Barcamp Nonprofits London – write up

Barcamp Nonprofits was amazing once again! I am really sad that I was so ill that I could not stay for the entire day but the morning opening and sessions were brilliant, friendly and inspiring – as always! Google space was perfect and my coffee addiction was also satisfied with the best coffee beans in town!;)

But on a more serious note I am overwhelmed with the amount of positive response from our nonprofit attendees. I think we are really lucky to have such a great support. The initial idea of this event was to open the field for discussion between two sectors and I think we are getting there! I personally hope that next time we can make a bigger event with larger participation from tech and geek community to articulate the goals of Barcamp Nonprofits even better. Barcamp NFP is almost 2 years old now and it’s growing much faster than I expected it to so I have now decided to take it to the next lever faster than initially planned. I hope that by the beginning of 2013 the global backbone of our events will be finalised and anyone interested in organising a barcamp nonprofits in their location will have all the tools, materials and central support to do so.

In the meantime we are looking forward to your feedback and tips. I see that we had some concerns about pitching and you probably know that I am personally feeling really strongly about avoiding that. I keep stressing that barcamp nonprofits was my originally personal initiative, an independent brand living its own life and supported by a group of amazing co-organisers in Oxford and London (all of them were volunteers!) and I will do my best to ensure that it stays independent from any brand, be it commercial, be it nonprofit –  simply to ensure free flow of ideas and transparent access to information.

It might sound altruistic, but I think this way we all have a choice to collaborate in the best possible way and make the most of our day. In the end, we are all people working for various brands and organisations and it is us who create ideas, build solutions and work for social good.

Barcamp Nonprofits is an independent series of events based on voluntary work of organisers, volunteers and attendees. Initially, I have invested a bit of my own money and a bit of my own reputation to kick it off, but nowadays it is possible thanks to great sponsors who are also encouraged and briefed to contribute to the day. It is free for attendees. Tickets are released and available to all nonprofit and tech professionals. We do not provide special speaker invitations – every fundraiser and every geek are welcome (for the record – we did at our first London event and we were criticised for exclusiveness, so we won’t do it again). Our events are open and inclusive. Each and every attendee is expected to help, contribute to discussions, document and take responsibility for the success of each event. Those basic rules shape the culture of our events and we are committed to keeping it this way. I will do my best to articulate it clearly for all local organisers, sponsors, volunteers and for all attendees, so I am really looking forward to your feedback and to the next barcamp, wherever it might be!;)

(notes from the event here, photos here)