Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

An Interview with Rebecca Corliss: A Millenial Who Wants to Change the World

Rebecca Corliss

Today, I attended the New Marketing Summit and I was struck by a panel called "Millenial Marketing Moves" that featured four millenials talking about how to market to this segment.  Rebecca Corliss, a marketing consultant, told everyone, "I want to change the world," shared a story about how she used social media to raise over $20,000 for Jane Doe, Inc, domestic violence victims - for Social Media for Social Change.  After the session, I got an opportunity to do an interview with her.

1.  Tell me about you?

I graduated from Boston University in May where I majored in Public Relations.   I am now just discovering what it is like not to have to go to school.   I am working as a consultant and I'm also doing work with Social Media for Social Change, a new nonprofit.

2.  Tell me the story of how the organization was started

Gradon Tripp is the founder and is Boston-area blogger who very active in the Boston social media scene.  I know him from tweetups.  He wanted to have a tweetup to raise money for domestic violence victims, for an organization called Jane Doe.  His mother was a victim of domestic violence.  He wanted to do his part.   He initially thought of it as a single event, a tweetup.  He purchased the domain and started a blog.  After he started talking about it, he got people who wanted to help.  That's when I got involved.  Ultimately, it got bigger than a one-time event.

I got involved because Gradon is a friend of mine.  I thought it was fun.   It is a feeling that I can make a difference.   Be part of an exciting project that is really great.  We're going to have our event in New York City.  It's exciting.  It's rewarding.

3.  How should nonprofit to try engage Millenials like you who want to change the world? 

If the way you get Millenials to interact with the nonprofit is similar to how they interact in their daily lives, then it will be successful.  It's natural for us to engage with the nonprofit - then we will.  For example, we'll go on Facebook and tell a friend something.   We'll go on Twitter and tell our friends what is happening.  The call to action is something that we're already doing in our everyday lives as a social creatures.

4. How do you observe Millenials getting interested and involved in a social action cause?

I want to say that the easiest way to inspire young people is to show how it directly effects that person.  For example,   the Jane Doe project - I was personally effected because I knew someone and that's how it effected me.  There has to be some personal connection.   My friends pick and choose their causes.   I think there is a close relationship to any generation - people don't care about everything.

5.  How might nonprofits inspire Millenials to take action?

Show how your cause or program impacts them or show them how good they will feel by helping your organization.  We want to feel like we helped you make your goal!  A pat on the back factor!  College students have the opportunity to say they volunteered for an organization - it benefits them.  It sounds selfish.

Our generation is brought up not to trust companies, and we are turned off by corporate gain.  That message doesn't appeal to us.  I think nonprofits have an easier time of getting our trust initially.  But, we need to see results - we want to know how many people were helped by the organization's program.   I want to know that my small donation of money or time really made a difference.  Millenials want to be a hero!

6.  What if a nonprofit organization started talking to you or listening to you on Twitter or another social media channel?

I think that would be awesome.  It would be an honor because they cared about what I had to say.   Make us feel like a superstar and make us feel inspired - make us feel like we're awesome.  My twitter is @repcor

Social Media Basic Literacy Skills In the Nonprofit Workplace

Source:  Pew Internet and America Life Project: "Networked Workers" Study

 

Michele Martin and Tony Karer have been blogging at the Work Literacy blog for several months now.  Work Literacy is a network of individuals, companies and organizations who are interested in learning, defining, mentoring, teaching and consulting on the frameworks, skills, methods and tools of modern knowledge work.  The topics they look at are what I might call social media literacy skills.

When I get out into the real world and come in contact with people who are no early adopters of Web 2.0 tools,  I find that there are still many people who haven't heard of many of these tools - blogging, tagging, RSS,  etc, let alone have incorporated them into their daily professional work practice.   Mostly they are aware,  but haven't experienced it.   

Fast forward ten years from now, and the nonprofit workplace - maybe it is only five years from now - but will social media basic literacy be on the list of basic job skills?

Marshall Kirkpatrick at the Read/Write Web has two recent posts, one that analyzes some research and a second providing some great tips for incorporating social media into your work life in a productive way that can enhance your work.

 

Survey: Most Workplace Internet Use Remains Rudimentary:  Marshall gives a good summary of what he thinks the implications are from this research.  I'll just quote him here:

The gist of the analysis is that people who use the internet at work also use it to do work at home; it makes them more efficient but also increases the demands on their time. Any of us who live that kind of life could have told you that - but what we find more interesting is the surprisingly low number of people who say they use certain technologies at work.

Greg Sterling at the excellent blog SearchEngineLand pulls out some of the most salient data points from the survey and we'll excerpt further from his post below. We question both the definition of "networked worker" in the survey and Sterling's perspective on it, though.

Reading Blogs at Work: How and Why You Should Do It:

This is a fantastic post that gives us the why - first mover advantage, something that Chris Brogan has talked about.  Marshall's tips for reading are all about listening. There's a few more strategy/tool ideas tools that I think are definitely worth incorporating into the WeAreMedia Listening for Nonprofits section.  And, it has given me some inspiration for social media listening step-by-steps projects.

When do you think social media basic literacy skills  -- reading blogs in an RSS reader and listening to what people are saying - will be come a standard part of the nonprofit job description - at least for someone doing marketing for the organization. 

An Interview with Jessica Rauch about The Generation Project: Passionate about Teaching Young People

A few days ago, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with the University of California, Irvine, Duke University and the virtual network of HASTAC, announced its second annual open-call competition that will provide $2 million in awards to innovators shaping the field of digital media and learning.   This year the awards have a category to solicit ideas from young people, age 18-25.  This got me curious about the young people blogging about education or doing projects.   That lead me to Jennifer Rauch, the co-founder of The Generation Project.

1.  Tell me about you

Education is my passion.  Since I was a first year college student at UC Berkeley, I have been working with students and schools in low-income communities and have grown increasingly aware of how educational disparities keep children from reaching their potential.  I taught in the Bronx for two years through Teach For America while working toward my M.A. in General Childhood Education at Bank Street College of Education.  I left the classroom in 2007 to join Teach For America staff where I pioneered graduate school recruitment for the organization through May of this year.  I am currently launching The Generation Project full-time.

