Crowdsourcing Nonprofit’s Good News

Who doesn’t need good news these days?  I sure do.  In a nice bit of crowdsourcing, Heather Carpenter is using Delicious to tag articles, web sites, blog posts on the positive ways that nonprofits are surviving, even thriving, in these tough economic times.

As a riff on the Homeland Security signs, if you see something, tag something.  In this case, tag anything positive you see about nonprofits npoeconomy using Delicious!

Social Citizens is a Top 10!

Blogs.com published it’s top ten nonprofit blogs last night — and wahooo, the Social Citizens blog that I blog for is listed!  We are very grateful to our friend, Beth Kanter, for including us on this list of outstanding blogs.  Here is the entire list:

Top 10 Nonprofit Technology (NPTech) and Social Media for Social Change Blogs

Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• What are your five-a-day?
• Five days left to submit to USAID
• NFPTweetup: Nonprofits + Twitter in London

CauseWired

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• The CauseWired Round-up
• A Happy ‘TweetsGiving’
• Affiliated Donors, Targeted Fundraising

Have Fun Do Good

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Katya Andresen: Nonprofit Marketing Blog

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• Your own website vs. Facebook?
• 3 questions before plunging into new media
• The best kept fundraising secret in the world

Laura’s Notebook

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• Amy’s here to get Netsquared up and running here in the UK
• Nonprofits on the net for Blog Action Day
• Social Reporting Makes it to the Mainstream

Qui Diaz – Evange.list

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• Get Your Pixels @ StopPovertyNow.org
• Kill Poverty
• Personal Brand Value or Bust

Social Actions

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• Social Actions Roundup #18: New Reports and Revolutions in Fundraising
• The Lend4Health Journey: Reflecting on #TweetsGiving
• Social Actions: 9 Goals for 2009

Social Citizens Blog

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• Facebook Causes and Save Darfur Launch New Petition Application
• Give Thanks, Tweetsgiving Style
• Change.org and MySpace Launch Ideas for America

SocialButterfly

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• NIDA and AIDS.gov Join Together in Blogger Outreach Effort for World AIDS Day 2008
• An Early Thanks.Giving…Carnival Style
• The Blogger Neighborhood: Meet the DigiActive Team

ext337

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Recent Posts from this Blog

• links for 2008-11-29 [1]
• links for 2008-11-28
• links for 2008-11-26

How Nonprofits Need to Use Connectedness For Survival

I was in Los Angeles yesterday visiting with the Southern California Grantmakers.  They shared with me that there are whole blocks in LA with foreclosures signed up and down.  It’s gonna be ugly for a while, I fear.

To that end, I posted a column on Opportunity Knocks yesterday on the critical importance of nonprofits focusing on their connectedness with their constituents to survive — and maybe even thrive — in this bleak economy.  Feel free to read the entire post, and here are the highlights:

1. Focus on What You Do Best. It is critically important for nonprofits to go back to basics and ask yourself what you are fundamentally in the business of accomplishing – and get rid of the rest.
2. Rethink success. Did we add more revenue/staff/programs this year? That’s the question that boards ask year after year, as if the only way to serve communities better, or have a greater impact, is to do more of the same – at the cost of doing whatever you do really well. We need to rethink this, and educate board members about the difference between impact and growth.
3. Live Within Your Ecosystem. When each organization is focused on what it does best, not becoming sprawling growth machines themselves, then they can connect with like-minded, collaborative partner organizations to serve their communities and constituents better.
4. Nurture Your Networks. Connect with your constituents in real, meaningful ways. Too often, communications between organizations and constituents has devolved into a one-way ask for money. We’re not really interested in you, most organizations are saying, unless and until you write us a check. People have lots to offer organizations in terms of what they know and who they know.  This is the giving up control part – and if your organization isn’t ready to give it up, don’t bother asking people for advice.
5. Trust yourself. In trying times it’s important to remember why you do the work that you do – to make our corner of the world a better place. We need to reject the Phyrric belief that success will come from being closed, competitive, opaque and hard of hearing. If it ever worked, it certainly won’t now. The elixir is to be your best self; open, transparent, connected and courageous.