Beth Kanter and Allison Fine on the Networked Nonprofit →
“Kanter and Fine offer the idea that the complexity of social problems outpaces the abiity of any individual organization to address them. They wonder whether organizations working through networks could do better.”
“Many nonprofits are built of departments that work in silos, united by a logo and protected by an institutional firewall. These organizations are starting to change, adapting to a model where people within organizations reach out to networks outside the institution. As these collaborations grow, the firewall becomes more porous, and individuals connect with other individuals and institutions so they can collectively solve more complex problems. This isn’t easy for most organizations – it’s a major and difficult change.”
“Kanter and Fine interviewed nonprofits who were in the process of becoming networked nonprofits, and those that were born as networked nonprofits. This introduced them to organizations like the Surfrider Foundation, a global network of surfers focused on preserving the quality of beaches. The organization connects online and offline efforts, regionally and on more national and global scales. To do so, they’ve needed to give up a great deal of control. There are 739 Surfrider Facebook pages, representing different chapters and groups. Each one customizes the logo – the SF group shows the wave under the Golden Gate bridge, while the New York group shows the Statue of Liberty hanging ten. This isn’t an easy thing for the organization’s leaders – they sometimes wish groups would pick better logos. But their CEO told them, “We can activate 50,000 signatures in less than 24 hours – who cares about the logo?” Becoming a networked nonprofit may mean taking on a social culture of letting go.”
