C06 Session: Collaboration 2.0

Collaboration 2.0 - Helping Ordinary Nonprofits Do Extraordinary Things Using a New Generation of Internet-Based Tools

Friday, August 4, 10:45am - 12:15pm

Track:  Technology

Presenters

Marnie Webb, CompuMentor; David Geilhufe, CivicSpace

Description

In this highly interactive session, the expert panel will shed light on the buzzwords around emerging collaborative Internet technologies (Web 2.0) and will address some of the common challenges of both online and off-line collaboration.  Using real-life examples, the panel will examine how nonprofits have already put these tools to work to improve networking and partnership work.  Join this session to gain a solid understanding of how the sector can use the power of Web 2.0 to further nonprofits' missions and will be invited to continue the dialogue beyond the conference.

The buzz around Web 2.0 is that it's user-centered, enabling non-technical people to do extraordinary things on the Internet.  Wired (10/6/05) describes Web 2.0 as "a ...constellation made up of links between web applications that rival desktop applications, the blog publishing revolution and self-service advertising. This architecture is based on social software where users generate content, rather than simply consume it, and on open programming interfaces that let developers add to a web service or get at data."

We believe the real promise of these technologies is that it changes the work burden for collaboration.  By carefully selecting and documenting technology, you can change nonprofit partnership talks to something that happens when it was needed yesterday to something that helps them react immediately. 

Examples from the field include the tremendous response to Hurricane Katrina (such as the Recovery 2.0 initiative), or use of Salesforce.com as a nonprofit CRM tool. The panel will also address the advances of technologies that make it possible for people in a distributed work environment to effectively partner and go from talking to doing.

About the Presenters

Marnie Webb, CompuMentor

As Vice President of Knowledge Services, Ms. Webb works towards optimizing the value of TechSoup and TechCommons, CompuMentor's knowledge-focused services, to help address the nonprofit sector's systemic technology challenges. She focuses on increasing these programs' impact through collaboration with and stronger integration of all of the sector's key players.

Ms. Webb is a frequent speaker and writer on nonprofits and technology. Her blog can be found at: http://ext337.org. Her areas of focus include Internet Strategies and online communication and advocacy. Other areas of interest include Change Management, Open Source strategies and solutions, as well as Information Systems planning and Management.

David Geilhufe, CivicSpace

Born and raised in Silicon Valley, David Geilhufe has been in and out of technology and the private sector throughout his career. He has founded nonprofits, developed venture-funded enterprise software systems, and mentored at-risk youth into high-tech employment.

He has been a Senior Program Officer with the Beaumont Foundation of America responsible for a $10m grant portfolio of more than 200 sites; a Senior Product Manager for the Accel Partners-funded enterprise software start-up DigiGroups; and the founder and Director of the Eastmont Computing Center in Oakland, CA. David was also instrumental in the development and launch of the KatrinaList.net, which connected loved ones with missing persons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.