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SSIR Opinion & Analysis

Social Media: Means vs EndsOctober 7

Let’s take a short foray into some theorizing with social media and community - won’t you join me?

Let’s assume social media is the means to an end. That ‘end’ is going to be different depending on whether you are using it as an organization or an individual, for conversations or for advertising, for profit or for community, for fun or for policies. So, when social media meets up, in person or online, and communities form, is it mostly around the means (specific tools, advocating for adoption, etc.) or the end (people using social media in general for the same purpose or cause)?

So, asked again: Do we come together around social media because of affinity towards specific platforms, tools, or programs or because of similarities in usage of those platforms, tools, or programs?

Personally, I’m more attracted to communities or events that discuss using various tools for a specific ends. Working in the nonprofit technology field, I gravitate towards conversations about how nonprofits can better engage their members online, or share resources between staff and volunteers, rather than conversations solely about Flickr, for example. That isn’t to say that Flickr isn’t included, but it is just an example, an option, a means, for engaging the community around an event or program. Is the preference based on my field?

I can think of many communities that would focus on just one tool, though, and (to answer my question from abo

Fundraising Focus Critical During SlumpOctober 6

With the economy tanking and its impact on charitable giving uncertain, nonprofits should stay calm, stay focused, and keep a long-term perspective.

Two new reports suggest Americans keep giving even in tough times, and nonprofits should gear for tough times by tuning up their fundraising fundamentals.

“When the economy shows stress, whether it is a recession or not, giving may grow more slowly,” says a new report by the Giving USA Foundation that looks at historic trends in giving during recessions and economic slowdowns. “It is important to note that giving still grows.”

A separate study for the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy that looks at historical data on economic cycles and charitable giving says total philanthropic giving during the past four decades grew at double the growth rate of gross domestic product, accelerating since 1996.

But the weak economy and political uncertainty could be a short-term drag on charitable giving, and while tax increases could reduce the cost of giving, they also could slow down wealth creation, the study says.

In its report, the Giving USA Foundation says the most important step nonprofits can take to raise funds during a recession or downturn is “to ask people for contributions in a clear and focused manner.”

Key steps to successful nonprofit fundraising, the report says, include:

Working closely with the board “to make sure each board member is a

Diversity Is Everyone’s BusinessOctober 2

I had the opportunity to speak at the National Human Services Assembly Summit last week on the topic, “Responding to the Diversity Gap” along with Carolyn Creager, director of the Multicultural Executive Development Program of the National YMCA. The theme underlying our discussion was that society is changing all around us, yet the nonprofit sector isn’t keeping pace with the cultural shift in America, nor making enough of an effort to recruit, retain, and promote people of color to top executive positions in our field. The reality is that the current racial makeup of this country is changing, and as nonprofits we have to think about who we will be serving, and who will be leading. I know you saw this in The New York Times:

In a Generation, Minorities May Be the U.S. Majority
“Ethnic and racial minorities will comprise a majority of the nation’s population in a little more than a generation, according to new Census Bureau projections, a transformation that is occurring faster than anticipated just a few years ago. The census calculates that by 2042, Americans who identify themselves as Hispanic, Black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander will together outnumber non-Hispanic whites. Four years ago, officials had projected the shift would come in 2050.”

I also shared some cur

Heat Wave: Part 3September 30

The Clinton Global Initiative ended Friday, unbowed by the U.S. economic crisis. Top attendees — which included some 45 global CEOs, 60 heads of state, scores of advocacy leaders, and even a few Hollywood entertainers—ended up pledging close to $8 billion for new projects that would improve the lives of some 158 million people around the world.

Some final highlights:

* British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke for a full 25 minutes (extemporaneously, without a teleprompter or cue cards), urging the construction of a “global civic society” and the increased use of the Internet and social media to fight for human rights. He also called on those assembled to innovate their 20th-century institutions such as the World Bank and the United Nations to better tackle modern-day challenges of climate change, poverty, and global health and education gaps. Click here to see Clinton’s introduction of Brown, followed by Brown’s full remarks.

The Shotgun Approach to Streamlined WorkSeptember 30

Thanks to the rapidly, if not exponentially, expanding world of social media tools, those of us who are ‘plugged in’ all day at work have an unmanageable amount of options for making our work day more efficient. But, by having so many tools at our disposal, is our work day actually becoming less efficient?

This isn’t a new question. It’s come up when technology is introduced to anything, but especially social media>. There are so many tools already that we have to start categorizing them by utility to keep track! Smart people, like Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas, have even created charts, graphs, and this conversation prism as a way to separate and approach the vast world of social media. 

A Comparison
Let’s take a moment to consider a standard ‘work day’ and then add in some of the social media tools that many are using (or trying to juggle):

An average day (at least in my opinion):

• Get up, shower, eat breakfast, commute (one way or another) to the office/school/library/coffeeshop
• Review plans for the day, correspondences from previous evening, identify priority items, meeting with department/team/staff
• Work on mix of programmatic, organizational,