Community Building for The HILL

Bess Holland –Agnitti

MSPC 3050
 The HILL: Brief History

 The Hanson Initiative for Language and Literacy

 Who: We are a team of educators, trainers, researchers, experts in literacy reform and nationally

recognized experts on written and oral language

 WHAT: HILL’s Literacy approach, curriculum and processes are based on science… On average,

school districts that work with HILL increase their literacy rates by 20 - 40%.

 WHERE: HILL for Literacy has provided professional development and consulting in literacy in

16 states to over 235 schools and districts, both private and public, and other organizations since it

was founded in 2001.  HILL staff has presented keynote addresses, workshops, panel discussions and

break-out sessions at numerous national, state, and regional professional development conferences.
 Why an on-line community?

 Long Term Goal: To reach schools across the country and be able to maintain contact, interact

with, answer questions and communicate after leaving

 Short Term Goal: To have a forum for current & past clients to ask questions, answer

questions, post information, events, charts, and access materials they need

 Need:

 Limited budget for travel

 Currently no forum for clients to go

 No longer the ‘silo’ thought process, but ‘Team’ in teaching

 Younger generation that uses social media is in the classroom

 These knowledge seekers are the ones going to the internet for research and answers from their peers
Starting Point: Listen!

1. Cause is the Purpose

2. Listen (Listening & Monitoring)

3. Choose a platform that serves your

communities needs

4. Offer great value to your network

5. Use the general networks as beachheads

How?
 Content

 Links to blogs

 Photos

 Videos

 Discussion boards

 Question & Answer forum

 Links to Board members info (articles, books, etc.)

 Events/Classes

 Example: Martha Stewart

 Maintaining/Monitoring

 Use knowledge of current ‘net-gen’ employees

 Hire interns

 Ask volunteers for help

 Respond to questions or comments quickly

 Networked Nonprofits don’t work harder or longer than other
organizations, they work differently. They engage in
conversations with people beyond their walls — lots of
conversations — to build relationships that spread their work
through the network. Incorporating relationship building as a
core responsibility of all staffers fundamentally changes their
to-do lists. Working this way is only possible because of the
advent of social media. All Networked Nonprofits are
comfortable using the new social media toolset — digital tools
such as email, blogs, and Facebook that encourage two-way
conversations between people, and between people and
organizations, to enlarge their efforts quickly, easily and
inexpensively. (www.bethkanter.org)
 References

 http://www.delicious.com/beagnitti

 http://twitter.com/#!/beeagnitti