Stanford Social Innovation Review

“You” Video: The New Cause Politics?

And now for the next generation of the powers of social media to cause-politicize the masses, get ready for You Video.

No, we’re not talking YouTube. That’s oh-so-yesterday. Think 2010 midterm elections. As the political waters heat up online and off, progressives are carving out a new 3.0 approach to political outreach, launching a new type of fundraising video that, well, involves the up close and personal “you.” On video. No kidding. [Quick, better spruce up that online photo.]

To see just how up close and personalized these videos are, check out the latest “Blue State” fundraising appeal from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), in partnership with MoveOn.org and Brave New Films. Called “Glenn Beck Attacks,” the campaign personalizes a video interface and, using a Facebook interface that “grabs” your photo and other personal data from your Wall, instantly creates a pseudo newscast with you all over it.

The video caption reads: “Fox host Glenn Beck spent much of the last week claiming that a normal, everyday progressive was linked to Stalin, Elvis, Joe Biden’s cousin, and the guy who came up with the idea of taxes.”

The interface adds your name and picture to a phony CNN-like news segment,  but for those who wish [depending on the level of your political angst or activism], the video can be personalized even further, to include one’s hometown, friends’ names, employer, and so forth.

Have a look by clicking on http://beck.cnnbcvideo.com and walk through the paces.

Is this the next generation of political advertising, or the next privacy violation? The site advises people to worry not: “This video and site are fictional and satirical,” it says.

What do you think? Is this campaign going to go viral or is it too close for comfort? And regardless, what applications might there be here for cause-related video campaigns? Let us hear from you.

Marcia Stepanek is Founding Editor-in-Chief and President, News and Information, for Contribute Media, a New York-based magazine, Web site, and conference series about the new people and ideas of giving. She is the publisher of Cause Global, an acclaimed new blog about the use of digital media for social change. She also serves as moderator and producer of New Conversations for Change, Contribute’s forum series highlighting social entrepreneurs and new trends in philanthropy.

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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Benjamin Jealous

This post is part of a special series by Rosetta Thurman entitled “28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders.” In honor of Black History Month, Rosetta will be “highlighting 28 Black nonprofit leaders who have done or are doing their part to make our world a bit better, a bit more hopeful for the generations that will come.”

In her introduction to the series on her blog, Rosetta writes, “I love Black History Month because it reminds me of how far we still have to go in this country in terms of race relations and giving everyone a fair chance to take part in the “American Dream.” How far we still have to go before Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of social justice and economic opportunity for everyone will be realized. Fortunately, there are countless leaders out there who are continuing to address so many aspects of social change.” The SSIR is proud to publish some of their stories.

Benjamin Jealous is President and CEO of the NAACP.

From the NAACP website:

Benjamin Todd Jealous grew up believing that there was no higher calling than to further the cause of freedom in this country and in the world. It is a mindset he inherited from of his parents and grandparents. Their drive for community betterment blazed the trail for Jealous’ own deep commitment to social justice, public service and human rights activism. Now, as the 17th President and Chief Executive Officer of the NAACP, and the youngest person to hold the position in the organization’s nearly 100-year history, Jealous is well positioned to answer the call.

During his career, he has served as president of the Rosenberg Foundation, director of the U.S. Human Rights Program at Amnesty International and Executive Director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a federation of more than 200 black community newspapers. From his early days of organizing voter registration drives up until his nomination and election as NAACP president, Jealous has been motivated by civic duty and a constant need to improve the lives of America’s underrepresented. All things considered, Jealous’ leadership roles and active community involvement have well prepared him for his current duties as president of the NAACP. In fact, his path through journalism and the Black Press is not unlike several other former NAACP presidents, including Roy Wilkins, Walter White, Ida B. Wells and W.E.B. Dubois.

As a student at Columbia University, he worked in Harlem as a community organizer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. On campus, Jealous led school-wide movements, including boycotts and pickets for homeless rights, a successful campaign to save full-need financial aid and need-blind admissions when other national universities were cutting such programs, and an environmental justice battle with the University.

These protests ultimately led to the suspension of Jealous and three other student leaders. Jealous used this time off to work as a field organizer helping to lead a campaign that prevented the State of Mississippi from closing two of its three public historically black universities, and converting one of them into a prison. He remained in Mississippi to take a job at the Jackson Advocate, an African American newspaper based in the state’s capital. His reporting — for the frequently firebombed weekly — was credited with exposing corruption amongst high-ranking officials at the state prison in Parchman. His investigations also helped to acquit a small black farmer who had been wrongfully and maliciously accused of arson. His work at the Jackson Advocate eventually lead to his promotion to Managing Editor.

