There are at least 3 goals:
1- Discover technology platforms that help us be more efficient and effective in our daily routines and long-term goals. Leverage National's existing Digital Advocate Partners
2- Experiment with the most effective Digital tools and services to communicate with and engage younger (and younger-minded) participants, volunteers, funders, etc.
3- Inspire us to think big... beyond our imagination for better ways to accomplish our mission. Consider the opportunities of a community-driven "Red Cross TV"...!We can easily meet monthly for a lunchtime session up the street in Kendall Square at the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC). These "startups" are eager to demonstrate and deploy relevant Digital projects with inspiring entrepreneurial attitude!
An example of the Red Cross already participating in a successful TABlab-like event is the Boston Innovation Challenge "hackathon" I produced.
The 2nd place teams were Mobile Apps custom-developed for the Red Cross around Kat Power's guidance and Jarrett Barrios' judging
See an overview already posted here.
Below is a list (being added to) of relevant-only potential partners from around the region and around the world:
We will certainly engage with local projects with our big tech neighbors like Microsoft, Google, Akamai. EMC, etc.
Volunteer Connection - Volcon is our fantastic control center. Bob Bowers will soon have (almost) all the answers for who we are and how to communicate. The Digital Lab can add test projects to make it even better.
www.Hubspot.com - Currently being used by Kat Powers thu a Kendall Square Association project. The more we use this "Inbound Marketing" platform for content management, the more we will learn about what our communities want from our online communications.
www.Good2Gether.com - Mobile platform for fundraising and support of partner comapnies
www.Fairsetup.com - Volunteer and Team self-assessments
www.bunchball.com - Gamification elements to communications (“level up” thru ranks)
www.cityhero.es - Connects people with their closes circles of friends, workmates and communities to report and solve daily problems and help them to avoid threatening situations.
http://netsquared.meetup.com - Netsquared is a global organization with 60 groups in 18 countries connecting people and organizations interested in nonprofit technology.
http://www.meetup.com/net2boston - is the local Meetup
www.Recovers.org - Modern and nimble disaster recovery system for communities. See their early 2013 newsletter HERE
More...as we clarify next steps...
