The Future of Nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in the Digital Age

by David J. Neff, Randal C. Moss

Overview

Ever heard of an internal entrepreneur? You might know the type. They’re kind of employee who pushes mercilessly towards the trends of the future. Often looked at as a little bit outside the mainstream, more often than not the decisions this internal entrepreneur makes on behalf of an organization pay off in spades.

So what makes an internal entrepreneur? How can you, as a nonprofit, create a culture that rewards futuring, internal entrepreneurs and innovation and doesn’t shut it down?

The book “The Future of Nonprofits: Thrive and Innovate in the Digital Age”  helps organizations do those very things. Better predicting future trends helps to reshape culture, creating the kind of environment ripe for positive growth in this fast changing world we work in today.  Designed for nonprofit employees on all levels, the book will become a go to handbook for those interested in adapting in the modern world, not looking to be left behind.

The Future of Nonprofits helps organizations capitalize on internal innovation. Innovative nonprofits are able to better predict future trends to remake and reshape their culture, structure, and staff to be a more nimble and lean. By applying the strategies laid out in this book, nonprofit professionals of all levels can prepare their organizations to take advantage of future trends  and develop innovative “internal entrepreneurs”  that will grow revenue and drive their mission.

• Provides nonprofits with a comprehensive playbook on how to create a new, more flexible, innovative organization
• Provides nonprofits a look at the future of fundraising and communications trends into 2016
• Case studies highlight successes and failures
• Highlights the power and strength of Social Media
• Hightlights how to hire, train, manage and inspire “internal entrepreneurial” employees
• Features actionable advice on creating an organization that is primed to grow and thrive in the immediate and long-term future

This game-changing book reveals how every nonprofit can put technology, innovation and future trends to work to reach their mission and grow revenue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470913352
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	05/03/2011
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

DAVID J. NEFF is the creator and CEO of Lights. Camera. Help., the world's first nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging other cause-driven organizations to use film and video to tell their stories. A blogger and consultant, he is the current President of the Social Media Club Austin and the COO of the social giving start-up HelpAttack! He was the 2009 American Marketing Association Nonprofit Social Media Marketer of the Year and was named one of the top twenty social media people in Texas for 2009 by the Austin American-Statesman.

RANDAL C. MOSS pioneered the use of Virtual Worlds for raising revenue, driving brand recognition, and managing relationships for nonprofit organizations. He was a national presenter for the American Marketing Association from 2006–2008 and a four-time presenter at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference. Randal is involved in the Cincinnati Social Media Club and is Social Media lead for TEDxCincy. He has consulted with Johnson & Johnson and the State Department, and testified to the U.S. Congress on digital media marketing. Randal is currently the Social Media and Digital Marketing Manager at MWV.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction xi

Part I Definitions and Strategies 1

Chapter 1 Innovate, or Die 3

Chapter 2 What is Innovation? 21

Chapter 3 Innovation as Your Strategy for Success 39

Chapter 4 What is Driving Your Innovation? Technology, Society, and Innovation 55

Part II The Three Pillars of Innovation 77

Chapter 5 Awareness 79

Chapter 6 Structure: Into the Belly of the Beast 103

Chapter 7 Staffing: The Right People, the Right Skills, and the Right Roles 125

Part III Implementation and Future Considerations 147

Chapter 8 Starting Your Innovation Projects: Managing Innovation at Your Organization 149

Chapter 9 The Future of Fundraising: New Money from New Donors in New Ways 169

Chapter 10 The Future of Communications 193

Chapter 11 In Conclusion 215

Appendices 221

Appendix 1 Sample of Job Descriptions 223

Appendix 2 Organization Innovation Index Quiz 227

Appendix 3 Are You Looking to the Future? 231

The Future of Nonprofits: The Comic Book 233

Index 239

Editorial Reviews

Debut authors Neff and Moss tackle the sustainability of nonprofits through one encompassing keyword: innovation.

Drawing on the authors' experiences as digital-media strategists on the business side of nonprofits, this enriching guidebook not only describes how these organizations can survive the future but how they can thrive in it. This book, the authors write, will "provide you with a blueprint to recreate the way that your organization fulfills its mission." Neff and Moss advocate the importance of developing "a culture of innovation," offering a variety of creative, digital techniques and business models that can be tailored to fit every nonprofit's needs. They reference websites of organizations that employ cutting-edge "innovations" to the benefit of their mission, as well as other more conservative (read: offline) initiatives that have worked in the past. This sturdy, informative guide is written in straightforward prose paced like a spirited novel, and each chapter is summarized at the conclusion for quick review. The authors' writing style and clarity makes this an effortless read for any nonprofit staffer, no matter their level. However, the tone is slanted toward executives, and the book includes a section with guidelines on how to staff organizations with the best people.Appendices include information about job descriptions and quizzes.

Innovation, innovation, innovation—a solid, somewhat repetitive technology guide for nonprofit organizations.

Kirkus Reviews