In 1997, Jealous returned to Columbia University and completed his degree in political science. With the encouragement of mentors, he applied and was accepted to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar where he earned a master’s degree in comparative social research.

Jealous eventually went on to serve as Executive Director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). While at the NNPA, he rebuilt its 90-year old national news service and launched a web-based initiative that more than doubled the number of black newspapers publishing online.

Most recently, Jealous was President of the Rosenberg Foundation, a private independent institution that funds civil and human rights advocacy to benefit California’s working families. Prior to that, he was Director of the U.S. Human Rights Program at Amnesty International. While there he led efforts to pass federal legislation against prison rape, rebuild public consensus against racial profiling in the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, and expose the widespread sentencing of children to life without the possibility of parole.

Active in civic life, Jealous is a board member of the California Council for the Humanities, and the Association of Black Foundation Executives, as well as a member of the Asia Society. He is married to Lia Epperson Jealous, a professor of constitutional law and former civil rights litigator with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. They presently reside in Washington, DC with their young daughter.

See also: Benjamin’s 2009 interview with the Chronicle of Philanthropy (video)

See also: Julian Bond’s interview with Benjamin during University of Virginia’s Explorations in Black Leadership series (video)

Photo credit: NAACP

Rosetta Thurman is a writer, speaker, professor and consultant working and living in the Washington, D.C. area.  She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and blogs about nonprofits, leadership and social change at rosettathurman.com

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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Emmett Carson

This post is part of a special series by Rosetta Thurman entitled “28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders.” In honor of Black History Month, Rosetta will be “highlighting 28 Black nonprofit leaders who have done or are doing their part to make our world a bit better, a bit more hopeful for the generations that will come.”

In her introduction to the series on her blog, Rosetta writes, “I love Black History Month because it reminds me of how far we still have to go in this country in terms of race relations and giving everyone a fair chance to take part in the “American Dream.” How far we still have to go before Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of social justice and economic opportunity for everyone will be realized. Fortunately, there are countless leaders out there who are continuing to address so many aspects of social change.” The SSIR is proud to publish some of their stories.

Dr. Emmett Carson is the founding CEO and president of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

From the Silicon Valley Community Foundation website:

Hired in 2006 to establish a new, regional community foundation from the unprecedented merger of Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley, Emmett is responsible for providing the vision for one of the largest community foundations in the United States with assets of $1.7 billion.

Before coming to Silicon Valley, Emmett served as president and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation for 12 years. During his tenure, the foundation received national recognition for its grantmaking in the areas of housing, immigration and education.

An inspiring public speaker, Emmett has devoted his career to being a catalyst for positive social change and has authored more than 100 works on philanthropy and social justice. He served as the first manager of the Ford Foundation’s worldwide grantmaking program on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector and his seminal work on African American giving and volunteering at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is widely seen as helping to spark broad public interest in ethnic philanthropy studies.

In addition to serving on numerous nonprofit boards, he has conducted workshops on endowment building for nongovernmental organizations in southern Africa and participated in international efforts to develop best practices within the field of philanthropy. He has received numerous awards, including honorary degrees from Indiana University, Morehouse College and The National Hispanic University.

A native of Chicago, Emmett received both his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in public and international affairs from Princeton University and his bachelor’s degree in economics, Phi Beta Kappa, from Morehouse College. He is married to Jacqueline Copeland-Carson, Ph.D.

See also: Emmett’s 2007 Interview with the Stanford Social Innovation Review

See also: Emmett’s 2006 Interview with the Foundation Center

Photo credit: Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Rosetta Thurman is a writer, speaker, professor and consultant working and living in the Washington, D.C. area.  She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and blogs about nonprofits, leadership and social change at rosettathurman.com

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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Erica Hunt

This post is part of a special series by Rosetta Thurman entitled “28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders.” In honor of Black History Month, Rosetta will be “highlighting 28 Black nonprofit leaders who have done or are doing their part to make our world a bit better, a bit more hopeful for the generations that will come.”

In her introduction to the series on her blog, Rosetta writes, “I love Black History Month because it reminds me of how far we still have to go in this country in terms of race relations and giving everyone a fair chance to take part in the “American Dream.” How far we still have to go before Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of social justice and economic opportunity for everyone will be realized. Fortunately, there are countless leaders out there who are continuing to address so many aspects of social change.” The SSIR is proud to publish some of their stories.

If you run in social justice philanthropy circles, you’ve probably heard of Erica Hunt, President of the Twenty-First Century Foundation in New York. What you may NOT know is that Erica Hunt is also a marvelous poet.  A woman after my own English major, free verse-loving heart.

