The Best Thing You Can Do TODAY
Before the digital revolution, the philanthropic world was round. Today, the philanthropic world is flat. Paradoxically, despite increasing marketing efforts from nonprofits, giving in the round world was flat . In a flat philanthropic world, do we have the opportunity to change this?
The new world order may finally force us to realize that we’ve been going ‘round and ‘round in circles like little hamsters. We have to get out of our self-centered cages.
In Philanthropy in a Flat World Jon Duschinsky says that a flat world made possible by technology demands relationship building of the first order. He notes, “…many nonprofits are structured not around building relationships , but around fundraising, communications, programs, and often a myriad of other activities–topped off with a fairly heavy management/administration level.” A flatter, more focused nonprofit is a more nimble one, able to use the laws of attraction to appeal to donor aspirations and values in increasingly meaningful, personal ways.
We’ve not been doing a very good job of this. We’ve become a treadmill/re-tread business. As Jeff Shuck recently commented regarding the flat state of giving in a post by Alison Fine:
… we’ve gotten a lot better at activating those who are charitable, but not any better at inspiring new charitableness… We need to make giving more accessible and less tedious, and as amazing as it may sound, we need to do more not only to emphasize this cause or that but to convey the obligation, transcendence, and joy of giving itself.
How are you responding to this challenge to make philanthropy more joyful and more fun? We need to play and share with our would-be friends. We can no longer play the game of solitaire, simply shuffling the same cards over and over again to hopefully win at some point. Winning is not the end game. The game – the playing, sharing, enjoying and passion – is the goal.
So, what’s in a game? A good game = an enticing, compelling concept + people willing to play. Coincidentally, a recent report released by Blackbaud, Growing Philanthropy in the United States, outlines key recommendations for nonprofits on how to increase overall giving. Among the top challenges which parallel our game playing requirements are the needs to (1) enhance the quality of donor relationships, and (2) identify new audiences, channels and forms of giving with strong potential for growth.
Relationship Building is about Quality
We need to be information exchangers . It’s no longer about us – what we think, what we feel, what we do, and what we think others should think, feel and do. It’s no longer a monologue. It’s got to be a dialogue. And we need to put in place the tools that enable a flow of conversation and engagement.
New Relationships Lead to New Givers
Building relationships requires an investment of time. It’s a give-and-take that requires ongoing follow-up. We all know this as it applies in our personal lives. And we even know this as it applies to old school fundraising. But somehow, it is remarkable how few nonprofits seem to know this when it applies to the new social fundraising world in which we find ourselves. And there are many wired donors out there, including wealthy ones, who can be characterized as relationship-seekers.
So… is your organization still on the 20th century treadmill? Or are you offering your 21st century constituents that which they seek? What are you doing to build relationships, create happy consumers and inspire philanthropy in a flat world?
Next post: More about getting outside of the cage. If you have thoughts on that, please feel free to add them here.
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