2.  Tell me about your project, The Generation Project

The Generation Project is a new charity that seeks to revolutionize educational philanthropy by giving donors creative control over their gifts to kids in low-income communities.  Instead of just opening their checkbooks for a cause, donors are able to create opportunities for high-need kids based on their own passions and priorities.   The form these donations can take is limited only by donors' imaginations: For example:

- A musician might donate a set of instruments to a high school band
- A military veteran might sponsor an essay contest on freedom
- A runner might donate running shoes to a middle school running club
- A cancer survivor might sponsor a hospital internship for students interested in pursuing medicine
The Generation Project recruits donors and facilitates gift implementation providing complete transparency at all stages of the process.  The long-term goal is to facilitate meaningful connections so as donors progress in their careers they can expand their impact in ways that are responsive to the needs of individuals in low-income communities.

3.  How did you come up with the idea for connecting philanthropists with students in this way

It was really a combination of things.  When I was a fourth-grade teacher through Teach For America, I had kids who were extremely bright and had a variety of passions but the reality was that they simply didn't have access to the same formative experiences as children in wealthier areas.  Eli Savit, the other co-founder, recognized the same thing during his time teaching eighth-grade social studies.  With this in mind, we wanted to find a way to expand the breadth of opportunities for our students and others like them.  As I and many of my friends left the classroom, we wanted to find ways to continue to give back that were meaningful and based on what we believed would make a significant and lasting impact in the lives of kids growing up in low-income communities. 

Eli and I talked about this often and then decided we should just start our own organization that could give donors creative control over their donation dollars while providing kids with access to more opportunities.  We also realized that this could significantly impact the way people give back in the short and long term.  Young professionals engaging in giving through The Generation Project will not only make an immediate impact in the lives of students but will hopefully lead to the building of relationships between professionals and low-income communities that will encourage donors to give back in increasing ways as they progress in their careers.  Today's philanthropists--and potential philanthropists--want to do more than simply open their checkbook for a cause.  You no longer have to be Richard Branson or Bill Gates to give back in ways that are most meaningful to you.  Anyone can now become an educational philanthropist through The Generation Project and use their own passions and priorities to determine the most significant ways to expand opportunities for high-need students.

4.  Why are you passionate about teaching young people?

Education is supposed to be the great equalizer.  In our nation's schools, great disparities exist and we cannot simply sit on the sideline while this injustice persists.  If we work to ensure that children are given access to the educational opportunities they deserve, our nation will be stronger and our future more secure.  It is for the good of the individual and the nation that we must solve the achievement gap.

5.   How will you social media as part of your implementation strategy?

The Generation Project will be initially aimed at young professionals, many of whom use and engage in social media regularly.  One aim of The Generation Project is to bring donors together to engage in the giving process so they can collaborate on ways to make the biggest impact.  Social media will be vital to this success because it is an efficient way to spread the word about the exciting opportunity while providing ways for people to connect.


The Generation Project's website will also offer the opportunity for donors to form a community focused on educational philanthropy.  Donors will be able to discuss gifts and interactively engage with one another. Through thegenerationproject.org, donors can maximize their impact by collaborating on projects.  For example, a former college swimmer who wants to start an inner-city swim team might convince other swimming aficionados to fund teams in the same city, thus establishing a full-fledged league.  More experienced donors could also help new donors design a gift so that it maximizes its impact, and donors who want to move onto new projects could recruit new donors to take over funding responsibility for their old commitments.  Thus, The Generation Project hopes to develop a larger community of donors who are actively engaged in educational philanthropy and feel personally connected to low-income students and schools.

6.   What are some of the best blogs written by young people who are passionate about education for youth?  Where can you find these people on the social web?


Ideablob.com of course!  The website is such a great way to connect with entrepreneurs.  We received some really great advice and encouragement and met a lot of people who want to help us develop our idea.

Glassbooth.org blog.  This is an awesome site popular with young people

Perspectives from young educators:
http://purposedriven.teachfor.us/2008/09/
http://theulot.wordpress.com/about/
http://mindthegap.teachfor.us/category/teach-for-america/

Are there other Gen Y's blogging about education and digital media?   Who are they?  I'm compiling a list so please leave a comment with a link to your blog.

Gen Y Blogger Profile: Qui Diaz - Evangelist for Social Change

Qui Diaz

Last month I attended the "Twenty-Something Meet Up" at the BlogHer Conference, facilitated by the fabulous Zandria. The question  ... "Where are the twenty something/millennial bloggers writing about social change, activism, and nonprofits?" was raised.  I left room inspired to compile a living list.  The next logical step, of course, is to start to get to know some of these bloggers by doing interviews.

Meet Qui Diaz.  Her personal blog, EvangeList, focuses on social media, social change, and nonprofits.  By day, she's the director of strategy at Livingston Communications.

1.  Tell me about you

The first thing people ask me is the story behind my name. It's short for Quitrina (pronounced kee-tree-nuh & roll the 'r'). My parents (one Spanish/Cuban)  made it up, tapping  the spelling for Quixote. One day I'd like to say that was a providential move -  "quixotic" describes someone who "takes on an idealistic quest against great odds." I want  to take more risks in life.

In the safety of my day-to-day in DC, there is a lot of laughter, love and champagne.  Things aren't so bad when  you take time to celebrate the small blessings in life! Still, I feel strongly that we are here on this earth to see each other through. There's a quote that I very much identify with, by E.B. White: "I arise each morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor it. That makes it hard to plan the day." So, paralysis is my Achilles heel.

2.  Tell me about your blog

Evange.List kicked off as a personal 'social media experiment' to see if anyone gave a flip about my voice. A few people did! So after 50 days of writing about 50 things I love, it was time to "Madonna" the blog and keep it going. For about a year now it's been dedicated to 'social media for social causes,' and I usually write about nonprofits and people I adore. I also get a lot of pleasure from incorporating religious lingo, too. Evangelism is a critical aspect of word of mouth and cause-related marketing, I am personally an evangelist for many causes, and we are all in the Church of the Internet.

I also blog on The Buzz Bin, the company blog, which is well known in the marketing, PR and social media space. My 'beat' is social good.

3. I understand you work with nonprofits and social media strategy -- Can share a story about one of your clients and how you worked with them to incorporate a social media strategy?

My agency, Livingston Communications, is currently helping Network Solutions with reputation management across blogs, Twitter, and forums to significantly decrease the  company's 58 percent negative commentary ratio (as of June 30) by more than 20 points. It's  not a nonprofit example, but it serves as an interesting case study for nonprofits.