From the Twenty-First Century Foundation website:

Erica Hunt, a leading expert on Black social justice and economic issues, was a Senior Program Officer with the New World Foundation, before joining 21CF in 1998 where she has led new work in the field of Black philanthropy. During her tenure, 21CF has sought to strengthen Black giving and community-based philanthropy through donor education; grant making through donor-advised funds and special national initiatives; and applied research to document trends in Black philanthropy and community impact. Under her supervision, 21CF has grown from an all volunteer organization, to a premier national $8 million public foundation. Hunt holds a B.A. in Literature from San Francisco State University, and is a past Fellow in the Duke University/University of Cape Town Center for Leadership and Public Values. She currently serves as a participant to Diversity and Effectiveness in Philanthropy; the International Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace; and Rye Collaborative National Progressive Foundations. Her past professional leadership affiliations include: the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers; National Center for Black Philanthropy, and the Coalition for New Philanthropy. Hunt, a published author of numerous articles and essays on Black philanthropy, was the 2008 recipient of Spelman College’s award for National Community Service.

From the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing at the University of Pennsylvania:

Erica Hunt works at the forefront of experimental poetry and poetics, critical race theory, and feminist aesthetics. She has written three books of poetry: Arcade, with artist Alison Saar, Piece Logic, and Local History (Roof Books, 1993). Her published and forthcoming essays include “Notes for an Oppositional Poetics” (The Politics of Poetic Form,, ed. Charles Bernstein), “Parabolay” (Boundary 2), and “Roots of the Black Avant Garde” (Tripwire, forthcoming). Hunt’s poems can be found in Moving Borders: Three Decades of Innovative Writing by Women (ed. Mary Margaret Sloan), Iowa Poetry Review, and the Virago Anthology of Women’s Love Poetry. Hunt has also worked as a housing organizer, radio producer, poetry teacher, and program officer for a social justice campaign. She is currently president of The Twenty-First Century Foundation which supports organizations addressing root causes of social injustice impacting the Black community.

See also: A complete audio archive of Erica Hunt reading her poetry hosted on the PennSound website

Photo credit: BMoreNews.com

Rosetta Thurman is a writer, speaker, professor and consultant working and living in the Washington, D.C. area.  She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and blogs about nonprofits, leadership and social change at rosettathurman.com

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Real stories critical for giving

In a world ravaged by poverty, hunger, poor health, violence and intolerance, philanthropy can change lives.

Just ask Ron Archer.

At the 2009 National Philanthropy Day luncheon sponsored by the Triangle chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham region, the motivational speaker and former All-American middle linebacker smashed through the comfort zone that can insulate giving from the people it serves and the problems it addresses.

A one-time preacher who now runs an international economic-development network, Archer told a harrowing tale of a 10-year-old Cleveland kid who wanted to kill himself.

The boy was a “trick baby,” born to a teen girl who had become a prostitute at age 14 after her family plunged into poverty.

The boy’s childhood was a living nightmare.

With German and Caribbean grandparents, the biracial kid was an outsider who fit in nowhere and was shunned everywhere.

His teen mother was the victim of brutal physical and sexual abuse, abuse that Archer described graphically.

The boy stammered and was a chronic bed-wetter.

He himself was raped.

So at age 10, in possession of a gun, he wanted to end it all.

It was then, Archer told last week’s luncheon crowd, that philanthropy “found” that kid, who of course was Archer himself.

Somehow, some way, the often invisible world of social services discovered and connected with that lost child and helped him find and help himself.

Archer’s talk – it was more akin to a fire-and-brimstone sermon – stunned the crowd of roughly 270 fundraising professionals and donors at last week’s luncheon, held at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary.

And while Archer was swamped after the talk with well-wishers, a few of those in the audience privately voiced outrage at the blunt and disturbing details he shared about his life.

That reaction was unfortunate.

People working in the charitable marketplace, especially those whose job is to raise money from donors, often talk about philanthropy’s power to transform lives and fix urgent and horrific problems.

Professionals in the giving sector also emphasize the importance of telling stories that are authentic.

But real stories about real people and their real problems can make some philanthropy professionals uncomfortable.

The business of philanthropy is to heal and change lives, and the job of fundraising professionals is to engage givers and secure the resources their organizations need to be change agents.

A powerful tool to engage givers is storytelling – telling stories about people, the problems they face, and the role philanthropy can play in addressing the symptoms and causes of those problems.

Two of the organizations honored last week by the Triangle chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals were InterAct, an agency that supports victims of domestic violence, and Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina – agencies that offer precisely the kinds of services that can change the lives of people like Ron Archer and his mother.

