Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants: Evolution

We are pleased to be hosting this week’s Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants.  The theme is the evolution of nonprofit organizations.

To start off, we would like to share with you FIO Partners perspective on the importance of stage of development in nonprofit capacity building.  Understanding the stage of development of our clients is one of the pillars of our practice and integral to our firm philosophy around how to help organizations implement change - let us know what you think!

Next, many of you may be considering at what point in your evolution should your organization engage in social media. Beth Kanter recently posted her thoughts and materials from a one-day social media workshop she delivered for a group of Arts organizations in Philadelphia which you may find helpful. Beth is also one of the leaders of a collaborative effort to create a curriculum for organizations who are considering social media—called WeAreMedia. A great place to start is: Module 1:Why Should Your Nonprofit Embrace Social Media? (Or Not?).  Beth Dunn’s post on your option to not engage in social media—a null hypothesis—synchs with the ROI portion of WeAreMedia. Over at the Philanthropy Journal, Peter Tavernise points out the importance of social networking with intention, noting the success of two organizations - Youthnoise.org and Teach Without Borders.

For more-established organizations who would like to reclaim a bit of their start-up passion, Kivi suggests getting clear about your "founding story". Alternatively, if you are just getting started, and looking to upgrade your IT infrastructure, NTEN has a helpful post, "How to find good IT help for your nonprofit".

As you consider the evolution of your own organization, do you have a roadmap? A roadmap for change or for growth?  A process to explore new ideas and implement them into your practice?  How do ensure that your organization keeps evolving—or doesn’t get stuck?  Post your thoughts here…

[The next edition of the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants will be hosted on October 1 by Ready, Aim, Inspire and the theme will be "what it takes to be a great leader."]