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I read through every submission in the “Non-Profit” category and pulled out all the ones I gave a thumbs-up and would be interested in attending. There turned out to be 10 of them, so I thought I’d share them with you in a blog post. Granted, these are my Top 10, but if you’re interested in the non-profit track, these panels may be a good place to start. Here they are, in no particular order (except a little bit because I threw my favorites to the top):

1. Nonprofits and Free Agents in A Networked World
   Organizer: Beth Kanter, Co-Author Networked Nonprofit and CEO of Zoetica
   Why It’ll Be Good: “We will explore how nonprofits can unleash the power of social good by transitioning from stand-alone institutions to networks energized by abundant resources in their ecosystem. In order to do this, they need to work with free agents, hyper-connected individuals who are passionate about social change, but don’t work within institutional walls. Free agents use social-media channels like Facebook and Twitter and can create social movements in the palms of their hands”

   Beth Kanter is an established expert with a great track record, and this sounds like a very interesting take on new ways for non-profits to work with talented people who care.

2. Turning Facebook Followers Into Change Agents
   Organizer: Jessica Kirkwood, Hands On Network/Points of Light Institute
   Why It’ll Be Good: “100,000 followers, and you still want more. What are they good for? Online numbers don’t always equate offline results. How do you build an online community that makes a serious impact for your cause? Nonprofit social communications wizards share examples and tips to get your fans mobilized for action.”

   If I had to pick just one session to attend, it would be this one. Partially because I want to meet Jessica in real life after phone/twitter conversations, but mostly because she’s gonna bring some good hands-on information to help us engage our volunteers.

3. Doh! Lessons from Nonprofit Social Media Screw-ups
   Organizer: Matt Stewart, ACE :: Alliance for Climate Education
   Why It’ll Be Good: “Nonprofits are often team-centric, mission-driven organizations—which can lead to exuberant group cheerleading in the face of mediocrity. In this session we’ll throw those rosy-eyed glasses onto the bonfire and talk (nicely) about notable social media campaigns that didn’t deliver.”

   Best first line ever. I was sold as soon as I read it. Not to mention the fact that it’s always good practice to learn from your mistakes (or the mistakes of others).

4. A Conversation About Social Change Through Social Media
   Organizer: Mark Horvath, InvisiblePeople.tv
   Why It’ll Be Good: “Social media is not about me – it’s about WE. We can influence real change in our world. This Core Conversation is an open forum in which we share our experiences, strengths, failures, and victories. We all are the presenters in this session. It’s the perfect place to make new friends, develop strategies, and get answers to help tame this new frontier of communication.”

   Not much more to say here. Mark walks the talk, and I loves me an open forum. I think this one’ll be fun.

5. Your Mobile Non-Profit: A Play in Three Acts
   Organizer: Rob Baker, Kabimba Media
   Why It’ll Be Good: “Join us and discover the purpose for the mobile Web for your organization as you follow the day-in-the- life of a mobile user who cares about causes. After the show, we’ll have a Q&A with our heroine and other heroes of the mobile nonprofit world.”

   Mobile is where it’s at, people. This panel will provide good examples of how best to use this technology with your non-profit.

6. Making Action Easy, UX Sweet Spot for Nonprofits
   Organizer: Amanda Lehner, Ad Council
   Why It’ll Be Good: “There is a sweet spot (or threshold) in user experience where incentive meets ease of use to make goal conversions more probable. How can nonprofits and government agencies prioritize their goals, edit user experience, heighten incentive and create ease of use to get results?”

   Lots of meat in this one. May be data overload, but you’re sure to pull out a bunch of good nuggets for your organization.

7. Just ‘Cause: Can Technology Make Brand Irrelevant?
   Organizer: Danielle Brigida, National Wildlife Federation
   Why It’ll Be Good: “When you text that donation on your smartphone, are you moved by the cause, or because the American Red Cross, an organization with a globally recognizable brand and history, told you to? In the absence of brand power and the media coverage they command, can technology help even the playing field for important causes/organizations? Join this heated debate as a pack of really smart people share their techniques, tools and tactics for becoming better social media storytellers and digital citizens.”

   Interesting discussion here, including corporate sponsorship, social media promotion and fatigue, etc.

8. Doing Good with Less: Open-source Altruism
   Organizer: Joshua To, BRUTE LABS
   Why It’ll Be Good: “No budget, part-time, and big impact. Is that really possible? Throw in some clever design and use of technology, irreverence for rules, and crazy ideas, and you will realize that this is not your usual non-profit. Joshua To, founder of BRUTE LABS, will be giving attendees a crash course in the BRUTE method of envisioning, launching and scaling creative projects that take on the pressing social issues around us.”

   No budget, part-time, and big impact – sounds like the ItStartsWith.Us story. I would love to see what Joshua has done with his project and his open-source concept.

9. How Many Rungs? Social Change & the Engagement Ladder
   Organizer: Robert Rosenthal, VolunteerMatch
   Why It’ll Be Good: ” If new technologies are adding more rungs to a ladder of engagement in the form of sharing, viral promotions, micro-volunteering, and micro-giving, what’s at the top and the bottom? Join in a discussion with technologists from four bleeding edge social change Web services that are demonstrating what real engagement looks like — in all its many flavors.”

   Lots of talk about different models for engagement, volunteering and business – should be interesting.

10. Nonprofit Social Media Jam Session
    Organizer: Frank Barry, Blackbaud
    Why It’ll Be Good: “Hear about the latest social innovation initiatives underway at leading technology companies like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Foursquare, and learn how the technology industry is contributing to social media for social good.”

    Frank comes highly recommended, and hearing about how all the big platforms are contributing / can be used for social good should be fun and informative.

There you have it, folks – I hope a few of these make it through so I can participate in some good discussions.

I should also let you know that I don’t have a panel in the non-profit track, but I do have one in the “Community / Online Community” category (which actually does relate to non-profits building a community around their cause). It’s called Forget Corporate Buzzwords – Go Change the World, and I’ll be talking about building and managing a powerful, engaged and effective community (online or offline) by providing a simple vision and letting your members surprise you with their creativity, passion, and energy.

You can touch hearts and change lives with your group in just 15 minutes a week – without spending a dime. It’s personal, fun, effective, it makes a difference, and it’s REAL. If you want to learn more, you can check it out here.