[spectre] AMSU course: How can non-profit Organisations use the Internet?

[Ruggero Lala]

The third Annual " European Network Revolution"
How can non-profit Organisations use the Internet?
23 - 25 August, Amsterdam

In collaboration with the European Internet Seminars Association in
co-operation with ISOC, Dutch Chapter and Van Dusseldorp & Partners BV.

INTRODUCTION
Internet has turned into an important communication and business medium for
millions of users in Europe. With the growing experience of the user, the
development of and demand for sophisticated services grow as well. Audio and
video to support "text only" information, interactive services to engage the
user and e-commerce offerings have developed in the "for profit" world over
the past years. Now it is the turn of the non-profit sector to turn their
websites into interactive media, with which new audiences can be reached and
new fundraising streams will be generated.

AIM
This seminar aims to give a clear overview of the opportunities the Internet
has to offer to non-profit organisations - both large and small ones. The
seminar will focus on recent Internet and broadband developments in Europe,
and will include sessions on fundraising via the Internet, developing
alternative media channels and workshops on website development and
communications strategies. Lectures and workshops will be given by
experienced practitioners. Not only will the seminar be a showcase of what
is possible on the Internet, but will also give in-depth information on how
to implement new technologies and how one can afford them.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE
The seminar is primarily aimed at professionals from not-for-profit
fundraising organisations, communication students and other individuals
aiming at a career or interested in the non-profit sector.

LOCATION
The seminar will take place at Felix Meritis, Keizergracht 324, Amsterdam.
On the last day participants will be taken to Mediaplaza Utrecht (to be
confirmed).

LANGUAGE
All lectures, presentations and debates will be in English.

FEE
The tuition fee includes lunches, course material and a pass to the AMSU
cultural evening programme. After the seminar all participants will receive
a CD-ROM, which will include the whole course and additional material.

Standard fee: 425-- EURO

Special reduced fee: 350-- EURO
to be eligible for the special fee you must be :
-a small not-for-profit organisation having less than 10 employees and/or
less than 120.000 EURO in fundraising revenues (please send a copy of the
accountant's statement or of the accountant's report 2001)
-a full time student (please send supporting documents).

SCHOLARSHIPS
There are a limited number of scholarships available for participants from
Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey. These include the tuition fee,
accommodation and a per diem for lunches and dinners. In order to apply for
a scholarship, you need to send in a completed application form, letter of
motivation, a letter of recommendation, and recent curriculum vitae.

APPLICATION & REGISTRATION
Applicants should return the completed and signed application form no later
than 1 August to the Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University, PO Box 53066,
1007 RB Amsterdam, The Netherlands (fax +31 20 624 9368).

COURSE CO-ORDINATION
For more information, please contact Ruggero Lala at the
Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University, T+31.20.620.0225, F+31.20.624.9368,
email ruggero.lala@amsu.edu

PROGRAMME (provisional)

Session 1:
Web site development: building effective sites that keep the user engaged
This session will help non-profit organisations to build more effective
websites which make the user come back for more. Case studies will outline
areas such as user-friendliness, the effect of design and actuality.
Users are no longer satisfied with "brochureware" websites that statically
wait for someone to visit them. To be successful, sites have to engage the
user and be able to build relationships with its supporters. How can you
make your site a two-way channel? This section will be a practical guide to
implementing chats, e-campaigning, discussion forums, blogging and
personalisation.

Session 2:
Up close and personalised: e-mail marketing
The next generation direct mail is e-mail marketing. This session will
outline the do's and don'ts of email marketing and how to create effective
newsletters and strategies. How can email marketing be integrated into the
rest of the communication activities and how to make the switch from offline
to online marketing? How, why and when do you start a viral marketing
campaign? And is "cold email" the next generation cold acquisition? Our
direct marketing experts will give an overview.

Session 3:
Real money from the virtual world? Fundraising and e-commerce on your
website
Online fundraising is still a small portion of total fundraising, but it is
steadily growing. This session explores how fundraising can be effectively
integrated into a website. It will give an insight into the demands of the
user when it comes to transparency and privacy. And how exactly do you build
online trust?
More and more organisations get entrepreneurial and raise extra funds
through e-commerce offerings on their site. What the possibilities are, how
to market real goods but also digital goods is the topic of this section.
Case studies will be used to give practical examples.

Session 4:
>From fun to fundraising: online lotteries, auctions and malls. Is it worth
the trouble?
Charity auctions and charity malls have existed in the US and the UK for
years now. Are these concepts bringing in any real cash? Is it worth the
trouble? What are the possibilities in Europe?
Complete online lotteries are a relatively new phenomenon, and not yet legal
in all countries.
The company behind the extremely successful Dutch charity lottery
"Postcodeloterij" (among others) has come up with an online venture. Learn
more about it in this session.
And: is all of this only interesting for the big players? How can small
organisations participate?

Session 5:
Increase the traffic: how to drive users to your site
There you are with a fully interactive and dynamic site. Now you want people
to use it! A lot of them! This session will give you ideas on how to find
new audiences.
Websites are not stand alone objects, but need to be integrated into the
overall communication policy. The offline environment strengthens the online
environment and vice versa. The use and usefulness of online pureplay
strategies will also be discussed, from good old banner advertising to media
partnerships.

Session 6:
Let the pictures tell the story: the effects of video and audio online
In this session the impact of video and audio will be discussed. Video and
audio delivers the message to the user's doorstep, bringing the
organisation's message to life.
But is it not really complicated and expensive to get this sort of show on
the road? Our streaming specialists will explain how smaller organisations
can also make use of streaming technology.


Non-nerdy technology updates
The updates explore important developments in Internet technology, explained
in a way that is also interesting to those who have little technology
knowledge. This section will give the participants an insight into the pros
and cons of these technologies and what they could add to a web presence.
Update 1: What's the deal with open source software and application service
providers?
Update 2: Internet payment trends - there is more to payment than accepting
a credit card. How can safe payment be guaranteed? And what is so different
about micro-payment?

Workshop: Analyse this!
On the last day, the participants will take the challenge and analyse
websites themselves! Find the good and bad points, and give advise on what
could be improved and how it should be implemented. The results will be
compared and discussed between the participants and the expert panel.

Interactivity? Yes please!
Participants are being encouraged to submit their questions and problems
with the Internet and its applications. The issues raised will be integrated
into the sessions.
Along the same line, we also welcome everybody's experiences of working with
the Internet, be it campaigning and fundraising examples, successful
applications or complete failures.


Invited speakers:
Brian Oostenbrink, Direct Marketing Consultant, RappCollins E-Spring
Jason Potts, Director, THINK Consulting
Joost Schuijff, Founder, Bibit
Loes de Vos, De Nieuwe Omroep
Margriet Koldijk, COO, Goodlot/Novamedia
Marjon Agema, International Business Manager, In Medias Res
Monique van Dusseldorp, CEO, Van Dusseldorp & Partners
Romy Boesveldt, New Media Adviser, Noterik & Doonder


FOR UPDATES ON THE PROGRAMME AND OTHER MATTERS PLEASE VISIT
THE COURSE URL: http://www.amsu.edu/courses/media/media52002.htm