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Case Study: NTEN

GoLightly Helps the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network Connect with its Members

About NTEN

NTEN is a professional community that connects people involved in nonprofit technology and strives to help them effectively use technology in their work. Their programs include the annual Nonprofit Technology Conference, a series of regional conferences on focused technology themes, the TechFinder online directory of technology service providers for nonprofits, the “501 Tech Clubs” local nonprofit technology networking groups, and a range of online resources including Webinars to help nonprofits make more effective use of technology.

The Challenge

NTEN is a national membership organization with members scattered across the country. With one of the pillars of its program being to connect people with the ideas, tools, inspiration and other people in the community, NTEN needed a technology platform to help connect everyone together and to foster a spirit of community. Part of this connection process involved the practical need to operate a large number of email discussion lists on a wide variety of nonprofit technology topics. Another part of this connection process was to create an online community of individuals that can feel part of a movement.

The GoLightly Solution

A unique tool for connecting people together with email lists, document libraries, blogs, and more: NTEN uses the GoLightly platform to host its Affinity Groups, which are online communities of interest. These are set up as email discussion lists that can be received via email or on the Web by signing into GoLightly. There, NTEN community members can connect with other nonprofit webmasters, other members in their city, or other folks interested in emerging technologies. This functions as a value-added service to NTEN members, but it’s also a great service to the NTEN staff as well, allowing them to stay connected to public conversations that are happening on the GoLightly platform. These conversations help NTEN staff better judge what’s important to NTEN members and create the programs and content that meet those needs. In addition, the platform offers blogs and document libraries for participants to exchange knowledge resources with other interested nonprofit technologists.

A place to build community: NTEN members and other community participants have reacted positively to using the GoLightly tools. People love that it’s more than just an email discussion list — it’s a mini social networking tool. Participants can upload their pictures, and search for other community members. “Overall, folks have been extremely impressed with the interface and how easy it is to use,” says Holly Ross, Director of Programs at NTEN in San Francisco. “I find the tool so straightforward to administer, and so easy for users to navigate that I would definitely recommend it for that reason.”

A support team to help with implementation for your organization and your network: The GoLightly team excels at facilitating the transition to its platform, understanding that most organizations and networks already use some kind of email messaging or blogging tool. A GoLightly team member is assigned a month before a transition to set up a plan for messaging and moving over existing lists. The messaging is typically repeated two or three times to allow list members to keep informed about the approaching cutover date. “The transition was smooth — and the best part of it was the GoLightly team,” says Holly Ross, Director of Programs at NTEN. GoLightly staff were great at listening to how our community was using the software and any ongoing needs that they had.”

In the words of top management:

“I find the tool so straightforward to administer, and so easy for users to navigate that I would definitely recommend it. It’s a great next step from the generic email discussion lists that many groups are using. The tool is designed with the idea that the people in your networks are your most important resource, and it allows them to communicate with each other, create communities of interest, and share their ideas and resources.”

“I reviewed a lot of software tools, and almost none of them were pretty. And pretty matters.”

“Dale and Sarah at GoLightly are truly nice people — they care about your experience with their software, and they care about their clients.”

Holly Ross, Director of Programs, Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network

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More About GoLightly

GoLightly is a leading provider of online community software that helps community-based organizations engage with members and constituents online. GoLightly’s web-based solutions include secure online community forums, searchable email lists, blogs, editable workspaces, and powerful membership management capabilities that allow communities to work together effectively and safely on the Web. GoLightly is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Clients include the American Red Cross Bay Area, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, La Leche League International, Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network, Chip and Cookie Read Aloud Foundation, Threshold Foundation, GlobalGiving, Global Footprint Network, Chochmat HaLev, LatchOn.org, and National Alliance for Choice in Giving.