The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change

by Beth Kanter, Allison H. Fine

The Networked Nonprofit Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change This groundbreaking book shows nonprofits a new way of operating in our increasingly connected world: a networked approach enabled by social technologies, where connections are leveraged to increase impact in effective ways that drive change for the betterment of our society and planet.

"The Networked Nonprofit is a must-read for any nonprofit organization seeking innovative, creative techniques to improve their mission and better serve their communities."
--Diana Aviv, president and CEO, Independent Sector

"The Internet means never having to ask permission before trying something new. In The Networked Nonprofit, Kanter and Fine show nonprofits how to harness this flexibility to pursue their missions in partnership with two billion connected citizens."
--Clay Shirky, author, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

"The Networked Nonprofit uniquely describes the historical context and the current challenges that compel nonprofit leaders to work in networked ways and offers easy steps to help users exploit the potential of social media and 'working wikily."'
--Stephanie McAuliffe, director, organizational effectiveness, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

"A must-read for nonprofit leaders who want to change their organizations from the inside out by embracing the power of social networks."
--Charlene Li, founding partner, Altimeter Group; author, Open Leadership; and coauthor, Groundswell

"This is a perfect handbook for anyone who wants to leapfrog their current limitations of understanding and find real-world applications of technology to extend their mission."
--Michele Nunn, CEO, Points of Light Institute, and cofounder, HandsOn Network

"Kanter and Fine provide the 'Google Maps' for nonprofits to harness social media to kick butt and change the world."
--Guy Kawasaki, cofounder, Alltop.com, and former chief evangelist, Apple Inc.

"URGENT! Read this book. Take notes. Take action. If you work for a nonprofit, you don't have to do every single thing these seasoned authors have to share, but you certainly have to know what you're missing."
--Seth Godin

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Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Social Media, Professional Development, Leadership, Activism, Entrepreneurship

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2010

Reviews

[Elysa]

It's pretty outdated at this point, but there are still some valuable insights about human connection online which hasn't changed much.

[Bonnie Zink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you interested in exploring the world of social media and making it work for your organization? This is the book for you. Each chapter provides you with a distinct part of an overall plan to become networked and sprinkled with advice that is easy to incorporate into your working model. This is a must read for any nonprofit organization who is up for meeting the challenge of an increasingly networked world.

[CTEP]

The Networked Nonprofit by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine dives into the idea of nonprofits expanding their networks through social media. They discuss nonprofits in varying sizes-from single people raising money for organizations to the United Way and Red Cross reaching out. Social media is a new material that many nonprofits have avoided or aren't taking full advantage of. They discuss many ways that that social media can be utilized and is a free resource that more nonprofits need to expand on. Creating virtual networks to expand into personal networks is a great way that more organizations can work together to expand their resources of what they offer. Social media is an intimidating field that is typically forced on the younger staff but should really be spread across all staff members. It's a form of communication that can reach beyond any other form that already exists.

I definitely see the lack of use of social media within my site and the overall PUC system. We don't take advantage of social media in the most optimal way. Hopefully with the new position that was created and hired (yay Meghan!) this deficit will lessen within the organization. One problem within the book is they do not fully acknowledged the digital divide. More and more people do have access to social media through phones and other devices, but there is still a lack of skill that needs to be addressed. I think for current purposes social media is a great way to reach out for fundraising but especially to network with other organizations and expand connections. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in social media related to nonprofits. It's an interesting read and they address many sides to the issue.

[Corbin McGhee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, as of 2024, is almost completely outdated. It discusses the newest generation to be Millennials, and even references MySpace on a few occasions.

While I was able to pull a few ideas out of this, I wouldn’t say it’s a book any persons wanting to lead on social media advocacy should read.

[Victoria Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t realize this book’s original print date once I started it (via audio), so some of the info is clearly out of date. But regardless, I took away the importance of being transparent and engaging with your audience. That stuff stands the rest of time.

[Ruth Keyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Need to try the updated book, amazing how much becomes irrelevant in just 8 years now. Some good points, but not one I'll refer to a lot.

[David Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative. Gave me a lot to think about as I get ready to start with a young, Nonprofit organisation and how I might help steer the social media side of things.

[Brittany Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jesus. I real a lot of nonprofit business books. And this….was such a waste of my time. And I rarely talk about books that way. I feel like I paid for a book that punked me. I was punked by a book.

[Raajan Narayanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential social media manual for all Non-Profits

I picked up this book as part of a “recommended reading” list for a social media marketing course. I am no social media enthusiast. Prior to the social media introduction in my course, I would not have even explored the worlds beyond facebook. I have been involved with various non-profit organizations in my days. Prior to this book, I would not have even guessed the power social media can grant a non-profit entity. Thanks to the authors, Kanter and Fine, I stand, now, fairly convinced of the power for the social media for the Non-profit. This is why.

