Workshops
Monday, June 8
10:45am – 12:30pm
Lee Rose
Is your e-newsletter headline news or junk mail? Explore best practices and tips for writing amazing e-newsletters that drive interest and funds to your organization! Move your subscribers to take action with messages that are sharp, engaging and compelling. Learn how email metrics can help you improve your e-newsletters and email campaigns. Tips, Tools & Tricks for Building & Managing an Online Community
Sarah Prevette
Nonprofits know all about community and community building – but what about online community? The Internet and Web 2.0 have allowed community to move online to connect, share and create change. In this session learn about the ways that online communities are different from and similar to offline communities. Gain an understanding of the unique characteristics of successful online communities including the sorts of management and communications methods that keep people engaged. Using the incredible story of Twestival, this workshop will explore what it takes to make an online community flourish.
Everything Google: Alerts, Adwords & Analytics
Sanjay Singhal
These days, Google-ing goes way beyond searching online – Google provides some of the Internet’s best online marketing tools around. This workshop will guide you through how you can use Google tools to promote your cause, raise money, and operate more efficiently. You will learn about Google AdWords, Analytics and Alerts and how they can contribute to the growth and success of your organization. Learn about the basic functions and starting requirements for each tool, gain insider tips, and get your Google questions answered. Once Upon A Time: Storytelling in Online Media
Donnie Claudino
Being able to effectively communicate your organizations "story" is imperative in an increasingly complex world. There are trillions of messages circulating out there. It's not like the good 'ole days, when you could just ask the town crier to make an announcement. Today a good storyteller has to be a multi-disciplined communicator – always ready to engage and respond to a variety of audiences and in a variety of mediums! Learn more about them and gain practical storytelling techniques in this dynamic workshop.
Is your e-newsletter headline news or junk mail? Explore best practices and tips for writing amazing e-newsletters that drive interest and funds to your organization! Move your subscribers to take action with messages that are sharp, engaging and compelling. Learn how email metrics can help you improve your e-newsletters and email campaigns. Tips, Tools & Tricks for Building & Managing an Online Community
Sarah Prevette
Nonprofits know all about community and community building – but what about online community? The Internet and Web 2.0 have allowed community to move online to connect, share and create change. In this session learn about the ways that online communities are different from and similar to offline communities. Gain an understanding of the unique characteristics of successful online communities including the sorts of management and communications methods that keep people engaged. Using the incredible story of Twestival, this workshop will explore what it takes to make an online community flourish.
Everything Google: Alerts, Adwords & Analytics
Sanjay Singhal
These days, Google-ing goes way beyond searching online – Google provides some of the Internet’s best online marketing tools around. This workshop will guide you through how you can use Google tools to promote your cause, raise money, and operate more efficiently. You will learn about Google AdWords, Analytics and Alerts and how they can contribute to the growth and success of your organization. Learn about the basic functions and starting requirements for each tool, gain insider tips, and get your Google questions answered. Once Upon A Time: Storytelling in Online Media
Donnie Claudino
Being able to effectively communicate your organizations "story" is imperative in an increasingly complex world. There are trillions of messages circulating out there. It's not like the good 'ole days, when you could just ask the town crier to make an announcement. Today a good storyteller has to be a multi-disciplined communicator – always ready to engage and respond to a variety of audiences and in a variety of mediums! Learn more about them and gain practical storytelling techniques in this dynamic workshop.
Volunteering 2.0: How to Attract, Hire and Manage Online Volunteers
Sheridy Leslie & Chiara Camponeschi
Attendees of this workshop will learn how to develop an online volunteering program. Expect to learn about the concept of virtual volunteering and the long list of tasks virtual volunteers can perform. Through the use of real cases and examples, you’ll learn the best practices in attracting, recruiting and managing online volunteers, as well as how best to acknowledge and celebrate their efforts.
