It’s only been a few short weeks after the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits’ 2014 Nonprofit Technology and Communications Conference, and I have already begun to put some ideas into action.

I’m the Volunteer Center Program Manager for Community Thread, a small nonprofit located in Stillwater. With a staff of 11, we do not have one person that is solely in charge of communications or technology. Rather, it is up to many staff, including myself.  I was thrilled to attend this conference, as I wanted to learn more about engaging the public through technology and communications. A few takeaways remain in my mind:

Pictures

I do a lot with our social media for our organization. Currently, we have a Twitter and Facebook account (hopefully soon we will be on other channels such as Pinterest and Instagram). Prior to attending the conference, I had a sense posts with photos were more popular, but didn’t know how popular they really were. I learned photos posted on social media get 39% more interaction! Even more impressive is the fact that tweets with images is 94% more likely to be retweeted. Now when I post things, I try to add pictures as often as possible. I’ve also found a way to group photos, and am adding captions to communicate more clearly.

Infographics 

Over the past few months I’ve become very interested in infographics as a way to communicate information. I’m not the only one, as there has been an increase in the popularity of these. I’ve even seen some Annual Reports with infographics. Two resources I learned about at the conference include infogr.am and piktochart to create your own infographics. I took a stab at creating one for Community Thread. I still have some things to learn, but am confident I am on my way to becoming a whiz (or proficient at the very least).

Like so many nonprofit professionals, I wear many hats and fulfill many roles. Despite the fact I do not have a degree or a background in technology or communication, many of these responsibilities fall to me. This conference is great for the tech and communications gurus looking to advance their careers; it is also great for the beginners who are looking to learn some basics about these areas.

What other takeaways do conference attendees have to share?

Sara received a scholarship for the MCN Tech Conference as a member benefit of YNPN-TC. Thanks to Minnesota Council of Nonprofits for their partnership in providing discounted membership and scholarship tickets to YNPN-TC members.