Any organization is susceptible to critique, and overtime that can be detrimental to end goals. What nonprofit wasn't impacted by post 9/11 scrutiny? Plus, let's face it, the more controversial or provocative the issue, the more potential there is for outlash. Listening and responding are vital, but so is resolution. And those efforts have to be sustained over time. What we're seeing with Network Solutions is that, even if we can't always provide the desired answer, engaging in the right way at the right time is having an immediate impact.

4. What is your advice to nonprofits about integrating social media? What should they do first to ensure success?

After (and only after) defining a clear objective, honing in on a specific targeted
audience (i.e., not "the general public" or "women"), and setting measurable goals for meeting your objective - do your homework. Don't rush your research either - give yourself a few weeks to initiate what is basically a SWOT analysis of social media related to your mission. Find out what is (or isn't) already being said, by who, and where. Get a handle of the space, then develop your strategy. More than likely, you'll need to engage your audience in said strategy, and social media will play a role in that. All engagements should be meaningful and contribute to the measurable outcomes you set upfront.  Otherwise, as is often said on Twitter, "fail."

5.  What do you think is the biggest challenge to nonprofits in embracing social media?   Are there certain types of nonprofits or situations where you'd advise a nonprofit to use social media?

Challenges: Justifying the means through ROI. Integration with other name lists. Also a general lack of comfort with navigating the rapidly-evolving digital ecosystem. (Weren't we all just breaking through into email marketing 4 years ago?)  Nobody is doing any of this perfectly though, no one is an expert. There is a lot of commiseration. I really like the foundational and exploratory spirit of WeAreMedia, too.

Certain causes warrant full-on exploitation of social media if resources allow. For me, the deal breaker is death. Genocide, poverty, slavery, clean water, AIDS. I just saw the screening of Call+Response, which is the newest in a series of initiatives to end today's rampant slave trades, from child soldiering to sex trafficking. It's been set up as an "open source activism" movement - anything goes.

6.  As a Gen Y, who uses social media and social networks, what advice would you give to nonprofits about interacting successfully with people of your generation on socnets?

Don't expect much for another couple years. We're Gen Y, remember? Joking aside, our generation at large (in the U.S.) was not groomed with an empowered activist mindset the way kids today are. However, the youth-driven, social media-supported campaigns we see right now are paving the way for more action in coming years. By setting up camp in social media and testing word of mouth campaigns, your organization can prepare for the fight for mind-share in our increasingly fragmented media culture. Keep an open mind, love your evangelists, and expect great things.

Gen Y Nonprofits and Social Change Bloggers: Meet Miss Jones

 

Last month I attended the "Twenty-Something Meet Up" at the BlogHer Conference, facilitated by the fabulous
Zandria. Julia Smith, who blogs at the idealist and was in the room asked "Where are the twenty something/millennial bloggers writing about social change, activism, and nonprofits?"  I left room inspired to compile a living list.  The next logical step, of course, is to start to get to know some of these bloggers by doing interviews.

Meet Miss Jones who blogs about what she is learning as a recent college graduate with her first full time job in the nonprofit sector and as a young woman of color living in a new city trying to find herself. 

1.) Tell me about you

I'm from Brooklyn, NY but left when I was 17 to attend Haverford College, where I graduated with a degree in sociology and education last year. My college granted me a fellowship after college to live and work in Philadelphia to learn more about the non profit sector. It was a challenging year but I learned a great deal about myself and became more interested in blogging.

I'm back in NYC which has been great thus far. The city is changing so much and there are so many people to meet and talk to, not to mention being close to my family. I'm the oldest out of 6 and grew up with my mom and grandmom. My experiences growing up have demanded that I be open to new ideas and constantly move forward while never forgetting the past.

2.) Tell me about your blog

I started Entry Level Living so that I could share my thoughts and experiences as a newbie in the nonprofit world and in the "real world" in general. I cover work related issues like generational differences, leadership among gen y and race related issues as it pertains to nonprofits; and personal issues like defining success and most recently dating people of a different generation.

The response has been wonderful so much so that I started a new blog GEN Y NY as a rescource blog of sorts for people my age looking to move to NYC and work in the non profit field in the city. Im open to suggestions and contributions for this blog!

3.) I understand you work for a nonprofit as the director of development and marketing and you're looking for ways integrate social media. How do you get other people in your organization on board with social media? Is there resistance? Any tips?

I just started this position and am still getting adjusted and assessing what changes (if any) need to happen to keep moving forward. I'm always brainstorming and am fortunate in that I have a great deal independence at work so unless it costs money my organization is ok with it :-) At the same time, Ive never been comfortable with just doing things that impact the entire organization without, at the very least, having the organization understand what is going on. So what I do is map out what my idea is in a detailed yet straightforward way and emphasize the benefits.

4.) What makes for a successful social media and fundraising integrated strategy for a nonprofit? What doesn't?

I cant speak from first hand experience on this one, but I do know from conversations with other schools and parents that keeping social media efforts donor/community centered is key. As well as being simple. For example, people use the website to get tangible info about the school like costs, location, classes, and programs. So emphasizing this is important. The mission is nice, but I cant honestly say how many people read it!

5.) You're a Gen Y - working for a nonprofit and represent the next generation of leaders in nonprofits. What's the most important thing for people in my generation who work with nonprofits to help support you?

Give us room for leadership development. I recently blogged about a great trend I notice at a lot of non profits: creating young professionals networks in order to get young people involved in various aspects of the organization from fundraising to marketing to outreach. The same kind of training and involvement offered to young people outside of the organization should be offered inside.

6.) As a Gen Y, who uses social media and social networks, what advice would you give to nonprofits about interacting successfully with people of your generation on socnets?

As I mentioned above non profits are starting young professionals networks which are great approaches to allowing young adults to get involved while connecting with like minded people. But honestly, I would have an excellent website before branching onto facebook or myspace. Your website is your first impression so make it a great one!

Where are the twenty-something or GEN-Y Bloggers Who Are Writing About Social Change and Nonprofits?

Even though I'm more like twenty-something times 2.5, I attended the "Twenty-Something Meet Up" at the BlogHer Conference.    Why did I go?   I keep hearing from nonprofits that one of the reasons they want to incorporate a social networking or media strategy is to reach a younger audience.  So, having this opportunity listen was very valuable.

