How do you go about planning a virtual conference? Arianna Rehak brought together speakers and professionals for Surge, an entirely virtual summit spread over the course of a few days, that allowed attendees the chance to join in on educational sessions about topics they care about—without having to go anywhere. From the technology behind the summit (like prerecorded video sessions) to how she measured its success (such as feedback forms), she talks about the logistics of creating a free virtual summit and why the event goes beyond just being a list builder.

DP 169: Education, Event and List Builder: Lessons from a Virtual Summit

Wonder what other organizations are doing to grow that you might not have thought of? Schools, nonprofits and associations have so much in common when it comes to attracting the right people, keeping them excited to be there and inspiring them to give back. From branding strategies to marketing programs and fundraising communications, organizations of all sizes are trying new ways to inspire action. In Driving Participation, Beth Brodovsky talks with marketers, fundraisers and consultants, exploring what what’s working to get people to show up, stick around and give back.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Government & Organizations

Non-Profit

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Regional

Local

 After five years and 200 episodes, Beth has certainly learned a thing or two (or 200) about participation, such as where it comes from and what it really means. As she turns the final page of the podcast, she reflects on the five principles of participation she’s picked up on with the help from guests along the way, from the meaning and value of collaboration to knowing your audience beyond demographics and much more.

DP 200: 200 Ways You Are Driving Participation

 In today’s world of connectedness and social media, movements can take off in the blink of an eye. But, as the guest of this session Jeremy Heimans posits in his book, “it's only a movement if it moves without you.” Jeremy, CEO of Purpose and co-author of the book “New Power,” joins this session to explore the concepts of old power and new power, and how each plays a role in participation for organizations and nonprofits. He and Beth tackle why old power versus new power doesn’t necessarily mean bad versus good, and Jeremy shares examples of each power dynamic in relation to participation, such as the #MeToo movement. They explore the scale of participation, the concept of agency, and much more.

DP 199: Discovering the New Power

  Sarah Olivieri joins this session to talk all about strategy. How do you create a strategy everyone is on board with and can follow? And, more importantly, how do you even define strategy? Sarah, founder of PivotGround, and Beth explore the link between strategy and capacity, what differentiates strategies from tactics, and Sarah’s “secret sauce” to help businesses thrive. She shares tricks for getting time back in your day so you can shift your focus to the activity that is most important, tools for staying on track with the strategy you develop, and more.

DP 198: Developing Strategy Doesn't Have to Take a Year

When it comes to innovation and experimentation, ideas are only half of the challenge. Donna Kastner, founder of Retirepreneur, joins this week’s session to explore the other half: implementation. She and Beth delve into experimentation and how to get from a conversation about an idea to an actual product. Donna explains how to design a conversation that puts everyone on a level playing field and leads to exploring the "why" behind the idea—without jumping to tactics too quickly. She and Beth discuss how a hackathon can create an impact anywhere from a conference to just within your organization and bring people together to solve, or "hack," a problem, the importance of patience, and much more.

DP 197: Little Wins: Tackling Experimentation One Step at a Time

Jeremiah Lane knows the power of putting a face to the name of an organization. After attending a conference, he came back to the Children's Hospital Foundation, where he serves as Communications Director, with an idea that changed how the organization approached its storytelling. With one campaign that directly involves the families they serve, the Foundation has been able to tap into the emotional side of the work they do and share those stories with their audience in ways that resonate, especially because they may be stories about kids from their hometown. Jeremiah shares how to use personal stories to create connections with donors, the link between development and communications, and more.

DP 169: Education, Event and List Builder: Lessons from a Virtual Summit

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