First and foremost, I have an attention span of a six year old. The material has to be crisp, without much technical jargons and I have the need to know everything in the first few pages. This book definitely fits that bill. The authors clearly cast the image of a networked non-profit and reluctance of the non-profit executives to jump on the social media wagon. It is evident from the get go that the book is set out to establish the following:

1) The ideal networked non profit
2) The How’s for becoming this ideal networked Non-profit and
3) What to do once, you have become the Networked Nonprofit outfit.

I particularly found the section on “Busting the Social Media Myths” very interesting and enlightening. As an active volunteer in a community based non-profit organization, I found myself not too far off from social media myths described in this chapter. Myths such as “Social Media isn’t core to our work”, “Our constituents aren’t online”, “Using social media is hard and time consuming” talked very much to my own thought process. With one sentence the authors break this myth(s)

SOCIAL MEDIA POWERS SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

For a moment, I felt that a wake-up call has been issued. I quickly realized that, to carry a cause, I need the social media, period. Now, more than ever I wanted to know how and that’s exactly what the rest of the book set out to do.
The How’s of the book sets out introduce and re-introduce the social media, social network in the non-profit context. The formula as I would have thought would be, here’s social media and now, use it. The authors point out, most graciously, that the non-profit would have to be “prepped” adequately prior to engaging in the world of social media. Time and time over, many non-profits have jumped on the social media bandwagon without a viable strategy to keep up with the demands of social media. The authors stress the importance of creating a social culture, especially, within the organization to drive change. For organizations ready to dive in to the social media ocean without a viable social media strategy or organizations who fear entry into the world of social media, the author provides solid, thought provoking guidelines and questionnaires at the end of each chapter. This makes the book informational and instructional at the same time. I am impressed, how the authors are able to weave in real –life case studies from Red Cross and other organizations to establish a convincing social media argument.

The 2nd part of the book is devoted to managing social media. I was particularly interested in the section the authors coined “Crowdsourcing”. As defined by the authors, “Crowd sourcing is a marriage between professionals and volunteers who have the goodwill and passion to work together to benefit an entire community”. When used well, the magnitude of the reach of the crowd is without bounds. As the authors point out, organizations benefit tremendously by enabling more people to participate in more meaningful ways for a positive change. The authors provide insights to how a non-profit organization can be a learning organization while fulfilling its obligations set for in its mission statement.

Overall, I would recommend this book to all interested in harnessing the power of social media for a greater good. That is, to everyone. I am truly convinced that this book will not be just a one-time read. This book will serve as a wonderful textbook for any non-profit organization.

[Bianca Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

You're probably wondering why I reviewed a four year old social media book. It's so social media that Randi Zuckberberg wrote the foreword. Why did I review The Networked Nonprofit by Beth Kanter and Allison H Fine? A small part opportunity; a large part curiosity. It's been on my Amazon Wishlist since it was published. OK, maybe I read it because I could and to clear it from my Wishlist. Four years is a long time.

Now we've discovered my reasons were a tad nebulous, what did I think of The Networked Nonprofit? I loved it. This four year old social media book is current, topical, practical and under-rated. Yes, that's right. I have just used those terms to describe a four year old book that's essentially about something that changes faster than your underwear.

The Networked Nonprofit is less about social media tools and more the behaviors. There are tools named all through, but if you're wanting that level of learning check out the Power of Visual Storytelling. Surprisingly, even the tools mentioned have endured. Apart from MySpace, the first defunct tool is on page 97. I'll let you decide if you think MySpace deserves to be the first.

In this book you'll discover lots of whys. Why getting online is no longer optional. Why the millennial age group won't support your organization (but will support your cause). Why your governance model has lost its effectiveness. And how to become a networked nonprofit and be successful.

The book is an easy read, even with its deep research. Case studies show how organizations have used social media and digital marketing techniques for their causes. Tips and quotes come from outside the nonprofit world too. I love the breadth and willingness to learn from all.

My favorite model is the Ladder of Engagement. Everyone should be using this to understand their supporters. It helps classify between donors and evangelists and wallflowers. Knowing these segments helps to target existing supporters to change their segment/behavior, or to reinforce positive behaviors with a thank you. Oh, and when I said everyone, I meant everyone. Which leads to the question:

Who is The Networked Nonprofit For?

A big mistake is to assume this is only for struggling nonprofit marketers, or even just nonprofit marketers. There is nothing in The Networked Nonprofit that can't be applied to any organization type. Just switch the word "supporters" for "customers".

Definitely a book that should be read by all. Even if it is a four year old social media book.

