March 1, 2012

Nonprofit & social change calendar: March

An ideas sketch on a whiteboard at SXSW Interactive 2010 (Photo by JD Lasica).

Planning for the month’s top conferences & events

March is the real beginning of the 2012 conference circuit, with big events such as South by Southwest, the Skoll World Forum and the Washington Nonprofit Conference, kicking off today.

For the full year, see our Calendar of 2012 nonprofit and social change conferences. If you’re interested in social media, tech and marketing conferences, see this month’s calendar on our sister site, Socialmedia.biz.

If you know of other events, please share by adding the info in the comments below!

March
TED	Feb. 27-Mar 2	Long Beach, Calif.
From dazzling technology and leading-edge science to the richest veins of human creativity and interconnection, TED 2012 will display remarkable speakers, new uses of music, extravagant use of underused senses, intricate choreography between speaker and screen, new ways of involving the audience, breakthroughs in animation, intense, campfire-style storytelling and some “spectacular surprises.”
TEDActive	Feb. 27-Mar 2	Palm Springs, Calif.
TEDActive is an opportunity to let your mind travel the world of ideas while watching the live-hosted TED 2012 program on screen in a comfortable, customizable space. When the talks are over, your conversations with other passionate people begin — a chance to engage in inspiring discussions and projects.
Washington Nonprofit Conference	March 1-2	Washington, DC
Need a fresh perspective on fundraising? At this conference, you’ll learn innovative strategies and creative approaches to fundraising that will help you identify and develop new initiatives for your programs, as well as how to increase donations. You’ll find more than 30 educational sessions, a keynote presentation and roundtable discussions so that you’re able to pick and choose from topics that best offer solutions to your challenges.
SXSW	March 9-18	Austin, Texas
South by Southwest offers an amazing gathering of thought leaders in independent music, independent films and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW is the premier destination for discovery.
Left Forum	March 16-18	New York
A one-of-a-kind gathering, Left Forum convenes the largest annual conference of a broad spectrum of left and progressive intellectuals, activists, academics, organizations and the public. Conference participants come together to engage a wide range of critical perspectives on the world, to discuss differences, commonalities and alternatives to current challenges and to share ideas for transforming the world.
eCampaigning Forum	March 21-22	Oxford, UK
In the 10th annual eCampaigning Forum, you’ll learn about e-campaigning from the people who do it and share effective strategies and practices with peers.
The Social Enterprise Exchange	March 27	Glasgow, UK
This event will create plenty of opportunity to exchange best practices and information on a number of topical themes including social enterprise policy, growth and replication, starting a new business, winning business, social investment, subcontracting and impact measurement.
Skoll World Forum	March 28-30	Oxford, UK
The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship is the premier international platform for advancing entrepreneurial approaches to solving the world’s most pressing problems. Their mission is to accelerate the impact of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs by uniting them with essential partners in a collaborative pursuit of learning, leverage and large-scale social change. About 800 hand-selected delegates from the social, finance, private and public sectors convene for three days and nights and attendees representing nearly 65 countries participate in critical debates, dedicated networking events, self-organized sessions, small group workshops and compelling panel and plenary sessions.
Clinton Global Initiative University	Mar 30-Apr 1	Washington, DC
This fifth annual gathering will bring together students and national youth organizations to create and implement Commitments to Action across five Focus Areas: Education, Environment & Climate Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation and Public Health.

November 1, 2011

Nonprofit & social change calendar: November

The International Green Awards take place Nov. 24 in London.

Planning for the month’s top conferences & events

Will I see you at some of these conferences this month? I’ll be attending CrowdConf 2011 on Wednesday and speaking at the Vivanista Fundraising Summit on Nov. 12. (If you’re attending either, please say hi.)

For the full year, see our Calendar of 2011 social change conferences. If you’re interested in social media, tech and marketing conferences, see this month’s calendar on our sister site, Socialmedia.biz.

If you know of other events, please share by adding the info in the comments below.

