Building Capacity in Colorado

CEC is a central clearinghouse on technology practices, organizer education and collaborative information sharing for the conservation community and its allies.  With growing workloads and information overload, organizers in the conservation community need a one-stop destination to get and share quality information and tools to better do their jobs.  CEC has created a one-stop shop called the Conservation TechConnection, a Web-based databank that will provide real-time links to a calendar of current events, trainings, gatherings and other collaboration opportunities; news about coalition partners and their work; an archive of data and fact sheets on CO environmental issues; video/audio footage of press conferences and interviews; an online photo database; and access to GIS maps and data.  This clearinghouse also will offer information and training guides on helpful tech tools for organizers such as email alerts, listservs, video production, blogs and other tools. 

Through our capacity building program, CEC also offers a variety of equipment and services to environmental and other progressive nonprofit organizations in Colorado.

Conservation TechConnection

Bringing technology to the progressive community
CEC seeks to help grow the activist capacity of Colorado's environmental community with the use of strategic information technologies. Through its Circuit Rider/Technology project, we offer assistance to our member and partner groups with technology planning, networking, software and hardware upgrades and troubleshooting, antivirus efforts, and training, with an emphasis on helping organizations take advantage of new technologies while becoming more technology self-sufficient.

A key component of successful e-advocacy campaigns is building networks of activists who can be educated and mobilized to take action electronically.  CEC maintains issue-specific email activist lists on water, public lands/energy and growth, and maintains a comprehensive web-based solution for constituent relationship management, including tools for outreach, engagement, and cultivation -- in essence, an entire e-advocacy service that helps small and large groups gain access to tools and expertise that they would not otherwise be able to deliver themselves. With this technology, CEC can increase the community's capacity to support multiple campaigns, quickly distribute action alerts, create opportunities for cross pollination among organizational lists, recruit and retain members, and conduct online fundraising that integrates donation requests with email alerts as a way to pay for the software service and help fund issue campaigns.

Ongoing Programs:

• Sharing technology with Colorado's environmental community
  CEC has several technology resources available, including: LCD projectors, digital imaging public address systems and video production capacity for its partner groups throughout the state. 
  
  Here are a few of the resources we provide:

CEC has HD video camcorders and video editing system available for loan to affiliated groups at each of our offices and technology hubs.

The Denver office has podcasting, sound recording and public address systems available for use by our partners and member groups.

CEC's offices have flatbed, slide/negative scanners and digital imaging workstations include DVD/CD-ROM writing drives.

Each of the Coalition's offices have video digitizing stations capable of rendering analog and digital video sources into computer AVI, MPEG and WMV media files. Video footage can be placed onto DVD, Video CD and DVD-CD formats that are playable on any DVD player. Our allies can utilize this resource.

The Grand Junction office can create color banners on its 36" plotter as well as offer podcasting equipment for the local community.

CEC maintains LCD projectors within its offices which are available for use by coalition partners. When connected to a computer, these projectors can be used to share multimedia presentation with a large audience.

CEC plans to examine other technologies and may then make them available to member groups and others. For example, we're currently assessing systems for producing, editing, and distributing video in digital form.

• Technology planning outreach
  CEC helps its partner organizations with their strategic technology planning and helps in determining which technology solutions and resources are appropriate for them to implement all aspects of their technology plans, from internet service providers to content management systems.
  
  
• Office networking
  Circuit Riders at CEC provide networking assistance and consulting to help its partners configure and expand their office networks and setup broadband internet connections on those LANs.
  
  
• Membership management, database and e-advocacy support
  The Coalition provides advice to organizations in implementing e-advocacy applications, and provides advice and support on membership management and other database systems 
  
  
• Training and other tech support services
  The Coalition provide other types of support for its member groups, such as hardware upgrade services, consulting and software training. These services are delivered with an eye towards improving the technological self-sufficiency of staff within the Colorado environmental community. Call us to ask about your needs.