With all the terrific donation aggregation sites out there like Global Giving and DonorsChoose, or the micro lending leader, Kiva, (all of whom I donate or lend to regularly) it's hard to think of an innovation to this model that would make you stop and say...."That's awesome!"
Unless, of course, it's the Awesome Foundation.
The basic idea is that 10 people (the trustees) get together to donate $100 per month and make monthly $1,000 grants for an awesome idea. 100% volunteer run, the idea is spreading fast. Started in Boston, the foundation currently has 27 chapters in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany and Switzerland.
You can fill out an application to start a local chapter online. If you're a charity or individual, you can apply for a grant as well.
How cool is all of this? More than cool: Awesome.
Showing posts with label innovation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label innovation. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Social Entrepreneurs 5.0
As long time readers know, the term "Social Entrepreneur" has morphed repeatedly over the past 15 years. At first, it was about the then odd idea of a nonprofit manager acting in a businesslike manner. Then, some of these managers started outside businesses; thus a second definition. In fact, my 2000 book Social Entrepreneurship: The Art of Mission-Based Venture Development, was about both of these uses of the term. In the book, I defined a social entrepreneur as "someone who takes reasonable risk on behalf of the people their organization serves."
Since that time, social entrepreneurs have been defined as investors who only invest in "good" businesses (those that don't abuse workers, for example) or businesses whose product benefits society. I've even heard pharmecutical representatives say that, since they make medicine and give away some of their product, they are social entrepreneurs. That seems a stretch to me, but whatever.
When I was teaching nonprofit management at the Kellogg School of Management, most of the students were very, very interested in making sure their business had social impact in some form. Kellogg's students are still in that frame of mind, but not unique-it's true at nearly all business schools today-and these graduates are increasingly pushing their businesses to help in some tangible manner. That's good, but....there's an even more interesting and potential-filled model
The definition of social enterprise I'm most excited about is what I would call version 5.0, the melding of the business and social benefit. Three good examples of this model are:
Toms Shoes: Buy a pair of shoes and a child in need gets a pair.
Two Degrees Bars: For every healthy food bar you buy, an aid organization gets a food pack for a child who is starving.
Sleeve Candy: Started by four Kellogg students, who linked up with the Salvation Army, Sleeve Candy retrieves, catalogs and sells vintage T-shirts, and 30% of the revenue goes back to the Salvation Army.
The best news? Investors are REALLY interested and have capitalized firms with this model repeatedly. They see the appeal of linking profitable business with meeting social needs.
Is it the answer to all the world's ills? No. Will businesses like this replace government in aiding the world? No. Does this foretell the end of the need for nonprofits? Not at all.
But with so many needs in so many places staying unmet, I'm on board with any idea that helps more than it hurts, and this model seems to have huge potential.
Finally--if there's still someone on your gift list for the holidays....think about patronizing these organizations or others you may know of that are using this model.
Since that time, social entrepreneurs have been defined as investors who only invest in "good" businesses (those that don't abuse workers, for example) or businesses whose product benefits society. I've even heard pharmecutical representatives say that, since they make medicine and give away some of their product, they are social entrepreneurs. That seems a stretch to me, but whatever.
When I was teaching nonprofit management at the Kellogg School of Management, most of the students were very, very interested in making sure their business had social impact in some form. Kellogg's students are still in that frame of mind, but not unique-it's true at nearly all business schools today-and these graduates are increasingly pushing their businesses to help in some tangible manner. That's good, but....there's an even more interesting and potential-filled model
The definition of social enterprise I'm most excited about is what I would call version 5.0, the melding of the business and social benefit. Three good examples of this model are:
Toms Shoes: Buy a pair of shoes and a child in need gets a pair.
Two Degrees Bars: For every healthy food bar you buy, an aid organization gets a food pack for a child who is starving.
Sleeve Candy: Started by four Kellogg students, who linked up with the Salvation Army, Sleeve Candy retrieves, catalogs and sells vintage T-shirts, and 30% of the revenue goes back to the Salvation Army.
The best news? Investors are REALLY interested and have capitalized firms with this model repeatedly. They see the appeal of linking profitable business with meeting social needs.