Note: Thanks to Jeff at Casey Family Services for letting me raid your bookcase. Not that you know about it yet. This was originally published on TapDancingSpiders.com

[J.D. Lasica · Rating 4 out of 5]

For any­one con­nected to the non­profit world, Beth Kan­ter should be a famil­iar name. In "The Net­worked Non­profit," she and the equally adept Alli­son Fine approach the daunt­ing task of try­ing to get noto­ri­ously con­ser­v­a­tive and slow-moving non­profit orga­ni­za­tions to embrace the tenets of the social media rev­o­lu­tion. They do so as friendly guides, never scold­ing or talk­ing down but point­ing to the now unmis­tak­able evi­dence that open­ing up and engag­ing with your stake­hold­ers is the only way to go.

Fine (who hosts the Chron­i­cle of Philanthropy’s pod­cast on social good) and Kan­ter offer many of the same words of advice to non­prof­its that I’ve done as a part­ner at Socialbrite.org, begin­ning with the impor­tance of start­ing with objec­tives, cre­at­ing strate­gies and tac­tics to get you there and wor­ry­ing about the tools and gad­gets last. (By the way, did you know that the non­profit sec­tor employs about 12.9 mil­lion peo­ple, or 9.7 per­cent of the U.S. economy?)

Even if you don’t work in a non­profit, there’s lots to absorb in this book. For instance, the authors lay out the dif­fer­ent kinds of crowd­sourc­ing — col­lec­tive intel­li­gence of crowd wis­dom; crowd cre­ation; crowd vot­ing and crowd fund­ing — and explain how each can be used to good effect. (One nit: It’s not the “1–10-100 rule,” as the authors describe it on page 123; it’s the 90–9-1 rule that applies to a typ­i­cal group of 100 people.)

You’ll find plenty of real-world exam­ples of where non­prof­its used social media to good advan­tage. The Hud­son Institute’s Cen­ter for Global Pros­per­ity, nudged for­ward by a young research asso­ciate, began a lis­ten­ing effort, set up a Twit­ter account and began a gen­uine con­ver­sa­tion with sup­port­ers. Over a six-month period, “They were lis­ten­ing and talk­ing to peo­ple on many chan­nels, includ­ing using an RSS reader to scan the Web for rel­e­vant blog posts, and find­ing and inter­view­ing young peo­ple on Face­book as part of the Index data col­lec­tion. They devel­oped case stud­ies for the annual report that involved more youngt peo­ple, and they dis­cov­ered new avenues for shar­ing results with peo­ple they weren’t reach­ing before.”

Again and again we see exam­ples of how non­prof­its that take down the fortress and embrace this brave new world help to move the nee­dle for their orga­ni­za­tions’ mis­sions. “The Net­worked Non­profit” is the per­fect guide to nav­i­gate this fast-changing landscape.

[Marc van Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

With all the buzz, I was surprised it took me this long to finish this new book (probably because I was stuck in some historical fiction).

As a follower of both Allison's and Beth's blogs, I was excited to see what they would put forth. The first few chapters were good, but included more generalities/theory I've seen before. I took greater value from the last few chapters, which provided case studies, examples and a few how-tos for strategically utilizing social networks to enhance the missions of nonprofits. As the authors point out, these ideas/this space is still new, and so for those of us working on issues of social networking/nonprofit work day-to-day, these real-life scenarios were the most helpful.

I also appreciate their honesty toward the end in saying....what will the results be? We don't yet know...while stressing the importance of building relationships with these new tools - the core of advocacy work and fundraising.

Lastly the value I find in this book is having a published piece on this topic to which I can refer when pitching projects/ideas. Because not all levels of management believe in the value of spending staff time and resources on social networking, the challenge we face is advocating for this work, while balancing this advocacy with working on the pieces that can truly help our organizations (not jumping into every channel simply for the sake of doing so). I'll certainly use pieces of this book when making arguments at work. But I also enjoyed the balanced argument.

I think the only reason I'm not giving it one more star is because after avidly reading both authors and like-minded writers in the past year or two, the first half of the book was less valuable for me. That may not be fair ;)

Overall, a fabulous read for nonprofit workers to understand the current/future directions of social networking and our sector.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really strong book for helping nonprofits understand the potential benefits of social networking. Most importantly, I think it introduces nonprofit leaders to the fundamentally different world that is already reality for most young people in America. You can avoid this change in attitudes for the moment, but it's coming whether you want it or not!

It's not aimed at the advanced practitioner who has adopted these social media concepts already and looking for ways to get much better at it.

I was surprised that they attributing the idea of karma banking to having been coined by someone in 2008: this has been a pretty common concept for much longer than that. I published one of my main Benetech reports in 2005 talking about our corporate policy of making deposits in the karma bank, and I certainly didn't invent the concept!

