Last night (Thursday, May 17, 2012), NPower Northwest brought together a community of individuals (clients, supporters and friends) interested in the use of technology to create an positive impact. Institutions represented at the event included Accenture, AT&T, Avanade, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Cognizant, Community Builder, Dell, Deloitte, IBM, KForce, Liquid Planner, Microsoft, Oracle, PointB, Presidio, SAP, Slalom, Sprint, Univar, Verizon and West Monroe Partners.

In addition to great company, Wolfgang Puck Catering provided attendees with fabulous food.  My favorite was the Jicama and Orange Salad with Watercress and Jalapeno Dressing. It was magically delicious!

The food was not the only thing that was great. There was the energetic sounds of Mark Mendonca and the UpBeat, a team of drummers that opened and closed the speaker part of the program.

In between the amazing performances, there were a few speakers. The first of which was NPower Executive Director Alison Carl White. She opened up by reminding the audience why they were there and closed the event with a passing mention of a “theory of change”. I don’t know about anyone else, but I DEFINITELY would have liked to hear more about this theory!

Then came the main attraction, three (3) speakers who spoke about the work they do and how NPower enhances their ability to have a positive impact.

The first speaker, Bridgett Chandler of Camp Fire USA Central Puget Sound Council (CFUSA-CPSC), talked about the amazing work CFUSA has been involved in for over 100 years and highlighted how NPower helped them employ technology to enhance their work.

Next there was Nicholas Merriam, the Operations Manager for Building Changes. In his brief speech about how NPower has help Building Changes understand how technology can be used to address homelessness, Nicholas highlighted the fact that NPower is not an agency that employs technology for technology’s sake.

Last, but not least, NPower staff and Americorp participant Abby Nafziger talked about her work helping fifteen (15) anti-poverty organizations assess their use of technology and create a strategy map to help guide their growth and development.

This was an action packed event with a great vibe! I am sure there were many more stories about how NPower helped organizations use technology to enhance impact. Too bad there wasn’t enough time to hear more.

What is your NPower story? Use the comment section below to share.