Night Sky Network Features and Benefits

Night Sky Network Features and Benefits

  • Inside Venue
  • Target Audience
  • Adult
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.

Activity Key

Daytime Event
Daytime Event
Nighttime Event
Nighttime Event
Inside Venue
Inside Venue
Outside Venue
Outside Venue
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Target Audience