The Anatomy of an Ask [INFOGRAPHIC]

Nonprofit Hub's Interactive Media Strategist, Devin Thomas created this infographic to depict the delicate balance between success and failure when asking for donations:

Talking Succession with Trinity Western University

By Ashley Freedman, Trinity Western University

TWU and Hutchinson Group have a shared common goal: raising leaders for the marketplaces of the world. The Alumni Office is proud to have Hutchinson Group as the title sponsor of the Alumni Weekend 2013’s community stage.

We connected with David Hutchinson, President and CEO of Hutchinson Group, to discuss a hot topic in today’s non-profit sector: succession.

Succession is anticipated to be one of the greatest challenges faced by charities in the next ten years as the majority of Canada’s 86,600 charitable organizations struggle to find new capable leaders.
 

TWU business alumnus David Hutchinson (’88), is ready to take on this challenge. He has a vision for helping build strong non-profits in Canada that are led by capable and passionate leaders.

 
David’s executive search firm has a strong understanding of the needs and challenges faced by non-profits. They specialize in finding skilled professionals who can lead and build non-profit organizations.

David sees succession as the biggest, most important issue facing the charitable sector. In Canada, there is a need for more qualified candidates to fill the leadership positions at non-profits, particularly in fundraising. The reason for this is a generational gap in talent. The charitable sector has not always been considered a desirable career choice.

Current leadership is made up of baby boomers who didn’t study non-profit business, but are qualified through years of experience. Non-profit leadership specialization in higher education is a growing area of study.

As a result, though the next generation desires a profession in the charitable sphere and seeks formal training, it lacks any practical experience. Therein lies the gap between the two generational groups—one is ready to retire, the next isn’t prepared to take over, or is waiting for the opportunity.

While succession is a major issue, David recognizes that there is a solution. “The key to succession,” he says, “is succession planning—identifying and developing leadership potential internally. Organizations need to ask themselves who will be their next leader. Recognizing potential internal talent and nurturing it is essential for the longevity of a non-profit.” Proactively developing a talent pool of both internal and external candidates is key in order to identify the most qualified individual.

“At Hutchinson Group, we want to identify the best talent for our clients’ needs while being realistic and embracing the charitable sector’s evolving nature, compared to the corporate and private sectors,” says David. “We look for people with a heart for the cause.”

David encourages current students and new alumni of TWU’s School of Business to not underestimate the potential within the charitable sector. There is a growing convergence within business practice: money is no longer the bottom line—some investors value social impact as well as they do financial return. This is seen through organizations giving, creating, and partnering with charities. Consequently, there is room in all areas of business for strong Christian-value-based leadership and an understanding of charitable business practices. “An understanding of how to make an impact with hearts and souls is invaluable in today’s marketplace,” says David, “and that is not limited to charities.”

Currently, Hutchinson Group has partnered with the University to assist in the search for TWU’s next president—a big job, but one that it is very qualified to take on.

VIDEO: Young Donors Give Advice for Online Fundraising

Young donors want to know where their money is going

and what their gifts will accomplish. 

Those are two of the key lessons from young donors interviewed in videos produced by Achieve, a fundraising consulting firm that in July released its annual Millennial Impact Report.

"I guess I'm not sure where the money is going, which would be what I want to know," said one young donor viewing the donation page for the American Pianists Association.

Another donor viewing the Nature Conservancy's mobile home page didn't feel compelled to click the prominent "donate now" button because she didn't know anything about the group other than that it "did good."

Some proof of what the money would do can go a long way.

One donor, viewing the online donation form for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, was impressed that the organization gave examples of what small gifts could accomplish.

"For $50 a month having a coming-off-of-chemo party is just the cutest idea I've ever heard," she said.

In the video below, see young donors provide their critiques of nonprofit Web sites, and watch for more videos like this in the coming weeks.  

WATCH VIDEO HERE

 By Cody Switzer, Chronicle of Philanthropy

The Power of Everyday Leadership

Most of us think that in order to be leaders, we have to make some huge, obvious difference in the lives of others. Maybe it’s putting in hours and hours of time to motivate your team. Or maybe it involves starting a company that inspires millions of people around the world. When you look at it like this, leadership can seem unattainable, and many people are wary to call themselves leaders.

In this video, leadership coach Drew Dudley challenges us to think about leadership on a smaller scale. With a short story about how he changed a woman’s life with only a lollipop, Dudley shows how we may all be leaders every day—without even knowing it.

