We recommend you read Alison Fine’s blog piece regarding how to help your nonprofit’s constituents understand that they matter in your work. One of the topics covered is asking for advice in a public setting. By creating this opportunity for individuals to contribute their thoughts, you are empowering them as a more valuable member of your community.
This concept can be very challenging for many types of nonprofits, especially those that have worked to craft an expert or authoritative voice for your organization. For some, the idea of asking for advice or crowdsourcing feedback could be interpreted as a sign of weakness that your nonprofit is not adequately able to handle internal challenges or questions.
If anything, the opportunity to solicit feedback is more valuable for organizations that have crafted an ‘expert’ voice, as it helps your supporters understand that even though you are an authoritative voice on a subject you’re open to the thoughts of others. The ability to seek and use feedback from others is what prevents you from becoming an authoritarian voice.
This week’s smattering of links that you may find helpful:
- Jeff Bullas shares five common social media mistakes and suggests solutions to avoid or fix them.
- Mashable provides seven Tumblr add-ons to help boost your Tumblr functionality.
- In a longer piece excerpted from a recent book, NPQ covers a lot great details about challenge gifts and the impact they can have on fundraising.
- MarketingProfs outlines seven myths about email marketing.
- Volunteering can have a very positive impact on career opportunities. Idealist highlights some of the positive impacts that it can have.
Justin (he, him) is a Principal and Co-Founder of Social Change Consulting. He has over fifteen years of nonprofit experience, with expertise in online fundraising, digital communications, and data management. Justin helps organizations connect their communication strategy to their income development needs. When he’s not on the clock, Justin is exploring Berlin, running, listening to too many podcasts, and drinking too much coffee.