Their stories, and those of others like them, need to be told, and told again, so that more givers get involved in making a difference.

Todd Cohen, a veteran news reporter and editor, is editor and publisher of Philanthropy Journal, an online newspaper published by the A.J. Fletcher Foundation in Raleigh, N.C. Cohen has taught nonprofit reporting and media relations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Duke University, and regularly speaks on the topics of nonprofit media relations and trends in the charitable world.

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We Are the Possible: Meet Samuel Isaac Richard

This is the final interview in my We Are the Possible blog anniversary series, so named after my favorite Maya Angelou poem, “A Brave and Startling Truth.” I’ve been profiling several young nonprofit leaders I admire not only for their professional work, but for the values they live out for themselves.

When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

Samuel Isaac Richard was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, by two public school teachers. Community service has always been a large part of his life, even before he knew what “community service” was.  His family was always involved in church inadvertently learning what it meant to care for thy neighbor. They traveled the country camping in National Parks during the summer unintentionally learning about responsibly caring for the earth and those dependent upon its resources, and as a Boy Scout he coincidentally learned the foundations of leadership, civic engagement, and group dynamics. Sam is engaged to be married in October of this year, and lives in Downtown Phoenix.

I met Sam last year at the 2008 Nonprofit Congress after a speech I gave there. He came up to me with this ball of energy he seemed to be carrying around with him in his jacket pocket. We exchanged cards, and I started following his writing on his blog, Deserted After Dark. Sam is a deep thinker on community issues, who will surely be shaking up this nonprofit world soon and very soon. I’m excited to introduce him to all of you!

Age: 24
Lives in: Phoenix, Arizona

How did you end up doing the work of social change?
Sort of funny, but I’ve never really analyzed this question until now. Thinking back, though, I think it has a lot to do with Midwest Sentiment. I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and my parents brought the prairie attitude down to Phoenix with them. What do I mean by “Midwest Sentiment?”  Radio host Garrison Keillor puts it this way in his book, “Homegrown Democrat.”

“We don’t let people lie in the ditch and drive past and pretend not to see them dying. Here on the frozen tundra of Minnesota, if your neighbor’s car won’t start, you put on your parka and get the jumper cables out and deliver the Sacred Spark that starts their car. Everybody knows this. The logical extension of this spirit is social welfare.”

Why did you decide to pursue a degree in nonprofit leadership and management?
My college experience is… interesting. After graduating high school, I drove down to Tucson to pursue a degree in Architecture at the University of Arizona. I had (and still don’t, by the way) absolutely no artistic ability - but thought that my love and appreciation for good design would carry me. It didn’t. I floated through a couple more majors, but soon realized that I probably wasn’t ready for college. I headed back up to Phoenix and landed a job at Starbucks. Two years slinging coffee was enough for me, and I transitioned back into school - taking a couple of classes at a local community college while working part-time at an organization in the development office. I helped coordinate a golf tournament and researched donor prospects. I had volunteered with the organization before, but working “behind the scenes” was really eye opening - in a good way - for me. A woman at the organization was pursuing the American Humanics certificate and in the Nonprofit Leadership & Managment degree program at the time and talked to me a little about it.  As they say, the rest is history.

I’ll be done with my classes this December, and can’t wait to have the freedom to put my knowledge to work full-time.

What do you do in your job at Arizona State University?
My official title is “Student Ambassador for Recruitment” (StAR). I do all the regular recruiting stuff: provide information about the majors offered at the College of Public Programs, give campus tours to potential students, and connect them with all the right resources. But in all seriousness, I see what I do as college access. Our majors have public service at their core, but they don’t really roll off the tongue. Because of that, many potential students aren’t aware that they can have a full, four-year degree in Nonprofit Leadership & Management - and it’s my job to provide opportunities to learn more about those possibilities.

Tell me about your volunteer work with the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) of Phoenix and other organizations.
Being an American Humanics student, I value the camaraderie of like-minded folk. But AH stops after graduation (for the most part), and there really wasn’t much for early career professionals working in the sector here in Phoenix. So a couple of years ago, four Master’s of Nonprofit Studies (MNpS) students created a YNPN chapter here in Phoenix. They had a great year growing the programming and dreaming up plans for the future. At the beginning of this year I had the honor of being invited to served on the Board of Directors of YNPNphx and I’m loving it. We are having a great year so far, and we’re looking forward to big things happening in the near future.

I also serve of the Board of Trustees for the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, which is a blast. I am the youngest voice on the board by at least 20 years, and it’s definitely been a learning experience for all involved!

