6 reasons I am thankful for being part of the nptech community

The nonprofit technology community has been a big part of my life for the past 10 years. It's hard to believe it has been this long since since I have been involved. I am thankful to be part of this community and listed below are reasons why.

1) My Blog

When I first learned about nptech, I also learned about blogs. I started reading them and decided to start one on my own. Without my involvement in nptech, I would have never started blogging. 

Happy 10 years to my blog!

2) Meeting New People

The best part about being part of the nptech community is meeting new people both on the internet and in person.  

3) Learning

Reading blog entries and attending events has allowed me to learn about topics related to nonprofits and technology. I have also gained experience using social media and other technologies because of my involvement. 

4) Leadership

I have been a leader in NTEN in various roles.

About 9 years ago, I created a group for nonprofit bloggers. In 2014, the group transitioned to the Nonprofit Digital Communications CoP.  I organized this new group for about a year where I planned conference calls and compiled a list of resources on topics people enjoyed learning about. 

I've been a member of the research committee for the past two years. 

I led a few tweetchats for the commbuild CoP.

I also led a few sessions at conferences about blogging. 

5) Happiness

It makes me happy to see that people in nptech are enjoying my blogs and the resources I share.  

As CoP organizer, I was happy to see that people enjoyed participating in the group I created.

A few months ago at work, I saw the documentary Happy and a sheet was handed out about lessons learned from the movie. As I was reading it, I realized one of the lessons learned described me and my involvement with nptech. 

This lesson was about finding your flow, which I found in nptech. I get lost in my zone when I look for resources to share with others, read articles about nptech, and write about nptech. 

Being CoP organizer brought me happiness every day while I was leading the group. I really got lost in my zone when researching topics for the group to discuss, finding articles to share, and finding new ways to increase membership & improve the group. 

6) Reaching Goals

I set goals for myself to reach when working on nptech stuff.  Goals have included compiling a list of resources on a particular topic or writing a blog entry. 

Most importantly, I finally reached the goal I have been trying to reach for 10 years. I learned about nptech while trying to figure out my place in the nptech world. It took 10 years, but I finally work at an organization in a technology related position.