Zandria did a fabulous job of facilitating the session.  There were probably about 40 or 50 women in the room - not all were twenty somethings.

I wanted to listen to what was on their minds in general, although I was particularly keen on hearing any discussions or snippets about social change, nonprofits, and activism.  Julia Smith, who blogs at the idealist and was in the room asked "Where are the twenty something/millennial bloggers writing about social change, activism, and nonprofits?"

I thought to myself, now that's a list I'd like to see.

There are lots of twenty-something bloggers and gen-y bloggers.   If you work in nonprofits and track relevant research, you no doubt have come across the Social Citizen Blog from the Case Foundation and the paper, Social Citizen, from Allison Fine.  Both are essential reading.  And, on the sidebar, there are some links to young people's blogs. but I couldn't  find an extensive list of twenty-something bloggers who focus on nonprofits, social change, and social action. 

So, I decided to reach out and see if I could start to compile a list.  What follows below is no doubt incomplete and I sure I've gotten ages wrong too --  so please make additions and corrections in the comments. Here's a few good blogs written by GenYs that cover nonprofit technology, philanthropy, social change, and more.   

Blogs by Gen Y

Nonprofit Technology

Amy Sample Ward.  I discovered Amy's NpTech blog about a year ago, maybe longer.   She covers nonprofit technology, social actions, and social change.  She is a real community person and is often promoting other people's projects. 

Johanna Bates, a gen y and nonprofit techie, who works with a health care advocacy nonprofit, has recently take up blogging.  Her writing is reflective and brilliant.   She offers a perspective of what is like to be a GenY working for a nonprofit.  Thoroughly enjoyed her post about 140 character filters.

Pulse and Signal covers the intersection between healthcare and social media and is written by Andre Blackman who is totally awesome.  He is a terrific blogger, knows his beat, and very generous too.  When I put on my Facebook status that I was looking for blogs, he wrote on my wall recommending many of the blogs that follow.

Girls With Macs is written by Michaela Hackner one of the smartest nonprofit technologists and marketers around.  If I was working for a nonprofit that was doing a job search for a technologically savvy marketing person, I wouldn't even both posting a job description - I just hire her.

ConnectionCafe: Connection Cafe has a quite a few Gen Y bloggers - Taylor Shanklin, Misty McLaughlin, Brandy Reppy, Lacey Kruger and Jordan Viator

Tim Davis is working as a freelance consultant on youth participation.  His blog covers social technology, social action, philanthropy - with a UK perspective.

EngageJoe.com blogs about his experiences spearheading and contributing to social change mashups and working with nonprofits on online strategy.

Philanthropy

GenYGive is written by Miriam Kagan and talks about motivations and trends related to philanthropy and Gen Y.   I discovered Miriam a month ago and have been fan.  One of her recent posts, "Research Points Out That Gen Y's Give" is very informative.

New Voices of Philanthropy is written by Trista Harris and it covers issues of generational change in the philanthropic sector and more broadly trends in philanthropy.

Do Good Well is written by Nathaniel Whittemore who is the founding director of the Center for Global Engagement at Northwestern University.  The blog is about citizen-led social change efforts.

$5 Philanthropist by Tom Williams is the CEO of GiveMeaning and writes about philanthropy and social networks.

MyKro is a blog about micro finance, one of the bloggers is Drew Meyers.

Epic Change Blog is written by Stacey Monk.  Epic change raises money to provide micro-loans in developing countries.

Nonprofits - Management Issues

From the Pipeline Rosetta Thurman is an emerging nonprofit leader of color sharing career advice, nonprofit management and other wisdom on her blog.  I've been following her work for about two years now and excited to learn that we're going to speaking at the same conference come November - so we'll meet in person too!  She is one of several bloggers part of the Brazen Careerist Nonprofit Network.

Subject To Change is written by a recent Yale alum, Vanessa Mason, who is just starting out a career in public health.  Read her post "Gen Y and Global Health - Not A Match Made in Heaven".  I discovered her on Twitter recently because she is connected to Andre Blackman.

Non-Profit Chas shares his experiences as he helps take a small non-profit organization to the next level.

Entry Level Living is written by Miss Jones who blogs about what she is learning as a recent college graduate with her first full time job in the nonprofit sector and as a young woman of color living in a new city trying to find herself.  Very refreshing. 

Social Citizen is written by Tera Wozniak from the League of Women voters and covers nonprofits, civil society, and more.

Nonprofit Leadership Blog 101 written by Heather is one of the best that talks about leadership and nonprofits.

Nonprofit Leadership, Innovation and Change: Christopher Scott is a nonprofit leader who founded A Day of Hope, a student based organization that delivers baskets of food and turkeys to families for Thanksgiving.

Nonprofit Programs and Social Actions

Nina Simon a proud member of Gen Y, writes the very awesome Museum 2.0 blog, but you don't have to be a museum person to get a lot of value from it.

Ivan Boothe one of my all-time favorite GenY social media for social change people. 

The Stupid Cancer Blog  is written by Matthew Zachary who founded the social enterprise I'm Too Young for This."  I had the pleasure of interviewing him about his he formed his organization.

Enviroblog blogs about latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health.  Amanda Hanley is the editor. 

Orrdinary Life - First hand account of doing global international development work in a remote area in Southeast Asia.

Holy Meatballs is Global Kids project blog - I've pointed to the posts by teens. Global Kids uses interactive and experiential methods to educate youth about critical international and public policy issues and provides them with opportunities for civic and global engagement.

SpeakUnited and  Inspire4life come from the United Way of Merrimack Valley focused on social issues affecting the region and written by Gen Y.

Mobilizing Youth: Ben Rigby of MobileVoter incidentally also wrote the book Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Technology to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth, a book with lots of answers for those of you who are just looking to break into this.

Change.Org is covering news about social change on its site.   I didn't cull through all the content to pick out the Gen Y perspective, but I did notice that Vanessa was blogging over there.  A blog network will be launched in about another month.

Marketing

Media Awaken
Maria R. Thurrell is the blogger.  She's awesome.

Michael Silberman from EchoDitto

Alex Rampy writes a blog called Social Butterfly that covers social marketing.