You’ve been writing about nonprofit issues for a while now on your blog, Deserted After Dark. How has blogging impacted your career?
I think more than anything, writing about my thoughts and feelings concerning the sector has helped me frame my thoughts and feelings concerning the sector in a more coherent way. I am definitely an external processor, and writing provides an outlet to test my opinions in front a (mostly) friendly audience.

I’m still in school full-time, so I haven’t really seen much impact on my career from blogging, per se, but it has opened doors that wouldn’t have otherwise been available to me - so maybe blogging will lead to a great job someday soon. Anybody out there hiring?

On a side note, this semester has been a little taxing on my schedule - as the next question alludes to - so I haven’t written much lately. But look for a resurgence over the summer!

Congratulations on your recent engagement! Much of the research, however, says that our generation cares more about our careers than getting married. Could you share some insight to how Gen Y can balance both of those priorities?

Let me start by saying that my answer to this question might not be applicable to anybody else. I am one lucky dude that is quite obviously marrying above my pay grade on so many levels. That being said, though, I do have some thoughts…

For me, it’s hard to separate my passion for social justice and a stronger sector from my love for Kim. I know that sounds cheesy, but I say it because I don’t believe that the priorities have to be “balanced.”  Maybe some see romantic relationships and marriage as barriers to success in a career, but my relationship with Kim has done nothing but aided and abetted my addiction to social change - and that won’t change anytime soon.  She is my biggest fan and extremely supportive, but questions my crazy theories and challenges my assumptions. She is honest about my faults, but only because she believes that I can be better. And I’d like to think that I offer the same support and challenge for her. We work really well together, mainly because we understand that we’re in this together - whatever “this” happens to be at the moment.

I’m looking forward to our next chapter, and trust that our story will not be unique among those that value their partner as an accomplice in the pursuit of their dreams.

So you’re a rockstar blogger, full-time employee, nonprofit volunteer, editor at Downtown Phoenix Journal, and you just got engaged. How do you hold it all? Are there any daily rituals or spiritual practices that help you stay centered?
First off, thanks.  As for daily rituals, I don’t have many. I try to take at least 20 minutes a night to read something not related to school or work. I’m currently re-reading “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, which is a trip. It’s amazing how relevant things can be almost 80 years after they were written. I also love to unwind with something in my Hulu queue - I’m a big fan of “30 Rock,” “The Office,” “The Daily Show,” and “House.”

In addition to that, about twice a year I travel to a Catholic Abbey about three hours away from Phoenix nestled in the high desert mountains about 30 miles from the US-Mexico border. The sisters there operate a small retreat house, and it’s a great way to step back an take a look at a where I’ve been, where I am, and where I need to go spiritually, relationally, and professionally. I think it’ll be about time for a trip after finals are over in a few weeks….

How would you like to see our generation change the world?
What a great question. I would like to think that history will look back on our generation as the group of people who served as the tipping point to an holistically inclusive society. Many great people are doing wonderful things to see that come about (i.e. this blog), and I firmly believe that our generation as a whole can see that dream finally become reality.  I’m honored to be a part of such a group of people, and thankful for the opportunity to share a little of my story here.  Thanks!

You can follow Sam on Twitter @samuelisaac

Rosetta Thurman is an emerging nonprofit leader of color working and living in the Washington, D.C. area.  She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and blogs about nonprofit leadership and management issues at Perspectives From the Pipeline.

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We Are the Possible: Meet Lindsey McDougle

I’m profiling several young nonprofit leaders I admire not only for their professional work, but for the values they live out for themselves.

When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

-Maya Angelou

Lindsey McDougle is currently a doctoral student at the University of San Diego pursuing a degree in Leadership Studies with a specialization in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies. She is a doctoral research assistant at the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research at the University. Research wise, Lindsey is interested in race, class, and gender differences in public expectations of nonprofit organizations, as well as in leadership and social media.

I “met” Lindsey online after she started reading my blog. A few months later, I was delighted to see she had started her own blog sharing her expertise on leadership studies. Her writing and advocacy for higher education in philanthropy is part of what inspired me to pursue a PhD in that field myself. If you’re trying to navigate the nonprofit PhD scene, Lindsey’s knowledge will certainly prove useful to you as well.

Lindsey McDougle, Blogger at Leadership as a Field of Study, Doctoral Research Assistant at the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research
Age: 27
Lives in: San Diego, CA

How did you become interested in doing the work of social change?
My interest in social change has been pretty continuous since I started college. Although I have not always been interested in the area of nonprofit and philanthropic studies, I have always been interested in a variety of socially related issues.

