[Odb-help] update on "Grassroots Use of Technology" conference (April 15-16)

[odb-help at lists.democracygroups.org]

Dear ODB Users:

  This is a very brief update on the "Grassroots Use of Technology" event
coming up in April.  There are now well over 100 people registered, and twelve
workshops confirmed.

  Please let us know if you think you are going to try to get to Boston; I think
the program is quite relevant to folks using or considering ODB, as well as similar
fundraising/membership software.  For only $45, you can attend events on
either Saturday or Friday plus Saturday that can help you make your nonprofit
a lot stronger!  The conference web site, just updated, is:
http://organizerscollaborative.org/conference.html

  Thanks to our sponsors:  Democracy Project of the Gill Foundation, O'Reilly
& Associates, Wainwright Bank, Gaia Host for making the event possible and
affordable.

-rich cowan


p.s. here is an updated list of workshops, as of yesterday.


SATURDAY 4/16 WORKSHOPS CONFIRMED (12 of 15 sessions)

Adopting Open Source Software in a Nonprofit Environment (Al Essa, Sloan School of Management, Carolyn Meeks, Aristoi) 

CMSes are like Chocolate Bars (Alison Stanton, student, Miami University, formerly of Democracy for America) 
Web Applications for Human Services Organizations (Scott Smith, Community TechKnowledge and Kevin Harris, Social Solutions) 

Moving your website to the next level with Plone - an open source CMS (Nate Aune, Jazkarta Consulting - jazkarta.com) 

Affordable Tools for Activist Outreach & Civic Engagement (Gregory Heller, Emily Thorsen/EchoDitto, Raj Singh, and Bob Lelievre) 

Using a blog to get your group's message out (Aldon Hynes, blogger involved in the Dean for President effort) 

Online Tools to Engage your Members and Donors: an Introduction (Deborah Elizabeth Finn, CyberYenta) 

Technology for Labor Unions and Labor Organizers (Tanya Renne, Orchid Suites, Claire McDonough, SEIU Headquarters, and Wayne Langley, SEIU Local 615) 

>From zero to sixty: how your group can adopt online advocacy techniques (Josh Friedes, Freedom to Marry Coalition of MA) 

Grassroots Technology and the Emerging Progressive Infrastructure (panel with Jo Lee, Zack Rosen, others TBA) 

Adapting "Alinsky-style" theories for online organizing (panel convened by Brian Reich, Mindshare Internet Consulting) 

Ask The Experts: small group assistance for your organization (with Marty Kearns, Green Media Toolshed, Sue Dorfman, media consultant, and five others)


Friday "Community Day" Sessions  (3 of 5 sessions)

Massachusetts Organizations: Case Studies on Use of Technology  (with MA ACLU, Relig. Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, Madison Park CDC, Digital Bicycle Project)

Massachusetts Organizations: Peer Learning Sessions (with threee local organizations)

Case Studies on Making open source software accessible to nonprofits (Bob Goodman, Consultant, and Katrin Verclas, Aspiration)

Online Information Sharing for Social Change Organization: what are the technologies and what should we be using aka "the RSS/XML panel"?  (roundtable discussion with Aaron Kreider/ campusactivism.org, Chris Lundberg/democracyinaction.org, Marty Kearns/GreenMediaToolshed.org, Zack Rosen/Civicspacelabs.org, and others)