Night Sky Network Features and Benefits
- Adult
- 07/24/2012
Club Services:
Benefits of Association:
Club Services
Club and Membership Management
Online Club Roster makes management a snap:
Club Communications
Message Groups make communication a breeze:
Event Management
Keep a Club Calendar that stays up-to-date and works for your club:
Publicity Management
Put your calendar to good use and get the word out:
Benefits of Association
Free Outreach ToolKits and More:
Local and Nationwide Publicity
Events listed on the Public Calendar are publicized widely:
Exclusive Member Benefits
Uploaded: June 2023
- 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.
Uploaded: June 2023