Login with FacebookWhat do Nonprofits Think of GreatNonprofits?
Having your organization reviewed can be scary, but hundreds of nonprofits have already found out that it's more of an advantage than they ever thought possible, and thousands more are joining in. Here are some thoughts from wonderful, reviewed nonprofits about what GreatNonprofits has done for them:
“As much as those of us who run nonprofit organizations believe in our mission, and our ability to communicate the importance of what we do, the simple fact is that we're not the best people to tell our story. The most insightful and credible people to do so are the clients, volunteers and donors who experience the results from a different and understandably less biased perspective. GreatNonprofits has now created a central location for them to share their experiences with potential clients, volunteers, donors, and very importantly, with those who run the organization. Able Flight was an early adopter of the opportunity to be reviewed, and has encouraged those who have real-world, first-hand experience with us to, in their own words, "write from the heart" to allow others to learn of this unique organization that provides flight training scholarships for people with disabilities. With links from our website and newsletter, we welcome those who are interested in our mission to visit Great Nonprofits to learn about Able Flight from those who know us best. Thanks for providing the opportunity for Able Flight to share our story.” ~Charles Stites, Executive Director, Able Flight
“We're thrilled to have the opportunity to connect and communicate through GreatNonprofits. Just days after completing our profile, we were contacted by a local business that had some resources to give away. They used our GreatNonprofits profile and reviews to determine which organization they would donate to. GreatNonprofits provides an invaluable service and has created a lively, interactive way to spread the good news being done all around us.” ~Jerri Jensen, Programs & Marketing, Springboard Forward
What do YOU think? How has GreatNonprofits worked for YOUR organization?
Future of Nonprofits & Rhetoric of the sector
I was on a panel with the Paul Light, Lester Salamon and Peter Frumkin hosted by Bill Schambra at the Bradley Center in Washington DC.
The discussion moved to how will metrics and effectiveness be shaped by the new economic conditions. I spoke about GreatNonprofits and how we believe that the new yardstick will be how responsive nonprofits are to needs in their communities. And this responsiveness can be seen in the stories about them by their stakeholders - how they are making a difference, how they are responding to the needs of their constituents, and how they are improving their programs in response to constituent feedback. Peter Frumkin then shared his theory that nonprofits that have been using the “rhetoric of reason and rationale” may begin using the “rhetoric of emotion” - using appeals to "morality" or "obligation" to maintain and attract donors. I agree with his prediction. During these difficult economic times, when all of us knows someone who has or is at risk of losing their jobs, it's much easier for us to relate to the appeals to our conscience and our heart. That's not to say that there is no room for "expert" evaluations and quantitative metrics. It's about degree and balance of the heart and the head.
