I was thrilled to hear some nonprofit success stories while at N-TEN. (So much content at these nonprofit conferences has to do with things that are NOT working.) The best results of applied technology seemed to come from social networking. Folks that invested time into social networking achieved measurable growth - isn't it nice when promises are kept?
Why social networking contributes to growth
Increased support for viral behavior is the core driver of the growth in question. Adding to this effect is the better personalization that emerges from social networking's connections and information. (Wow, real value at last from social networking!) In particular, knowing information such as constituents' interests and their language of engagement has started creating stronger bonds for organizations.
The ability to distribute work also comes from social networking. This has been evidenced in fundraising (friends asking friends to donate), information-related projects (folks spending a few hours online to process names or other data), and volunteering (easier to coordinate).
Identifying super-activists, and giving them the power to moderate their own groups, has also enabled growth. If constituents self-police community activities, then nonprofits can scale more effectively. (We have found this to be true ourselves over at Omidyar.net.)
Effects on advocacy
MoveOn has had incredible success in finding and using volunteers online. Their key learning was that success requires a relationship of mutual trust. What makes it work is being member-driven, trusting members, and using technology/testing in order to reduce risk. MoveOn's "ladder of involvement" takes people from member -> active user -> volunteer -> trusted volunteer.
As members become more active in a community, they will also become more active in the affiliated organization. This refutes the fear that many nonprofits have around losing consitutents as a side effect of their participation in greater nonprofit communities. (eg, their donors will give or volunteer elsewhere.) Care2 surveyed 300 members and learned the following key points:
- Total activism activity after getting involved in Care2 doubles
- Each post or new group membership results in a 2% increased likelihood to take action
The key challenge
The main challenge to engaging volunteers in a social networking model is a preexisting mission and agenda. With an existing agenda, it's hard to ask people "what do you think we should do?" - and even with an existing agenda, you will end up letting go of message control. That being said, the folks in the room thought that the positive outweighed the negative in the final results.
Tags: christine herron spacejockeys best practices technology society n-ten advocacy
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