The Nonprofit Technology Conference in San Francisco kicks off with a bang!

I'm at the Nonprofit Technology Confernece in San Francisco with over 1000 nonprofit colleagues from all over North America. I'll be doing my best to provide blog updates, but your best bet is to follow me on Twitter at @canadahelps or @mon_amy.

The day started out with a huge BANG with a jaw-dropping performance by the Extra Action Marching Band. Check out how NTC was kicked off in this video here.

The most interesting session I attended today was called "More Than Apps: Affordable Program Delivery Through Mobile Phones," and was lead by Laura Quinn from Ideaware. Showcasing real examples from real organizations, Laura provided practical information and mobile solutions for nonprofits. If you'd like to see the notes from the session, the graphic notes should be uploaded on here in the next few hours. Here are some bit-size notes I gathered:

• Is your website mobile-friendly? See what your organization's website looks like on a mobile phone on www.mobilephoneemulator.com. 
• QR codes are a great tool, free and easy to create, but currently few people actually use them
• People more likely to respond via text (20%) than to click through a link (10%) - Mobile Commons

If you're missing the conference this year, be sure to check out Online NTC to follow along remotely. There is so much going on at once here that I'll most likely have to logon to Online NTC to catch what I missed. Another great way to follow along with the conference, is to follow the designated hashtags on Twitter. Check out the NTC Agenda for the hashtags and follow along to the sessions that interest you.

- Amy, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Webinar - Being Social Inside & Out: Fostering a Culture of Sharing and Collaboration

Since 2008, the MyCharityConnects program has been helping nonprofit organizations and charities across the country learn about social media, technology, and online fundraising. Along the way, we have had the opportunity to see what kind of organizations do well at adapting to social media and online technologies and which organizations tend to struggle.

A few things we've learned about this disparity between organizations that successfully use social media and those that have a harder time embracing it:

• it is not about the tools - being successful on social media doesn’t really come down to how well you understand a specific tool like Twitter or Facebook - anyone can learn how to tweet well or write a good post
• social media is not just another way to communicate with your key audiences - you need to integrate a social media strategy into your overall communications plan; social networks aren’t just new communications channels that you can add to your already-existing list of external communications channels
• social media is about a larger cultural shift - the ways in which organizations interact with the public have changed; these changes are driven by people and the ways in which they want to communicate with brands

What does it really mean to "be social"? What are the characteristics of the organizations that are doing well at embracing this new social culture and what are some of the barriers faced by organizations having a harder time online? What are the ways in which your organization can leverage social media in a way that  balances culture, organization, and open communication?

If any of this has crossed your mind, yesterday's webinar - Being Social Inside and Out: Fostering a Culture of Sharing & Collaboration - is for you.

Watch the webinar recording as Kirstin Beardsley, Marketing & Communications Manager at CanadaHelps, as she discusses:

• how social media is changing the way nonprofits work - both internally and externally
• using data and measure to inform future actions
• what it means to always listen, always learn, and truly be open
• and much more! 

HowTo: Create Milestones in Facebook Timeline

The new Facebook Timeline design will roll out to all Pages on March 30! Get your page ready by adding Milestones to your Page today!

Milestones are key moments you've decided to highlight on your Page. Had a great campaign a few years ago? Have a unique founding members story? Does your organization have interesting or unique roots? Share it with your supporters through Milestones.

Creating a Milestone allows you to celebrate and emphasize important moments in your organization's history. Milestones have a flag icon and take up the whole width of Page.

It's super easy to add a milestone to your organization’s page:

1. On the top of your Page’s Timeline, click "Milestone"
2. A dialog box should pop up where you can fill out information about the Milestone you want to add
3. Make sure to use images and/or videos to make the Milestone more visually engaging
4. Click save when you’re done!
5. Keep adding Milestones for significant events in your organization’s history