November
CrowdConf	Nov. 1-2	San Francisco
CrowdConf is the first and leading conference on crowdsourcing and the future of distributed work. CrowdConf brings together an international audience of scholars, executives, policy makers, artists, and technologists for a day of learning, conversation and networking.
BSR	Nov. 1-4	San Francisco
BSR works with its global network of more than 250 member companies to develop sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration.
BlogWorld & New Media Expo	Nov. 3-5	Los Angeles
BlogWorld moves from Las Vegas to LA, where experts from every field of blogging and new media will be on hand to share their knowledge, techniques and advice. Industry gurus will share their experiences and network with attendees in seminars and moderated panels.
Social Media for Nonprofits	Nov. 4	San Francisco
The Social Media for Nonprofits series returns to San Francisco with a stellar lineup of nonprofit professionals.
Digital Capital Week	Nov. 4-11	Washington, DC
DCWEEK is a festival focused on bringing together designers, developers, entrepreneurs and social innovators of all kinds. Last year, the inaugural Digital Capital Week showcased tech innovation in Washington. The 2011 version of Digital Capital Week promises to be even bigger.
Women in Computing	Nov. 8-12	Portland, Ore.
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Presenters are leaders in their respective fields, representing industrial, academic and government communities.
BigTent	Nov. 3-5	Omaha, Neb.
The BigTent Conference is a three-day day gathering of youth leaders, educators, advocates and young people who will share strategies, philosophies and tools to advance the health and wellbeing of families and children. The conference combines inspiring presentations, practical workshops and celebratory community building all aimed at equipping individuals, organizations and communities to do their part to ensure that young people are ready for college, work and life by age 21.
Vivanista’s Charitable Fundraising Summit	Nov. 10-12	San Francisco
Vivanista’s Charitable Fundraising Summit will bring together volunteer leaders, fundraising event chairs and nonprofit development staff to learn from experts as well as share fundraising best practices. This 1 ½ day conference will include an Awards Dinner honoring volunteers who have been nominated in a variety of fundraising fields.
Nonprofit Software Development Summit	Nov. 16-18	Oakland, Calif.
Aspiration helps connect nonprofit organizations with software solutions that help them better carry out their work. The firm’s annual “NPTechie Love Fest” seeks to maximize nonprofits’ effectiveness and impact.
NextGen Charity	Nov. 17-18	New York
NextGen Charity is the conference on new strategies in nonprofit and philanthropy work.
ARNOVA	Nov. 17-19	Toronto
ARNOVA, now in its 40th annual year, is the largest and most significant research conference focusing on nonprofits, philanthropy, voluntary action and civil society to be held on an annual basis. More than 600 prominent scholars and teachers, as well as practice leaders for the nonprofit sector, from across the U.S. and around the world will participate.
International Green Awards	Nov. 24	London
The International Green Awards is an initiative enlightening the world through showcasing the best in class examples of creativity in business, citizen and government initiatives leading to sustainable outcomes. This year, the gathering looks to reward sustainable achievement right across Business, Government & Citizen initiatives that influence positive change.

October 3, 2011

Social change & nonprofit calendar: October

Bioneers takes places Oct. 14-16 in San Rafael, Calif.

Events guide for nonprofits & social change organizations

We’re now in full-on conference mode. What events are you planning to attend this month? Anybody going to the first SXSW Eco? Here’s a roundup of conferences and events scheduled in the nonprofit and social change sectors for the month of October. I’ll be speaking at Blackbaud’s BBCon just outside Washington, DC, tomorrow.

If you know of other events, please share by adding the info in the comments below.

October
Blackbaud Conference for Nonprofits	Oct. 2-5	Washington, DC
The gathering provides four days of educational content dedicated to your specific needs and unprecedented opportunities to network and interact with your peers and industry experts
Convio Summit	Oct. 3-5	Baltimore
Convio Summit is an information-packed gathering of Convio clients, partners, industry experts and other invited guests. It’s an event filled with innovative ideas to get your creativity flowing, with real-world examples of techniques that you can start using right away to boost your fundraising, advocacy, marketing and donor management efforts.
SXSW Eco	Oct. 4-6	Austin, Texas
The first SXSW Eco will feature three days of diverse, top-level programming for professionals in business, government, nonprofits and academia who want to look at environmental and sustainability issues though a fresh lens, develop new collaborations and contribute to innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the environment, the economy and civil society.
Retail Sustainability Conference	Oct. 12-14	Orlando, Fla.
The Retail Sustainability Conference brings together executives involved in establishing environmental programs and integrating green practices into their companies. The conference’s program will address the key operational aspects of environmental sustainability and compliance for the retail industry, including sessions on energy, waste management, water conservation, store operations, real estate development, supply chain issues and opportunities for improving corporate social responsibility.
Bioneers Conference	Oct. 14-16	San Rafael, Calif.
Since 1990, the Bioneers conference has acted as a fertile hub of leading social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges. As a celebration of the genius of nature and human creativity, Bioneers connects people with solutions and each other. It’s a dynamic knowledge platform and a uniquely holistic and diverse network of networks.
fiess 2011	Oct. 17-20	Montreal
This forum is intended as a meeting place for people and ideas. The event aims to bring together key players in the social and solidarity economy from countries across the North and South and their partners in government, labor movements, research institutes and international organizations, to help strengthen partnerships between civil society and governments, to highlight successful partnerships, particularly in the development of public policy, and to encourage the exchange of ideas around the theme of the social and solidarity economy at the international and inter-regional level.
Pop!Tech	Oct. 19-22	Camden, Maine
Pop!Tech will mark its 15th annual gathering with more than 600 remarkable thinkers, leaders and innovators showcasing powerful ideas and projects that are changing the world. I attended one year — it’s a great gathering.
Social Venture Network	Oct. 27-30	Philadelphia
Social Venture Network connects, supports and inspires business leaders and social entrepreneurs in expanding practices that build a just and sustainable economy.
Social Enterprise Summit	Oct 31-Nov 2	Chicago
This international forum advocates for increased social impact through social enterprise. Join over 700 social entrepreneurs to learn, grow, be inspired, make new connections from around the globe and become part of this expanding movement.

