We had the pleasure of attending the Annual Council on Foundations conference in Los Angeles last week. Although we could have done without the gloomy weather, we really enjoyed learning more about the current challenges foundations face. We met great people, had inspiring conversations and shared what we know about the industry as well.
One week later, here are the top three things that stuck with us from the conference:
1. The disappearing middle class and what philanthropy can do about it. A panel with very quotable moments from Don Peck and Angela Glover Blackwell. If people go to conferences to feel inspired, then this panel would have accomplished that goal. Don Peck started by defining what he thinks of as middle class: everyone with a high school diploma but less than a four year college degree. Angela Glover Blackwell drove home the point that America needs to invest in everyone that we’ve been too comfortable leaving behind.
2. Social Gaming for Social Good – Everyone is talking about it, but it is right for you? At WizeHive, we don’t build games, but we do understand startups. If you are considering funding a grantee who wants to build a game, or building a game for your foundation, the process can seem intimidating. What do you know about a game? More than you’d think, actually. Investing in a game is pretty similar to investing in a project at a startup.
3. Data driven decision making. Everyone is talking about it, but is anyone doing it? WizeHive can help with this. With WizeHive, you can report on any piece of information collected, throughout the lifecycle of the grant and manipulate that data so that it is meaningful to you. Do you agree that determining the efficacy of your grant making is based on analysis of the data? Or do you think that measuring social impact is too difficult and you should invest in ideas and people over results that may or may not be the right thing to measure? We’d love to hear what your foundation does.
Tagged as:
cofla,
council on foundations,
data driven decision making,
philanthropy conference
by sarah on April 6, 2012
WizeHive is named one of three finalists for the Philadelphia Emerging Technologies for the Enterprise Project of the Year Award. The award is presented by Philadelphia’s Chariot Solutions and Technically Philly, our source for all tech related news in the area.
Mike, our CEO, will be attending the event on Tuesday, April 10 in Philadelphia. Anthony, WizeHive’s Senior Web Engineer, will also be there. They’ll speak about our latest project, the do-it-yourself contest builder, and why we’re so proud of it.
This is the 7th Annual Emerging Technologies for the Enterprise Conference. The event has become the Mid-Atlantic’s go to conference for developers, architects and IT executives. Subjects as expansive and intricate as emerging technology and Open Source require a dynamic forum. This conference provides just that, with industry experts providing up-to-the-minute insight.
It should be a great day!
Tagged as:
Online Contest,
Philadelphia,
technology events
by sarah on October 17, 2011
Question: What do Dolly Parton, Predators and WizeHive all have in common?
Answer: They will all be in Nashville, Tennessee this week!
WizeHive will be traveling to Nashville for the annual NSPA Conference. This year, the keynote speaker is Stedman Graham. Although it would be interesting to hear about his relationship with Oprah, he’ll most likely be speaking about the My Life is About Foundation, a foundation with the vision to inspire teens to discover their greatest potential and become the architects of their own lives.
We’re looking forward to meeting with some of our clients, learning what’s new in the world of scholarships and making new friends. If you are going, please stop by and say hello to our favorite co-worker, Jeff Thomas.
Tagged as:
NSPA,
Scholarship Software
by sarah on October 12, 2011
Our VP of Sales, Jeff Thomas, spent three days in sunny Scottsdale talking about marketing at BOLO2011. He shared his thoughts on the conference with the team this morning and it sparked some heated debate. Is this always what happens when you send someone from Sales to a Marketing event? Here’s what came out of the discussion:
Show, don’t tell
You are smart, you do great things. Instead of telling us you are smart (or awesome, or a marketing rock star, or anything else to do with unicorns/ninjas), tell us about the great things you do. Don’t brag about the number of Facebook fans you have, show us why they choose to follow you.
Be the signal, not the noise.
Throw 200 marketing professionals in a room and try to hear yourself think over the buzzwords. How do you add value in a situation like that? Now think about your marketing strategy. What are you doing to add value for your customers or to engage new customers?
What type of conferences do you enjoy going to? Do you prefer niche conferences like the one Jeff just attended, or conferences that cover a broad range of topics?
