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?
- follow-up surveys after events
- testimonials and impact survey
- what’s changed?
- what helped?
- impact story?
- what are we setting out to capture?
- 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?
- different motivations for each group leader
- 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