Monday, June 8
1:30pm – 3:00pm
Show Me the Money: Fundraising 2.0
Francis Kung
Most organizations accept online donations but that’s only the first step. How can you make your campaigns more effective, and what trends should inform your online strategies? How do you take it to the next level – making use of the distributed nature of the Internet to engage donors and even more people? Drawing upon examples from Engineers Without Borders Canada as well as recent successes in grassroots online fundraising, this workshop will provide you with best practices, techniques, and tips! Finding Friends, Fans, and Funds on Facebook
Mike Brcic
Love it or hate it, Facebook is the #1 social media site in the world, with more than 200 million active users. A growing number of companies and organizations are using Facebook to connect with their stakeholders and build community. In this workshop, you’ll learn simple, easy-to-implement techniques for using Facebook to connect with your audience, including:
-
Facebook Groups and how to grow them
-
Raising funds through Facebook Causes
-
Creating Facebook events that sparkle and shine
-
Developing a fan base with Pages
-
Maintaining promotions and contests
-
Other techniques for taking Facebook to the next level!
Tamera Kremer
If a charity’s website launches on the internet and no one visits – does it make an impact? Don’t spend all your time and resources building a website that no one sees! Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are just fancy ways of saying “drive more traffic to your website!” Learn easy, low-cost (and even free) techniques for jumping to the top of search engine results and getting more people to see your site. Make your website the place to be! Taking It to the Max: Making the Most of Your Tech Budget
If a charity’s website launches on the internet and no one visits – does it make an impact? Don’t spend all your time and resources building a website that no one sees! Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are just fancy ways of saying “drive more traffic to your website!” Learn easy, low-cost (and even free) techniques for jumping to the top of search engine results and getting more people to see your site. Make your website the place to be! Taking It to the Max: Making the Most of Your Tech Budget
Jorge LeClair
“We’d love to be more tech-savvy; it’s just not in our budget.” Sound familiar? Then you need to attend this session to understand strategies for setting appropriate budgets for your technology needs and projects. Learn tactics and tips on how to secure key technological resources that will help your organization be more efficient. Register now to discuss trends, challenges, and opportunities to make the most of what you’ve got! In our current economic climate, you can’t afford to miss out on this session!
“We’d love to be more tech-savvy; it’s just not in our budget.” Sound familiar? Then you need to attend this session to understand strategies for setting appropriate budgets for your technology needs and projects. Learn tactics and tips on how to secure key technological resources that will help your organization be more efficient. Register now to discuss trends, challenges, and opportunities to make the most of what you’ve got! In our current economic climate, you can’t afford to miss out on this session!
E-Advocacy: Click for Change
Eric Squair
Online advocacy mixes old-fashioned campaigning with powerful communications tools to get real results. In this session you will learn how to deepen engagement with your supporters by getting them involved in the change they want to see. Basic concepts of online campaigning and how it supports (and differs from) offline campaigning will be covered. Examples of successful online campaigns, a review of basic tools for online campaigning and how to make sure you don’t run afoul of the Canada Revenue Agency rules for charities will round out the session. Please bring your questions and ideas about online campaigns you have run, want to run or wish you had run for discussion.
Monday, June 8
3:15pm – 4:45pm
Game On: An Interactive Session on Social Media
Monica Hamburg
Whether you’re brand new to social media, or were on Twitter long before Oprah, you’ll have fun exploring different social media tools in this interactive session. The purpose of the game is to start conversations about what social media tools are appropriate for your organization. Players will discuss how the tools could be used and some benefits and drawbacks to incorporating them. Share stories, ask questions and get answers about RSS, social media websites, wikis and more. The game is inspired by a workshop first created and facilitated by David Wilcox and Beth Kanter in 2007. Born to Blog
Archana Sridhar
Can one tool help you share your story, build your brand, provide timely information to a variety of audiences and strengthen supporter engagement? Blogs can! In this session, learn how to create and maintain a blog for the different strategic goals of your organization. You will be introduced to the basics of blogging including different blogging platforms and blogging principles: managing expectations, becoming an authority, and building networks. Learn the secrets of blogging success with real examples from nonprofits. Four Freebies and a Bargain: No- and Low-Cost Tech Tools
Jane Zhang
There’s no doubt that technology can enhance charitable and nonprofit work, making your organization more efficient and better able to fulfill your mission. But with tight budgets at most organizations, there’s usually little or no funds allocated to technology spending. This workshop will present you with how your organization can obtain no- and low-cost technology resources, support and information. Find out how you can get product donations from over 25 major technology providers, such as: Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco Systems, Symantec, and Intuit Canada.
