You can see NetSquared's #GivingTuesday bump!

During November 2019 our amazing NetSquared community leaders created:

• 86 events (⬆21%)
• 835 RSVPs
• 49 active groups

There was a big increase in the number of November events (compared to October) because the run-up to #GivingTuesday makes for an obvious "online fundraising best practices" meetup.

Find your local NetSquared group at http://www.meetup.com/pro/netsquared/.

Or start your own NetSquared #Tech4Good meetup (it's super fun!) at http://page.techsoup.org/why-start-a-group.

It's the tradition of the season to share your gratitude. This year I'm deeply thankful for your leadership as a meetup host — together we're reaching more than 10,000 grassroots nonprofits.

Your work is making a real impact — in fact, according to our most recent survey, 76% of attendees find the events so valuable that they share what they've learned with coworkers. And more than 60% report that being part of the NetSquared community helps them make better tech decisions.

Thank you! In appreciation TechSoup is giving all active NetSquared organizers FREE access to our online courses. You'll get the code separately in your email. Or you can apply to become a leader now!

Who are NetSquared's members? Why do they attend? What are their technology struggles? NetSquared's annual survey of all meetup members answers these questions and more. Plus, the results help our local organizers and partners build stronger groups with better events.

We received over 250 responses to the survey, drawing from our global meetup membership.

Executive Summary

• Most NetSquared participants come from small "startup" nonprofits with no budget and no staff. They come to us looking for practical tips and a supportive community.
• Participants find NetSquared valuable because it helps them network with other nonprofits, learn digital skills, and find project collaborators.
• Event attendees are unfamiliar with TechSoup's services, but less so than they used to be. ;-)

NPS Score: Would You Recommend NetSquared to a Friend?

We added a Net Promoter Score (NPS) scale this year, asking "how likely are you to recommend this meetup to a friend or colleague?"

A score of "4.7" doesn't mean much without context — the interesting results will come when we run the survey again and see if the score changes. But NPS benchmarks suggest that this is a low, but still positive score.

⚡️💥This testimonial from David Scurr's NetSquared group in Brighton UK is absolutely electric! This is the impact our local leaders are making by building #Tech4Good community!

"Absolutely Brilliant! Everyone's presentations were inspiring, and I thoroughly enjoyed the end conversations. It's a relief to know there are others out there that have the same questions as me and coming up against the same barriers. I left feeling hopeful that it is possible to create technology that actually does some good in the world and I'm now equippped with new knowledge such as incorporating consequences into future projects."

— Leanne Phillips, Tech for Good Brighton

I may have been on sabbatical for much of the planning cycle for the October events, but the local NetSquared leaders kept going strong!

• 71 events
• 906 RSVPs
• 43 groups were active

Want to build #Tech4Good community so that nonprofits can do more good? I'm here to help you start your own meetup.

November is a big month for nonprofits — it's their last moment to prepare before the year-end fundraising push. So I recommend that NetSquared organizers schedule their next event before #GivingTuesday (on December 3 this year) which allows them to take advantage of the buzz, making event promotion easier!

Need help? Use the Giving Tuesday event recipe.

Welcome to September!

I’ve been reviewing the last year and did you know that together we had more than 10,000 event registrations? This remarkable achievement is because of your commitment to hosting monthly events building the digital marketing and tech capacity of grassroots nonprofits. THANK YOU!

NetSquared's fiscal year begins July 1, so every summer I look back at the previous year of the community's activity to identify trends and lessons learned. This time I'll be looking at FY19, which covers July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

NetSquared is TechSoup’s global network of volunteer-led nonprofit technology meetups. We're the answer to the question “where can I get support to use technology effectively at my nonprofit?” Event attendees build their networks and learn practical digital skills to support their programs, marketing and fundraising.

NetSquared by the Numbers

Here's all the numbers for July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

• ​# of events: 1,154 (vs 1,119 previous year) ⬆️3%
• # of RSVPs: 10,279 (vs 11,529 previous year) ⬇️️11%
• # of active groups: 125 (vs 120 previous year) ⬆️14%
• # of countries with active group: 41 (vs 34 previous year) ⬆️4%
• # of meetup.com members: 68,154 (vs 58,212 previous year) ⬆️17%
• # of new groups created: 48 (vs 30 previous year) ⬆️60%

Many of us put our groups on pause for the summer, but now's the perfect time to plan for the fall. September and October are the busiest months on Meetup, so posting a strong trio of events is the best way to grow your local community.

Here's a possible schedule for your group:

September: Social Media Strategy — social media is the most popular topic five years in a row!

October: Google Analytics: Measuring What Matters — tracking conversions is vital for fundraising success.

November: Giving Tuesday: Year-End Fundraising Campaigns — leverage the energy of the global #GivingTuesday campaign, which is on December 3, 2019.

June has wrapped and with it TechSoup's fiscal year for 2019. Here's the latest numbers from the NetSquared community:

• 839 RSVPs
• 86 events
• 45 active groups

Find your local NetSquared #Tech4Good meetup or start your own group (it's super fun!)