Source: Robotson on Flickr
I don't know about you, but I am a big fan of open standards,
particularly when my bladder Direct Messages me with the hashtag
#urgent. Open standards (see picture above) guide me to a place where I
can @reply in a hurry.
In the non-profit technology community, open standards of a different
variety could help us all become more effective at what we urgently
need to do: raise money, recruit and coordinate volunteers, promote
events, create profiles on social networks, generate reports for
grant-makers, and the list goes on.
In June, I hosted a discussion about Collaboration and Competition on Social Edge in which the topic of open standards for the nonprofit sector was raised.
In response to a comment from David Wolff, I wrote:
"When a sector comes together to create a standard, anything from the
diameter of a bottle cap to protocols for mobile devices, businesses
and consumers in the sector benefit. Businesses reduce their costs
because manufacturers don't have to build custom factories / product
lines each time they sign a contract. Consumers also benefit. Anyone
who has fastened a Pepsi cap onto a Coco-Cola bottle and then ridden
their bike home knows what I'm talking about ... Sometimes
collaborating in one area raises the bar of competition in another.
Chris Messina recently made this point at the NetSquared conference as
it relates to open standards for managing one's identity online, '...
[Social networks] should compete on the quality of the service that
they're providing, as opposed to just their lock in.' Have a look at
this interview, Building a Ubiquitous Social Network - Interview With Chris Messina for more information."
Jo Davidson then replied:
"I agree with you Peter, a single universal standard would be the best
way to work collaboration into competition, setting everyone up on a
level playing field to bloom and grow."
I replied to Jo:
"The beauty of widespread adoption of universal standards in the social
sector is that they could be used to both compete better _and_
collaborate better, depending on one's personal preference. I envision
the adoption of open standards for nonprofits and philanthropy leading
to dramatic and meaningful collaborations that can form on the fly.
Rather than bringing the boards of multiple organizations together to
have conversations about sharing data and knowledge, the data would
already be exposed and already be interchangeable. The collaboration
question becomes when and how, instead of if. Coming up with the
standard, to ensure that it reflects as much nuances in the form of the
data and knowledge is difficult. But the process absolutely can and
should be done, across the social sector and in business as well. ...
Open data is a powerful force that can drive both collaboration and
innovation. But a collaborative and innovative mindset is critical to
ensuring that the open data that emerges is rich and reflects the best
interests of everyone involved."
Where to go from here
The nonprofit technology community is filled with many bright minds and
innovative thinkers. For better or worse, this passion often gets
channeled toward one-off projects that benefit a single organization or
a coalition of organizations.
I would like to see the brightest minds and most innovative thinkers in
the social sector come together to create open standards that lift all
organizations making use of the social web. The open standards that I'd
like to see developed and adopted would help social benefit
organizations seamlessly publish rich information about their donation
opportunities in a structured format, helping major grant-makers and
citizen philanthropists make smarter choices about their giving. I'd
also like to see open standards developed and adopted that help
organizations publish rich information about their volunteer
opportunities and the events they are hosting, helping individuals
connect with service opportunities and events effortlessly. Finally,
I'd like to see open standards developed and adopted that help
nonprofits fill out their social media profile once and have it
syndicated everywhere and anywhere on the fly.
From a technological perspective, these are modest goals. Where they
become difficult to achieve is at the level of organizational culture,
grant-making priorities, and leadership. I understand fully that this
conversation has been launched on many occasions over the years. I'm
hoping that in 2009, we can overcome cultural, funding, and leadership
barriers to create a non-profit sector that charts its own course
toward open standards, open data and collaborative innovation.
If you are interested in participating in the open standards and open
data conversation, please leave a comment on this blog post.
The next time your nonprofit's stakeholders collectively Direct Message
you with the hashtag #urgent, you'll be able to @reply with a simple
message: Open standards and open data are helping you respond quickly
and effectively.
Peter is a blogger, social media consultant, and the founder of Social Actions -- a website that helps people find and share opportunities to make a difference.
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