tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165892822285174098.post1760507040938369562..comments2015-12-28T09:38:31.267-05:00Comments on Change Charity: Small and EffectiveJeff Raderstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15026834425072998182noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165892822285174098.post-28595820957145606092010-05-07T12:19:49.156-04:002010-05-07T12:19:49.156-04:00Great post. I often deal with very small charity p...Great post. I often deal with very small charity projects. Sometimes even a reassurance (or clear evidence) that the money is going where it is supposed to is the biggest priority and also an advantage for a small charity. They should be telling their story and blogging about all the points you mention above. <br /><br />As well, I would find it very surprising if any donors are not some how personally connected to the project at least to begin with. Small charities should start by reaching out to their personal connections and then building their reputation and support from there. Again, social media is a great way to do this.Jane Reitsma Broomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12535153103266507950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165892822285174098.post-5442336979084619162010-05-07T10:47:58.158-04:002010-05-07T10:47:58.158-04:00Mark,
Thanks for the comment. I think you are rig...Mark,<br /><br />Thanks for the comment. I think you are right that organizations at different levels need different types of funding. (See comment on an earlier post <a href="http://changecharity.blogspot.com/2009/12/boycotts-or-positive-reinforcement.html?showComment=1260137799372#c4930054961643880074" rel="nofollow">here</a> that discusses this.) Also, you can read a little bit more about supporting organizations with a good vision instead of profit over at <a href="http://www.tacticalphilanthropy.com/2009/07/high-performance-vs-high-impact-nonprofits" rel="nofollow">Tactical Philanthropy. </a><br /><br />My one issue when applying these ideas to small non-profits is that it doesn't seem like there is any room for a small donor. Small donors can't really be a part of venture capital. (Although, this would be a pretty cool Kiva-like idea; bringing together small donors to create venture capital funds.) However, when you look at the fact that there are many small non-profits that are well beyond the stage of venture capital, but without the capacity to evaluate, that's when the small donor becomes needed. It's just that they don't have the evaluation to prove impact. And small amounts of money can't really encourage evaluation to a significant degree. <br /><br />But, bringing it back to your original point, which I think is key, if you believe the small non-profit does have a good VISION, then, it doesn't matter if they cannot prove their impact. Supporting their vision is something that a small donor can be a part of. You just need to find a way to learn about its vision.Jeff Raderstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15026834425072998182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165892822285174098.post-24986035637334925162010-05-06T17:00:14.907-04:002010-05-06T17:00:14.907-04:00Jeff, great post as always (really, always). You ...Jeff, great post as always (really, always). You did a much better job than I would have. I really like point #4. An organization that isn't measuring outcomes [yet] should at least acknowledge that, explain why, and, ideally, have a plan for doing so in the future.<br /><br />However, I'm most intrigued about capacity building. In the business world, people don't always invest in businesses that are making money or even have the strongest business plans (twitter, facebook, youtube). The rise of venture capital has led to people accepting that you can invest in a company before it is profitable if you see a way forward for them and you think the business has a great VISION. Similarly, if an organization flounders for a time, keeping them afloat isn't always a bad thing. Great businesses (Apple comes to mine, Chrysler is desperately trying) can go through terrible times.<br /><br />I'm definitely digressing, but I suppose my conclusion is that outcome measurement is a form of capacity, and without early investors, no nonprofit organization ever would have survived long enough to have outcomes worth measuring.Mark Root-Wileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02292400535268383985noreply@blogger.com