Nonprofit Technology & Communications Conference - Minnesota ...

2012 Dot.Org Award RecipientsThe Dot.Org Awards recognize nonprofits who are using technology andcommunications in inspiring, effective and creative ways. The Awardsstarted in 2007 to honor Minnesota nonprofit websites. The Awards havesince grown in scope and now pay tribute to everything for social media todata visualization, online games and apps to digital outreach campaigns.The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and MAP for Nonprofits are pleasedto honor the following Minnesota nonprofit innovators for their forwardthinkingapproach to utilizing technology and communications in theirorganizations.Congratulations to the 2012 Dot.OrgAward Recipients!6Connecting CommunitiesMixed Blood Theatre - Radical Hospitality and Revolutionizing AccessRevolutionizing access to theater is a core part of Mixed Blood’s vision. In pursuit of that goal, the company launched Radical Hospitality inSeptember 2011, providing no-cost access to all Mixed Blood main stage productions for any audience member beginning with the 2011-12 season. In addition to no-cost admission, Radical Hospitality also embraces an extensive social media effort, post-show talkbacks called“Free For(u)ms” and “Salon” panel discussions, and performance live-streaming – all of which invite audiences to discuss, engage, challengeand enjoy the work Mixed Blood produces. As an expansion of Mixed Blood’s egalitarian mission, Radical Hospitality is a way for the organizationto “walk its talk” by erasing economic barriers in pursuit of building a truly inclusive, global audience.Website RedesignMinnesota Literacy Council - www.mnliteracy.orgThe Minnesota Literacy Council underwent a website redesign with their constituents in mind – so that volunteers, educators and studentsacross the state could easily find teaching and learning tools. The comprehensive redesign process included utilizing service learners fromthe University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management to assess needs, using analytics to inform the navigation scheme, and testingthe interface with diverse participants to refine usability. The new site is more user-friendly and offers better search and resource tools –both of which have led visitors to view more pages and spend more time on the site. The website extends the Minnesota Literacy Council’sreach across the state and showcases the organization as a leader in educational technology.Creative CampaignThe Playwrights Center - #NEWPLAY LIVE#NEWPLAY LIVE put the Playwrights’ Center in the spotlight on a day when every nonprofit organization in Minnesota was competing forthe public’s attention: Give to the Max Day. For last year’s GTMD, nine Playwrights’ Center writers tag-teamed to write a new play online,with every line, word and keystroke broadcast live via Google Docs. In addition to watching the play unfold, audience members could engagewith the project by donating to the Center and contributing story elements like a line, setting, or writing style to the play. #NEWPLAYLIVE presented an absolutely unique way to engage with playwriting, while introducing new audiences to the Center and expanding theorganization’s base of support by cultivating new donors.Innovative Program DeliverySciMathMN and MN Department of Education - STEM Teacher CenterState testing results have demonstrated a clear need for teachers to do a better job of delivering Minnesota’s math and science/engineeringstandards. The STEM Teacher Center website is specifically designed to serve as an instant online professional development mentor forteachers as they deliver math and science/engineering standards. The website includes over 300 frameworks (over 6000 pages of text) builtinto a very robust search engine. This allows teachers of any discipline the ability to enter a key word and search for a term in any of Minnesota’smath or science/engineering standards. The Stem Teacher Center significantly contributes to the Department of Education’s andSciMathMN’s mission to promote quality standards for K-12 STEM content areas in Minnesota, as well as quality STEM education.