Liveblog: NonProfit PRO Emerging Tech & Growth Conference

It's here! The NonProfit PRO Emerging Tech & Growth Conference is happening. Right now. Are you here? If you are, come say hi to the staff. We're all pretty friendly!

Couldn't make it out? Not a problem. We'll be providing live coverage of the event throughout the day, updating with key information, photos and tidbits from the conference. This post will serve as your go-to hub for everything, so make sure to check in throughout the day. We'll also be tweeting whenever this post is updated, so follow us on Twitter if you don't already. (One programming note: This post will display the most recent content first, so scroll down for previous updates. If you don't see any updates, try refreshing your browser.)

Let's roll!

5:00 p.m.
That's it for today. Time for happy hour! Stay on the lookout for our post-event wrap-up later this week, along with updates on our next conference, NonProfit PRO P2P: Redefining Peer to Peer, Oct. 1 in Baltimore. And thanks to everyone for reading along today. We hope to see you soon!

4:40 p.m.
Kelly outlines the ways you can combine face-to-face and tech-based fundraising methods to boost response:

4:27 p.m.
How's this for cutting edge: Michael Kelly presenting on the power of direct personal contact in the digital age. "We've found that personal contact can help to cut through the noise and get right to the heart of what people care about."

4:23 p.m.
Smith: Essentially, neuromarketing involves studying the brain's response to six stimuli to focus on in your creative: self-centered, contrast, tangible, beginning and end, visual, and motion. HSUS monitored test audiences as they watched DRTV spots and measured these responses. The organization found that people responded best to faces and single shots, as the less there is to look at, the less there is to think about. It also found that "you" is the most powerful word you can use in a spot.

4:10 p.m.
Smith is up now. This is a presentation on using neuromarketing in fundraising. The explainer:

3:55 p.m.
Up first is Cooley discussing how you can use data to evaluate chronic nonresponders to avoid over-mailing and determine who should be mailed and who should get a rest. Here he displays a graph on months to break even, and... HEY! SIMPSONS! We've completed the Simpsons trifecta:

3:45 p.m.
Final session of the day: Bryan Cooley of Wounded Warrior Project, Sarah Smith of the Humane Society of the United States, and Michael Kelly of Clean Water Action each bringing a short perspective on some cutting edge tech topics.

2:53 p.m.
Roundtables: Sarah Smith of the Humane Society of the United States on DRTV in the age of Netflix: It's about coordinating TV messaging with messaging on other channels, so that TV is less a standalone than a feeder for the top of the acquisition funnel.

2:45 p.m.
Roundtables in session! Nine different topics being discussed here. Full list of topics is here (so you can see what you're missing).

2:32 p.m.
Audience question: "What if top level is convinced that one tech product is the answer, but you know it's an inferior product. Should you push the right product through?" Marzitell: Neither. Demonstrate business need and seek out an executive champion. It's all about showing the need and making it an inclusive process.

2:20 p.m.
Marzitelli's basic plan for adopting technology:

• Resources (business analyst, project manager, etc.)
• Designate an executive sponsor or champion
• Establish a committee or task force
• Conduct interviews of stakeholders
• Document the requirements
• Create a request for proposal

2:07 p.m.
This is the second time a Simpsons character has appeared at the conference. (Nick Ellinger also had a Simpsons slide.) That's how you know it's a good time.

2:00 p.m.
Back in action. Presenting now is Ron Marzitelli, assistant vice president of information technology for Excelsior College. He'll be discussing how to do a tech needs assessment for your nonprofit—figuring out what tech you need and the ways you can implement it.

12:38 p.m.
Ellinger's Mini-Credos of Omnichannel Marketing:

• Initiation is important, but should not be destiny
• Communication methods: Everyone has some, many have many, some have every one
• Donors will tell you by word or deed how to communicate with them

12:29 p.m.
Ellinger: "No staff or technical resources? Staff is for wimps." What you can do on your own to start data cleanup:

12:16 p.m.
Some background on Nick's presentation: MADD at one point had 20 different databases at its home office alone, along with more than 200 in its field offices. MADD also had no data staff, no technical support and no budget for data. Under Nick's guidance, MADD has been undergoing the long process of cleaning up the databases, unifying them and creating data sharing among various parts of the organization. He's a brave man!

12:05 p.m.
Up now: Nick Ellinger, vice president of strategic outreach for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), presenting a Technological Odyssey Toward Omnichannel Marketing. Lots of laughs so far!

11:21 a.m.
A handful of the cyber attack red flags to watch for.

11:00 a.m.
Lisa Lori: 43 percent of companies experienced a data breach in 2014, a 48 percent increase from 2013.

10:45 a.m.
Dr. LeClair outlines key steps after data breach:

• Assemble internal team
• Perform initial internal investigation
• Document who and how it was discovered and what might have been stolen
• Contact law enforcement
• Hire specialists
• Prepare for media coverage, social media

10:37 a.m.
Lisa Lori: 80 percent of cybersecurity breaches are the result of employee negligence. If employees aren't following the protocols, it makes the organization vulnerable.

10:25 a.m.
Dr. LeClair: "How many people do you know who say, 'I can't remember passwords so I only have one I use everywhere.'"

10:18 a.m.
Dr. LeClair: "I could have updated this presentation five times in the five days since it was finished. These hacks are happening all the time." She says cybersecurity is too often reactive, when we need to be proactive.

10:10 a.m.
Dr. Jane A. LeClair, chief operating officer for the National Cybersecurity Institute,  and Lisa A. Lori, partner at Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP, delivering today's keynote on cybersecurity.

9:55 a.m.
A peak behind the curtain!

WHYY's A/V room.

9:00 a.m.
A few pictures of our lovely event space. We may have a slight hometown bias (being that NonProfit PRO headquarters is a few blocks away) but WHYY is one of the finest venues out there for a conference like this.

The main event space, pre-show.