Earlier this week, we shared some of the lessons we learned from running the 2010 Camps Pilot. Not only did we learn a lot, we also got pretty darn excited for all that this network of changemakers can do! I’m writing today to share some of our ideas with you, ask for your feedback, and hear what you think about Camps 2011.

After a few years hosting a Global Conference in conjunction with our open innovation Challenge, we found that we had a room full of interesting, smart, excited changemakers. But, we also had a huge portion of our global community that couldn't be in the room. In the summer of 2010, we tried something different: NetSquared Camps, a pilot in regional events. Working with a small group of motivated NetSquared Local Organizers, we distributed all of the resources associated with organizing our annual conference. In this two-part post, we want to share some of what we learned in the Pilot this summer and get your feedback on what we could do next year.

Taking place on September 12, the NetSquared Camp in Chicago brought together technology professionals seeking meaningful volunteer opportunities with organizations struggling to manage their technology needs. The Camp, one in a series of Camps Pilot events, aimed to help the Chicago nonprofit community build their technological capability and provide networking and volunteer opportunities for tech professionals. Learn more about the event including resources, stories, and media from the day:

The NetSquared Camp in Chicago, IL, USA is this Sunday! This event is aimed at nonprofit professionals and volunteers who are interested in learning more about web technology, and at technology professionals who are interested in sharing their skills with nonprofit organizations. Tickets are still available but space is limited, so register today! And, whether you can make it to the event or not, we hope you'll participate virtually to share all your great insights around the globe.

As we reported in the Camfire Paris event recap, the event in Paris was a huge success! Recently, the organizers put together a slideshow summarizing the event. This slideshow includes loads of resources from the day, including key stories, outcomes, and interesting findings:

On June 25, over 70 participants came together at NetSquared Camp Portland to learn, share insights, and build sustainable collaborations in an open environment. The Camp, one in a series of Camps Pilot events, was a successful gathering focusing on social innovation and increasing impact in the local community and beyond. Below, we've outlined some of the information, outcomes and key take-aways from the event.

The NetSquared Camp in Vancouver, British Columbia is just over a week away! The free tickets are now sold out, but if you're willing to volunteer or donate, you can still register to attend! Whether you can make it to the event or not, we hope you'll participate virtually to share all your great insights around the globe.

On April 22, Billy announced the launch of the NetSquared Camps Pilot. During each of the 8 weeks since then, Amy has been reporting using the camp-notes tag here on the blog about the progress, lessons learned, and questions that have arisen as part of the pilot.

Last week saw events in Portland, Paris and North Carolina: the Camps Pilot is 4 events down, 2 to go!  The original plan with these Notes from the Field was to share emerging questions and lessons on the blog in real time over the 8 weeks of event planning alongside the organizers. But, as there are still two more events to happen and much more evaluation and thinking about the pilot, I'm sure this will not be the end of the posts!  (If you haven't been following these weekly notes, you can catch them all with the Camps-Notes tag.)

The NetSquared Camp pilot is off and running: The first event, in Cameroon, was a great success, with more events scheduled throughout the summer. On May 29th, 65 participants came together at Maison de Jeunes Bepanda, in Douala, Cameroon, for a full day of presentations and opportunities to share, learn and build together.