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Current News

Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power

Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power (cover page for 157 page PDF) is the report of a U.K. government agency charged with identifying means of pushing power down to the community level. It's recommendations - intended for both government and citizens - are framed in terms of U.K. structures, but are applicable to the U.S. and other countries as well. For example, the idea that there could (and should) be an "obligation to respond" to petitions by the government entities at which their directed, could move petitions from being a list-building tool used by fundraising organizations to a legitimate form of public input. Posted: 7/21/08; 5:11:37 PM #

Invoking the Memory of Mandela the Freedom Fighter

Leadership and its recognition are critical elements of civil society and social change. There are two related ways in which mainstream media and culture treat leaders that disappoint and concern me. The first is the way in which robber barons who, in their later years, turn some of their attention to civil society, are accorded enormously more recognition than those who have devoted their lives to it. The second is the way in which truly world-changing leaders are accorded positive attention only after they have in some way accommodated traditional ruling interests. In her article on Invoking the Memory of Mandela the Freedom Fighter, Fazila Farouk honors the great man, as he was before he was accorded the respect of mainstream culture. I invite you to read this and then turn your attention to honoring those who are doing now what Mandela did then. Posted: 7/21/08; 5:05:12 PM #

10 Tips for Naming Your Company, Product, or Service

Although I get a little frustrated with Biznik's cliched promotional copy, with references to the "secrets" of this or that, they are nevertheless slowly becoming a good source of content for small scale entrepreneurs. Christopher Johnson's recent advice on 10 Tips for Naming Your Company, Product, or Service is entirely applicable to nonprofit circumstances. In short, his ten tips are: (1) Quantity and diversity yield quality. (2) Selection is as important as creation. (3) Try different types of name. (4) Use collective intelligence. (5) Use linguistic resources. (6) Do exercises to explore connections to relevant concepts. (7) Pictures are important, even when you’re just thinking of words. (8) To avoid embarrassment in other languages, ask the experts. (9) Forget etymology. (10) Know when to let go. Posted: 7/21/08; 4:27:50 PM #

Boards of All-Volunteer Organizations

Jan Masaoka's latest Blue Avocado article is on the topic of Boards of All-Volunteer Organizations. I've been involved in a number of these myself, as I suspect have many of you. I've also endured the challenge of trying to shepherd such organizations into being staffed, when the opportunity for dramatic growth has presented itself. No easy task. The "family feel" of all-volunteer organizations is both a great asset and a serious burden. As usual, Jan has realistic advice to offer. Posted: 7/21/08; 4:21:56 PM #

Online Social Networks Are Not Mailing Lists
	I'm teaching a workshop next week about online social networks and have been fascinated by the way in which many nonprofits treat them as just another distribution channel. I think this is a recipe for failure. In my short article entitled Online Social Networks Are Not Mailing Lists I explain why I think this is true. Posted: 7/17/08; 7:11:34 PM #

The "Are You Listening?" Quick Guide Now Available in Practical Hard Copy

As we've invested our efforts in scaling up our seminar catalog, we haven't made a lot of changes to our available publications. That will start changing soon. First, we're going to continue to roll out our existing publications in hard copy form, especially where such a form is very practical, as with our hands-on Quick Guides. I've become more and more convinced that scaling up listening is the key to nonprofit success online, and so I'm happy to announce that, in addition to the existing PDF, the "Are You Listening?" Quick Guide is now available in paperback. Posted: 7/16/08; 4:04:40 PM #

A Theory of Social Change and Implications for Practice, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

Much has been made in recent years about the notion of "theories of change" in the context of strategic planning and evaluation. I thoroughly approve of this trend. But unfortunately, many so-called theories of change - that I read in plans or proposals - are quick and dirty causal models that often lack a larger theoretical context. The larger context really matters and that thrown together model hides deep assumptions that would be better off revealed. You can help reveal them by reading Doug Reeler's A Theory of Social Change and Implications for Practice, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (35 page PDF). He examines three different views on how change happens: the Emergent Change model, which sees change as a result of day-to-day patterns of unfolding; the Transformative Change model, in which change comes about as a result of crisis and unlearning; and the Projectable Change model, in which change is a result of plans. His key contribution is his look at the relationships between these models and how they affect leadership, our ability to read change, planning & evaluation, and donor practice. Posted: 7/15/08; 10:08:56 AM #