What 5 trends will converge to shape nonprofits, NGOs, and the entire 3rd sector?

From LinkedIn by Karen E. Lund

Thanks for posting this--it looks interesting and I downloaded the report to read later, in what I laughingly call my spare time. That is, after I finish writing the paper for Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship class I'm taking, which I believe falls under the fifth trend.

BTW, this is the second or third time I've seen a reference to something on Nonprofit Local.... Another thing to add to the "to do after the paper" list!

From LinkedIn by Mike Atchison:

Thanks, Jan. I don't dismiss the importance of the report; I merely caution that its emphasis on future technological changes as part of its solution to the needs of nonprofits is and will be limited to a narrow part of the nonprofit world. The term "nonprofit" itself is overly broad. In Houston, for example, there are more than 1,000 nonprofits listed within a ten mile radius of any postal code. I would have liked for the monograph to more carefully delineate the types of nonprofits the analysis would apply to -- because the author obviously had certain types in mind.

From LinkedIn by Jan A Beeton:

Whilst I think Mike has good points to make, I think virtual everything has huge value for the future- it depends what you need to do. I can get food to someone half way across the world virtually these days, customer care is a key area being done very well virtually........ and so on. There are some functions that will never lend themselves to virtual I imagine but they are few. Shops are also very much virtual these days...... hence shopping baskets and on-line payment systems. Paperwork and reporting can be done via portals.

I don't think we should dismiss the importance of this report- it opens minds to new possiblities and we should hail it as such...... NPOs will change and are changing because of social media -long live change! It takes away barriers of all sorts that we have lived with until now.

From LinkedIn By Mike Atchison:

...Further to this discourse: A big problem with discussing nonprofits - such as in this monograph - is that the term 'nonprofits' lumps too many diverse organizations under one umbrella. They don't all fit: Churches, social agencies, the arts, international organizations, learning centers, etc. are all different in their purposes, funding sources and level of management. Some of my clients exist on government grants, and I ran across an interesting line on a federal agency's website describing their grant giving: "We are more interested in accurate reporting than in what you achieve." The reason the nonprofit hired me was that their people had been more interested in what they achieved than in setting up an accurate reporting protocol and they were about to lose a major grant.

Virtual volunteerism won't work for most nonprofits. Someone has to meet and take care of the clients, keep the food shelves full or man the resale shop -- to make a simplistic point. Grant givers who cover wages want time sheets physically signed, not electronically, and they want to see lots of paperwork backing up an agency's work in spending their grant money. This is reality for most social service agencies.

Altruism is a big part of why people work for nonprofits -- the pay is typically 20 percent lower than what they could earn in the corporate world. This means that many if not most nonprofits wind up with a mixture of young people who are just entering the workforce and older people (like me) who do it because they love it and can afford it.

I agree with most of the conclusions in the monograph, but also realize they are aimed at a narrow part of the nonprofit world.

Phyllis - We'd love some exposure. Nonprofit Local is a new beta website and our commitment is to bringing as much helpful information to as many people in the sector as we can. Membership is free and we provide aggregated daily news, tips, and more. I'll add your blog to our news feed, too.

Mike - Your comments are heartfelt. In my consulting work ( http://www.fullglassconsulting.com ), I focus primarily on nonprofits/NGOs that are going through really difficult transitions. Unfortunately for the sector, I have plenty of work right now. The nonprofits that are struggling the most are often those who haven't been looking at trends and planning for the future, but that have instead been acting solely as fiduciary's and just basically "monitoring" staff, financials and compliance. One of the questions is really how do we get Board members and staff members engaged at this more fundamental "shared governance" level that truly means guiding and steering the organizations. I've already forwarded this to everyone I know (and many that I don't) to try and get good information in their hands. Let's hope that starting with knowledge will eventually lead to changes in skills and behaviors, and ultimately more strongly governed orgs and healthier organizations.

Jan- I love your mentoring example!

Jan and Robin - I really do think that not only are sector lines blurring, but so are geographic boundaries as we become a flatter world. My sense is that much of this report is global in its wisdom. Isn't that great?

Glad you've found this helpful.

Warmly,
Laura

Laura Deaton | Nonprofit Local | www.nonprofitlocal.com | email : laura@nonprofitlocal.com | Phone 888-387-5558, ext. 1 |Twitter:@nplocal

From Robin Brady on LinkedIn:

Thanks Laura. This report has resonance in the UK too. I have already seen evidence of all five factors in my work. I do agree with Mike that more non-profits should take a proactive approach to planning for the future.

From Jan Beeton on LinkedIn:

Good Day!

Yes, I would like to thank you also for publicising the report. It is so very useful to us here in South Africa too. I was particularly interested by the comments on the likely future of volunteerism (virtual volunteerism) and the convergence or blurring of the lines between corporates and NPOs in the areas of profit making and social capital formation.

I am already into virtual volunteerism- you may be interested to know that I mentor a young woman in Sweden by email and Skype concerning her NPO work in Kenya with rural women. I am based in South Africa and we have never met.

Very best wishes

Jan Beeton
QED Development Consulting
www.qed-developmentconsulting.co.za

From Mike Atchison on LinkedIn:

Thanks, Laura, for publishing the report. I believe all five of the identified factors will be outside influences on nonprofits. Having said that, I find that the nonprofits I work with are almost all in the "reactive" mode rather than "proactive" mode. The report, I believe, presupposes that many if not most nonprofits should be proactive in anticipating these trends. My experience has been that boards by nature do not look ahead, instead focusing on budgets and what's happening now. Although this is essential, I believe someone should be planning one to two years in the future, and helping their nonprofit leaders develop plans for growth and/or change to meet the corresponding needs.
Corporate management is expected to do this as part of their jobs, and I believe nonprofit management/boards should do the same thing.

From Phillis Freedman on LinkedIn:

Thanks so much for posting this. It's a really useful document. I write a blog ( http://plannedgivingblogger.wordpress.com ) and I plan to write a post (or maybe two) about this report. Will it be ok with you if I give you and your organization credit for bringing this report to my attention?
Phyllis