Qui Diaz has a blog called Evange.LIST that covers social media for social causes.  She also blogs at The Buzz Bin (her day job)

Association Marketing is written by Linda Dreyer who is very active with ASAE and recently cofounded a networking group for young association professionals.  Also, Maddie Grant who started blogging about a year ago to write about associations and web 2.0. - Even though as Maddie notes in the comments that they are more Gen X, we'll give them an honorary place on the list.

My research also found some excellent how-to blog posts about reaching out to Gen-Ys as potential donors and more general articles.

Some Relevant Blog Posts about Gen Y and Philanthropy (via Step by Step Fundraising)

• Giving is for all ages from Inside Philanthropy
• Youth Philanthropy: Growing the Next Generation of Givers from New Voices of Philanthropy
• Understanding the “Millenials” from The Agitator
• Young vs Older Donors: Who is More Generous? by Joanne Fritz, About.com
• An Interview With Matthew Zachary, Founder I’m Too Young for This by Beth Kanter
• Don’t Wait to Engage Millennial Donors by Derwin Dubose
• Make Way for Millennials by Kim Carpenter Drake
• Giving Generation from Bicentennial Baby

Some Relevant Blog Posts about Gen Y and Impact on Workplace

• How will digital natives impact the workplace? by Connie Bensen
• Everyone's Talking About Gen Y by Sam Davidson
• When I was your age, I had to walk ten miles in the snow to use the Internet by Beth Kanter
• I only use email to communicate with old people, by Jeremiah Owyang

Initiatives for Youth and Philanthropy (via Forum of Regional Grantmakers)

• Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth (CCFY)  a network of community foundations in the United States dedicated to improved conditions for children, youth and families.
• Do Something  a nationwide network of young people who take action to change the world around them.
• The Giraffe Project  the purpose is "move people to stick their necks out for the common good."
• Learning to Give goal is to educate children about the independent sector and philanthropy.
• Resource Generation Offers programs for young people with wealth to explore how their financial resources relate to social justice and provide tools for them to take action.
• SV Kids To engage the next generation in giving the SVP way
• Youth on Board prepares youth to be leaders in their communities.

Other Blogs written about or cover Gen Y in general

Danah Boyd
Ypulse



What Gen Y/Twenty-Something bloggers who write about nonprofits, social change, philanthropy, or social action did I miss?  What other relevant blog posts or web sites would you add to the resource list?

Update:  Thanks for the additions.  Keep 'em coming.  I'm adding to the list.

GenerationYGive: A New Blog by Miriam Kagan

Screencapture by Beth Kanter   
Source Morgan Stanley Internet Report

Yes, email is still electric and by showing this statistic I'm not saying to dump your email newsletters.   But you should be testing social media  where it makes sense for your donors and prospects, particularly younger ones or "social citizens."

But don't take my word for it.  Listen to what Miriam Kagan has to say about Gen Y and charitable giving.  She's the 26-year old author of the GenerationYGive blog - a blog that is described as "this blog is about why you too should get on the 'Let's get Gen Yers' to Give" bandwagon."

Donors like me, I am told over and over again, don’t really exist, or if we do, we exist in the single digits. We are not really worth focusing on in the big scheme of fundraising ... But I just don’t believe that’s true. I believe there are many donors like me out there, or at least many donors with my potential for giving. There are even more donors like me out there who may not be able to give financially, but who would gladly give their time. You just have to get our attention (or that of our friends and peers-word spreads fast when you’re always plugged in), give us a reason, tell us a story that's compelling for us, our world, that of our friends and families.... I believe in younger donors. I believe we want to give and to get engaged with issues we care about. I believe most of us non-profit marketers haven’t yet really truly understood how to reach these younger donors-going beyond the digi-fad of the day to build a relationship with donors whose own relationships are intervowen with technology and constantly shifting attention spans.

Miriam's blog is about thoughts, ideas, and news items to help further the discussion about the benefits of focusing on the younger generation as a donor segment for nonprofit organizations, as well as on how to get them to open their wallets (or PayPal accounts or Google Wallets), their hearts, and their friends.

I'm all ears, Miriam.   Here's a few questions:

• Given that you are of that generation, how should nonprofits find and communicate with donors like you?
• What captures your attention?
• What will inspire you to give money or time or pass the word along to your friends?
• What turns you off?

An Interview With Matthew Zachary, Founder I'm Too Young for This

I recently presented on Nonprofits, Healthcare, and Social Media.  In the presentation, I started off with a summary of why this is important.  I always make a point about how younger people are more likely to be using social networks to communication (versus email).  But one of the examples I found was I am Too Young For This - a network of younger cancer survivors.   It's interesting that using social media - they took up the cause and started their own organization.    I tracked down Matthew Zachary - the founder.  As it turns out, he is connected to one of my contacts in LinkedIn (still think LinkedIn is stupid?).  Here's the interview.

1.   Tell me your personal story?

http://matthewzachary.com/bio.html

2.   Why did you start this project?

I founded The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation and launched the initial website towards Christmas of 2007.

3.   Are you connected with an organization or are you organized as nonprofit?

The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization registered in the State of New York.

4.   What do you think had made your use of social media successful?

The old school model of "if you build it, they will come" is now flawed and inapplicable to the emerging consumer trends we see on a generational level when it comes to social networking, peer support, user-generated media, and access to targeted digital content. In addition, we're dealing with such an isolated niche/affinity group, using social media to exploit the lack of community and their unique needs of isolation was a no-brainer. Young adults affected by cancer are no different than young adults without cancer aside from a few attitudinal disparities, which constitutes the affinity group. They have already created their own wikinomics; their own social media universe with profiles, blogs and avatars. Not reinventing the wheel is what has made our use of social media so successful.

5.   What challenges did you encounter?

There are over 70,000 young adults diagnosed with cancer every year. It is estimated that there are over 1 million cancer survivors under 40 living in the US today. The challenge is finding them, whether it is in the hospital on the day they are diagnosed or garnering the interest if long-term survivors who may want to put the experience behind them but who we might entice to give back to a community they didn't know existed; a community we have identified, organized and mobilized.

