photo by jurvetson
Seth Godin’s recent rant concerning nonprofits’ fear of change/tardiness in adopting social media practices has generated some interesting debate about where he got it right and wrong.
I have a lot of respect for Godin and what he’s accomplished. That said, I think that anyone as prolific as he is in his writing is going to have a higher percentage of WTF moments than those who are, shall we say, a litle less generous in sharing their opinions. For example, the idea that making the Twitter 100 would serve as any kind of useful measurement is just plain stupid. But he also made some great points about the self-imposed culture of helplessness found in many nonprofits (it actually applies to just as many for-profits, but I digress).
I agree with Godin’s assessment that the majority of nonprofit organizations are (1) fearful of real change and (2) behind the curve on social media. Where’s the big surprise? Just as most businesses are not Ford or Starbucks or Dell, most nonprofits are not the American Cancer Society or World Wildlife Fund or Planned Parenthood, all notable for their use of social media. The vast majority of nonprofits are small, underresourced and overworked organizations that need to focus first on providing a service, whether it’s finding a home for the homeless, teaching kids to read or providing shelter to abused families.
Godin has no patience for the resource argument. He says that social media tools are free and easy to use, and that you should simply turn your vast horde of volunteers loose to promote the cause. Again, I think he’s being a little simplistic here. I don’t have control issues, but I do have messaging and education issues. Anyone who has managed in a volunteer organization knows that making effective use of volunteers is a time-intensive endeavor. If only it were as easy as Godin makes it out to be.
I personally believe that the use of social media is going to transform the nonprofit landscape, just as it’s changing the way we do business. But for the tens of thousands of nonprofits being forced to take on more and more work as government continues to abdicate its social service responsibilities, it’s going to be a long, painful evolution.
If you’re interested in following the conversation regarding Godin’s post, here are some great places to do so:
Seth Godin’s Non Post About Nonprofits: Deer in the Headlights?
Followers and Friends Not the Only Measure of Nonprofit Success Online
Seth Zeros in on Our Third-Worst Problem
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