The 2019 Collaborative was a three day social impact conference presented by Classy. Every year the Collaborative celebrates the crossover of technology with the social sector. This year’s theme was ‘doing good should feel good’. It was a refreshing reminder on the importance of investing in technology and leadership to enhance the constituent experience. As one of the largest online fundraising tools Classy, and its network, had quite a bit of knowledge to share. In this post, we will unpack key insights from the Collaborative in the areas of technology and leadership, explain what they mean for the social sector and provide additional resources for further learning.
Technology
The conversation surrounding technology began at the opening session, which took a deep dive into the state of the sector. This session set the tone for the rest of the conference, pointing out areas of potential growth for long term impact. According to Classy’s World-Changing Work report, 37% of nonprofit professionals said their organizations are not technologically advanced compared to other nonprofits. By comparison, the same amount of survey respondents (37%) believe that their nonprofit is, in fact, more advanced. Technology panelists covered this topic in detail. They discussed cost and risk aversion as a major barrier to implementing technology at nonprofits. And, explained how most nonprofit staff are in a position to help overcome these barriers.
- Build influence within an organization. Be in it for the long haul. Technology is immensely more accessible than it used to be, but the aversion to risk is still present. By playing the long-game, staff build influence through their own dedication to solving a problem. They also help bridge the gap between the tech professionals and the rest of the team.
- Do the proper groundwork to prepare. When given the opportunity to state your case be prepared to provide examples and clear next steps. Put yourself in the decision-makers shoes and identify what information they need to make an informed decision – fill those gaps through education.
- Get systems ready. Set your systems up for success by ensuring data quality and integrity are up to standard to ensure a smooth transition.
- Just start. More often than not, organizations will operate in silos and implement technology within those silos. If you can only start with a little win, that is okay. Get the ball rolling and see where it takes your organization.
- Set milestones and measurements to disprove assumptions. The most important part of working with a new solution is allowing it to teach you something new. Set milestones and measurements, such as ROI, to ensure that the solution is meeting your needs, but also allow for experimentation and learning. Let your new systems show you truth in your data and disprove assumptions – that is where the real growth happens.
The biggest takeaway from the panel was the idea that users can influence the implementation, adoption and success of a new solution. Influencing decision-makers at an organization to invest in technology is no easy feat, but it can be well worth it. Enhanced technology can lead to increased donations, improved engagement and efficient processes that reinforce the organization’s commitment to all of its constituents.
Additional resources:
- Classy’s World-Changing Work: The Modern Nonprofit Professionals Experience
- Craftsman’s Project Readiness: 5 Areas of Focus
Leadership
There was a blurred line between nonprofit organizations and social enterprises at the Collaborative. The diversity of organizations represented was a reminder of how much we can accomplish when all members of the social sector work together. According to Classy, “for-profit” companies are playing a larger role than ever in the social sector. This change is driven by millennials who often believe that business should be used to positively impact the world. In fact, they have put such an emphasis on businesses that the Deloitte 2018 Millennial Survey states, “far more millennials believe business leaders are making a positive impact on the world than government or religious leaders.”
The keynote session on day one was a strong example of this idea. Bert Jacobs, the Co-Founder of Life is Good, and Steve Gross, the Chief Playmaker of the Life is Good Kids Foundation, made a case for the alignment of business with the social sector. Life is Good is a social enterprise that donates 10% of its profits to their kids foundation. This business model accompanied by mission-driven leadership is paving the way for change in the sector. The speakers reinforced the idea that an enterprise has the ability to leverage business principles for a social cause. Their approach to fundraising created a sustainable business structure that over time has had a great impact on the communities and individuals that it serves.
So, what does this have to do with leadership? The structure of social organizations is shifting. And, the change is being driven by millennials in the market and in the workforce. In 2019, millennials make up a significant portion of the workforce and are disrupting norms across sectors. Organizational leadership, both nonprofit and for-profit, must adapt to the new needs and wants of their constituents.
One speaker at the Collaborative made a seemingly obvious, but good point: the great majority of people, especially millennials, want to work for a company that aligns with their values. As a concept, this is very easy to understand, but acting on it proves to be more complicated. One thing that organizations can do is live their values in the market instead of keeping them hidden as a part of their ‘internal culture’. Staying true to these values will prove that an organization is accountable to their staff and constituents – millennials or otherwise. And remember, having a business-oriented mind in a value-driven culture is not a bad thing. Leading an organization is not just about vision, it is important to build a leadership team with diverse skill sets to drive both business and vision.
Seraya Alexander, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Classy, shared results from Classy’s World-Changing Work report. The data shows that 84% of nonprofit professionals are satisfied with their current roles. More importantly, the exact same percent of those surveyed said they aligned with leadership in their vision for the organization. The relationship between these two statistics suggests that to keep their constituents happy, both internally and externally, organizational leadership should be transparent with their values, vision and business processes.
Additional Resources:
Summary + Conclusion
The 2019 Collaborative covered more than just nonprofit fundraising. It went into detail about the state of the sector with specific insights into technology and leadership. Through the lens of innovation it challenged preconceived notions of what a mission-driven organization is, how social enterprises should be managed and what the social sector is capable of. It also celebrated those who work tirelessly to drive positive impact and provided tangible steps to make doing good feel good.