Tagged as:
BOLO2011,
Conferences,
marketing
by sarah on September 16, 2011
Our VP of Sales, Jeff Thomas will be at Council on Foundations 2011 Fall Conference for Community Foundations next week in San Francisco. He is looking forward to connecting with so many people doing great work with foundations.
While at the conference, Jeff will also be speaking at the Festival of Innovation. This festival takes place in the town square, a hub for information sharing, sessions and networking. We’re proud to be included in the list of latest technological tools that streamline your online grant application process.
If you are at the event, come watch Jeff show you how to build a grant system in 15 minutes with WizeHive. After that, he’ll stick around to answer any questions you have about using WizeHive and how it might work for you. It is great meeting people in person, so say hello if you see him.
Tagged as:
council on foundations,
events,
WizeHive
by sarah on September 12, 2011
Philaldephia’s second Open Angel Forum is happening Tuesday, September 20th. Organizers Gabriel Weinberg and Antonio Tedesco ran the first event in March and it went so well that they are running it again only six months later.
Back in March, Open Angel Forum Philadelphia used WizeHive to manage applications online. This time, WizeHive is powering the applications, as well as online applications for investors and potential sponsors. We love welcoming new users to WizeHive, but is there anything better than users who start using WizeHive even more than they have in the past?
Listening to the reasons Gabriel and Antonio gave for continuing to use WizeHive, one thing became clear. WizeHive’s flexible platform and features allows them to stop worrying about the details. The two did most of the follow-up calls with applicants through Skype. While on the call, they were able to click around WizeHive to review the applicants. “The collaboration piece worked pretty seamlessly for us.” says Gabriel, “Antonio and I were able to move things around without any hassle.”
Some other features they like include how everything is embedded in the application, so you can stay within WizeHive instead of downloading files to your computer. This, plus auto-email replies and starting and stopping of different forms at the right time are things that WizeHive manages so Gabriel and Antonio can focus on what’s important, the demos.
We’d like to wish the best of luck to all the entrepreneurs that have applied to demo. We’re looking forward to the event.
Tagged as:
online applcation management,
open angel forum,
Philadelphia
by sarah on September 6, 2011
WizeHive’s Jeff Thomas, VP of Sales, will be speaking in Ohio this week to a group of grant managers. The full day Grant Makers Forum is focused on learning best practices for grant management
Jeff will discuss the benefits of online application processes. He will also talk about how people crawl, walk, then run with converting to an electronic applications and decision process. People should walk away feeling confident about the benefits for the applicant, administrator and reviewer of online applications for grants and scholarships.
During the presentation, Jeff will bring to light how technology can be an easy, cost-effective way of managing the application process for grant makers. We’re looking forward to hearing some of Ohio’s best practices and secretly hoping Jeff brings back some buckeyes ice cream for the office.
Tagged as:
Grant Makers Forum,
grant management software,
Ohio,
Scholarship Management Software
by sarah on April 8, 2011
WizeHive will be at the 2011 Council on Foundations Windows Conference this coming Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, April 10th through the 12th, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. This is the only Council event for philanthropies, foundations, and grant makers that offers the opportunity to network with programmers and software providers specifically designed to help with your grant-making and philanthropic processes.
As a native Philadelphian start-up, we look forward to seeing everyone in our home city!
For more information feel free to contact us at 215-268-7048 or visit us at our website.
by sarah on March 16, 2011
by Mike L on August 4, 2010
We were never completely sure what Google Wave was going to be when it grew up, but we know that people were excited to use it to collaborate with each other. Although we do not offer the keystroke by keystroke functionality of Google Wave, WizeHive does have dozens of compelling features that allow groups to effectively work together. We have a powerful task manager, shared notes and activities, file sharing with version control, tight email integration, and many other features.
To cushion the blow of losing Google Wave, WizeHive will give away more than $250,000 worth of WizeHive software! Right now! Simply sign up for a free WizeHive account at http://www.wizehive.com (just fill in the new workspace button and get started) and be one of the first 500 people to send an email to WaveGoodbye@wizehive.com and we’ll turn your 30 day free trial into a WizeHive standard account for one year absolutely free! (That’s a $588 value!). Just make sure your email is the one you use when you create your account so we know who you are!
(Offer is good for new accounts only. If you already have an account please contact us).
