Becoming Networked Nonprofits:

What Nonprofit Leaders Need to Know to Succeed in Age of Connectedness

Beth Kanter, Author, Blogger, and Trainer Beth’s Blog

September 11, 2012

The 2012 Nonprofit Management Institute

Beth Kanter

Learning Objectives

Network Mindset

Maturity of Practice

Mindful Social Media

One action step

Stand Up

Is Your Nonprofit Using Online Social Networks for Social Change?

Photo by net_efekt

Stay standing if your organization is using networks and social media effectively and getting measurable results?

My nonprofit tech work begins ….

Photo by Steve Goodman 2007

2012

2012

Social Change is Increasingly Network-Centric

The connectedness of living in a networked, mobile world is part of our every day lives. These technologies are having a profound impact on the way nonprofits communicate with stakeholders, and deliver programs. It is also changing the way leaders lead nonprofits. Remember: Disruption can be both our friend

Share Pair: Over the past five years, how has connectedness impacted the way your organization

delivers programs, communicates with stakeholders, or does it work?

Modified illustration by David Armano The Micro-Sociology of Networks

With apologies to David Armano for hacking his visual! Source: The Micro-Sociology of Networks

NGO

Change from the Inside Out

With apologies to David Armano for hacking his visual! Source: The Micro-Sociology of Networks

Staff

Networked Nonprofits

A Network Mindset: A Leadership Style

• Openness, transparency, decentralized decision-making, and collective action.

• Listening and cultivating organizational and professional networks to achieve the impact

• Leadership through active participation. • Sharing control of decision-making • Communicating through a network model,

rather than a broadcast model

Leading With A Network Mindset: Shift From Push To Pull

SF Goodwill's CEO, Debbie Alvarez-Rodriguez

Leading With A Network Mindset

Leading With A Network Mindset

Understand, Feed, and Tune Your Networks

The Networked CEO

Open and accessible to the world and building relationships

Making interests, hobbies, passions visible creates authenticity

27

One CEO Tweet = 1,000 by Staff

Your Professional Network: Redundant Connections

InMap (http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com/)

Source: Meg Garlinghouse, LInkedIn

InMap (http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com/)

Be the Broker in the Structural Hole

Source: Meg Garlinghouse, LInkedIn

Tweets links related to organization’s mission and work as a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions.

Blending Network Strategy With Communications Strategy

From CEO to

CNO

SEEK SENSE SHARE Identified key blogs and online sites in issue area Scans and reads every morning and picks out best

Summarizes article in a tweet Writes for Huffington Post

Engages with aligned partners Presentations

Networking Is Dynamic Learning

Share Pair: Are you leading your nonprofit with a “Network Mindset”? What are the benefits?

What are the challenges?

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have

to keep moving forward.”

Inspiration

Crawl Walk Run Fly

Time Investment Link Social to Communications

Objective

Integrated Content Strategy

Integrated Multiple Channels

Culture Change Social Media Policy Engage Influencers and Partners

Network Building

Basics Small Pilots for Insights and Practice

Best Practices in Tactics Tangible Results

Reflection, Continually Improve Results

Becoming A Networked Nonprofit: Maturity of Practice Model

If you are crawling, what does it look like? What do you need to get to the next level? If you are walking, what does it look like? What do you need to get to the next level? If you are running, what does it look like? What do you need to get to the next level? If you are flying, what does it look like? How can you keep flying?

Four Corners of the Room CRAWL WALK

RUN FLY

Share Pair: Where is your organization in terms of the indicator for measurement? Crawl, Walk, Run,

or Fly …

Themes Categories Indicators INTERNAL CULTURE Networked Mindset

Institutional Support Communications Strategy

CAPACITY Hours Expertise Channels MEASUREMENT Analysis Tools Adjustment EXTERNAL LISTENING Brand Monitoring Relationship Mapping Influencer Research ENGAGEMENT Ladder of Engagement Responsiveness CONTENT Integration Social Optimization NETWORK Networking and Networking Building Collaboration with Partners

Social Fundraising IMPACT METRICS Reach Engagement Influence Thought Leadership

Results (Activity, Behavior Change, Financial)

Best Practices and Metrics Differ

for Crawl, Walk, Run,

Fly

Detailed Indicators, Metrics, and Practices

Denial

Fear

Confusion

Delight

Data Informed

Creating A Data Informed Culture: The

Five Stages of Measurement Acceptance

Denial

I don’t have the time to measure. It’s an art, not a science –

so why bother

Fear

What if my strategy or program doesn’t

show success?

