – best utilization – frequent, real-time updates.
- Blogs are an excellent platform for nonprofits to share content and promote their agendas to a broad audience. Provide new content to keep the conversation fresh and expand your audience…updates boost your Search Engine Optimization!
- A YouTube channel allows nonprofits to broadcast video from charity events and fundraisers.
- Organizations can use Wikis to influence public perception and provide information about their mission.
- Review web tools to help you monitor the conversations (RSS feeds such as Google Reader). Once you know who is saying what about the issues that concern your org – join the conversation.
- Integrate your social media campaigns – develop content once then send it out via all outlets.
Key takeaway from this session: Listen. What are the 3, 4 or 5 words key to your cause? Go find out what people are saying about those words.
Effective Data Management: From Index Cards to Information Management Systems
Art Krumsee – IT Director, Conrad Phillips Vutech and Board Member, Central Community House
The nonprofit information management dilemma: Must align data needs with goals and objectives of the organization while balancing what is possible against what is practical.
Spreadsheets – it's easy to fire them up, but often lead to…
- Inconsistency in data tracking among staff and difficulties consolidating disparate spreadsheets
- Vulnerability of data elements
- Sorting can scramble spreadsheets
- Data consistency issues – drop down fields, date & times – many-to-one relationships
- Spreadsheets do not always reflect the real world use/need of data
- Inconsistency in data storage
- Issues surrounding backups, data security and data protection
Resolving these issues can be costly and difficult. Many organizations falter when they fail to appreciate the complexity of these problems.
Questions nonprofits must answer when developing data-related policies:
- Design. Data element by data element, groupings by nature, standard values, look-up tables, consistency and reduce data redundancy
- Storage. Work station-based versus server-based
- Access. Roles and responsibilities of various staff
- Security. Underlying data structures should be invisible to end users
- Archiving. Strategy and planning for long term storage and retrieval
- Retention. How long to keep data versus when to purge
- Backup and Recovery. This process needs to be tested regularly and thoroughly
Applications: From Keypunch to Computers
Rye D'Orazio – Partner and Founder, Ray & Barney Group
Technology trends to raise your eyebrows…
- In 2009, $303 billion was raised by nonprofits – $15 billion of that was raised online – that number is only going UP
- $32 million was raised via texting for the Haiti earthquake relief effort – a staggering 95% of those donors had never given money to a charity before then
Which technologies should nonprofits be looking at?
- Social Media – blog sites are visited by 75% of online users
- m-commerce – purchases made from a mobile device
- Texting – morphed from a way to say "Hello" to a medium delivering 5 trillion messages annually
- CRM – Constituent Relationship Management – follow your audience, deepen relationships
- Interactive Media – YouTube, etc. – Nonprofits need to use video to share experiences and emotion
- Document Management – Stop wasting money chasing papers – Develop your electronic archives
Now, where should you look?
Take your time – investigate your resources. Check out partner companies…blogs of people you trust… board members & volunteers…publications & reviews such as Idealware, Global Software Solutions and Nonprofit Technology News.
Consider your ability to adapt technology and get it to work for you. Figure out the problem you are trying to solve. And do your homework on yourself…review and research your Technology Plan two times every year!
Technology Policies: From Briefcase to Blackberry
A panel discussion moderated by Anne Petit of Prevent Blindness Ohio featured words of advice from James Petrie of Bricker & Eckler, Karissa Hanson-Morris of Community Research Partners, Mark Stahl of Jewish Family Services, Rick Collins of United Way of Central Ohio and Frances Wright of Wendy's International.
Technology Policy considerations:
- Code of Conduct and Ethics
- Communication appropriate in workplace
- Confidential and proprietary aspects of your business
- Company assets, value and protection of
- Training expectations
- Policy enforcement from the top
- Organization policies should refer to each other (IT, use, nondiscrimination, etc.)
- Social Media policy needs to address who speaks on behalf of your organization
- A caution regarding monitoring of organization-owned devices – to prevent claims of invasion of privacy, your technology policy should include a statement noting that the equipment is owned by the organization, and the management retains the right to monitor all activity on the equipment.
Highlights from the panelists:
How do you prevent information from "walking out the door" via social media and thumb drives?
- Organization-provided blackberries that are wiped clean when an employee leaves
- Restricted access to CRM files
- Tools & policies to make downloading and uploading unnecessary or impossible
- Work done for the office needs to go through the office computing environment
- Limitations/restrictions on use of social media at or for work
What does the balance between IT and HR look like to you?
- Be honest and open. Remember that most employees want to do the right thing. Help them understand what is right.
- Remind employees that the organization has assets, the organization will protect those assets and that information is an asset.
- Your policy should consider the use of co-owned devices outside of work. Organizations want to prevent employees from implicating the organization in some way. For instance, problems can arise if an employee uses a work email address as the login email for non work-related sites.
What is your single biggest challenge RE: tech policies?
- Small organization with a small budget; therefore no IT staff and limited funds
- Educating staff about IT when they aren't so familiar with IT issues
- Keeping employees mindful of the policies
- Employees opening infected email
- Continual development of new technologies that kill the organization's bandwidth
Ric Wanetik – President, Ricochet Group LLC – asked participants to:
Think like a teen. Act like your mother. Stay up late.
Consumer/Marketing Trends in a Digital Age – 2011 Edition
Follow the SSEA rule…
Stop your audience – Surprise them – Engage them – cause them to take Action
New approaches to manage and market your nonprofit's mission:
Think like a teen…
Be fearless…Try new, big things…Multi task…Cram Consider the short attention span of teenagers…adopt marketing techniques aimed at teens, increase your usage of multi media…cross market not just brands, but devices. Teenagers quickly switch from TV to mp3 to sites on the computer. Multi-tiered marketing efforts hit a larger audience. Love what's working but be ready to drop it at any moment…be ready for that next big thing.
Act like your mother… because you are not crazy
Incorporate wisdom among your random ideas
Be civil, not abrasive or confrontational…Don't offend older audiences
Don't abandon what works for older audiences just to attract new audiences
Don't break the law
Take a stand on issues important to you
If you make a mistake, say you're sorry, mean it and change your behavior
Do your homework…Evaluate the risks
Ask "What's in it for our family?" Look at your value proposition through the lens of a mother
Stay up late… Research customer review sites…Engage volunteers and staff in monitoring conversations
Discover new audiences…Think product placement
Find out where on the Internet people are talking about what you are doing
Get outside validation…"endorsements"
Ric reminded us…
"It's not what you say about yourself that sells others. It's what others say about you that sells you."
Our low-cost 5th Annual Central Ohio Nonprofit IT Conference would not have been possible without our generous sponsors – THANK YOU!!
| Accenture Advizex Technologies AXIA Consulting Baker & Hostetler Battelle Bricker & Eckler Basin Telecommunications, Inc. Cardinal Solutions CGI Chornyak & Associates The Columbus Dispatch The Columbus Partnership Crane Group Community Shelter Board Deloitte | Diversified Systems, Inc. Expesite FocusCFO Franklin University GBQ Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP Huntington IBM Information Control Corporation Jacadis John Gerlach & Company Micro Biz Coach MindLeaders Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission Nationwide | Navigator Management Partners Office Depot The Ohio State University PayCor Perfect Balance Quick Solutions Ryan Partnership Schneider Downs Sophisticated Systems, Inc. TechColumbus TEKsystems United Way of Central Ohio Verizon Wireless |