NetHope Summit 2019: Day Three

Above: NetHope's three newest nonprofit members include FUPAD, Operation Smile, and Right To Play. We're excited to begin helping them advance their missions!

By Lauren Woodman, CEO, NetHope 9 Causes for Celebration

Alberto Bruno at work with NetHope after Hurricane Maria.

By Lauren Woodman, CEO, NetHope

Our third day at the Summit was packed with opportunities to network, learn, and collaborate. With a plethora of break-out sessions, plenary sessions, informative vendor and sponsor booths, and great one-on-one interactions, it’s hard to limit the most notable to just a handful. I’ve been reminded throughout the day not only of the unique chances we have here to collaborate, but also the fact that we are here in Puerto Rico, a location that resonates with meaning and where the culmination of much of what NetHope is built on occurred as we banded together to help after Hurricane Maria. This was personalized for me when I met Alberto Bruno (or just Bruno as he likes to be called), a Voice and Data Analyst who works for Claro, the leading telecommunications company in Puerto Rico. Bruno was a pivotal team member who worked with NetHope as we brought communication networks back online after the hurricane. He said he’d been looking to meet me as the leader of NetHope and take a photo with me. I was touched that this man who had done so much to help NetHope and his fellow Puerto Ricans would want to get a photo memento as part of his memories of his work with us. These are the kind of personal connection that make Summit so fulfilling for everyone who attends.

But without further ado, here’s my Top 9 notable topics for Day Three:

1. New Members. We welcomed three to the NetHope family: Fundación Panamericana Para El Desarollo (FUPAD), Operation Smile, and Right to Play. This brings our total membership number to 58.
2. The NetHope Strategic Plan 2020-2025. The NetHope Board adopted this refreshed direction today, which will benefit our members and give partners opportunities to engage in our work. Built on four pillars—Connect, Enable, Transform, and Advance—the plan helps NetHope met each member whre they are, and provide a variety of services, programs and engagement points to help each member achive their respective mission.  It also directly speaks to the promise and the power of digital technology to advance our missions and achieve exponential impact. We’ll keep you posted as we lay the foundation required for this ambitious work as we bring our ambitions to life. Thanks for your feedback as we developed this plan.

1. Nonprofit DTx Tools and Resources. We announced tools and resources developed by The Center for the Digital Nonprofit, which are available to our members and all nonprofits to help them reimagine how we deliver aid. These include: the automated Digital Nonprofit Assessment (DNA), the IDEA Journey methodology (our social impact accelerator), the Digital Skills Framework, and the newly announced Technical Literacy learning tracks that will boost the digital skills of nonprofit professionals. So please, take the DNA first and then explore the learning tracks!
2. A new tech partner. Salesforce became the seventh Founding Partner of TheNetHope's own Lee Anne Caylor, Jean-Louis Ecochard and Fredrik Winsnes celebrate Salesforce as a new Center for the Digital Nonprofit Founding Partner.Center for the Digital Nonprofit, joining Avanade, Blackbaud, Box.org, Microsoft, Okta, and Oracle NetSuite Social Impact.
3. Learning from and collaborating with our members. We can tell you about all of these new resources, but there is no substitute for hearing from the first-hand experiences of our members. This is how we avoid mistakes, learn faster, and discover best practices. This is how we scale.
4. Learning from our tech and funding partners. It’s clear: our tech partners are different. You hear this in their panels and presentations. They are eager to understand our problems and how they can help us find solutions. With funders, there is increasing recognition that digital technology is not overhead, that it can be leveraged for impact. It’s great to hear what our funders’ priorities are and make our case.

1. A successful photoshoot. Gathering 600 family members for the annual photo is never easy. This was one of the smoothest cat herding operations that we have had at any Summit. You will soon be seeing this photo!
2. Packable Merchandise. If you stroll down the Technology Solutions Exhibitors hall you not only meet fascinating people, but you can load up on water bottles, laptop camera covers, fidget spinners, colorful socks, breath mints, beach balls, frisbees, stickers, and more.
3. The Community Celebration. NetHope Global Summit attendees have a reputation for being professional socializers, and you haven’t let me down this year. I’ve seen you at the Sunday Social hosted by #ImpactCloud, the Monday Welcome Reception hosted by our 2019 Summit Sponsors, and the Tuesday Happy Hour hosted by Qlik. Tonight’s social agenda centers on the Community Celebration, a tradition we started as a way to embrace the context and culture of our host location. My thanks to CDW and Unit4 for co-hosting us for the second year in a row tonight.

I look forward to celebrating with all of you at the Community Celebration where I hope to hear about your Summit Top 9 (or more!).

• NetHope Summit 2019: Day One
• NetHope Summit 2019: Day Two