Source: The Daily Muse

Human Rights, Technology and Movement Building Around the World

Most of us see technology an essential tool,something that helps us do our jobs, implement our programs and reach our supporters; it is a tool that allows us to influence change. But rarely do we stop to think about technology as more than a tool, but as itself a powerful mechanism of change.

Last week’s Net Tuesday, presented by Christopher Tuckwood of The Sentinel Project and titled “Human Rights, Technology and Movement Building Around the World,” delved into this topic and explored some of the ways that new technologies present both opportunities and risks for people working on social change.

Christopher began the session by introducing us to The Sentinel Project, an organization using innovative technology to connect with threatened communities worldwide in an effort to prevent genocide and other mass atrocities. Some of their projects include the world’s online repository of hate speech, Hatebase, and the Twitter monitoring tool, Hatebot. Using these tools and others, they are currently monitoring “situations of concern” in Azerbaijan, Burma, Colombia, Iran, Kenya and Indonesia.

After introducing the work of The Sentinel Project, Christopher, posed an interesting question to the audience - “Why is technology relevant to human rights?”

As it turns out, technology presents opportunities and risks for both defenders of human rights and violators of human rights which is why, as a defender, it’s important to know how to both leverage technology to your advantage and use it for protection. Defenders of human rights can use technology to achieve a number of important objectives, including:

• Mobilizing populations
• Documenting abuses
• Maintaining freedom of speech
• Understanding a crisis
• Giving a voice to the voiceless

Interestingly, Christopher pointed out that technology has always been the means by which oppressed populations have pushed back, even before the age of Facebook and Twitter. Long before Twitter and Facebook became important tools for opposing government oppression in Iran and Egypt, the French resistance was using underground newspapers to spread their message (1940-44) and leaders of the India Independence movement (1942) relied on secret radio stations to mobilize the masses. Although the tools have changed since then, technology continues to provide a critical path for oppressed population to achieve their objectives.

Christopher was quick to point out that there are some key principles to keep in mind whenever using technology to advance human rights objectives:
 
Consider your audience

In today’s world, even the most remote and isolated populations have access to some form of technology. What technology is prevalent within the population you are looking to support? Do they use mobile phones/SMS regularly? Or are they more likely to check Facebook messages?

Identifying prevalent technology is the first step however, it is also important to understand the level of trust associated with each technology. For example, if it’s common knowledge that a country’s government monitors Twitter and its citizens are uncomfortable using the technology for that reason, perhaps it’s not the best tool to relay your message or offer support. 

Behavior is more important than tools

Technology is a great way to mobilize large groups of people, but the only way that real change occurs is if behavior changes. Using of technology should be part of a bigger strategy to further change.
 
Assess and manage risks

In some cases, a tool may create more danger than benefits. Christopher used the example of Haystack, a tool that was intended to allow users to circumvent internet censorship in Iran. Unfortunately, the tool turned out to be full of security holes and could have put many Iranian dissidents at risk, had it been widely adopted.

Before using any tool ask yourself if you fully understand the vulnerabilities of the tool and take steps to ensure that users are protected. 

Take a people centred approach

It’s easy for technology to take centre stage, however it is critically important that technology never becomes more important than the people the technology is intended to assist. Keep the community at the heart of your campaign. 

Link technologies to real world action

We’ve all heard the term “slacktivist” - or slacker activism. Any campaign the users technology as a communication tool is bound to come up against a wall of slacktivism at one point or another. That’s why it’s important for any campaign you undertake to be grounded in the real world, with actions and outcomes that create true change. How you do this is up to you and will be completely different for each and every initiative; be sure to consider this principle early and revisit it often. 

Ensure redundancy, safety and security

Security, security, security. Ensuring user safety is paramount, especially when working in human rights, where the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Christopher’s presentation offered a number of fascinating examples that typify the principles mentioned above, from crisis mapping in Egypt to citizen journalism in Iran.

He ended the session with a quick overview of future technologies, including satellite imagery, unmanned aerial vehicles and big data, that are sure to have a huge impact in the human rights space in a few short years.

If you want to learn more about the intersection of technology and human rights Christopher is offering a course on the topic. Learn more at: www.facebook.com/stopgenocide

Presentation slides: http://www.slideshare.net/techsoupcanada/technology-human-rights-movement-building-around-the-world

Recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9m1RW6Anrg

Source: techsoupcanada.ca