Is it the answer to all the world's ills? No. Will businesses like this replace government in aiding the world? No. Does this foretell the end of the need for nonprofits? Not at all.
But with so many needs in so many places staying unmet, I'm on board with any idea that helps more than it hurts, and this model seems to have huge potential.
Finally--if there's still someone on your gift list for the holidays....think about patronizing these organizations or others you may know of that are using this model.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Going to Scale, Part 2
(Note: This post comes directly from my new book Smart Stewardship for Nonprofits: Making the Right Decision in Good Times and Bad, to be released in February 2012 by John Wiley and Sons. You can pre-order at Amazon by clicking on the link above.)
Models for Scaling
In the first post on scaling, we looked at whether or not your service could be duplicated. There are other questions as well:
How much time, talent, and treasure do you want to invest?
What's a reasonable (read, safe) growth curve?
Can I develop a model that people can follow?
Lots of complex issues to decide. But if you choose to proceed, what options do you have? What have other nonprofits done? How have they done it? What are the models, methods and structures they’ve used? There are many options but only really two questions to answer.
The first question might surprise you: How much control do you want of the scaling? Does your board (or management team) feel that tight control is essential to see that the mission is done properly? That’s fine, but costs more money, time, effort and liability. Or, can you give up some control and put the idea in the hands of others? If so, less time, money and oversight are needed. Or, is your need for control somewhere in between? The choice of level of control comes first. That’s the strategic issue.
The second decision is more tactical. What mechanism will you use to scale?
Are you planning on opening more offices under your current 501(c)(3)?. That would result in complete control; control of staff, budget, office location, decor, branding, etc.
A bit less control would come from a subsidiary model, where you open or take over another local 501(c)(3) in a remote community. There could be a local board overseeing a local staff. Perhaps the local gets budget approval from your organization, perhaps not. Perhaps your board has representation on the subsidiary board, perhaps not.
A third option would be for you to brand and deliver; developing a how-to guide on a website, but to copyright the idea and trademark the brand. This might bring you some funds, but more importantly it would give you some control of the way the idea is used in other communities. You could set standards to go along with use of the brand name, offer on-site consulting, etc.
The least control comes from simply floating the idea, with your experience and a set of suggested processes. I call this the open source option, named after the very common software model, where programmers develop code, either in snippits, or in complete programs, and then put them online for others to use and/or improve. Nonprofits already do this for things like policies and procedures, and websites such as IdeaEncore.com have led the way in facilitating the free exchange of documents. In your case, you would not just share a document, but an entire service concept.
Just remember that once a programmer posts open source code online, anyone is free to use it and, more importantly, to modify it. The original programmer loses control, and so would your nonprofit.
(Note: This post comes directly from my new book Smart Stewardship for Nonprofits: Making the Right Decision in Good Times and Bad, to be released in February 2012 by John Wiley and Sons. You can pre-order at Amazon by clicking on the link above.)
Models for Scaling
In the first post on scaling, we looked at whether or not your service could be duplicated. There are other questions as well:
How much time, talent, and treasure do you want to invest?
What's a reasonable (read, safe) growth curve?
Can I develop a model that people can follow?
Lots of complex issues to decide. But if you choose to proceed, what options do you have? What have other nonprofits done? How have they done it? What are the models, methods and structures they’ve used? There are many options but only really two questions to answer.
The first question might surprise you: How much control do you want of the scaling? Does your board (or management team) feel that tight control is essential to see that the mission is done properly? That’s fine, but costs more money, time, effort and liability. Or, can you give up some control and put the idea in the hands of others? If so, less time, money and oversight are needed. Or, is your need for control somewhere in between? The choice of level of control comes first. That’s the strategic issue.
The second decision is more tactical. What mechanism will you use to scale?
Are you planning on opening more offices under your current 501(c)(3)?. That would result in complete control; control of staff, budget, office location, decor, branding, etc.
A bit less control would come from a subsidiary model, where you open or take over another local 501(c)(3) in a remote community. There could be a local board overseeing a local staff. Perhaps the local gets budget approval from your organization, perhaps not. Perhaps your board has representation on the subsidiary board, perhaps not.
