Welcome Aboard The ARC
A blog & resource centre for not-for-profit organizations

Calling All Non-Profit Leaders! The Association Resource Centre (ARC) has created this space for you to share, learn and to take part in the discussion about the issues, challenges and opportunities that dominate today's changing association landscape. 

This space is also home to the Not-for-Profit Pulse, an ARC-led research initiative that provides relevant and timely data, information and analysis on the trends and issues that matter to NFP professionals.

ARC is a full-service consulting firm that specializes in providing research and strategic planning services to not-for-profit organizations...Feel free to join in the discussion - We'd love to hear what you have to say!

Entries in not-for-profit (8)

Monday
15Mar2010

Everybody’s Doing It...Social Media, That Is: But is it Right for Your NFP?

I don't mean to sound like your Mother but, if everyone was jumping off of a cliff would you do it too? Despite all the hype suggesting otherwise, social media isn’t for everyone. Just like you would for any new strategic initiative, you should carefully think through whether it is a ‘fit’ with your organization. I see the decision framed around three central questions...

Click to read more ...

Thursday
18Feb2010

Listen Up! Series on Member Needs & Satisfaction #3: Effective Communication a Bellwether for Member Satisfaction

"What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate" If you take a minute to think about it, communication is at the root of so many of the world’s problems. Over time, lack of communication and miscommunication has led to many a sore back from sleeping on the couch. It has made people miss appointments and has left them waiting awkwardly in the wrong restaurants. It has battered and broken up the most iron-clad of relationships and caused people to lose their jobs. It has created civil and social strife and it has even led to and exacerbated wars. Well, communication issues are also a major challenge for a lot of not-for-profits.

Click to read more ...

Thursday
21Jan2010

Even Dilbert Thinks the Generation Shift is Important...2 More Days to Participate in This Month's NFP Pulse!

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

Dilbert.com

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

Tuesday
12Jan2010

Just Who Do You Think you’re Talking To?  

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.

Wednesday
02Dec2009

Association Execs Excited About Social Media...But Some Still Holding Back

 I’m just back into the groove after a whirlwind visit to Toronto for last weeks’ CSAE Conference and Tradeshow.  Thank you to everyone who stopped by – it was a great show and I was thrilled to meet up with a number of clients - past, present and future.

Not surprisingly, social media was the 'belle of the ball' at this conference.  Whether CSAE association executives are using it or not in their own organizations, just about everybody seemed to be talking about it.

Twitter was abuzz with comments from attendees about the future of the association sector and some of the 'big ideas' people were taking home with them.  Here are a few of my favourite CSAE-related tweets:

“What is an association these days? Does it require dues or just community?

 “I learned that this biz is still all about face to face relationships”

“As hard as it is with all social media you have to listen before you talk”

“I think assns should use SM if members benefit...increased connections to each other, way to voice ideas to assn, etc.”

“What if soctech has no direct measurable ROI 4 our assns but it builds our capacity to change the world...should we still use it?

“Assns r struggling w/creating vibrant conversational ecologies in virtual space w/o adjusting old assn paradigm.”

“Social media can be as open or closed as u want

“The future of associating is mobile”

“Social media, communication and innovation are priorities for associations in 2010

“Absolutely and profoundly disagree that the assn biz model is fine

There was definitely a dominant current of excitement over the possibilities of social media and how associations can use it to stand apart from the increasing amount of 'noise' competing for members' attention...But a lot of the people who stopped by to chat with us also still have a lot of questions, concerns and reservations about this growing phenomena. 

From concerns that their blog will turn into an out-of-control forum where members do nothing but complain about the association’s shortcomings to worries over whether there will soon be legal ramifications to what is being posted online through their organization, it was clear that many associations are still holding back. 

Several people also worried about jumping onto the social media bandwagon just because everybody else is doing it, without first making sure that it 'fit' with their association vision, mission, strategy and membership.

Most common of all, however, was the sense of overwhelment felt by many of the executive directors and senior staff we spoke with who are already being run off their feet and simply don’t know how they will plan, implement, measure and maintain a successful social media strategy in an era of deep budget cuts and staff shortages.

There was also very warm reception to our recent survey on Canadian not-for-profit use of social media and, in fact, many of the results echo and build on what we heard at the trade show.  We’ll be discussing the results of this initiative in more detail over the next couple of weeks, so be sure to stay tuned...but in the meantime...

What were some of your big takeaways from CSAE 09?  What are the big ideas that you mulled over on your way home and are thinking of implementing in your own organization?  Be sure to let us know and keep us posted of your progress!