6.   What advice would you offer other nonprofits?

Don't start one. That is, of course, if you haven't already. I don't have the exact statistics with me but the overwhelming majority of nonprofits fail because they are started for emotional and not practical reasons. Taking a cue from Google whose mantra is "Don't Be Evil.", I have adopted the philosophy of "Don't Be Duplicative.". Never, ever reinvent the wheel. Odds are there is already in existence a nonprofit that is doing what you would like to do. Find them. Partner with them. Share the wealth. The IRS has made it too easy to start a nonprofit and the for-profit corporate governance mandates of Sarbanes/Oxley are slowly creeping their way into the accountability and transparency of the non-profit sector. If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it. If you don't have a clear, concise need to fill, niche to serve or goal to achieve, get out of the game. With an ever-shrinking pool of public philanthropy coupled with an ever-growing number of watchdog groups and Pharmaceutical sector regulations, always remember, you are under the microscope 24/7.

Are you, by any chance, a dog lover?

I am. But I don't presently own a dog.

Update: Matthew blogged about the interview!

An Interview With Dr. Lynda Kelly, Australian Museum

Dr. Lynda Kelley

I'm here in Sydney, Australia and just finished an informal workshop  and discussion with Powerhouse Museum staff and other museums. (Will post reflections shortly)   I met Dr. Lynda Kelly, a blogger and the Head of Audience Research for the Australia Museum.  She also just set up a social networking site on Ning where museum professionals are discussing the future of museums in a Web 2.0 world.  The site is called Museum 3.0. 

Many nonprofits are grappling with questions about where to find reliable information about the merits of different tools for a given objective.  The key is understanding your audience and their online social activities.  The short answer: ask them, do research. During the meeting, she shared some insights from a recently published research study she conducted on the social activities and technographics of people in Australia.   

1.  Tell me about your research?

We took Forrester's technographics research model and adapted it for Australia, surveying over 2,000 people from Australia.   We asked simple questions about their online activities.  Other questions were about museum attendance.  We compared the findings between non-museum and museum goers.   Some key findings:  People who visit museums and galleries are engaging in social media and more so than people who don't.  The two things they do more than other activities are to post reviews and rate their experiences.  They are mostly looking for word of mouth recommendations.  (A paper based on the research findings can be found here)


Our research also focused on young adults and their web behavior.   We recruited people based on the Forrester online social activity categories and interviewed them about their online participation. 

I've done many studies on Web 2.0 activities of visitors, particularly with school students. We are trying to understand what young people are doing online and the implications for exhibit design and marketing.  We invited these young people into the museum back of house and asked them for input on how we should represent the museum on the social web.   The young people said they wanted a physical experience of interacting with the objects - no screens in the museum.  They told us, "We can all the computers and screens at home - we want something we can't get at home - the objects and interacting with people in the physical space."

We brought in a small group of young people and interviewed them about their experience.  The telling quote was: "We'll go home and google the answers.   We want to be here and look at the museum with our friends."  I'm sharing the research notes on the Museum 3.0 site.

2.   Can you tell me more about your Museum 3.0 site?

Facebook is interesting to have discussion with peers, but difficult.  Many of my peers don't want to "come out on Facebook."  (That is let people from work know who their friends are) When someone showed me Ning, I thought it was great to try for a community of practice because it is about the network and a good way to introduce people who are new to social media and give it go.  It's much better than sending me an email and having 6 people responding.  I've been inviting people at the beginning, but now more and more people are joining.


3.  What advice would you offer to other museums and nonprofits who want introduce web2.0 strategies into their programs or marketing?

They have to jump in and start experimenting.   There was a great quote.  Museums are great at touring exhibitions, but we're not good at touring the web.   Go to the people where they are and give it a go.    

You've got to have a champion in the organization who can help you get on with it.  Have a supportive director is important.   We've got to stop saying "no" and say "yes, if."   We're moving from No to Yes, If.   

We're trying to make that change in the organization now - we're using a private ning site to follow up with a strategic plan.     We've had Facebook Fridays - get people in the museum to sign up and we help them.   You have to reserve space to let people ask questions like "What is RSS?"

The Digital Generational Divide: BabyBoomers Are Not Old!

That's a screen capture I grabbed from the Morgan Stanley March presentation and analysis flagged by Tech Crunch the other day.   The idea that "email is for old people" is nothing new - I've written about this several times here.   What is most relevant for nonprofits is how this will manifest itself in the workplace - this was the whole topic of discussion at the Minnesota Nonprofits Conference.

I am a proud member of the baby boomers generation (2nd cohort).  I was introducing a colleague who is of my generation to social networking and showed him LinkedIn - and it was really appealing.  Sailed over any objections.  But I tweeted a comment like "Linked In is a great way to introduce older baby boomers to social networking."   A follower politely told me that calling baby boomers old was offensive.   I don't think that's what I mean - because I'm one too!

I guess I refuse to think of myself as "old"

Anyway, I happened to come across this awesome list of Learning Games to Change the World and clicked through to the Karma Tycoon described as

Karma Tycoon rocks the gaming world by offering you a thrilling ride through the world of social entrepreneurship as you earn Karma in virtual communities across the US.

I strongly resisted the urge to set up an account because I have to finish planning out my trip to Austrailia, so I clicked over to the curriculum page. The tag line is:

this is the site for old people who want to help young people do something

Hmm .. there's that word again.

All this to remind you that I'm giving away a copy of the book Mobilizing Generation 2.0 and you have less than 24 hours to leave a comment in that post if you want chance to win.

New Media in the Everyday Lives of Youth

At the Minnesota Nonprofits and Technology Conference, someone from the audience asked me about good resources for parents (and teens) about Web2.0 safety issues and what parents should know about their children's media use.  I'm doing a bit of research on this topic for BlogHer for Earth Day that will encourage community members to create "green themed" videos with their kids.  I've been doing a series with Harry about green tips and will look at strategies for parents and kids to make media together.

In terms of web 2.0 safety resources, I mentioned  Larry Magid's site, Connect Safely.  I also came across an announcement for A MacArthur Foundation/Common Sense Media Forum event at Standford University called "New Media In the Everyday Lives of Youth."

What are your best resources for Web2.0 and safety for young people?  What are some strategies for talking or creating media together with your kids?

Digital Natives Speak from Minnesota Conference, I Twitter, Twitterverse Responds

Digital Natives Panel

Elana Wolowitz, Communications Director/Senior Trainer, Wellstone Action gave me a brief interview.

