Nonprofits are changing the world. It’s what we do. The smart ones understand the importance of leveraging technology to support these world-changing endeavors. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Our organizations often struggle to be nimble and agile in today’s changing environment, or to stay focused and on target in our program implementation, or to effectively engage employees, funders, and stakeholders in the process. Sometimes it feels like our organizational challenges outweigh our change efforts.

In fact, this is precisely the problem. Despite our progressive efforts to leverage technology to change the world, our organizational structures, processes, and management “best practices” haven’t seen real change in fifty years or more. Our organizations are stuck in outdated, 20th-century management models that are becoming more and more unworkable in today’s social and technology-driven world.

It’s time to bring change to the way we lead and manage nonprofit organizations – and make them more compatible with 21st-century reality.

We are partnering with NTEN—the Nonprofit Technology Network–to offer a three-month, action-learning course that takes the ideas in Humanize and puts them to work for your nonprofit organization.

21st Century Nonprofit: Leveraging Technology to Transform Leadership

The inaugural program runs January through March 2013, and to be a part of it you must fill out an application (deadline to apply is December 20). If you have questions, contact Maddie or Jamie.

Program Information

The 21st Century Nonprofit is a 3-month action-learning program designed to help you actually move away from the more mechanical and rigid management practices of last century and embrace a more open, transparent, and dynamic approach to the management and leadership of your nonprofit. The program will provide tools and analysis for developing and implementing change efforts internally, focusing particularly on using technology (social and otherwise) to move the needle on more effective leadership and management. Participants have the opportunity to learn from experts as well as peer-based learning and support from other nonprofit professionals who are going through similar efforts.

The 21st Century Nonprofit Program will be led by Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant, co-authors of Humanize: How People-Centric Organizations Succeed in a Social World. Using frameworks and tools drawn from the book, as well as their years of consulting experience, they will work with participants through a combination of webinars, group teleconferences, and individualized coaching and advice for participating organizations. The webinar series in the program will be open to the public, but the other (primarily virtual) interactions in the program will allow course participants only to learn and discuss with other nonprofit executives in the program, as well as direct feedback and advice from the organizers. The program culminates with an in-person session at the NTC in April 2013.

After completing this program, you will be able to:

• leverage technology and social media to change not just marketing and IT, but the way you lead and manage your organization.
• identify actionable ways you can start shifting your organizational culture to embrace a more human approach to leadership and management.
• identify specific changes you can make to internal structures and processes to encourage more collaboration, experimentation and openness.
• address the individual behaviors and skill sets your people need to acquire in order to run with these changes and leave the traditional, mechanical management practices behind.

Participant Qualifications

The program is open only to qualified nonprofit organizations and can accommodate up to three individuals from each organization as participants in the program. At least one of the individuals must be the Executive Director or other senior-level manager. Participation from at least one person representing the technology/social media functions is recommended. Organizations must complete an application prior to registering for the program that indicates the organization’s interest/capacity for exploring significant organizational change, as well as the ability to meet the time commitment of the program.

The first cohort will be limited to 30 participating individuals.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM HERE.

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I unfortunately missed my favorite Twitter chat last week, #swchat (Social Workplace Chat) but I always read the accompanying summary blog post and check out the resources. Lo and behold, this one was on my favorite topic (apart from Humanizing), social learning.

So I wanted to quickly list just a few of the resources that were mentioned:

10 things to remember about social learning (and the use of social media for learning)

Social Learning & The LMS – Are You In or Out?

Social Learning Handbook

The New Social Learning: A Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media – by Marcia Conner and Tony Bingham – book excerpt

10 New Ways Twitter Is Changing The College Lecture

Is your education department thinking about how to integrate social more into their programming?  Contact us for help and advice. We provide social learning plans, speaker training, event Twitter monitoring, emceeing for virtual audiences and hybrid events, and all kinds of social learning services.

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Wondering how to get started with Pinterest? Debating about the value of Google+? Want to learn everything you need to know about social media content strategy?  Well, your wait is over.

The Think Tank is back! Starting July 12, we’re launching our latest social media learning program for the folks responsible for social media in associations and nonprofits. It’s time for some serious brushing up, folks, and this 5-webinar series is the perfect solution.

Register now for a summer of social media learning.

We’ve put together a premium program with an all-star lineup of renowned expert presenters, facilitated by yours truly so you know you’ll get the association perspective. And our joint venture team at CommPartners are producing the events, so you know the platform will be top-notch. Each webinar is $129, and when you register for all 5 at once, you save. (And since you’re reading this on the SocialFish blog, you can save again, hint, hint.)

Who are these fancy presenters? It’s a group of people I read and admire–people I hand-selected because I know that the material they have to present is exactly what our community needs right now. Here’s the Think Tank program in detail, or at-a-glance below.

• Pinterest for Nonprofits with David Svet & Heidi Hancock – Thursday, July 12
• Google+ for Nonprofits with Debra Askanase & Shelly Kramer – Thursday, July 26
• Your New Content Strategy with Bob LeDrew  – Thursday, August 16
• Marketing in the Round with Gini Dietrich – Thursday, August 30
• Creating Content (that Works) with Amy Vernon – Thursday, September 13

Directly applicable social media learning for association executives.

Unlike other social media webinars that focus on educating for-profits, small businesses and agencies, the Think Tank Summer E-Learning Series is designed for the people responsible for social media work in associations and nonprofits.

All of this within a unique social learning environment that affords participants the opportunity to connect and share their own experiences with the topic areas. You’ll learn how to actually apply cutting edge social media knowledge at your association or nonprofit.  You’ll talk to peers working through the same issues, and you’ll get a chance to really interact with our awesomely knowledgeable speakers.

I hope you’re as excited as we are. Do what you need to do and get yourself registered for all 5 in the series.