I came across this Dilbert comic the other day and thought it very fitting given this month's NFP Pulse:

Just a quick reminder that there are just 2 more days to participate in this month's NFP Pulse Survey on the Generation Shift and its impact on the not-for-profit sector.

Take 7 minutes to participate right now and get a free copy of the summary results when they become available in a couple of weeks.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY NOW

We’ve all heard the warning bells:  The baby boomers are creeping toward retirement leaving larger and larger gaps behind them in organizations of all shapes and sizes.  Even more alarming is the shortfall that is already starting to occur in the number of working-age adults available to fill their substantial shoes. 

This is an issue affecting countries across the globe. For our U.S readers, here are some interesting statistics and projections compiled by the U.S. Census (2006).

Because this is such a top-of-mind issue for NFP’s, and because it has just been selected as the topic for the next edition of the Not-for-Profit Pulse, I thought I would share with you some interesting information I came across last week from Statistics Canada (Highlights from Statistic’s Canada’s Population Projections for Canada, Provinces and Territories 2005-2031).

• The median age of Canada’s population is expected to rise from 39 years in 2005 to between 43 and 46 years in 2031 and between 45 and 50 years in 2056.
• By 2056, approximately one out of ten Canadians will be 80 years and over, compared with about one in 30 in 2005.
• The proportion of the working-age population will decline steadily in the 2010s and 2020s, reaching about 62% of the total population at the beginning of the 2030s

The generation shift is fast becoming a huge issue for NFP’s across North America – not only are associations and charities struggling to find qualified people to work, volunteer and to lead their organizations into the future, but the makeup of their member and donor bases are also evolving, putting into question everything from programs and services to membership categories.

What do you think? Are you alarmed? Surprised? Overwhelmed? Underwhelmed?

If this issue is of interest to your not-for-profit, I urge you to take five minutes to participate in this months’ NFP Pulse survey on the Generation Shift taking place across this country.   Not only will you receive a free copy of the participant report, but by sharing your own organization’s experience with this issue, you will be helping yourself and others to start thinking about some of the ways NFP’s can start preparing for the shift that is already starting to occur.

There are only a few days left to participate! Click here now to complete the survey.

The demographic shift taking place in North America right now is unprecedented in recent history and will have a significant impact on the not-for-profit sector in the years to come.

Thanks to your excellent feedback over the past few weeks, we have settled the "Generation Shift" as the topic for January’s Not-for-Profit Pulse. 

This week, we are asking NFP leaders from across North America to participate in a 7 to 9 minute survey about the challenges, opportunities and planned action around the impending demographic shift already starting to impact NFP's across so many industries. 

We will discuss some of the results on this blog but as always, participants will receive a free survey report containing a detailed summary and analysis the most relevant results.  Please click here for a summary of this pressing issue.

CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE NOW 

More information about the Not-for-Profit Pulse can be found here.

Please take 7 to 9 minutes and contribute to this exciting initiative. This survey will close on January 22, 2010.

Thanks for your input!

NFP Pulse Social Media Survey Suggests Non-Profits Focus Social Media Efforts on External Stakeholders

There has been a lot of discussion in the blogosphere and among not-for-profit circles about why and how NFP’s are using social media...but I haven’t heard a lot of chatter about just who it is NFP’s are trying to target with their social media efforts.

The ARC’s December 09 edition of the Not-for-Profit Pulse focused on a survey conducted with 81 Canadian not-for-profit organizations about their use of social media.  A summary of some of the highlights of this research is available here.  If you are interested in more information on this exciting new initiative and how you can involved, click here.

As part of this initiative, we included a question about the intended audience of participants’ social media efforts.

I found it really interesting that a majority of the social media efforts undertaken by the NFP’s in this study target external stakeholder groups, such as members, donors and the public.  In contrast, internal stakeholder groups such as the board and staff do not currently appear to be a primary target of NFP social media initiatives.

When examined in context with the rest of the survey results, I think this makes a lot of sense.  The main reasons why survey participants use social media in the first place are to facilitate communication between the organization and its members or donors and to facilitate networking between these same individuals.  Promoting, marketing and education of an organization or cause to the public was also seen as a primary reason for using social media. These key motivators fit quite nicely with the target audiences identified.

It will be interesting to see how this focus evolves as increased convergence and mobility entrenches social media even more firmly into the way we work, live and play.  There are so many social media tools already in existence that can help to facilitate communication within organizations that I wonder if it is simply a matter of time before not-for-profits begin to adopt this medium in their day-to-day operations.

What do you think?  Am I completely off the mark?  Why do you think there is relatively little focus on using social media for staff, board members and internal volunteers?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.