I had the honor of delivering the keynote this morning at the Message + Medium + Mission Conference in Minnesota.  I talked about the Cute Dog Theory of Social Media Adoption, A Few Tools, and A Story about social media and fundraising.  A few minutes before speaking I remembered a Minnesota story about my early years as a executive director for a small organization and using social networking to get Garrison Keillor as our celebrity for a fundraiser.  This speech also had a big first for me and the reaction was shock, then laughter.

I went to a morning session called "Digital Youth and Analogue Adults" facilitated by Garham Heartley which includes a panel of digital natives talking about what young employees should expect of their nonprofit employer as it relates to technology.  It also covered the differences in technology styles of digital natives  compared to analogue adults or can old dog learn new tricks? It was a fantastic bi-generational question. 

Some  Key Takeaways:

• Learning styles are really important and it isn't just about age/generations, although in general younger people may more fearless. (Twitter Comment)
• Passion is important!  People will forgive. 
• The social media strategy implementation shouldn't just be delegated to the young people or interns in the office. (Twitter Comment)
• Look beyond the technology of a younger age
• Don't dump the role of tech support on the younger more fearless people - especially if it is not in their job description.
• When digital natives are giving tech support, understand how much of the why versus how the person needs and have patience. (Twitter Comment)
• Having job descriptions that have skills like "the ability learn" versus specific technical skills. (Twitter Comment)
• Have a conversation with people about what channels they prefer for communications  (Twitter Comment)
• Digital natives have the capacity to take in more information at a faster pace and "older folks in the workplace" don't understand that (Twitter Comment)

I twittered the whole session and the conversation back from Twitter was pretty amazing.   I asked for Best Practices for working with analogue adults.  RoseVines responded:

Blog post "Embracing My Digital Youth"
Reflections from Aaron Landry and Corporate Babysitter and Blandin Broadband

Digital Natives and Twitter (and RSS)

Last week, I did a workshop for a board of a secondary school interested in taking the first steps into social media.  While I was there, I got a tour, visited some classrooms, and talked to a few students.   In one classroom, I queried the students about their social media use.  Now, admittedly the sample size is small, so this doesn't necessarily project to all digital natives, but I was surprised about a few things.

They were all on Facebook (turned their noses up at Myspace), watch YouTube videos, and use IM applications, with more 20 people on their IM lists.   No surprise there.  But, none used RSS readers or knew what they were. (Not sure if this matches demographic studies of RSS users or not because this group was under 18) They were aware of tagging, but in the sense of how it is used on Facebook - to tag your friends in photographs or notes, etc.   None of them had heard of Twitter, let alone used it.

In this recent New York Times article, "If You Can't Let Go, Twitter"  the writer talks about the difficulty of getting her three digital natives and early adopter users to switch from mobile phone texting to using Twitter and without success. 

These criticisms confounded me. I thought it would have been a cinch to get my wired family twittering like parakeets. After all, my daughters are “supercommunicators,” according to a recent Pew Internet and  American Life Project study, because every day they interact with friends through multiple channels of communication — including cellphones, text messages, instant messages, e-mail and face-to-face conversations.

In the article, the author interviewed Walter J. Carl, an assistant professor of communications studies at Northeastern University and researcher to find out what was underneath this.

“You want to use these tools to keep up on others, in a good way, of course, and to let them keep up on you,” said Professor Carl, whose research focuses on social media. “But their perception is it’s surveillance.” One of the main reasons people embrace social media — Facebook, for instance — is to create identities for themselves and control other people’s perceptions of them.

“Maybe Twitter isn’t the right tool for that job,” he said. “The people who I see using it are an older demographic, people in marketing or P.R. or advertising, who use it for work, to present themselves as particular types of people. They’ll twitter, ‘I’m traveling,’ or ‘I’m going to interesting restaurants.’ They’re using it to do identity work.”

These comments suggest that Twitter may not replace group SMS by digital natives. Rather, it comes in between the more popular programs for the younger online users (FB, IM) and the services that attract the older folks. While Stowe Boyd says not to slice social networks by age demographics, can we slice by Internet communications tool preference?   So, if email is for old folks, while is twitter is for middle-aged? 

More commentary about the article from Dave Winer, Rexblog, and Cost Per News

So analysis about the Pew Report from Connie Bensen and Danah Boyd

Amy Sample Ward has a post here.

What attracts Gen Y and Millennials to Volunteer?

I recently received a review copy of this book and wanted to recommend in response to a question on the progressives list that Andy Oare asked:

What attracts Gen Y and Millennials to volunteer? What sources to go to, what research they can do. Has anyone had any particular success in specific methods of recruiting the Gen Y demographic? Or have any favorite pertaining sources or research groups?

Jane Flemming Kelb recommended a few research sources:

Circle
Pew (perhaps this report?)

Also mentioned:

My experience with young people-the Millennials-is they are more likely to
volunteer if a friend asks them (not a shocker) and they are very much in
tune with volunteering and voting.  They seem to have a resurgence of
civics.

My other on-the ground advice is they respond to messages around the power
of their generation (which will be 30% of the electorate by 2015, its about
22% now) and the connectedness of their generation.

Does anyone else have other sources or bits of wisdom to add?

Is Social Media Just for Young Folks?

Source: Karl Kapp presentation

Do you think that people on social networking and media are just teens and college students?

There is the well-known YouTube user, Geriatic 1927 who creates videos as a memoir of his WW2 days and has over 45,000 subscribers and 2 million views.  And there are a number of bloggers in their 80's, but perhaps the best and most well-known is Millie Garfield.   And, if they aren't blogging, they're reading, take for example the AARP Pet Pals Blog and the others identified in the comments here.

Saga, a social networking site for over 50 crowd launched last month according to this Guardian Article.

The site, which has been running in trial mode for four months, has more than 13,000 users so far - and the company hopes this will increase dramatically now it is officially open. "Older people aren't shy of using the internet - they have a verve for life that applies online as well as offline," said Paul Green, a Saga spokesman. "Thirteen thousand is just a drop in the ocean - in theory the membership is practically limitless. Social networking isn't going to be for everyone, but the feedback so far has knocked our socks off." 

One wonders if this site will catch on or go the way of Eons which is struggling.

Yes, the social networking site demographics are aging, but maybe as fast as pace as other segments.

Dancing in the Space Between Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants

Lynetter Flickr

This flickr photo made me hit the pause button because of the date, not the content.  That quote comes from a speech that Murdoch gave over two years ago.   And, the terms "digital native" and "digital immigrants" comes from an essay by Marc Prensky dated 2001, over six years ago!

