Book Review:
The Future of Nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in the Digital Age
by David J. Neff and Randal C. Moss
As someone who’s ultimate goal is to better the world through nonprofit technology – particularly emerging technology – I was excited to be able to read and now review The Future of Nonprofits. First off, this book could not have come out at a better time. The rapid advancement of social media and other emerging technologies such as mobile add to the complexities today’s nonprofits face. This book does an excellent job of showing how organization’s will dramatically change over the next five years due to the explosion in innovation. These predictions are critical in helping leaders understand the changes they must embrace.
What I found most unique and compelling about the book – and what I personally appreciated the most about Neff & Moss’s approach was how useful the content was, and how interesting it was to read. (Because lets face it, as much reading as we have to do these days to do our jobs effectively, doesn’t it help when you want to turn the page?)
What sets this book apart from others in the field I’ve encountered? The approach.
It effectively answers the question WHY.
- Why YOU (your organization) must change your approach to innovation or risk being left behind (or worse)
- Why Social Media must be mastered for full engagement
- Why future visioning is the best strategy for success vs. strategic planning
Other key take-aways from the book for me included:
1. How important it is to get your IT Department engaged in your mission. Favorite quote, we are encountering a ‘Tsunami of technology change’. If this visual doesn’t open your eyes as to why, as a nonprofit leader, you must embrace innovation now, i’m not sure what will!
2. The three pillars of Innovation: Awareness, Structure & Staffing. Lots of excellent suggestions and action items on how to incorporate these three to evolve your organization. Had a lot of great tips on how to be an effective leader when incorporating these new practices.
3. Future predictions of how innovation will impact fundraising and communications (this was one of my favorites).
4. Vast variety of organizations and thought leaders it suggests you follow.
5. The biggest take away for me was how many easy and effective ideas there were for taking ACTION!
Many (in fact most) of these actions cost absolutely nothing.
What could have been included, but wasn’t? I was expecting to see more on how mobile technology, particularly Smartphones, will be a game-changer to mastering supporter engagement.
I could also see how very small grassroots nonprofits could become overwhelmed by the book. However, I truly see this as a reference tool for some time to come – for it provides so many doable actions that can be spread out over time. The important part is to take action, even if in small baby steps.
Conclusion?
A must-read and keepsake for stakeholders of any sized nonprofit who wants to guarantee that the mission-critical services provided through their organization continues for many years to come. The digital age is here – the sooner that all organizations embrace this and use valuable tools such as this book – the better off we will all be.
Go, innovate and change people’s lives for the better!
~ Tonia
For more information on the book go to: http://www.thefutureofnonprofits.com
