22 Ways You Can Make NTC Work for You
As I mentioned at the recent Annual Membership Meeting, the NTC works for you, when you work it. Thanks to NTC Vice President Leah Magee for that quote. She should know, as a large part of her job is figuring out the best way for our tech sponsors’ to make their investment in the NTC work for them.
Since they are worth repeating, following are the 22 ways I mentioned at the meeting, with more information about how you can make each one of them work for you. You will find that you get the most out of the NTC when you get involved in a way that best meets your goals and those of your organization. Plus, most of these ways do not cost anything but a little time, so the return on investment is huge!
Go on. Pick a few ways and work with us! If you are already doing many of these things, congratulations! You know how to work it.
1. Make sure we have up-to-date contact information– Check out your organization’s profile information in the NTC member directory and, if you’re the primary contact person, log in and review contact information.
2. Attend programs and events – You’ll be glad you did! Find out what we have planned and get information on the NTC Events page.
3. Use a member discount to attend something – Check out the Community Calendar which often includes discounts for NTC members to non-NTC events. It can be found on our home page and under the Calendar tab.
4. Sign-up for the Weekly Events Newsletter – We promise we won’t spam you but you’ll be glad to know about all the things we’re doing. The button can be found in the middle of the NTC home page.
5. Forward our messages & announcements – Send them to your co-workers and colleagues. It only takes a few seconds and it expands our coverage. Encourage them to sign up for updates themselves and you won’t have to forward it to them any more – see #4 above!
6. Join a Committee – We’re looking for volunteers, so watch for an email from me and volunteer to serve. You’ll get more out of it than you give. I guarantee it.
7. Join a Peer Network – We have one successful peer network already going strong and we will be adding three (3) more in 2012.
8. Follow us on Twitter @nashtechcouncil @nashhire - You’ll be kept up-to-date regarding all the latest news from the NTC and our members.
9. Join the NTC LinkedIn Group – We’re active on LinkedIn, so join over 3,000 of your colleagues by becoming a member of the Nashville Technology Council group.
10. Post jobs on the Nashville is Hiring job board – It’s free for members and easy to do.
11. Post events on the NTC Community Calendar – We accept events that are relevant to our members from other organizations, even if they are not just for NTC members.
12. Write an article – Be a thought leader by writing an article for Catalyst. We will be looking for writers later this year for the 2013 edition of the magazine.
13. Volunteer to speak at an event – Let us know if you or someone in your organization is a great speaker. We’ll also be making a call for speakers and announcing an exciting new speaker program in the near future.
14. Write a blog for our website – We’re always looking for good material to publish on our website. Make sure it’s of general interest, not just a sales pitch, and send it to Jessica Hill.
15. Send your company’s “good news” to us – We love to share good news! You can also send it to Jessica Hill.
16. Trade press contact information with us – We’d love to expand our press contacts and your’s by sharing press contact information. Send your press contacts to Jessica Hill and we’ll share ours.
17. Nominate someone for a Tech Award – Help us recognize the best of the best in the Middle Tennessee tech community by watching for our email announcement this Spring and then nominate someone.
18. Volunteer to assist at an event – We can always use a few hands to help out at NTC events and programs. It’s a terrific way to network with members and guests. Watch for our call for volunteers.
19. Become a Committee or Sub-Committee Chair – So you think you can lead? Help us out by leading a Sub-Committee, Work Group, etc. Watch for your opportunity! I’ll be making a call for volunteers in the near future.
20. Nominate someone or run for a Board position – Elections are in May for the term that begins July 1st. Board member terms are for three years. If you have thoughts regarding potential Board Members – let me know. The person must be from a member company and it is a “pay to play” Board.
21. Sponsor an event, program or advertisement – Our sponsorships have outstanding returns on investment. Just ask our sponsors, who continually rate their experience as excellent! Watch for calls to sponsor events on the NTC Events page.
22. Encourage additional companies to join – Each member is an ambassador for the NTC and Middle Tennessee’s tech community. Every new member organization makes the NTC and our tech community stronger. New members can join via the NTC Membership webpages.
