15NTC Ambassador meetings in Austin

Key Takeaways and Next Steps
Organizers Want to Tell the Story of their Impact

  • Are we making an impact? Let’s pilot some post-event surveys with Net2 Ambassador-led groups
  • Review current Net2 group model
  • Create welcome package for new Net2 organizers with a focus on AV support
  • Draft list of hardware & software of value to Net2 organizers that might be donated via TSG donor partners
  • Circulate values document to Net2 organizers for feedback
  • Recruit website feedback team

Day 1
Attending

  • Robert Kibaya
  • Siddharth Bannerjee
  • Rachel Kurzyp
  • Elijah van der Giessen

AGENDA

  • 9:00 AM: Welcome and introductions to the week
  • 10:00 AM: Strengthening the network. what’s working. What needs improvements.
  • 12:00 PM: Lunch
  • 1:00 PM – our role as Ambassadors
  • Outreach plans
  • Regional gatherings
  • What you need to succeed
  • 3:00 PM: Free time

What Organizers Need

  • Discretionary funds for Net2 organizers
  • Promotional support – what would that look like?
  • Nobody knows what TechSoup OR NetSquared are in Australia
  • Global SWOT analysis – what are NetSquared Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
    • city-level SWOT analysis
  • data capture
    • what are we setting out to capture?
      • follow-up surveys after events
        • Are we making an impact? Let’s do a case study with Net2 Ambassador-led groups
      • Presenter directory
      • More contact info for attendees
        • how to do in a light and useful way?
    • testimonials and impact survey
      • what’s changed?
      • what helped?
      • impact story?
  • Organizers need access to venues in some countries
    • we need to leverage TechSoup Global relationships
  • Connecting organizers and attendees to the local partners and resources
    • CHRIS – how to make connections with TSGN partners?

What NEEDS FIXING

  • The email list
    • hard to keep track
    • hard to follow
    • but group uncertain about whether Slack or similar is a good replacement.

Discretionary funding

  • Who qualifies? How to administer?
  • Who could fund more? Other funders out there?
    • Open Society, etc.
  • other pro bono benefits
  • Monthly expense recovery (NTEN-style)
  • Capital projects, software, etx.

STRENGTHENING THE NETWORK
Organizers and Net2/TechSoup
WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF A STRONG NETWORK?

  • must delivery benefits to members
  • good leadership and planning team
  • create opportunities for members
  • rewards and motivates leadership
    • different motivations for each group leader
      • contractors
      • training
    • what is the welcome package and motivation package?
  • members are consulted and involved in planning
  • People have ownership in network
  • Be explicit on benefits
  • Interns
    • TechSoup acts as administrating organization
    • Who to manage interns?
    • Eli – I’m leery about this approach

Identify of NetSquared

  • What to do about groups that want more formality
    • TEDX style?
    • Or ask for them to create another name?
  • Branding exercise is ongoing at TechSoup Global

Why are You a NetSquared Organizers?

  • leave a mark in my city in my sector
  • new – establish reputation
  • connector and convener
  • Want affiliation with global network
    • was already doing the training locally
    • link with like-minded people
    • learn skills from others in the network.
      • tech skills
      • create opportunities
  • organic
    • huge reach with almost no investment
  • adaptive – grassroots – can adapt to emerging needs

WEBSITE

  • add past events? (Eli doesn’t like this idea)
  • sourcing speakers – central form?

Homepage
#net2 hashtagefeed Or #Net2*
Can we add several hashtags or a wildcard query?
Or can I pull my query from hootsuite??

###TechSoup feature box.
– too much purple!!
– how about header only – rest is white box.
– hard to legible.
– purple on purple link unreadable.
Nav – other community projects – remove “other”
Blog
– no search when logged out. Why????
Group page

  • Search: COUNTRY too
  • flickr photo import not working
  • other site – generic icon?
  • Add twitter to the row of icons
  • Twitter – hashtag OR handle

Starting new group
– empty search result – link to “start your own group!”
– another block (perhaps under map) with “start a new group”
– link in group list basically invisible
Day 2
Attending

  • Robert Kibaya
  • Siddharth Bannerjee
  • Rachel Kurzyp
  • Elijah van der Giessen
  • Chris Worman

Going Global Chris Worman led a discussion on the future of TechSoup Global and NetSquared

  • MS donation program in all countries by June
    • Other donor partners to follow
  • The Platform and Data as a Service
    • TechSoup knows A LOT about nonprofits, especially with Guidestar. 700,000 orgs
    • connecting the nonprofit sector with a marketplace of social impact entrepreneurs and CSR
    • research – data sharing with partners

New Products:
– google for nonprofits
– consultants registry
Where does Net2 fit in?
– TSG can’t be everything to everyone.
– most communities are formed at the hyperlocal level
– digital divide – do you use technology WELL (rather than “do you have it?”)
What else is Net2?

  • NetSquared is HOW we interact, rather than the current network.
  • Think of Net2 as a platform, say for Peace Corps
    • and while we’re at it introduce them to TechSoup

TechSoup Partners

  • they are under resourced and under staffed
  • they’re managing the social enterprise
    • they don’t have communication and marketing skills. They need help
    • their benefit – the TechSoup mission is bigger than just the social enterprise/sales part.
    • they need stories to share. Show the impact of their work.
    • we want them to marketing our events. They have the email list.

VALUES
values-based decision making. Chris stole the idea from some Obama alumni.
Honesty
– what and who are we excluding? Who are we including?
– who won’t we work with?
Respect for diversity
– TSG won’t serve organizations who are exclusionary
– we welcome all attendees and partners who *share our values*
Service to the sector

  • the best tool for the job
  • open source, closed source, whatever

Universal access to the tools and skills
Trust
– we vet offerings for quality and value
– think Apple App Store, rather than eBay
– no small print. No buyer beware
Transparency
– why and how do we make our decisions?
Pluralism
* we don’t pick one moon shot
* we hel the whole sector
Humility
* don’t think you have all the answers
De-centralized
– autonomy at the local level
– decision-making happens at the ends of the nodes
– the center is a facilitator and enabler, rather than instructing
Local

  • Local stories
  • local community
  • local connections and peers

Opt-in
– theme months, etc aren’t mandated
Loosely affiliated network
– with multiple levels of engagement
WHAT ORGANIZERS NEED
People want to record and livestream their events

  • what infrastructure needed to stream events?
  • hardware and software needed

Package for Net2 organizers

  • recording hardware/software
    • Cisco

Demonstrating Impact

  • TSG to commit to training and courses.
  • Pre-post surveys and nonprofit go through a pathway