| Thanks to our Digital Ball 2009 Sponsors |
|
|
|
NPower at Work |
|
|
After-School Collaboration Group Athletes United for Youth
Community School of the Arts
POST
The Light Factory
YWCA
Managed Services
Community School of the Arts
Foundation For The Carolinas
Mental Health Association of Central Carolinas
POST
Seigle Avenue Partners
The Duke Endowment
The Lynnwood Foundation
Tech Infrastructure Set-Up
Bechtler Museum
Virtual Library Design
Foundation For The Carolinas
Volunteer Mgmt Collaboration Group
Carolina Raptor
Center
Classroom Central
Habitat for Humanity
Web-Based Registration
Community School of the Arts
Website Development
Arts and Science Council
Ballantyne Country Club Rally |
| New On the Web |
| Visit the Project Ignite website to learn how we are building and transforming our community. | |
|
NPower's technology programs are helping Charlotte nonprofits do more with less, especially in this tough economy. Through technology innovation and cost-savings solutions for our clients, more funds are going back to the people who really need them.
Exciting things are happening at NPower:
Digital Ball 2009 raised over $400,000 for NPower and the nonprofit clients we serve. Project Ignite has engaged more than 80 nonprofits through Project Ignite Forums and Collaboration Groups. Website development has become an integral part of our service offering as nonprofits want to harness the power of the web for connecting with their clients, volunteers, and donors. And, the NPower team is expanding to support client demand.
In case you missed it, listen to NPower on WFAE's Charlotte Talks discussing social media for nonprofits.
Read on for more about what's going on at NPower. 
|
| Digital Ball 2009 |
|
|
Archipelago: Powering the Chain Presented by SunGard
Archipelago - Powering the Chain was the theme of this
year's Digital Ball held at The Westin Charlotte on  Saturday, April 25. NPower's "community" representing 60+ companies raised more than $400,000 in cash and in-kind donations to help NPower connect nonprofits with the power of today's technology. The second annual Technology Innovation Award, presented by Accenture, was awarded to the Urban  Ministry Center. The Center will use the award to create a web-based volunteer resource center that will significantly increase the productivity of their 6,000+ volunteers while substantially reducing the Center's use of paper and time-intensive processes.
|
|
Project Ignite |
|
|
Technology that Transforms Communities
NPower Charlotte Region's Project Ignite program, a Knight Foundation funded initiative, brings nonprofits together to discuss common challenges, and to design and build technology solutions to help address those challenges.
Project Ignite Forums:
Learning from the Experts
At Project Ignite Forums, IT leaders and subject-matter experts discuss ways nonprofits can leverage technology to do more with less, allowing them to reach more of their constituents.
Our first Project Ignite Forum focused on national and local technology trends among nonprofits. Based on this discussion, we recently held our second Project Ignite Forum on Social Media. The forum was an enormous success, with more than 140 people representing 80 different nonprofits throughout the Charlotte area attending the event.
Upcoming Project Ignite Forums include:
- October 1 - Incorporating Technology into Your Business Plan
- December 2 - Internet and Data Storage Security Issues
Collaboration Groups:
Solving Common Problems Together
To facilitate the discussion among nonprofits about technology, eight local organizations are participating in Project Ignite Collaboration Groups to solve a shared problem by leveraging a common solution. We are in the first stages of developing technology solutions for each of these groups and have more coming in the next few months. Five local organizations are working through the After-School Collaboration Group to develop a web-based registration solution. Three organizations are working through the Volunteer Management Collaboration Group to use technology to manage and engage volunteers. "Technology is a wonderful way to build community. The Project Ignite Collaboration Groups are a great opportunity to use technology to help nonprofits all at once."
-- Charles Thomas, The Light Factory
"It was really cool to find out what we needed, what the solutions were and now following through with it."
-- Dee Lynn, Athletes United for Youth
Managed Services Scholarships:
Stabilizing Infrastructure
As part of Project Ignite, Collaboration Group participants can apply for Managed Services scholarships to support their technology needs and establish stable technology infrastructure. To date, six collaboration group participants have taken advantage of these scholarships. |
| Client Update |
|
|
Website Answers Call for Help in Haiti and Liberia
 NPower partnered with the World of God, a local Charlotte organization that fights back against the causes of poverty with sustainable aid for children in Haiti and Liberia, to implement a dynamic website that connects potential sponsors with children in need. Without a website, it was almost impossible for World of God to achieve their mission. They needed to easily connect children to potential sponsors around the world. Their website needed to put a face on the organization and allow visitors to personally connect to the cause. In March 2009, NPower launched the World of God website with a unique system that simplifies donor and content management, and allows sponsors to connect with children in a meaningful way. Now, for only $35 a month someone can begin a personal relationship with a child living in extreme poverty in Haiti or Liberia. World of God Founder, Allen Smith says, "The website gives us a significant amount of credibility. The graphics are good, it makes us look professional and gives us the visibility we need. If someone is thinking about making a donation but not sure if they want to commit, they can go to our website to really see what we are all about." 
| |
|
|
|
Nonprofit Technology News
