CiviDay Denver was hosted by Cividesk and T4T Colorado and welcomed nearly 40 attendees under beautiful, sunny, Colorado skies in a comfortable atmosphere within the training center of the Colorado Collaborative for Nonprofits. Participants came with different objectives in mind: some to learn more about the possibilities of CiviCRM, and some who are new users of the database were seeking clarity on certain functionalities. More experienced users were in attendance to convene with the Civi community and attend workshops that would dig deeper into the capabilities of CiviCRM.
Denver’s CiviDay was unique because the sessions were also broadcasting in real time with CiviDay Phoenix! Participants in Phoenix were able to view the presentations on shared viewing screens and receive the live audio feed direct from Denver, and experience CiviDay simultaneously with Denver participants.
The conference began with an informative presentation by Joshua Gowans, CiviCRM Core Team Member, who spoke about the Vision and Ecosystem of CiviCRM. Josh painted a solid picture of CiviCRM’s place in the nonprofit sector and its contribution to the greater public good.
This quote from Josh’s presentation really packed a punch at what CiviCRM is all about: “A key measure of our success will always be the social good that CiviCRM generates, and the stories that we hear from organizations that are doing amazing and innovative things with CiviCRM." This quote followed by examples such as “The hungry fed…”, “Educations provided…” and “Poverty reduced…” are all very powerful examples of the impact this CRM has had in the nonprofit world.
CiviDay Denver continued with Discovery Track and Technology Track presentations about CiviCRM. Discovery tracks covered various topics of the CiviCRM fundamentals. The Technology Tracks covered more in-depth topics including Drupal integration strategies and the use of Extensions by discussing the “how to’s” and the “best of’s”!
Everyone recharged with some lunch and fresh air and then continued full speed ahead in the afternoon with more involved discussions about managing reports, events, online surveys and a Live Demo for folks to see the capabilities of CiviCRM unfold before their very eyes. Participants also listened to live testimonials of success presented by two very different kinds of organizations which really demonstrated the wide net of use for CiviCRM. We heard from Jay Salas from the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships who was enthusiastic about how CiviCRM has helped with their efficiency, time management and the services they provide. Maureen Johnson of the Denver Ballet Guild also had the floor to sing praises of their success with CiviCRM. Some of their challenges included managing many different types of member who represent a wide age range from teens to retired seniors. The Denver Ballet Guild has been thrilled to be able to easily manage text messaging to their young members, while easily maintaining more traditional contact with other members who prefer mail and phone conversations. They have seen a dramatic increase in event attendance due to the ease of managing their communications.
The day ended with a session of Co-Working, Expert Help and Networking. This was dedicated time for participants to ask questions, offer tips and tricks based on their own experience, and have the opportunity to work with CiviCRM experts first-hand to solve pending issues and problems that are currently presenting a challenge in their organization. All the while, participants were networking and sharing ideas with fellow Civi users which gave a very “full-circle” feeling to a successful CiviDay Denver 2015!