As an undergraduate student, for instance, I was heavily interested in environmental justice and issues of equity with regard to environmental concerns. The minimal amount of environmental resources (and environmentally focused education programs) invested into rural areas and communities of color led me to pursue a degree in Human Dimensions in Natural Resources.  I continued this interest into graduate school, but I also became interested in corporate social responsibility and corporate philanthropy, and the role that corporations can play in helping to alleviate social disparities.

Why did you decide to pursue a PhD in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies?
I think that many people who study, or even work in, the nonprofit sector have a belief that there is something that they can do… something that they can contribute… to help make the world (if only in a small way) a better, more equitable place. And, I think that nonprofit organizations allow people a means of turning that belief into reality.

For me, then, I was really interested in studying how nonprofits-these organizations that often act as conduits for so much good-could effectively leverage their resources to achieve the greatest societal benefit.

Tell me about some of the nonprofit research you’ve done so far.
There are not very many academic centers that focus specifically on nonprofit research. So when I began the process of looking into Ph.D. programs, the University of San Diego (USD) immediately stood out to me.  I think that I have been extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to be involved in the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research at the University. Through the Center I have not only been able to lead major research projects, but I have also been able to develop practical consulting skills through several applied projects.

My most recent research project focused on public confidence in the San Diego County nonprofit sector (a project that was funded by the San Diego Foundation).  With my team of colleagues, we designed an in-depth survey instrument that assessed the level of confidence San Diegan’s had in a variety of nonprofit services, their confidence in different nonprofit sub-sectors, their perceptions of executive compensation in the sector, and their preferences for nonprofit services over the services provided by other sectors.

My dissertation research uses this same data set and I am focusing on how race, class, gender, and individual values may affect a person’s perceptions of, and preference for, nonprofit organizations in industries where nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations coexist and compete for customers (e.g., education and health care industries).

What lessons have you learned from your consulting work in the nonprofit sector?
Every nonprofit organization is different. However, just like in the for-profit sector, leadership, strategy, and accountability are elements that all organizations, regardless of sectoral affiliation, must value. Nonprofit organizations often provide the services and goods to those most in need. Without effective leadership, deliberate strategy, and sound accountability nonprofits run the risk of not only damaging public image of the sector, but also of letting down those who most rely on, and need, their services.

You’ve been writing about nonprofit issues for a while now on your blog, Leadership as a Field of Study. How has blogging impacted your career?
I started blogging about 18 months ago.  A colleague of mine, Heather Carpenter (who was already an avid blogger) insisted that I share my “expertise” with others. At that time, however, I truly believed that I didn’t have much “expertise” to share.  I also didn’t know who would want to read about the things that I was interested in: leadership, nonprofits, and social change. But Heather really convinced me of the value in blogging… and so I began.

Since that time I have built a reputation as an expert in my field.  Prior to blogging I was a bit hesitant to stake my claim as an “expert,” but, indeed, I am! I know what I know, and I know my field.  I now contribute regularly to the Caster Center’s blog, and I have been extremely active in promoting the use of social media (all forms) throughout the University.

I often get e-mails and phone calls from people at other colleges and universities who are looking into either to designing, or enhancing, an academic leadership program. They use my blog as a resource and ask me to provide them with insight into what it might take (or should take) to establish a leadership program at their college or university.  Career wise, I think that Heather’s encouragement to begin blogging was probably one of the smartest things that I could have ever done.

I have to say that your blog was part of the inspiration that led me to take the leap in pursuing a PhD in leadership studies myself. What advice would you give to those who are considering this particular educational path?
I really get excited when I talk to people about pursing leadership as an academic field of study. Therefore, I am very happy to know that my blog was useful to you in deciding to pursue your doctorate. Leadership studies is a very interesting area of scholarly inquiry. It combines several traditional academic disciplines: from the social sciences, to the humanities, and even professional fields, to create this very (from my perspective) unique area of study focusing on a phenomenon which we all experience everyday-leadership.

That said I was pleased to hear that you had decided to pursue your Ph.D. in this area. At times I find that some young(er) people are hesitant to study leadership because they feel that they don’t have some required (as they view it) level of experience. However, studying leadership is not necessarily about experience-it’s about creativity and passion… and most importantly, it’s about research. So, to anyone considering this particular educational path, I would encourage them to simply do it.

How would you like to see your generation change the world?
Thoughtfully. Passionately. Confidently.

Many of us have the education, the resources, and the capability to do so many great things. It’s time to put dreams into action and go out and do it!

You can follow Lindsey on Twitter at @lindseymcdougle

Rosetta Thurman is an emerging nonprofit leader of color working and living in the Washington, D.C. area.  She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and blogs about nonprofit leadership and management issues at Perspectives From the Pipeline.