Where Is Your Social Brand? Cultivating a Strong Brand across Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Offline
Evelyn So
Your brand is your promise; a social brand strengthens your presence in social media. Have you strategically mapped out how your brand speaks across Web 1.0, social media and offline? Does your brand consistently convey a unique personality, a strong voice and rich messages? Where should your brand be in the Web 2.0 world? This workshop will guide you through the process of establishing a social brand and promises to be interactive and fun! The A, B, Cs of Generations X, Y, Z (and Boomers, too): Reaching Different Generations Through Social Media
Sacha Chua
85% of Canadians are online – and they’re not all tweens! Did you know:
-
70% read blogs
-
80% are on social networks like Facebook and Myspace
-
90% watch videos online!
Is your charity taking advantage of the incredible and versatile low-cost channels for engaging volunteers, supporters and potential donors? Are you using a one-size-fits-all approach, or have you tailored your message to different generations’ communication preferences and priorities? Find out how you can reach different generations using blogs, social networks, viral video and other social media tools!
Tuesday, June 9
10:45am – 12:15pm
Stephanie Lawrence & Tonja Terterian
So you’ve got a website. Is it doing what you want it to? Do you know what you want it to do? Attend this workshop to witness a real website makeover from the “before” to the “after” and all of the lessons learned along the way. Learn what was involved in rebuilding the Heart & Stroke’s Health Check Program site – a national bilingual website with multiple audiences and many expectations. Find out the importance of research, design, content, functionality and audience-specific information in creating a great website.
How Tweet It Is: Creating a Following on Twitter
Monica Hamburg
Tweet, tweet. Have you heard about Twitter all over the media, but still aren’t sure how it works or what it can do to help your organization? Then this session is for you! For nonprofits, Twitter is a versatile tool in your emerging social media toolkit to help tell your story, build your brand and increase stewardship among supporters. Participants will learn about:
So you’ve got a website. Is it doing what you want it to? Do you know what you want it to do? Attend this workshop to witness a real website makeover from the “before” to the “after” and all of the lessons learned along the way. Learn what was involved in rebuilding the Heart & Stroke’s Health Check Program site – a national bilingual website with multiple audiences and many expectations. Find out the importance of research, design, content, functionality and audience-specific information in creating a great website.
How Tweet It Is: Creating a Following on Twitter
Monica Hamburg
Tweet, tweet. Have you heard about Twitter all over the media, but still aren’t sure how it works or what it can do to help your organization? Then this session is for you! For nonprofits, Twitter is a versatile tool in your emerging social media toolkit to help tell your story, build your brand and increase stewardship among supporters. Participants will learn about:
-
Getting started on Twitter
-
How to build and keep a list of followers
-
Twitter etiquette
-
Case studies and success stories – how other charities and non-profits are benefitting from Twitter
Really Simple Strategies: Keeping Track of your Organization and Issues Online
Marco Campana
With all the ways to get information today – 24-hour news, streaming video, RSS feeds, social media feeds, “tweets”, e-newsletters, email updates, blogs – are you feeling a bit overwhelmed? Staying current and up-to-date on the issues that affect your day-to-day work is important for you and your organization. This workshop will explore the ways to keep on top of it all and provide you with tips on how to track your organization’s online reputation. We’ll specifically look at what RSS and other social media feeds are and how you can and should use them. Keep it Short & Simple: Writing for the Web
Lindsey Patten
Is your website bland and boring? Then you need a content overhaul! This session will offer real tips and tricks to help you make your content engaging as well as increase your audience and support. We’ll examine what works on the internet and what doesn’t as well as the essentials of web writing! Learn how to craft compelling messages, structure your web pages and draft a strong call to action. Real Social Media Success Stories
Meghan Warby, James Topham & Ryan Taylor
Charities and nonprofits around the world are experiencing amazing success with social media – find out how you can too! In this workshop you’ll learn about organizations that did it right, including:
Marco Campana
