Forum One has five great submissions for next year’s #24NTC in Portland and online. Take a look and cast your vote so that we can share some pretty spectacular and helpful insights and stories with you next March!

The annual Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) is NTEN’s signature technology event. It brings together thousands of the best and brightest nonprofit professionals from around the world. Together, participants collaborate, innovate, and discover new ways to spark change with technology. Check out the sessions below and vote for them today!

Not Loving GA4? We Get It. Now Let’s Make It Work.  

Speaker(s): Steven Bond, Vice President of Strategy

Navigating the shift to Google’s GA4 has been a roller coaster ride for many nonprofits. If this resonates with you, join us for this session which confirms the biggest challenges, but also explores some pretty great opportunities and success stories.

We’ll delve into several common concerns—such as the challenges of data comparison, the absence of readily available reports, and the distinction between the free and premium versions—as well as explore the importance of transparency in GA4 to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the data insights provided. We’ll also explore the strategic intent of GA4 as well as explore its potential in adaptive techniques, robust machine learning algorithms, and powerful predictive analytics.

Together, we’ll unravel the intricacies and shed light on how you can optimize your analytics experience so that you can confidently track what matters and make the best data-informed decisions going forward. Transcend your apprehensions and transform them into strategic advantages for your nonprofit organization!

Composable Architecture: A Catalyst for Nonprofit Innovation

Speaker(s): Jenn Johnson, Managing Director of Client Services; Andrew Howell, Technology Manager

What if you could use the best parts of your favorite CMS alongside the most innovative interactive design technologies? To raise the bar in digital innovation, nonprofits can explore new ways to drive more engaging, impressive, and effective digital experiences by coupling modern tools to work together through composable architecture.

In this session you will learn what composable architecture is, and how it can be a game-changer towards offering personalized omnichannel user journeys, enhancing security, and improving developer experiences. We’ll discuss the shift from monolithic systems to composable architecture, highlighting real-world nonprofit examples. Explore the role of various platforms and tools in this transition, and understand the potential challenges that may arise.

This session is designed to give you a comprehensive introduction and understanding of composable architecture, its critical components, and how it can be integrated into your existing systems and tools. Join us to unlock the potential of this innovative approach for your organization!

Leveling Up Your Brand: The Secret to Voice & Visual Design

Speaker(s): Corey Jones, Creative Director; Sara Tetreault, Strategy Director

Whether your nonprofit has been around for over five decades or just popped out of the oven, let’s be real: making your brand shine is no easy task. Nailing down your brand voice and tone to meet audience expectations? That’s one puzzle. Cultivating a deep connection between your brand and its audience? That’s a whole other challenge. Discovering that ”secret ingredient” for brand voice and visual design, especially in today’s crowded digital landscape, is what we’re all eager to uncover.

In this session, we dive into the details of crafting a modern brand voice rooted in your nonprofit’s values and goals. We’ll show you how to cook up a compelling visual identity that your audience won’t be able to resist. We’ll also help you assess your brand voice and create a style guide that keeps things consistent while allowing creativity across all your communication channels. We’ll also provide you with some starter ideas and thought-provoking questions to spark your creativity and enhance your visuals and design.

So, join us for some brand magic. Discover the “secret” to your nonprofit’s brand voice, enhance your visual assets, and start making a big impact in the communities you serve.

Accelerate Innovation: Discover the Power of Design Sprints

Speaker(s): Beth Watson, Strategy Lead

Dive into the world of Design Sprints with our hands-on workshop. Guided by the methodology from Google Venture Labs (http://www.gv.com/sprint/), this session immerses you in the steps to create or improve an approach by developing a testable prototype. While the actual sprint produces a prototype in 5 days, we’ll explore the building blocks in 60 minutes.

What we’ll cover:

• The step-by-step process of implementing a 5-day Design Sprint
• When to leverage Design Sprints and other collaborative techniques to accelerate innovation
• What it feels like to be facilitated through a key exercise from Day 1 of the Design Sprint
  

You’ll leave this workshop not only with a comprehensive understanding of what a Design Sprint can achieve, but also with practical insights and inspiration that can supercharge strategy learnings on your next project.

This workshop is perfect for anyone looking to level up their team collaboration and foster a culture of rapid innovation. Empower your team, spark creativity, and accelerate your journey from idea to prototype. Let’s sprint towards success together!

AI for Social Media: Supercharge Your Copy, Images & Videos

Speaker(s): Kassandra Swenson, Senior Marketing Specialist

AI tools are already being used by many organizations to brainstorm ideas, find efficiencies, and explore new ways of working. Of course, what’s generated is never perfect, needs to be checked/referenced, and sometimes falls short of what we had hoped, but what it can do with your existing content can both save you time and get your social media content to shine in ways you simply haven’t yet had the chance or resources to do yet.

This session will offer practical insights that you can apply directly to your nonprofit’s social media presence to enhance outputs, increase engagement, and drive impact. From exploring AI-powered marketing tools that extend your messaging while staying on brand, to utilizing copy to easily produce campaigns, we will walk you through the latest trends and developments in AI and social media. Tools with AI capabilities that we’ll explore include Jasper, Canva, Lumen5, and Sprout Social (to name a few).

Join us as we unpack how your organization can leverage the power of AI and social media to create more meaningful connections, foster community engagement, and provide you with the support you need to amplify your cause in the digital world.