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Philanthropy: Science, Art or…Music?

Sometimes (OK, a lot) the vision of philanthropy advanced by people like me seems to suggest that philanthropy is a science. To me, philanthropy is “tactical.” To Matthew Bishop” it blends with “capitalism.” Paul Brest advances a “strategic” view. Leslie Crutchfield & Heather McLeod Grant focus on “impact.” All of these words seem most at home in scientific world view.

But philanthropy is not a science. To people like Phil Cubeta, Bill Somerville and Tracy Gary, philanthropy is an art. Words like “love,” “inspiration,” and “intuition” dominate their conversations.

While I’m guilty of gravitating to the language of business and science when I write about philanthropy, I think it is actually a blend of art and science. But even that doesn’t capture it. Philanthropy is really something else entirely.

Recently I’ve been thinking about how music is maybe the best metaphor for philanthropy. Music is an art, sure, but it is an art based in math. Google “the science of music” and you’ll get 222,000,000 results. Music is driven by passion, but even though anyone can pick up an instrument and play it, it is broadly agreed that making good music is a talent and something that can be learned.

While music is a personal taste, we also have broad agreement around the idea of what is considered truly great music. Yet great music doesn’t always “go to scale” and in fact certain types of music reach their fullest potential when they are intentionally kept small.

Can you think about how to be tactical or strategic in how you produce music? Yes. Does capitalism have anything to do with music? No doubt. Is “love,” “inspiration” and “intuition” relevant to music? Of course. If you want to make beautiful music that changes the world and is a joy to play, you must understand music as both an art and a science. Same thing with philanthropy. Without heart, music and philanthropy are superficial. You can’t “prove” that great music or great philanthropy is truly great. Both philanthropy and music benefit the player and the listener, the giver and the receiver. The joy that a musician takes from her music does not diminish its value to the listener, it enhances it. Same thing with philanthropy. But the fact that a musician spends years trying to understand what works, analyzing other efforts and intentionally trying to craft something amazing does not diminish their work either. We expect that music is hard and that great music does not happen on accident. We should expect the same in philanthropy.

So queue up Beethoven’s Ode to Joy or the version by The Deadly Snakes if that’s more your thing. But while you’re listening check out the book This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession.

Sean Stannard-Stockton is a principal and director of Tactical Philanthropy at Ensemble Capital Management. Ensemble Capital provides families both traditional investment management and philanthropic planning. He is the author of the blog Tactical Philanthropy and writes the column Tactical Philanthropy for the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

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Giving Sector Should Invest in Social Media

The giving sector, especially in the face of the continuing economic crisis, needs to retool its model for charitable giving and fundraising.

Nonprofits, for example, should start looking at building social media into their overall fundraising and communication strategies.

Often reluctant to move beyond traditional strategies, whether or not those actually produce positive results, nonprofits should look at social-media tools that are changing the way people communicate, connect and spur one another to action.

“If you don’t get started now, you’re going to be playing catch-up,” says Beth Kanter, a social-media strategist who is serving as scholar in residence for nonprofits and social media at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in Los Altos, Calif.

Consider Facebook, the wildly-popular online meeting place for young people that has been attracting a growing number of Baby Boomers.

Membership on the site hit 200 million active users in April, double the total just last August.

Or consider the unprecedented use of social media that Barack Obama made in raising money and recruiting supporters in his successful 2008 presidential campaign.

Kanter says nonprofits should be strategic about their use of social media, starting with small experiments linked to their marketing or fundraising plans.

At 3:01 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2007, one minute after the Case Foundation launched a social-media contest, promising to contribute $50,000 each to the four social-media campaigns that raised the most money, Kanter entered the contest, using several tests of social-media tools and strategies.

And while conducting those tests, she also was blogging to her network of readers about the progress she was making.

Through GlobalGiving, using an application on its site, along with email and blogging, she raised $43,000.

Altogether, including seven different campaigns she launched, plus the Case Foundation match, she now has raised over $215,000 for The Sharing Foundation, a charity that works to address the needs of children in Cambodia living in poverty.

The key was “starting small, figuring out what worked and what didn’t,” she says. “And by doing it over and over, I built up a community of donors who donate through social media.”

In addition to starting small, Kanter says, nonprofits should pay close attention to what people are saying about their cause or organization in the blogosphere.

“You listen and you learn and you adapt,” says Kanter, who with Allison Fine is co-writing a book, to be published by Wiley, about how social media are reshaping the way nonprofits operate, creating a more networked nonprofit.

