Last night I was sitting in a restaurant eating my BBQ chicken dinner while reading my copy of The Networked Nonprofit. Suddenly I noticed some unusual movement. Several emergency vehicles pulled up near the front door. In moments, people in uniform quickly moved through the door to the back of the restaurant carrying life saving equipment and pushing a stretcher. Someone in the building called 911 because someone was in trouble and needed immediate medical help.
Is Your Nonprofit Sick?
The scene in front of me got me to thinking about the many nonprofit organizations that should be calling for help as well. They are in trouble. Unfortunately, many don't know they are in trouble. The world is changing and many nonprofit organizations need to change to stay effective and viable. This is what The Networked Nonprofit is all about.
The Networked Nonprofit
Authors Beth Kanter and Allison Fine are experts in the use of social media to support causes. They describe how generational impacts and social media are changing the way nonprofit organizations need to organize and operate. They also paint a picture of how nonprofit organizations are going to have to look in the future to continue to have a significant impact.
What to Expect from The Networked Nonprofit
The Networked Nonprofit is a first aid kit for nonprofit organizations. It helps diagnose what might keep a nonprofit organization from being effective now and in the future. It also helps the reader determine what needs to change.
Important topics covered in The Networked Nonprofit are:
- Identifying and encouraging supporters (especially the independent volunteers called free agents)
- Why becoming a networked nonprofit is critical to being effective now and even more in the future
- How to build and engage social networks and relationships
- Using online networks to share your message with the world
- How to build trust
- How to simplify the job and organization
- Turning networked friends into funders
Self-Assessment and Action Steps
I am impressed not only with the message of the book, but also the format.
There are refection questions at the end of each chapter. These questions are well thought out to help the reader do a self-assessment of where his or her organization is at in terms of being a networked nonprofit. They also help to determine what needs to be done to improve.
There are also action steps sprinkled throughout the book. These are concrete steps that an organization can take to move closer to becoming a networked nonprofit.
Get Your Copy Now
This is an important book for nonprofit leaders, staff and board members to read. It is important to read AND put into action. Implementing some or all of the recommendations in the book can have a significant impact on the future of your organization. More importantly, your organization's effectiveness in addressing your important cause is depending on it as well. Get your copies now.
Photo credit: Adam Elliston