A third option would be for you to brand and deliver; developing a how-to guide on a website, but to copyright the idea and trademark the brand. This might bring you some funds, but more importantly it would give you some control of the way the idea is used in other communities. You could set standards to go along with use of the brand name, offer on-site consulting, etc.
The least control comes from simply floating the idea, with your experience and a set of suggested processes. I call this the open source option, named after the very common software model, where programmers develop code, either in snippits, or in complete programs, and then put them online for others to use and/or improve. Nonprofits already do this for things like policies and procedures, and websites such as IdeaEncore.com have led the way in facilitating the free exchange of documents. In your case, you would not just share a document, but an entire service concept.
Just remember that once a programmer posts open source code online, anyone is free to use it and, more importantly, to modify it. The original programmer loses control, and so would your nonprofit.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Been gone, but don't miss this
I've been missing in action for a few months, and I apologize and appreciate those of you who have contacted me making sure I'm OK. Here's what's been going on....
1. I just finished up a new book that will be released in February. It's titled Smart Stewardship for Nonprofits: Making the Right Decision in Good Times and Bad. You can click on the link to see the Amazon pre-order page.
2. I had a busy family summer with a second wedding in a year; literally our two son's weddings occurred within 12 months. Are there Irish Weddings? Both joyous occasions, but very time consuming.
3. I've been busy re-working a number of major documents for clients, which is good news, but in sum, all these things made me put the blog aside. I hope to be better.
So, first thing back, I wanted to alert you to (and strongly recommend attending) The Center For Leadership Innovation's 2012 National Summit in New Orleans. You can read more about it here. I've done work with TCLI for a number of years and they put together the most awesome learning experiences. It would be well worth your time to go.
1. I just finished up a new book that will be released in February. It's titled Smart Stewardship for Nonprofits: Making the Right Decision in Good Times and Bad. You can click on the link to see the Amazon pre-order page.
2. I had a busy family summer with a second wedding in a year; literally our two son's weddings occurred within 12 months. Are there Irish Weddings? Both joyous occasions, but very time consuming.
3. I've been busy re-working a number of major documents for clients, which is good news, but in sum, all these things made me put the blog aside. I hope to be better.
So, first thing back, I wanted to alert you to (and strongly recommend attending) The Center For Leadership Innovation's 2012 National Summit in New Orleans. You can read more about it here. I've done work with TCLI for a number of years and they put together the most awesome learning experiences. It would be well worth your time to go.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Keys to Smart Stewardship
I'm working on a new book tentatively titled: Smart Stewardship: Making the Best Decisions for Your Nonprofit. The book will contain some new ideas on innovation, growth, going to scale and a decision tree for both board and staff to use.
This month's Mission-Based Management Newsletter contains the first of two part series on the key elements of Smart Stewardship. In the next issue, I'll lay out my decision tree.
Take a look and feedback is welcome!
This month's Mission-Based Management Newsletter contains the first of two part series on the key elements of Smart Stewardship. In the next issue, I'll lay out my decision tree.
Take a look and feedback is welcome!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Junk food or no food?
Tough times always equal tough choices. For families, for businesses, for governments and for nonprofits. And therein lies today's discussion:
Trust me, I know every reader out there works or volunteers for a nonprofit that has a great and valuable mission. That said, I challenge any of you to say your mission is MORE mission rich (not equal, but MORE) than those organizations among us that feed the hungry.
Thus, there is extra poignancy in the piece posted January 13 on the NPR website entitled "Overburdened Foodbanks Can't Say No to Junk".
I'm sure you can guess the tradeoffs reported in the story. Junk food or no food. Or less food.
And, you can see in the interviews that the staff of the foodbanks are really working the problem, not simply accepting a downgrade in the nutrition level of the food they are handing out.
Good for them, and there is NO criticism implied here.
That said, this kind of dilemma faces nonprofit staff and boards everywhere in a recession. How much less quality can/should we do? When should we stop a service rather than do it less optimally than we would prefer? These are hard strategic and mission questions, and ones I wouldn't be surprised if most readers have faced. I can't tell you what the right level of service/quality is for your organization; only you and your board can make that decision.
