News & Resources

Night Sky Network Features and Benefits

Night Sky Network Features and Benefits

  • Inside Venue
  • Target Audience
  • Adult
  • 07/24/2012
Club Services:
  • Club and Membership Management
  • Club Communications
  • Event Management
  • Publicity Management

Benefits of Association:
  • Free Outreach ToolKits and More
  • Local and Nationwide Publicity
  • Exclusive Member Benefits
  • Getting Started (members log in first)


Club Services

Club and Membership Management
Online Club Roster makes management a snap:
  • Members can update their own personal information and set up how to be contacted - by email, text, or phone
  • Public can apply for club membership
  • Privacy for all online information
  • Keep track of dues, join date, club jobs, and club-designated fields
  • Club "memory" is maintained online so transferring duties not as painful
  • Keep track of member volunteer hours
  • Keep history of changes in each member profile
  • Growing Your Club Videos give advice for recruiting and keeping membership
  • Beautify your club's NSN presence with logos, pictures, and links


Club Communications
Message Groups make communication a breeze:
  • Communicate with members, subsets of members, the public, and media contacts
  • Send messages with automatic links to events and one-step RSVPs
  • Send club newsletters, announcements, and more to any group of members
  • Keep records of non-member contacts, such as teachers, media, or rangers, making it easier for your club's Board transitions


Event Management
Keep a Club Calendar that stays up-to-date and works for your club:
  • Your club's calendar can easily be added to your club's website
  • Schedule upcoming events including pictures and formatting plus details about locations, links, and more
  • The Night Sky Planner is your one-stop-observing link with highlights, sky charts, weather information, and more.
  • Send announcements about events to members and public
  • Request and keep track of member RSVPs to events
  • Easily cancel events and notify concerned parties by email or text
  • Your regular event locations are stored with instructions and can be easily managed
  • View history of changes for each event


Publicity Management
Put your calendar to good use and get the word out:
  • Public and club members can download upcoming events into iCal compatible calendars (such as Google Calendar and Outlook, among others)
  • Share club events easily through social media and email
  • Public can request events with club-personalized forms
  • Increase publicity just by adding events to the calendar - events are then publicized widely through partnerships with other organizations



Benefits of Association

Free Outreach ToolKits and More:
  • Simply log 2 events per quarter or 5 events per year to qualify for these free items:
  • Outreach ToolKits filled with materials to present activities and demonstrations - created for and tested by amateur astronomers. You can also find the activity write ups and training videos online.
  • Quarterly prizes go to 5 clubs four times a year. Winners are drawn randomly from all events logged using NSN resources. The more you log, the better your chances of winning prizes such as Mars globes or meteorites.
  • Order free handouts from our partners to use at club meetings or outreach events.
  • Clubs logging at least 5 events a year qualify for Annual Award Pins to recognize members' contributions to outreach.
  • Request a NASA speaker twice a year from our partners. 


Local and Nationwide Publicity
Events listed on the Public Calendar are publicized widely:
  • Add the widget to websites so that the public can find your club and events
  • Mobile apps, like Distant Suns also use the events on the calendar to publicize events, reaching hundreds of thousands of astronomy enthusiasts
  • Partnerships with other organizations and astronomy events, such as International Observe the Moon Night, Astronomy Day, and Globe at Night, increase visibility
  • Active clubs also get listed as Stars of the Network on the NSN homepage


Exclusive Member Benefits
  • NSN hosts exclusive member webinars every month where members are able to talk with leading scientists. See past webinars here.
  • Members can easily order discounted subscriptions to Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, and StarDate.
  • Outreach Training Videos cover common concerns club members have about working with the public, such as Connecting with Kids and How to Say "I Don't Know."
  • Growing Your Club Videos give advice for recruiting and keeping membership.
This resource is part of the Club Management series.

Uploaded: June 2023

 

Video

What is the Night Sky Network?

Brief overview of the Night Sky Network on on YouTube.