Confusion I know I should measuring our social media and network, but not sure what or

how?

Delight Hey check out

these cool charts and graphics!

Data Informed

Successful networks and

social media start with measurement

Denial

Fear

Confusion

Delight

Data Informed

Where is your organization?

Data-Informed Not Data-Driven

What does a data informed culture look like in a

nonprofit?

It starts from the

top!

More time think about that the data, then collect it

Tear down those silos and walls

DoSomething.Org’s Fail Fest

Why did it fail? What did we learn? What insights can use next time around?

Crawl Walk Run Fly

Lacks consistent data collection

Data collection consistent but not

shared

Data from multiple sources

Org Wide KPIs

No reporting or synthesis

Data not linked to results, could be wrong

data

System and structure for data collection

Organizational Dashboard with

different views, sharing

Decisions based on gut Rarely makes decisions to improve

Discussed at staff meetings, decisions

made using it

Data visualization, reporting, formal reflection process

Becoming A Networked Nonprofit: Maturity of Practice Model - Measurement

Becoming Data-Informed: Change Is Easy

With Baby Steps

• Begin at the end – discuss and identify

results

• Curator of metrics

• Use experiments to help you evolve

• Get started with a small data collection

project that is high priority in your

organization

• Learn from your results

Becoming Data-Informed: Change Is Easy

With Baby Steps

• Begin at the end – discuss and identify

results

• Curator of metrics

• Use experiments to help you evolve

• Get started with a small data collection

project that is high priority in your

organization

• Learn from your results

Mindful Networking or

Mind Full Networking?

Photo by pruzicka

Managing Your Attention Online: Why Is It An Important Networking Skill?

A few quick assessment questions

Add up your

score: # of YES answers

Self-Knowledge Is The First Step

1. When you open email or do social media tasks, does it make you feel anxious? 2. When you are seeking information to curate, have you ever forgotten what it was in

the first place you wanted to accomplish? 3. Do you ever wish electronic information would just go away? 4. Do you experience frustration at the amount of electronic information you need to

process daily? 5. Do you sit at your computer for longer than 30 minutes at a time without getting

up to take a break? 6. Do you constantly check (even in the bathroom on your mobile phone) your email,

Twitter or other online service? 7. Is the only time you're off line is when you are sleeping? 8. Do you feel that you often cannot concentrate? 9. Do you get anxious if you are offline for more than a few hours? 10.Do you find yourself easily distracted by online resources that allow you to avoid

other, pending work?

Self-Knowledge Is The First Step

0…1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10 Source: Lulumonathletica

Mindful Online………………………………………………………..Need Help Now

What’s Your Attention Focusing Score?

• Understand your goals and priorities and ask yourself at regular intervals whether your current activity serves your higher priority.

• Notice when your attention has

wandered, and then gently bringing it back to focus on your highest priority

• Sometimes in order to learn or deepen

relationships -- exploring from link to link is permissible – and important. Don’t make attention training so rigid that it destroys flow.

Source: Howard Rheingold NetSmart

What does it mean to manage your attention while your curate or other social media tasks?

What are some techniques that you can use to help you or staff stay focused while networking online or managing your staff?

Manage Your Attention, Not Just Your Time Visualize on Paper Establish Rituals Reflection Manage Electronic Distractions Manage Physical Space Just Say No

A Few Tips

Source: Bandragirl: http://bandragirl.tumblr.com/

To establish new attention habits, start small, find a place in your routine for new behavior and repeat until paying attention has become a habit.

Share Pair: What one small change will you try?

Flickr Photo by John K

One Minute of Silence: What is one idea that you can you into practice next week? Write on an index card with your email address,

win my next book!

Thank you!

www.bethkanter.org www.facebook.com/beth.kanter.blog @kanter on Twitter