September 1, 2011

Social change & nonprofit calendar: September

Social Capital Markets returns to San Francisco next week.

Events guide for nonprofits & social change organizations

Conference season is ramping up again. Here’s a roundup of conferences and events scheduled in the nonprofit and social change sectors for the month of September. I’ll be attending the Social Capital Markets conference in San Francisco next week.

If you know of other events, please share by adding the info in the comments below.

SOCAP	Sept. 6-9	San Francisco
SOCAP is a multi-platform organization dedicated to the flow of capital toward social good. The event series connects leading global innovators – investors, foundations, institutions and social entrepreneurs – to build this market at the intersection of money and meaning. SOCAP11 is asking, What needs to be created, what needs to be put into action, what should the social capital market stand for? What does Money + Meaning = ?
Open Video Conference	Sept. 10-12	New York
This multi-day summit brings together thought leaders in business, academia, art and activism to shape the future of online video. It’s a forum for technical and creative innovation in online video as well as larger questions. This year’s event will be about a third as big as years past, with an emphasis on working groups and concrete action.
Social Venture Institute	Sept. 14-18	Cortes Island, BC
Participants will present their business problems to a panel of experienced business leaders and fellow participants. In return, they receive advice, tools, and resources to strengthen and grow their enterprise in a socially conscious way.
Web of Change	Sept. 21-25	Cortes Island, BC
Web of Change connects the foremost thinkers and do-ers in the growing community of social change and technology from across North America.
IdeaFestival	Sept. 21-24	Louisville, Ky.
IdeaFestival is a world-class event that attracts leading global innovators and thinkers to discuss and celebrate imagination, new perspectives and transformational ideas. (I’ve spoken here in the past and recommend it.) It provides a stage to explore the cross-cutting nature of innovation involving a range of diverse disciplines.
Artez InterAction	Sept. 29	Toronto
Join thought leaders and peers and participate in one of the world’s top social fundraising exchanges. Watch an all-star lineup of speakers and sessions to explore the potential of mobile and social media on your fundraising programs.

Image at top by Julie Blaustein on Flickr

May 3, 2010

Social change & nonprofit calendar: May

Events guide for nonprofits & social change outfits

Following is a roundup of conferences and events scheduled in the nonprofit and social change sectors for the month of May. For the full year, see: Calendar of 2010 social change conferences.

Even if you can’t attend, you should be able to follow part of the proceedings on Twitter — type in the name of the conference on Twitter Search and look for the hashtag associated with it (then click on it).

If you’re interested in social media, tech and marketing conferences, see the May calendar on our sister site, Socialmedia.biz.

Conference	Date	Place

May
NYC Symposium for Social Change	May 3	New York
The NYC Symposium for Social Change brings together the powerful economic tools of Wall Street with the entrepreneurship of social innovation to impact New York City’s most pressing issues in education, environment and impact investing.
Global Voices Citizen Media Summit	May 6-7	Santiago, Chile
Global Voices Online gathers with a diverse group of bloggers, activists, technologists and journalists from around the world for two days of public discussions and workshops. The theme of the meeting is “Next generation citizen media, public access and citizen participation.”
SHINE	May 13-15	London
As an antidote to business conferences or other social enterprise events, this unconference sets out to provide the space, place and time where people setting up their social enterprise could grow their business, learn from others in the same situation, and come away with their questions answered.
Games for Change Festival	May 24-27	New York
The seventh annual event takes place at Parsons The New School for Design.
Gov 2.0 Expo	May 25-27	Washington, DC
Government 2.0 is about empowering government employees to serve citizens better and opening up the government into a platform that enables citizens to better help their communities.

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