But I do have a couple of suggestions on process.
First, well before you have to make very hard decisions, develop a decision tree/format/sequence that everyone has input into and then agrees on. Rely heavily on your mission and values in developing this decision tree. Next, practice using the decision tree with a couple of real world cases to see how it works. Finally, apply it to staff meetings, board sessions and larger strategy meetings.
If everyone is both aware of as well as on the same page regarding HOW decisions are made, they'll be more comfortable with all the outcomes. This is not to say they'll love the decisions: Sometimes the best decision is simply the least worst.
I'd put junk food in that category.
Trust me, I know every reader out there works or volunteers for a nonprofit that has a great and valuable mission. That said, I challenge any of you to say your mission is MORE mission rich (not equal, but MORE) than those organizations among us that feed the hungry.
Thus, there is extra poignancy in the piece posted January 13 on the NPR website entitled "Overburdened Foodbanks Can't Say No to Junk".
I'm sure you can guess the tradeoffs reported in the story. Junk food or no food. Or less food.
And, you can see in the interviews that the staff of the foodbanks are really working the problem, not simply accepting a downgrade in the nutrition level of the food they are handing out.
Good for them, and there is NO criticism implied here.
That said, this kind of dilemma faces nonprofit staff and boards everywhere in a recession. How much less quality can/should we do? When should we stop a service rather than do it less optimally than we would prefer? These are hard strategic and mission questions, and ones I wouldn't be surprised if most readers have faced. I can't tell you what the right level of service/quality is for your organization; only you and your board can make that decision.
But I do have a couple of suggestions on process.
First, well before you have to make very hard decisions, develop a decision tree/format/sequence that everyone has input into and then agrees on. Rely heavily on your mission and values in developing this decision tree. Next, practice using the decision tree with a couple of real world cases to see how it works. Finally, apply it to staff meetings, board sessions and larger strategy meetings.
If everyone is both aware of as well as on the same page regarding HOW decisions are made, they'll be more comfortable with all the outcomes. This is not to say they'll love the decisions: Sometimes the best decision is simply the least worst.
I'd put junk food in that category.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Updates and reflections
I've had a week, no, ten days now sitting most of the day with my laptop in my, well, lap. I had surgery on January 4 (new hip) and am doing really well, thank you very much.
The reason I'm telling you that is that I've had LOTS of time to do two long delayed jobs: updating my website links and content, and starting a new book on nonprofit decision-making. The updating has allowed me to reflect and be yet again awed by how many thousands of resources are available online for nonprofits. To any of you under forty, this statement probably results in a "Yeah, so?" But to anyone over 50 who can still remember the 80's or early 90's, you are probably saying "Yeah!" because of how much improvement there has been.
And this spills over into the new book. When my first book, Mission-Based Management, was being researched in 1992-3, I did a quick (well, nothing was quick then) search on Compuserve (remember Compuserve?) for "nonprofit management" and found three (3), THREE titles, one of which was an early edition of Bruce Hopkins' terrific books on nonprofit law. There was nothing for nonprofit marketers (some stuff on fund-raising, but not on marketing) nothing on technology, nothing (NOTHING!) on nonprofit boards.
And to access the few books or papers that were there, anyone interested had to find a Foundation Center outpost at a regional or University library. If you didn't live in a town with one of these collections, you were screwed. Oh, these Foundation Center collections were also where you went if you wanted any information on the funding interests of a particular Foundation. Think how hard it had to be just to startup a nonprofit. Go google the search string "How do I start a nonprofit" and see what happens? I could darn near start a nonprofit from my house while recovering from surgery.
But back to books: If you go to Amazon.com right now and just look at the first page of results from a search for books in the area of "nonprofit management" you'll see twelve (of the 4,265 total hits) books that are ALL awesome. How wonderful for the sector.
My point is not how hard we old folks had it in the past. Rather, it's to celebrate how far we've come. If there are people who feel that nonprofits should be better managed (and trust me, that's a huge improvement in itself from 1985) and publishers who think that material will sell, it's because there's a demand for that message from board, staff and funders.
