Jeff Jarvis cites an interesting article by Marc Sirkin What Would Google Do: Non-Profit Edition that talks about how non-profits may need to change by giving up control and using networks to advantage. We are getting ready to release the Hungry Garden software to early users. One of the primary goals of Hungry Garden is to empower people by strengthening local relationships. Hungry Garden is a directory of sorts, but not your typical directory of business, govenment and non-profits. The activities that are interesting to us are things like local food and news, volunteering and donate, sharing help and expertise, advocacy and organization, trading and bartering goods and services. You won't find businesses or government as a category in Hungry Garden when we start. Closest we get is probably coupons. Sure we can easily add business listings and will upon request. And, yes we have a category "For Sale" for people/business to sell new and used products.
But, we are hoping the real value we provide is helping people organize on a local level regarding the interesting stuff. The discussions and activities that make communities fun and enjoyable and better places to live for all members.
I think this is directly relevant to what Marc Sirkin talks about in a . . .
New Architecture: Be a Platform
Non-profits
are about to find themselves on the outside of the very conversation
they created. I've seen it happen before... a donor has a great idea
and raises a ton of money. The non-profit at first loves the volunteer,
but then suddenly, the balance of power shifts and the volunteer
decides to take their "network" and their several hundred thousand
dollars in donations a year elsewhere.
Instead, create a
"virtual non-profit" platform where you manage infrastructure but give
the freedom to create entirely new market opportunities. For example,
say you have a great volunteer in a remote location where you do not
have a chapter or an office. Why not empower that donor (with proper
training of course!) to use your platform to serve the local community?
AOL did this for ages as they rapidly expanded their online
communities. Instead of 20 or 40 chapters in 30 states, chapter based
organiations could have locally run outposts, managed by committed
volunteers in every town in every state and country across the world.
Think CafePress or Blogger.. or hell, Salesforce.com for volunteers to
create, manage and run their own "chapter" on your behalf. Chaos? Nope,
that's what we call trust baby!
Connect the dots like Best Buy
does with their Blue-shirt nation, or like the Red Sox do with their
online community to provide guidance, collaboration, support and the
help they need to help you succeed. Can you imaging a site like
Starbucks or Dell's idea site that allows both internal and external
folks to help redesign everything from structure, policies to
fundraising campaigns? If you work in a traditional non-profit, I bet
you can't.. but you'd better.
Radical? I think necessary.
