Fall 2008 Conference
Fall 2008 Conference Records Biggest Turnout in
Recent Years -- Over 200 in Attendance for Sellout Event
Conference Kicked Off with Keynote By This American Life’s Ira Glass
Conference information:
The Communications Network Fall 2008 Conference in Chicago, Sept. 24-26 attracted the largest attendance in recent years. Some 200 communications professionals from foundations, nonprofits, and consulting firms from the United States and Canada attended the event.
As in past years, the 2008 Network conference showcased best practices and new ideas in communications in philanthropy.
At the conference, the Network presented for the first time on two Network projects: a study about the ways digital technologies are changing the face of foundation communications and a "toolkit" we've been developing to help foundation communicators assess their work. The rest of the conference featured sessions ranging from how to make Web 2.0 work for you to topics that cover the ins and outs of day-to-day communications challenges.
Some examples:
- Crisis communications (Or what to do when the "red phone" rings at the foundation at 3 am).
- How to tell stories online – using videos, podcasts, and other forms of digital media.
- Do annual reports still serve a purpose?
- What do "integrated" program and foundation communications look like?
- How to get policymakers and the public to pay more attention to the issues at the root of foundation grantmaking.
- New ways to effectively disseminate foundation research online and connect with the right audiences.
- Words do matter: How what you say about your work can affect outcomes as well as your foundation’s image.
- How to create websites that deliver more than words and pictures -- but results, too.
- How improv techniques can make you a better communicator.
- Big isn’t always better – what small foundations know about effective communications.