Photo by Joey Looch
How do you interact with the charitable organizations that you support, or are considering supporting? Unless your concerns are extremely local, and are being addressed by non-profit organizations right in your own community, you will probably never be in their offices or see them working on the issue you care about. You may never even go to an event sponsored by that organization or benefiting their organization. How do you find out about them and interact with them? In all probability, it will be through the web and your relationship may always be through the web. Forward thinking for-profit businesses are working to “humanize” their interfaces, led by their web communications, and engage their customers. How well do you think you are being welcomed as a human being by the charities you support? And, since many non-profits are addressing the needs of other humans, what does that say about the work these charities do with their beneficiaries?
As both domestic nonprofits and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have grown into huge enterprises, they are less bound by the constraints that govern smaller and single-community organizations, while being more dependent on web communications. However, these nonprofits and NGOs also face greater scrutiny and demand for transparency than ever before because they manage complex networks of relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels. As contributors expect more humane and permeable interfaces, transparency, and ways to engage with these organizations, how can thier work carry forward productively?
Co-Creation
Taking off from similar dialogues in the corporate community, what I am suggesting to nonprofits, and to their contributors (and let’s not forget their beneficiaries!) is nothing less than co-creation. Fresh Networks is a UK based market research company and online community builder for corporations. Their blog looks at customer interfaces and has been advocating co-creation models for online businesses. Fresh Networks writes that co-creation will make businesses successful because:
- Customers want to help and work with brands they know are listening to them
- Customers want to solve problems
- All too often the solution or idea you need will be really simple to somebody else
This can be applied to nonprofits to read:
- Contributors want to help and work with nonprofits they know are listening to them
- Contributors want to solve problems
- All too often the solution or idea your beneficiaries need will be really simple to somebody else (like your contributors!)
For instance, check out the example from this for-profit toy manufacturer: The Story of LEGO® Mindstorms on Patty Seybold’s blog Outside Innovation. LEGO® literally had its customer’s create their products and then sold them commercially. This expanded their reach, their vision, and their effectiveness (at selling LEGO®). Imagine what could happen in all of the passion and intelligence you hold as a contributor was really unleashed on our charitable needs? What would happen if all contributors were unconstrained in their passion to solve the problems they care about? What could that mobilized force for good do for humankind and our planet?
Many nonprofit organizations are already doing small pieces of co-creation through their web pages; microfinance and direct-funding (like DonorChoose.org) organizations are already engaged. What other non-profits are co-creating with their contributors and beneficiaries? Please comment (below) and trumpet for your own organization’s efforts or share what you know.
Photo by brickartist.com