Nonprofit Technology Conference Withdrawal

The 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) was the 12th conference that I have attended (it had earlier reiterations).    Every year it is like attending a family reunion.      I have some many friends and colleagues that I only get to see once a year at the NTC.   For example, my colleague Shai Coggins from Connecting Up (the Australian version of NTEN), who always brings me Tim-Tams.
The annual awards luncheon is always one of my favorites and this year was a little bittersweet.

The Life Time Achievement award went to Rob Stuart, the godfather of the NpTech movement, who sadly passed away in October.  Vincent Stehl delivered a wonderful remberance and then went on to award a new prize in Rob’s honor.   This prize will be given annually to an organization that leverages networks.    Annie Leonard, the Story of Stuff, was the recipient.

Several individuals in the nonprofit technology community were recognized.  Vinay Bhagat of Convio was given the 2012 Care2 Impact Prize for his outstanding impact in online advocacy and fundraising.  Carie Lewis was recognized for her social media work on behalf of the Humane Society, including mention of reaching 1 million fans on Facebook.    Farra Trompeter was given the NTEN community award for the most valuable person in the community.   After a wonderful video tribute,  she said, “Thanks NTEN, you have my back!”

The winners of this year’s DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards were also announced and you can see them at the  DoGooder Awards website!  Winning Best Small Organization is “Protect Our Defenders”, a gripping account of sexual assault in the military. “Solid Women”, winner of Best Medium Organization, presents a powerful, affirming story of 5 women succeeding in rebuilding their community after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, through the microloans facilitated through Fonkoze. “Adding Tomorrows”, a moving story from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of perseverance and dogged work ethic in the face of chronic illness, won Best Large Organization. And the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum won Best Video Storytelling with “Yes, That’s My Father”, a stirring narrative about history, memory, and personal closure.
It is always hard to see the NTC Conference come to an end, so now I start the count down to the 2013 NTC which will be Minneapolis, MN.    See you there next year.