TechNow

The 12th annual TechNow Conference, organized by The Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University, will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry Township, PA. Anyone who has an interest or stake in his or her nonprofit’s technology management or usage is encouraged to attend. TechNow has something for everyone and is the longest-running technology conference for nonprofits in the Pittsburgh area.

Chronicle’s Switzer to Keynote

The featured keynote speaker will be Cody Switzer. Switzer is Assistant Managing Editor and Director of Digital Products at The Chronicle of Philanthropy, where he oversees all online and social media efforts. He led the Chronicle’s recent website relaunch and the creation of its online resource section, which offers practical, how-to information for nonprofit professionals.

Before joining the Chronicle, he worked in online marketing and communications with Goodwill Industries International. There he was part of a team that won the Excellence in New Communications Award from the Society for New Communications Research. And, no stranger to Western PA, he also served as online reporter for the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pennsylvania, while that publication was Pennsylvania Newspaper of the Year in 2009. He is a graduate of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Switzer speaks regularly on the ways technology is changing nonprofit communications, marketing, storytelling and fundraising. He has written about those topics as well, covering everything from basic social media tactics to how Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have embraced philanthropy. He is also a regular host of the Chronicle’s webinar series.

Keynote Session:  Telling Your Organization’s Story Online

A good story is a powerful thing. After all, stories are the way we share ideas. They help us make sense of the world. They drive our decisions. From selecting photos to posting on social media, the design of your website, the content of your appeals, and even communicating within your organization, you are telling stories every day. But are you telling the right stories?

In this session we’ll discuss the basics of story — conflict, rising and falling action, connecting with an audience – and how they apply to your online and internal communications. Plus, we’ll look at great examples of nonprofit storytelling online and discuss how to identify and develop stories within your organization. What stories will you tell?

Opening Plenary

Kenya T. Boswell, President, BNY Mellon Foundation of  Southwestern Pennyslvania and Matt Zieger, Vice President, The Forbes Funds, will be speaking about the inaugural 2015 UpPrize social innovation challenge, including how it worked, takeaways and outcomes.

Who should attend? TechNow caters to all levels of knowledge and job roles, including:

Technology professionals
> “Accidental” techies
> Nonprofit leaders and board members
> Technology advocates and gurus
> Anybody who handles technology at a nonprofit

 

You can check out the full agenda here. and be sure to follow all the exciting happenings on the big day via hashtag #TechNow15