It also is important to remember that social media do not represent an “either-or” strategy, Kanter says. “It’s both-and.”

And nonprofits cannot afford to ignore new social media, she says.

“Nonprofits putter along and, yes, they tend to keep doing what works,” she says, “but they also need to understand that the old way of fundraising is not going to work forever.”

While nonprofits should “not throw out the baby with the bathwater,” she says, they cannot stand still and simply expect old fundraising tools are all they will need in world increasingly driven by social media.

Nonprofits also should not use the failing economy as an excuse to avoid social media.

“Look at everything you’re doing in fundraising and marketing,” she says. “If you’ve been going on automatic pilot, look at the effectiveness of everything, and make room for a small amount of experimentation. Stop doing stuff that doesn’t work.”

As they regroup and rethink how they do business to survive the economic crisis, nonprofits of course need to get back to basics.

But innovation always has been basic to the giving sector, and nonprofits need to begin testing social media and building those strategies into the way they operate.

Todd Cohen, a veteran news reporter and editor, is editor and publisher of Philanthropy Journal, an online newspaper published by the A.J. Fletcher Foundation in Raleigh, N.C. Cohen has taught nonprofit reporting and media relations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Duke University, and regularly speaks on the topics of nonprofit media relations and trends in the charitable world.

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Generation Y and the Perils of Milli Vanilli Leadership

I know y’all remember Milli Vanilli. They were a 80s/90s pop/R&B group made of up two hardbody models named Fab and Rob. If you’re a Gen Y baby like me, you might have had their posters on your wall just like I did, singing along to their many hit songs on the radio:  Girl You Know It’s True and Blame it on the Rain and Baby, Don’t Forget my Number. Milli Vanilli’s debut album skyrocketed to the top of the charts and earned a Grammy Award in 1990. However, their success turned to failure when their Grammy was revoked after it was revealed that they were lip-syncing all their songs.  The actual vocals on the record were not the voices of Fab and Rob. Turns out they were just mimicking the voices of other singers.

Milli Vanilli’s downfall reminds me of what can happen when Gen Y nonprofit leaders try to copycat Baby Boomer leadership. It just doesn’t work. Let me tell you about this guy I know. He’s a young, energetic nonprofit leader in his field and in his extensive volunteer work as well. We are about the same age, but our leadership styles are so different. Not to say that my style of leadership is perfect, just that I get put off by the way he works. He acts like a Baby Boomer stuck in a Gen Y body, choosing to follow hierarchy versus letting the team decide. In meetings, he behaves like an older CEO of a large nonprofit who can’t be bothered with the opinions of people lower on the totem pole. On the Blake Mouton leadership grid, he is probably closer to the Authority-Compliance/Produce or Perish style.  He rarely showcases any personality or aspects of his personal life, as if afraid it would taint his image as a nonprofit professional on his way to executive leadership.  This is not to say that all Baby Boomer nonprofit leaders act like this. But for many young professionals who complain about their older bosses, this is one of the issues they often bring up. That the relationship is all about the tasks, and there’s not room for much dialogue or building a relationship of mutual respect with their boss.  So why, then, would we want to lip-sync that kind of leadership?

Better to be like Maya Enista, the Gen Y CEO of Mobilize.org. Maya is the kind of person you can relate to. Even though she is the head woman in charge of an entire organization, her down-to-earth personality still shines through as she talks about her passion for engaging young people in democracy and decision-making.  Her leadership style motivates others to join her cause and help in any way they can.

Or we might examine the collaborative leadership style of Ben Rattray, the Gen Y CEO of Change.org. Ben’s team player attitude makes it easy for him to find win/wins for Change.org’s many partners that allow them to reach so many people interested in social issues. Ben recognizes that he doesn’t know everything, so he regularly invites input from stakeholders, and respects their opinions. This allows his organization to test new ideas with the support of as many people as possible.

The key to successful next generation leadership is to be who you are, not what you think an “official” nonprofit leader looks like.  Loosen your tie and let your unique personality shine through. Stop acting like you were born in the 50s, because it’s obvious for all to see that you are young as hell. So make it work to your advantage, instead of trying to seem older than you are. Don’t make the same mistakes you complain about in your Baby boomer bosses. You can end up alienating your peers, and missing an opportunity to build lasting relationships.

Craft your own brand of leadership, and others will see you as an authentic person they can follow and trust. After all, it’s pretty easy to tell when somebody’s lip-syncing. Just ask Milli Vanilli.

Rosetta Thurman is an emerging nonprofit leader of color working and living in the Washington, D.C. area.  She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and blogs about nonprofit leadership and management issues at Perspectives From the Pipeline.

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