With all the ways to get information today – 24-hour news, streaming video, RSS feeds, social media feeds, “tweets”, e-newsletters, email updates, blogs – are you feeling a bit overwhelmed? Staying current and up-to-date on the issues that affect your day-to-day work is important for you and your organization. This workshop will explore the ways to keep on top of it all and provide you with tips on how to track your organization’s online reputation. We’ll specifically look at what RSS and other social media feeds are and how you can and should use them. Keep it Short & Simple: Writing for the Web
Lindsey Patten
Is your website bland and boring? Then you need a content overhaul! This session will offer real tips and tricks to help you make your content engaging as well as increase your audience and support. We’ll examine what works on the internet and what doesn’t as well as the essentials of web writing! Learn how to craft compelling messages, structure your web pages and draft a strong call to action. Real Social Media Success Stories
Meghan Warby, James Topham & Ryan Taylor
Charities and nonprofits around the world are experiencing amazing success with social media – find out how you can too! In this workshop you’ll learn about organizations that did it right, including:
-
War Child Canada and their “Be A Hero” Twitter campaign that supported the release of the Heroes album, as well as their highly successful viral campaign, “Help Child Soldiers”
-
The Canadian Cancer Society’s online customized high-end jewelry campaign
-
The Daily Bread Food Bank’s successful holiday season’s hohoTO fundraiser
Tuesday, June 9
2:00pm – 3:30pm
Getting Your Board on Board
Owen Charters
Feeling anxious about telling your Board you need a Twitter strategy? Is your Board skeptical of the value and return on investment social media can provide? Or, do they have unrealistic expectations that you’re going to sign up on Facebook today and raise $1 million tomorrow? Either way, get the information you need to manage your Board’s expectations around social media. Find out the best ways to present the value and tangible benefits of social media to get your Board on-side. I Came, I Saw, I Planned: Social Media Strategies
Elena Yunusov
Now that you’ve got your staff and board excited about social media, what’s the next step? Like any other communications or marketing plan, it starts with a strategy, rooted in your organization’s desire to enhance your relationships with your stakeholders. What does a social media plan look like? What are the key elements? Where should you dedicate your time and how can you make most of your efforts? This session will present strategies and tactics you can employ, and will we’ll touch on how each fits into the communications plan you’ve already got. Listen, Learn, Adapt: How The Globe & Mail Did It
Mathew Ingram
Breaking News: Canada’s National Newspaper experiments with social media. This session will explore how the Globe & Mail newspaper has been using various kinds of social media tools such as Twitter, wikis and live-blogging, and what the Globe has learned.
Switching Gears: Adapting to Technology Changes
Mark Farmer
The biggest challenge to social media isn’t technology – it’s getting your organization to embrace change, get over their fear and hesitation, and try something new. But where do you find a lever big enough to move that kind of mountain? And what if you’re not even sure how to get started yourself? This workshop explores the fears and frustrations individuals face with social media, and will provide strategies for helping your organization make the changes it needs to start down that road. Topics include:
Mark Farmer
The biggest challenge to social media isn’t technology – it’s getting your organization to embrace change, get over their fear and hesitation, and try something new. But where do you find a lever big enough to move that kind of mountain? And what if you’re not even sure how to get started yourself? This workshop explores the fears and frustrations individuals face with social media, and will provide strategies for helping your organization make the changes it needs to start down that road. Topics include:
-
How organizations change and how to find your organization’s ‘change complexion’
-
Shifting the frame of reference for fun & profit
-
Barriers and how to leap them
-
Finding the right language to make change friendly
-
Baby steps: how to make big change one small step at a time
-
Information & resources to arm yourself with
James Harrison
Does the internet feel like a legal twilight zone to you? This session will address your concerns when it comes to the legalities of being online. What can your organization do safely? What should you avoid? What key policies and privacy issues do you need to know about? Get your legal questions answered in this engaging session (not too much legalese, we promise!).
Does the internet feel like a legal twilight zone to you? This session will address your concerns when it comes to the legalities of being online. What can your organization do safely? What should you avoid? What key policies and privacy issues do you need to know about? Get your legal questions answered in this engaging session (not too much legalese, we promise!).