That said, with all this excellent information out there in print and online, we're confronted with the sad fact that there are still only 24 hours in the day. We can't just sit at our computers and read, or in our offices and read, or go to webinars, or look at HowCast videos. We have organizations to run.
We have all this amazing information at our fingertips that can improve our nonprofit's mission-capability and not enough time to use it all.
So what to do? My suggestion for nonprofit leaders is to set an example as a life-long learning and tell your staff that you expect them to do the same thing. Delegate the search for good ideas online and in print to all your staff (yes, all) and have regular discussions about what's been learned. You can have a book club, sure; they're great. But you can also have "website" clubs, or online magazine clubs, or .pdf article clubs, or webinar clubs where you all experience (read, listen, watch) the same thing and then discuss how to utilize what you've learned to the benefit of the people your organization serves.
Happy learning!
The reason I'm telling you that is that I've had LOTS of time to do two long delayed jobs: updating my website links and content, and starting a new book on nonprofit decision-making. The updating has allowed me to reflect and be yet again awed by how many thousands of resources are available online for nonprofits. To any of you under forty, this statement probably results in a "Yeah, so?" But to anyone over 50 who can still remember the 80's or early 90's, you are probably saying "Yeah!" because of how much improvement there has been.
And this spills over into the new book. When my first book, Mission-Based Management, was being researched in 1992-3, I did a quick (well, nothing was quick then) search on Compuserve (remember Compuserve?) for "nonprofit management" and found three (3), THREE titles, one of which was an early edition of Bruce Hopkins' terrific books on nonprofit law. There was nothing for nonprofit marketers (some stuff on fund-raising, but not on marketing) nothing on technology, nothing (NOTHING!) on nonprofit boards.
And to access the few books or papers that were there, anyone interested had to find a Foundation Center outpost at a regional or University library. If you didn't live in a town with one of these collections, you were screwed. Oh, these Foundation Center collections were also where you went if you wanted any information on the funding interests of a particular Foundation. Think how hard it had to be just to startup a nonprofit. Go google the search string "How do I start a nonprofit" and see what happens? I could darn near start a nonprofit from my house while recovering from surgery.
But back to books: If you go to Amazon.com right now and just look at the first page of results from a search for books in the area of "nonprofit management" you'll see twelve (of the 4,265 total hits) books that are ALL awesome. How wonderful for the sector.
My point is not how hard we old folks had it in the past. Rather, it's to celebrate how far we've come. If there are people who feel that nonprofits should be better managed (and trust me, that's a huge improvement in itself from 1985) and publishers who think that material will sell, it's because there's a demand for that message from board, staff and funders.
That said, with all this excellent information out there in print and online, we're confronted with the sad fact that there are still only 24 hours in the day. We can't just sit at our computers and read, or in our offices and read, or go to webinars, or look at HowCast videos. We have organizations to run.
We have all this amazing information at our fingertips that can improve our nonprofit's mission-capability and not enough time to use it all.
So what to do? My suggestion for nonprofit leaders is to set an example as a life-long learning and tell your staff that you expect them to do the same thing. Delegate the search for good ideas online and in print to all your staff (yes, all) and have regular discussions about what's been learned. You can have a book club, sure; they're great. But you can also have "website" clubs, or online magazine clubs, or .pdf article clubs, or webinar clubs where you all experience (read, listen, watch) the same thing and then discuss how to utilize what you've learned to the benefit of the people your organization serves.
Happy learning!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Many hands, light work
Most of us donate some of our time, talent and/or treasure to nonprofits.
In the treasure department, I'm all about aggregators for charity donations. Whether loans through Kiva, or direct donations through groups like DonorsChoose, or GlobalGiving, a group of us can help an individual or small group by each pitching in a few dollars. There are dozens of other sites like these, some that get a worthy social enterprise going, or a highly creative idea, like KickStarter.
So, we have a way to micro target our donations of money, but what about our time and talent? I can volunteer on a ton of websites, but that usually means the standard volunteer positions that take up a lot of time and require a longer commitment. What if I just have a little bit of time, or am interested in solving a vexing problem for a nonprofit?
Enter Sparked, a cool and growing solution for just this problem. Not only can your nonprofit post needs, or individuals (or small groups) provide help, but Sparked also encourages and facilitates small business and large corporations to facilitate volunteering through the site.
