This past summer at the National Order of the Arrow Conference, over 100 Arrowmen gathered together for the NOAC Hackathon. During this experience, Arrowmen got to attend training, work together with other Arrowmen, and ultimately got to participate in the 24 hour Hackathon experience, where Arrowmen were given the problem statement “How do we leverage technology to support member engagement?” Arrowmen were then divided into teams with the goal of finding new innovative ways to engage members through technology. After the conference, the top 4 teams got to present their ideas to the national technology committee, with the possibility of developing their ideas into reality. I was granted the opportunity to sit in on these presentations and talk with members of these teams to see how their ideas are making an impact on the OA.
Cyber Animals - Lodge Event Feedback Form
The Cyber Animals team had the idea of supporting member engagement by creating a digital, automated feedback form, which could be implemented directly into LodgeMaster to organize event feedback and make it easier to find in the future. The team believes that feedback is a gift, but that paper feedback is ineffective due to the slow process of having to digitize those records. They believed that integrating a digital form tied to LodgeMaster would allow for the acceleration of this process, leading to a more effective feedback system. They believe that this will enable lodge leadership to make informed decisions about their programs, increasing member engagement and retention.
13.5 Programming Pythons - Play OA!
The 13.5 Programming Pythons team believed that gamification was a unique way to build enthusiasm around involvement in the OA. They created a system based around earning digital badges, as well as earning experience points from completing tasks, which are used to earn levels. Each time you level up, you get increases in different stats (brotherhood, cheerfulness, service, and leadership), which are used to complete challenges. The team believes that this idea would encourage new Arrowmen to stay involved in the program.
2TXOK - Digital Election Tool
Team 2TXOK created a secure digital elections tool to streamline the process of elections in all forms in the OA. Alex, a member of the team, describes how “[he] first thought of the idea while he was handing out ballots for a unit election and thought about how much easier it would be if it was digital.” After thinking through solutions, they made a functional demo to run a unit election. The thought also came up that this could also streamline the process of LEC elections. The team believes that this is a way to give a better election experience to units, and ultimately give them a stronger first impression of the organization.
Flatiron Innovators - Arrowman Game
The Flatiron Innovators team devised a game to play following the induction experience to help increase their knowledge about different parts of the OA and deepen their understanding of the experience they just went through. The head-to-head nature of this game also allows for Arrowmen to ignite bonds and build friendships. The program is also designed to remind users around the time of their Brotherhood, to increase activation of these members. Through deepening their knowledge, this program encourages new Arrowmen to become engaged within their lodge.
This summer, over 100 Arrowmen got the opportunity to display their creativity and find new ways to implement technology into the OA through NOAC Hackathon. And now, even after the event is over, the top teams get to present their ideas to make an impact on the organization. Whether you are experienced in computer science, or if you’ve never programmed before, Hackathon gives you an opportunity to use your creativity to make change. It was amazing to see how different teams used different ideas to reach a common goal. We hope to see you at Hackathon in 2027!