[Moira Clunie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'd been reading beth's blog for a while, it had sparked my thinking, i'd enthusiastically forwarded articles to colleagues and friends. i had high hopes and expectations of this book, but found that for me, unfortunately the content was much more engaging online. the translation to book format left in decontextualised online references (most notably: to content in a sidebar that didn't exist in the print) and didn't introduce enough framework to allow the series of ideas to hang together as a whole. and i don't know, if you're going to bother making a book object these days, i think it's worth investing in nice typesetting. having said all this, i'll still be pointing colleagues towards blog entries these authors have written, and might recommend the book for the more technophobic.

[Samantha McGuire (Mirror Bridge Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a pretty simple informative read.. I have been looking for advice books to help me expand Wisdom Web Networking as a whole and this book had some great tips, like how to gain followers, paying attention to statistics and trends on what people are interested in, and building credibility for your network, and bringing the community together through mutual interests and grouping similar people together. Even though this book was geared more towards building a non-profit network and fundraising events it still did help give me ideas for continuing to build Wisdom Web Networking as well.

[Kay Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonprofit organizations are using social media to establish and maintain relationships with members and spread their organizational messages to potential members and legislators.

The Networked Nonprofit explains how nonprofits can expand their social networks using "conversation starters" such as blogs, YouTube, and Twitter; "collaboration tools" such as wikis and Google groups; and "network builders" such as Facebook and MySpace.

The book points out that Gen Ys, with their interest in advocacy and political issues, have been the biggest adopters of social media in the nonprofit sector.

[Adam]

This will be very general to most people who live and breathe social/marketing/content strategies day in and day out (put it this way - there's a glossary that includes terms like "crowdsourcing" and "tags"). But for anyone newer to the challenges - or anyone who needs to beef up their advocacy while dealing with a social skeptic - this book offers up a nice, concise array of evidence and actionable tips. It's geared toward nonprofits (obviously), but there are takeaways that are applicable to organizations in all sectors.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine book I have been recommending to my non-technical administrative friends as a way to get started thinking about Social Networks and Social Media. These people are in Government in DC and have been giving grants to NGO's for broadband and technology. The Feds can not use many of the tools described in this book in their offices, so hopefully the book might incent them to try the tools at home. BTW I bought 10 copies to make sure people didnt have to wait for their turn.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I learn about using social media and networks for businesses and non-profits, the more interested I get. Kanter and Fine, both well-known social media gurus for nonprofits write the perfect introduction for nonprofits looking to get into the new social networks. While I know the basics, it was especially handy to have the reflection questions at the end of each chapter as I get closer to finishing my draft for our social media policy. Highly recommend!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite quotes, "Networked nonprofits are simple and transparent organizations. They are easy for outsiders to get in and insiders to get out. They engage people in shaping and sharing their work in order to raise awareness of social issues, organize communities to provide services, or advocate for legislation... Networked nonprofits don't work harder or longer than other organizations, they work differently."

[Sidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got the Ebook from Baruch Lib, and it's required reading in Fund Raising class by Prof. Seltzer.

Social media creates and sustains relationships with full social capital, because of the interactions with social awareness. It's "social", which means civil responsibility and humanistic caring among the community. It is change-maker built on the connections among people, to pursue the "good"--truth, kindness and beauty.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just a book about social media, but a guide on how to build and manage an integrated marketing strategy that involves every employee, donor, volunteer and fan. The challenge with a book like this is that it's going to need to be constantly updated; as new as it is, it could already use an update since it references Google Reader!

Everyone who works or volunteers for a nonprofit should read this book.

[Rushay Booysen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read for nonprofits.Its filled with compelling valuable information on the approach thats to be taken in using social media to drive change.I stumbled upon this book as a recommendation (yeah yeah i know my algorithm is in check) I came across a number of tweeters who i have noted played a valuable role in furthering the "cause" by their online activity.

[Hol]

I’m a fan of Beth Kanter’s blog so was happy to get my hands on this book at last (the library system clearly needs more copies--I had a long wait). It’s a great overview of how social media can spur organizational development, but for nuts-and-bolts advice about integrated marketing for nonprofits, online resources are a better bet.

[Tom Kamei · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise, but I feel like The Dragon Fly Effect is a far superior read; understanding the power of Social Networking and crowd sourcing in evoking societal impact can be an exceptionally powerful tool (Just look at Egypt) and definitely worth exploring.

[LauraLee Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you work for a non-profit, give to a non-profit, or want to understand how social media enables you as an individual to support and interact with a non-profit, you need to read this book. Plus Beth Kanter and Alison Fine are awesome.

[Rebeka · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're trying to figure out how Facebook and other social media fits into your agency's mission, this book really breaks it down and gives you concrete action items. It wasn't quite as dry as I thought it'd be either.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

People at work love this book, but for me the information within seemed basic and intuitive. Probably very helpful for people who have limited understanding of social media, but I think I am not the target audience for this one.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opened my eyes to the fact that I volunteer for a "fortress" and that there are small steps possible to become more open and later a networked nonprofit. Wish I could make the leaders of my NPO read this and act upon it.