November 09, 2009
Five Trends Help to Create "Nonprofits of the Future," Report Says
By Caroline Preston
The nonprofit field isn’t going to simply bounce back a few years from now to the state it was in before the recession. That’s the message behind a new report by La Piana Consulting, which explores five trends that are hastening the emergence of a new nonprofit landscape.
Those trends are:
Shifting demographics. With new generations making up a growing share of the work force, charities must learn to share leadership with younger workers, the report says.
Technological advances. Social-media technologies provide charities the opportunity to gain greater exposure, but they also require groups to be comfortable giving more people within their organization a chance to speak out.
New ways to collaborate. With the advent of new technologies, organizations can just as easily work with an individual located across the world as they can through traditional coalitions and alliances, according to the report.
Greater interest in service. Last year’s presidential election spurred interest in volunteerism, but nonprofit groups need to keep in mind that people have many different reasons for volunteering and ought to tailor their opportunities to individuals’ interests.
Blurred lines between nonprofit and for-profit. Greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility and the emergence of businesses whose primary aim is to do good are challenging the nonprofit field’s traditional identity but are also creating opportunities for new partnerships and collaboration, says the report.
The report, which was paid for by the James Irvine Foundation and the Fieldstone Alliance, examines what nonprofit groups can do to thrive in this new reality.
“Nonprofits of the future” need skilled leaders who are ready to abandon overtly hierarchical styles of management and include more people in decision making, says the report, which was based on interviews with people involved with nonprofit work and an examination of existing literature.
Donors can assist charities by providing more flexible support that encourages groups to experiment and reduces their fear of failure.
Read the report, Convergence: How Five Trends Will Reshape the Social Sector.
Comments
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Here are two practical recommendations for ways to gain some practical experience in multi-generational workplaces, as well as provide professional development opportunities for non-profit professionals:
Encourage all staff members to serve on the board of directors of a non-profit that is not in competition with the employing non-profit.
And this means that if the other non-profit has a board meeting Tuesday at noon, the staff member is excused to go to the board meeting. This would provide a staff development opportunity and strengthen the sector by having more people who actually understand non-profits, contributing in the board room.
This recommendation about encouraging non-profit professionals to serve on non-profit boards addresses two issues that the sector has identified as major concerns:
1) Professional development of nonprofit staff, and serving on a board helps in this arena.
2) In many cases, board service will also be an exercise in working across generations, as Frances Kunreuther says in the report How Five Trends Will Reshape the Social Sector – “how will it change the structure of your organization, including boards? (p9 in the report).
Regards,
Bill Huddleston
www.cfcfundraising.com
www.cfctreasures.wordpress.com
— Bill Huddleston Nov 9, 04:20 PM #
Interesting report. A nice quick summary and historical snapshot of past decade of trends in nonprofit sector and literature. Thanks. Alice Korngold
— Alice Korngold Nov 9, 09:55 PM #
Outstanding.
— Steve Jennings Nov 11, 08:43 AM #
This is a really interesting post thank you!
It’s different from many I’ve seen and more honest actually. I really want to raise awarness for Madeleine McCann and it’s very good to see tips like this!
Thank You God Bless
Oh And Anyone With Twitter, Follow Me!:
www.twitter.com/PrayMaddyMcCann
— http://twitter.com/PrayMaddyMcCann Nov 11, 09:49 PM #
Interesting report. If you are interested in following nonprofit and social service trends you can visit this website: www.alliancetrends.org
— Liz Caldwell Nov 13, 04:55 PM #
I look forward to reading the report and seeing if they have tackled the two biggest shifts of all: the explosion of international wealth & philanthropy and the rapid diversification of the philanthropic marketplace in the US.
— Jay Frost Nov 16, 02:05 PM #