The quote helped me weave together some cross-disciplinary themes that have been bubbling up through my networks in the last couple of weeks -- a synthesis of my recent Facebook explorations, some quotes overhead during the Games for Change Conference by Clive Thompson who writes about video games for the NY Times and Wired Magazine, something that Barry Joseph of Global Kids said in a plenary discussion during that same conference that has been haunting me for weeks, and noticing more slide shows being tagged as  "Enterprise 2.0" and analyzing the evolving thinking about technology adoption issues.   

These patterns point to some larger trends about generational shifts, digital divides, and dancing in the space in between.  (Imagine Bob Dylan song in the background, "the times they are a changin ..."

I'm thinking about Clive Thompson's session at the Games for Change Conference.  It was a late afternoon session and I was brain dead.  But a few points he made really stuck me.  I didn't capture his quote on the video, but he was talking about writing a book about games.  He said he didn't want to do that for another 15 years.  He talked about the difference between his Wired readers and NY Times (wildly paraphrasing here).  He went into a bunch of game jargon and explained in an excited tone of  -

"I don't have to explain those terms to my wired readers.  On the other hand, for an article in the NY Times I have to and (he did a brilliant step-by-step of context setting) ending with "I'd have to explain electricity."  And he ended with, "It's better to wait 15 years until they are dead."

Someone said in a slide show that "Email was for old people."  (And perhaps I should "like me," after all I'm on the dividing line between baby boomer first and second cohort).   Anyway, I stumbled upon a group on Facebook called "Email Bankrupcy"

Most of my emails now are notifications that someone has posted, either something to do with facebook, or a comment on my blog, or a reply to a forum message I'd left, or something along those lines. Given how bad email is as a tool for actually tracking histories of communication, and how much better other services are, why not declare email bankrupcy today?   Tell people you are no longer reading emails, and that the best way to get hold of you is to post a message somewhere you WILL read.

I thought to myself, wow I'd love to do that, but I can't because so much of my work is dependent on people use still use email.   And think about it, email has been around for a really long time but the web, Internet, the amount of information, and how people use it has changed dramatically!   Is that quote the future?

I'm thinking back to what Barry Joseph of Global Kids had to say in a large group discussion at the Games for Change Conference. While I don't think he used the term digital natives and I'm wild paraphrasing:

"We've been working on a job description for a new staff person and have been talking about what software skills we should identify in the job description.  I think this is less important than having the skill to learn new software.  My father is very comfortable using a particular email client and that if he had learn a new one, he probably couldn't.  Playing games as a kid gave me an important skill set: the ability to figure out software.  And that today's youth have those skills."

 

Someone else in the conference mentioned the Berkman's Digital Native wiki that is looking at the difference between people who grew up with the Internet and those who didn't - and what that all means.

One of my favorite Web2.0 addictions these days is slide share.   I recently noticed a number of new slide shows about "Enterprise 2.0" which talk about integrating web2.0 technology tools, strategies, and practices into the workplace.  While most of these shows are focused on the for-profit sectors, there are certainly lessons and food for thought for nonprofits.   I've been interested in the issues around ngo organizational adoption of web2.0 stuff, inspired by my colleagues Nancy White, John Smith, and Etienne Wenger and their exploration of technology stewardship for communities of practice.

A point that Jeremiah Owyang made about enterprise 2.0, although talking about in the context of for-profit sector really resonated:

6) Embracing the Cultural shifts
It’s difficult for traditional folks to understand that the next generation of workers is has already networking online in college, and will bring those networks to the workplace. These new workers will already be connected to employees, prospects, and competitors, and there’s nothing a corporation can do about it. Communication in general is shifting, as my kid sister told me she only uses email to talk to old people like me.  The biggest challenge?  understanding that these communication tools shift power to the lower ranks and file of the company.

So, as someone who is eligible for ARP, with aging parents, and with digital natives for children,  I sense that generational shift really strongly. I'm also one of the odd ball baby boomers who experienced the Internet in the 1980s and have a perspective.  So, I feel like I'm dancing in the spaces in between and doing a lot of translation.   

There's actually a word for people dance in the spaces it called "network weavers."   Nancy White has written about Network Weavers and Evonne Heyning.   And in a post over at TechPresident, Patrick Ruffini, gives us some examples of it in practice and refers to the tools as "Technology Hybrids."

So, I end with more questions than answers, only because I really should be working on finishing my presentation for next week's Bridge Conference about fundraising2.0.  But some questions linger:

• As we enter this 15 year period of generational shifts in the workplace, how do organizations manage it?  How do we provide a bridge for "elder generations" to understand the new tools?" 
• Do old people (like me) have to change or retire?  Is there a role or need for a new breed of translators?
• What does this mean for nonprofits -- both from a workplace perspective but how they do fundraising, communication, and programs?

A Fine Blog!

I recently discovered a blog by a colleague, Allison Fine, called A. Fine Blog.  Her focus is on "the ways that digital tools, particularly social media, are enhancing our connectedness to one another and our ability and willingness to work for the collective social good."  Her forthcoming book Momentum: IgnitingSocial Change in the Connected Age takes an indepth look at the topic.

One of her entries, "The Softer Side of Social Media" shares the story of how a friend set up an email account for her niece to email the tooth fairy.   Sometimes it is very useful to have fun examples of new technology when introducing it to people -- it made want to play with the idea -- social media and the tooth fairy.

A quick search through Flickr resulted in many photos of beautiful, but toothless children, tooth fairy pillows, a pair of tooth fairies from a dental school, notes to the tooth fairy a dog's visit from the tooth fairy and children's notes to the tooth fairy like the one depicted in the photograph above.   What a great way to celebrate the myth with your child!

And, if you search through delicious, a social bookmarking service, you will turn up some interesting bookmarks that give you some dental tips,  background, an online service that facilitates communication between your child and the tooth fairy, and a critical thinking exercise that debunks this popular childhood myth.

When my son, who was born in Cambodia, lost his tooth, I turned to social media to help him learn about Cambodia customs.     With the help of Cambodian bloggers who shared some sound files of the khmer word for tooth and a description of tooth customs, we created a one-minute documentary about the Khmer Tooth Fairy: Remixing Cultural Customs Around Loosing a Tooth