Very cool...check it out.
In the treasure department, I'm all about aggregators for charity donations. Whether loans through Kiva, or direct donations through groups like DonorsChoose, or GlobalGiving, a group of us can help an individual or small group by each pitching in a few dollars. There are dozens of other sites like these, some that get a worthy social enterprise going, or a highly creative idea, like KickStarter.
So, we have a way to micro target our donations of money, but what about our time and talent? I can volunteer on a ton of websites, but that usually means the standard volunteer positions that take up a lot of time and require a longer commitment. What if I just have a little bit of time, or am interested in solving a vexing problem for a nonprofit?
Enter Sparked, a cool and growing solution for just this problem. Not only can your nonprofit post needs, or individuals (or small groups) provide help, but Sparked also encourages and facilitates small business and large corporations to facilitate volunteering through the site.
Very cool...check it out.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Innovation, Part 2
Earlier in the month, I neglected to post that the April edition of the Mission-Based Management Newsletter is up. This month, the newsletter covers the second part of a two-part series on Nonprofit Innovation.
Check it out, and remember to scroll down to see the topics of past newsletters over the years.
If you think you or your nonprofit could benefit from reading regularly, subscription is easy and free.
Check it out, and remember to scroll down to see the topics of past newsletters over the years.
If you think you or your nonprofit could benefit from reading regularly, subscription is easy and free.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Nonprofit Innovation, Part 1
The February issue of the Mission-Based Management Newsletter is (finally) online. This month's topic is "Nonprofit Innovation, Part 1". Check it out when you get a chance.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Awesome Day in Trinidad
I've just finished an amazing day with the WorkAbility Americas conference in Trinidad, speaking this morning on innovation and social enterprise, but more important, listening this afternoon to a group of Western Hemisphere nonprofits who provide jobs to people with disabilities.
Always fascinating to see how people do great work in environments that make life in the US seem a breeze.
Much fun, and very, very energizing.
Always fascinating to see how people do great work in environments that make life in the US seem a breeze.
Much fun, and very, very energizing.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Nonprofit Innovation
I'm involved with a very cool project on nonprofit innovation through the Kellogg Action Lab. I'll be posting in the coming months on what our work produces so that as many people as possible can share and benefit from it.
Our rules are pretty straightforward. First, we want to build a set of innovation engines that are replicable, scalable and usable in a variety of environments.
Second, none of the ideas (or innovation engines) that come through our project will need attribution--they will be open source and free to everyone.
Third, we're going to use the best in crowdsourcing to generate more innovation. This, to us, means at the local organization, community and national level.
Fourth, we don't care where the ideas come from: from the nonprofit world, the business community, students, private citizens. It doesn't matter.
The problems nonprofits face are hard ones to solve, so we need as many neurons as possible on the job to come up with new ideas and new approaches.
In related information, take a look at this article from on Lessons from Nonprofits on Innovation, then spend some time reading this article on crowdsourcing high end solutions from Wired. The first makes me happy to see someone acknowledge the innovation in our field, and has some good rules for all of us to follow. The second is flat awesome, with LOTS of lessons on the wisdom of crowds.
Expect more on innovation here soon, and often.
Our rules are pretty straightforward. First, we want to build a set of innovation engines that are replicable, scalable and usable in a variety of environments.
Second, none of the ideas (or innovation engines) that come through our project will need attribution--they will be open source and free to everyone.
Third, we're going to use the best in crowdsourcing to generate more innovation. This, to us, means at the local organization, community and national level.
Fourth, we don't care where the ideas come from: from the nonprofit world, the business community, students, private citizens. It doesn't matter.
The problems nonprofits face are hard ones to solve, so we need as many neurons as possible on the job to come up with new ideas and new approaches.
In related information, take a look at this article from on Lessons from Nonprofits on Innovation, then spend some time reading this article on crowdsourcing high end solutions from Wired. The first makes me happy to see someone acknowledge the innovation in our field, and has some good rules for all of us to follow. The second is flat awesome, with LOTS of lessons on the wisdom of crowds.
Expect more on innovation here soon, and often.
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