Small non-profits and businesses, because staffing priorities usually don't include someone with skills in data and information systems management, are often at a loss with respect to how to easily maintain their constituent or client's data. The result is that tasks like sending mailings, creating reports, and analyzing the effectiveness of specific campaigns or media events ends up taking a long time, or seeming impossible.

This 2 hour workshop is intended to give small businesses and non-profit organizations the information they need to better maintain and develop their information and data systems.

Included in the scope of this workshop will be:

1. An introduction to data structures most commonly needed and employed by non-profit organizations and businesses
2. An introduction to different data management solutions and their strengths and weaknesses including:
- Access and FileMaker do it yourself databases and templates
- ACT! and other third party database sloutions that are configured for specific purposes
- Serving a database and what is involved
- Larger scale Oracle databases
- Online Contact Management Systems (CMS)
- Using web-based Content Management solutions as Databases
- Reporting Tools and Software
- Open Source software and API's
- and more!
3. How to communicate effectively and create concise requirements documents for technical people so they can understand your needs in a concrete way (saving time and money)
4. A tutorial on how to perform a basic data merge with commonly used word processing software to create labels for mailings, letters, catalogs and emails
5. Practice sessions and work groups in which participants will discuss their data needs, implementation strategies, and exchange ideas and questions
6. A question and answer period in which participants can ask specific questions about their experience and needs