Nonprofits Are Fortresses. Will Free Agents Set You Free?

The ecosystem of nonprofits is exploding, yet the problems society faces are larger than nonprofits, said Allison Fine, on the Care2 webinar The Networked Nonprofit. The solution?  Networking. This was one of the key takeaways during the webinar presented by Fine, Beth Kanter, Danielle Brigida of National Wildlife Federation, and Mark Sirkin of Autism Speaks

“Nonprofits are fortresses trying to manage the message. Free agents will free you from your cage,” said Kanter. What’s a free agent? They are volunteers in your network. People who are passionate about your nonprofits issues and who want to make a difference! “Invite them in,” said Kanter.  Brigida agreed. A truly "networked nonprofit" realizes that help is reciprocal and this is something the National Wildlife Federation is embracing in their constituent engagement strategy.

Sirkin said that nonprofits are too focused on ROI – Return on Investment, something many of us in the nonprofit community have been discussing as we continue to develop road maps and define metrics to help measure social media’s impact. “We need to be focusing on ROE - Return on Engagement," said Sirkin

You can listen to the full recording of the webinar here. You can also view the slides on SlideShare below.

• Strategies for being a Better Networked Nonprofit - Frogloop
• Three Apps and Networks Spurring Social Good - Frogloop
• Networked Nonprofits Avoid Scarcity Thinking and Embrace the Black Smoke Monster - Beth Kanter

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