REVERB

What is REVERB?

PTP’s REVERB Project is at the nexus of organizing, communications, and technology. In our experience, it is no longer effective to address these issues separately. In today’s world organizers need both communications and technology skills in order to do their work, and 21^st Century communications activities rely heavily on technology.

REVERB Activities for 2010

REVERB Webinar Series

Registration for the first webinar is open! Behind the Curtain: What non-profits can learn from the Obama Campaign’s online strategy will be presented by Katherine MacKenzie of M+R Strategic Solutions on February 17th at 10AM Pacific/11AM Mountain/12PM Central/1PM Eastern. Registration for this event is now closed. Please stay tuned for upcoming webinars.

PLEASE NOTE: The REVERB grant period is over.

Winter program: PTP is offering a variety of options for improving your communications activities through our strategic communications project, REVERB. Our 2010 Winter program includes:

A grants pool – up to $10,000 to build your communications capacity
Technical assistance and/or consulting – up to 10 hours of technical assistance, strategic communications consulting, or both from the PTP team
Two trainings – send staff members to one or both of the trainings

PTP has learned over the years that financial support alone is often not enough to help groups truly build the capacity they need. The 2009-10 winter REVERB program is designed as an integrated program. Groups selecting one or more of the options are likely to reap more benefits than those interested only in the grants pool.

Eligibility: The REVERB Project is designed for community organizing groups with designated communications staff and a communications budget. Preference will be given to groups that have participated in previous PTP communications trainings, as well as to groups applying for some combination of the winter REVERB options.

Application deadline: The application deadline for 2010 has passed and applications are no longer being accepted.

Notification: PTP has notified the groups selected to participate in REVERB.

Additional information:

Grants pool: Organizations may apply for up to $10,000 in funding for communications-related activities. We encourage you to be creative and/or experimental. To be considered, organizations must have an existing communications program, a clear set of objectives for the grant, and the organizational capacity to complete your project by June 30, 2010.

Technical assistance and/or consulting provided by PTP staff: Organizations can take advantage of the skills and expertise of the PTP team by applying for technical assistance, consulting, or both. Groups can request up to 10 hours of time from one or more members of the extended PTP staff. The PTP team includes individuals with extensive expertise in technology, strategic communications, and integrating technology into both communications activities and the daily life of organizations. For more information about the PTP staff and their skill sets, CLICK HERE.

Trainings are designed to help groups integrate technology more effectively into their communications activities. PTP has found that groups get the most out of our trainings when they send at least two staff members, one of whom is a senior decision maker, so we encourage groups to take that into consideration when you apply. Preference will be given to groups wanting to participate in both trainings.

The trainings are:

March10-12: The true ‘killer app’ for your communications activities – your database. Learn how to make it really work for you!
April 19-21: Making the most of on-line communications tools. What’s really effective, how do you know, how do you integrate them with off-line activities?

Over the course of the two trainings participants will develop a deeper understanding of:

how databases can/should support communications activities
on-line communications tools and how to integrate them effectively with off-line activities
how to integrate communications activities more effectively into program work

Participants will work through real-life scenarios in teams and then report back to the full group for feedback. The team approach allows participants to:

build hard skills
learn from their peers
grapple with integration and strategy questions in a very practical way
see the many different ways problems can be approached and solved
get immediate feedback from peers and resource people in a way that enhances learning and applicability