There was an extra special buzz among the NACC team this week after news came through that NACC had been selected as a finalist for the Not-For-Profit Technology Innovator of the Year Award at this year’s Australian Not-For-Profit Technology Awards.
Aiming to recognise the best innovation in technology within the not-for-profit (NFP) sector in Australia, the Australian Not-For-Profit Technology Awards are presented each year at the Connecting Up Conference, which will be held this year in mid- May, in Melbourne.
Connecting Up works to unleash the power of not-for-profits by providing a variety of information, products, resources and programs.
This year’s 2016 Connecting Up Conference will encompass a theme of “Advance: 2020” – focussing-on generating a positive movement forward to 2020 (and beyond) for not-for-profit organisations and their use of technology.
NACC Program Development and Innovation Manager Katherine Allen said being chosen as a finalist was a huge accolade in itself, and a credit to the innovative approach adopted by NACC towards sustainable natural resource management.
“Our nomination was built on a fabulous suite of innovative technology projects and activities – some of which are attracting international attention – which our staff are implementing across the region,” she said.
“Our selection as a finalist is a credit to the team and their commitment to the organisation’s continual improvement, but it also reflects the importance that NACC places on technology and innovation.”
NACC’s digital technology
NACC’s selection was based on its ground-breaking use of digital technology for NRM – such as the region’s online Regional NRM Strategy (NARvis) and photo-monitoring app (Photomon); early adoption of online crowdfunding for NRM; use of technology to run a paper-free WA Threatened Species Forum; and progressive use of digital communications platforms – especially its use of social media. For example, with more than 2,300 followers on Twitter, NACC is easily the highest-ranked regional NRM group in the country – more than 1,000 ahead of the country’s second-ranked group.
“We’ve got a number of new projects ‘in the pipeline’,” said Katherine. “So we’re looking forward to continuing our own ‘positive movement forward to 2020 (and beyond)’ and making a contribution to NRM in the region through use of whatever new innovations and opportunities we can apply to make our work better and our outcomes more effective.”