Customer Reviews

The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Allison Fine and Beth Kanter have impressed me with their perspective and insight into the opportunities that evolving technologies represent for the nonprofit sector. I read Momentum in 2006, and have read Kanter's blog for years, so I was excited to read this book. I was disappointed to learn that it offered nothing that hasn't been portrayed in their earlier works, and found it to be a rudimentary introduction that had no compelling crux bringing everything together.
While the book might be useful for those who are looking for an introduction to the promise of social networks for nonprofits, I actually found Momentum to be better-organized and more compelling (and still relevant), and have found more useful info (though no better organized) in Beth's top-ten blog posts [...]. There seemed to be little original research behind this book, only interesting-but-anecdotal examples of successes and trends in the nonprofit sector, and no comprehensive explorations of results experienced across any range of organizations (time-savings, increased expenses, cost-shifts, increased membership, etc).
I don't think nonprofits will find this book useful as a guide for how to replicate the examples provided, though it will help open their eyes to the same new ways of thinking that are presented in Momentum and Beth's Blog.

I had an opportunity to read a copy of Beth and Allison's book and it's filled with great resources and tips on how to really engage constituents and measure your impact. I also appreciated the style of the writing - very straight forward and not full of marketing jargon that so many other books utilize.

I would encourage all nonprofit campaigners to read the book, particularly Executive Directors, many who are still struggling to understand and navigate the online world and building online communities.

PS: I added my above comment to the discussion section as well but since it's more of a review I thought it was appropriate to have it here too.

The Networked Nonprofit by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine is an important read as it reminds us that success in social media is both a cultural and a technological issue. And, we need to stop just focusing on the "bells and whistles."

I particularly liked the chapter, "Creating a Social Culture." Before diving into social media it makes sense to have internal discussions about what the organization stands for, how it treats "insiders" and "outsiders," and to address fears about social media. This has to happen at the highest levels of the organization or social media efforts will fall flat.

Kanter and Fine also make the case that "free agents"- people working on social change outside of organizations - are here to stay and can be a nonprofit's best ally in achieving it's goals. All nonprofits should identify and befriend their free agents and encourage them to leverage their networks, ideas, and passion for the cause.

In short, this book will help you deal with the organizational landmines that you'll inevitably traverse if you want to become a "Networked Nonprofit" that works smarter, faster and is truly making lasting change in the world.

Change is hard. The Networked Nonprofit makes it easier. Kanter and Fine are practiced experts - every one of the big visions and detailed case studies in this book comes from their work as leaders, consultants, advisors, and blogger/twitterer/experimenters.

The book focuses on the human, organizational, and cultural changes that our new technological connections both allow and require. Its written for nonprofit executives - with or without social media expertise - but is actually useful for anyone who works in any kind of organization.

Kanter and Fine provide both clear and compelling possibilities of new organizational practices and well-told stories of people who are making these changes. Executives and individual change agents will find both practical ideas and creative provocations that can improve their way of working. Lying somewhere between a "how-to" guide and "vision of what is to come," The Networked Nonprofit is the one book all organizational leaders should have on hand.

When Beth Kanter gave me a copy of her new book, I knew I would read it in one sitting!

Since I work at Twitter on non-profit and social innovation efforts, it is no secret that I am fascinated by the way that social media can transform the efforts of non-profit organizations and philanthropic causes the world over. Kanter and Fine have always been champions in this space, and I love to listen (or read) to anything they have to say when it comes to the topic.

Whether you are a close follower of their blogs or a newcomer first dipping your toes into the space of social media for non-profit organizations, The Networked Nonprofit is an excellent resource that shares some of their best insights, case studies, and tangible lessons.

There is a LOT being said, written, blogged, etc about how to be a truly networked organztion for the future. This book makes it real, very real. I can take this and act on it, make plans from it, and reeally transform our organization

I'm so excited to have The Networked Nonprofit - it's a great resource for whole social impact sector. I think that folks who have previously not even dipped a toe into social media or the strategies and culture set that come along with operating in a networked way will get a lot out of reading this book - but so, too, will those who are already leveraging the web and trying to engage communities on and offline.

I wrote an additional review on my blog as well:
[...]

I'm in my third reading of The Networked Nonprofit because the concepts and points Beth Kanter and Alison H. Fine make are that good. I want their ideas and suggestions to really permeate my thinking. I'd share my copy but it is full of highlights, notes, tabs and folds.

Beth and Alison take social media concepts and make them easy to understand with examples and allegory. They give very practical suggestions for application for any size nonprofit organization. It's a must-read for the leadership of the 21st Century nonprofits. Go get your copy fast, share it around the office, the board room and the volunteer leadership gathering, and start putting their concepts into practice...especially if you want to succeed in today's networked world.

How can you not like this book? A great, helpful read from a totally selfless woman whose entire work is dedicated to making others better. I love the book and the author. Besides those emotional reasons, the book is a cutting edge treatise on how nonprofits can harness the power of each other to build an entity that helps promote everyone's causes. Beth is a thought leader and this book will push your envelope if you are a traditional silo-type organization. Read this book and get inspired to become a networked nonprofit.

I've been an avid fan of Beth Kanter's blog for the past few years. It might come as no surprise that I pre-ordered her, and co-author Allison Fine's, book The Networked Nonprofit. And if you're a reader of their blogs, it might also come as no surprise that the book fully lived up to its great expectations.

It doesn't have the common "social media hippie" talk. You know, the long-haired, world-peace-wishing, tree-hugging, social-media-is-going-to-solve-all-your-problems-and-here-are-the-tools-to-do-it talk.

Good social media books talk less about the tools and more about the concepts and frameworks. That's what I loved about Flip the Funnel, and that's what I loved about The Networked Nonprofit. Both define and lay out a framework in which you can apply your own strategy.

Sometimes it looks as if the authors are treading the hippie-talk territory. I think this is unavoidable. It's because nonprofits have been used to doing things in a particular way and a different approach might seem like a fairy tale at times. But the authors never end up actually sounding like our long-haired friends. Many positive, world-peace-wishing, elements are backed up with organizational structure research outside, and predating, the social media realm, and they are often balanced with real-world pitfalls to look out for.

Although the authors provide a core framework, the book is chock full of examples and practical, how-to information. Reading the book will help you answer all those "I'm scared of social media" questions. The reflection questions at the end of each chapter are particularly helpful for a nonprofit manager building a social media strategy.

The book is a fast read, but you'll keep it as source to reference. In that sense, it's a perfect (hand)book for nonprofit managers that are looking to increase the impact of their organization's mission statement in a connected world. I am going to be rereading it, and using it, in the months ahead.