Progressive Technology Project December Community Organizing Resource Network E-Newsletter

[Discussion list for COMM-ORG]

From: "Arif Mamdani" <arif at progressivetech.org>


Gearing up for 2008

As 2007 winds down, PTP is busy gearing up for 2008. Here’s what we’ve 
got cooking for 2008 – follow the links for more details and information 
on how to register.

Two TechCamps for 2008 – June and August! The June TechCamp will be held 
in Minnesota and will be offered in English. The August TechCamp will be 
offered in Spanish – location TBD.


Community Organizing and Technology Institute – COaTI – is our core 
training program. In years past, we’ve run COaTI with cohorts of 15 
organizations going through 3 sessions over a 9 month cycle. In 2008, 
we’re unplugging COaTI by opening enrollment and easing our requirements 
for attendance at all sessions. The first COaTI session will be held in 
March and will cover technology assessment, planning, and database 
systems. Session two will be held in May and will cover online 
communications, graphics tools, and training. Location: TBD.


Basic Voter Data Skills – we hear there’s an election happening in 2008. 
We also hear that a lot of you folks are planning on using the election 
as a way to talk to voters about your issues and build your membership 
base. Of course, talking is easy – tracking who is and isn’t a voter, 
who you’ve registered, and who you’ve contacted takes a bit more work 
and some voter data.
That’s where the Basic Voter Data Skills training comes in – if you’re 
the accidental tech person at your organization who will be wrestling 
with voter data in 2008, this training is for you. Please note that this 
isn’t basic database training – we assume that you already have a level 
of comfort using your organization’s database, designing and running 
queries, and generating reports. If you’re looking for basic database 
skills, check out PTP’s TechCamp.


PTP charges tuition for our programs. This year, in an effort to help 
more organizations make the most of training funds, we may be able to 
offer partial scholarships for community-led organizations who fit 
within our mission and with whom we share a funder.
We’ll be officially opening these programs in early January. We expect 
them to fill fast, so if you’re interested, fill out our Training 
Interest Form and let us know which trainings you’d be interested in 
attending.


Useful Links :

Below are links to some of the things we've found useful or interesting:

* 10 things every nonprofit executive needs to know about IT. Read more
* MySpace Users more policitcally engaged than general population? 
Maybe. Read more

Announcing PTP’s Voter TechKit

After a long soft-launch period, we are pleased to announce the 
immediate availability of PTP’s new Voter TechKit. Available online for 
free at http://votertechkit.progressivetech.org, or for purchase as a 
download or book, PTP’s Voter TechKit is a comprehensive collection of 
information related to how community organizers around the country are 
integrating voter work with their community organizing work. Starting 
with an overview of the intersection between community organizing and 
voter engagement, the TechKit goes on to share hard-won experiences and 
information about best practices in campaign planning, targeting, 
messaging, and managing voter data.


If you’re an organizer with questions about how your organization can 
best design and implement a voter engagement effort, the TechKit is for 
you. Check it out now at http://votertechkit.progressivetech.org.
We’d love your feedback on the TechKit – every page features a feedback 
link, and the first 25 people to give us feedback will be entered into a 
drawing to win a 2 GB iPod Nano.
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