More people than ever are on Facebook. Five hundred million and counting. While social network usage continues to grow (43% from June 2009 to June 2010 based on August results coming out of Nielsen NetView). Over this same time period e-mail usage dropped by 28%. These numbers make it very clear -- people are changing the way they communicate with friends, family and colleagues. With each passing day, they are trading in one-to-one or one-to-a-few messages for one-to-all broadcasts, sharing the daily details of their lives with "friends" and "followers." We are in the middle of a seismic shift, a major disruption, in how we as a society are using technology to share information with others.
I'll leave it to someone else to tackle the sociological and psychological questions involved here. Is this a healthy trend for our culture? How will this impact our individual happiness? We're asking the same questions and having the same debates that we did with the introduction of radio, television, cellular phones and e-mail. Does connection equal progress and does progress lead to happiness? All important questions, but what I'm interested in today is how this disruptive shift impacts cause-driven, not-for-profit organizations (NPOs) that are continually seeking a broader and deeper engagement with their supporters. What are the challenges? And what opportunities does it create today and tomorrow?
First, the bad news. The one-directional website and e-mail relationships that established organizations have developed over the past two decades are no longer enough to engage the "online community." Many folks, especially the younger crowd, are moving on. Five years ago, "traditional channels" of communication meant printed newsletters and other direct mail pieces. We can now put this same label on websites and e-mail that simply broadcast information to supporters. Organizations that don't embrace the change taking place will become dinosaurs, yielding way to the more nimble and socially-networked.
Of course, all NPOs recognize this to some degree. All have a Facebook page. Most have a Twitter feed. And many have dozens or even hundreds of Facebook Cause pages created by their active supporters. But savvy organizations are pushing the envelope and seeking out innovative approaches beyond a "me too" strategy. Therein lies the opportunity and the good news around the disruptive shift to social networks.
Let's take a quick look at examples of this innovation from two very different organizations. Kiva.org's tagline sums it up nicely. Loans that change lives. Kiva has enabled over $156 million in microloans from more than 476,000 lenders to aspiring entrepreneurs in 200 different countries around the world. The payback rate on these loans is an incredible 98.85%! Kiva has embraced existing social networks. Their 351,000 Twitter followers dwarf the following of NPO organizations many, many times their size and enables them to keep their constituents updated with news on a daily, real-time basis.
I believe Kiva's success is most directly linked to the social network experience they've created. From Kiva's website you can easily research and discover entrepreneurs to fund and other lenders. You can create teams and make loans with your friends and other like-minded people. Detailed information on entrepreneur projects and data on money needed and raised, field partner performance, team statistics, and even country economic data is presented throughout the site, providing the transparency of information that the socially-networked community loves. By presenting all this information in a networked and transparent fashion, Kiva has raised the bar for NPOs seeking to bring their supporters closer to their cause and activities out in the world.
Innovation around social networks is also happening in more recognized organizations. American Cancer Society saw the opportunity to connect at a more personal level with their female supporters and recently created ChooseYou.org, a health network centered around cancer prevention for women. Visitors on the site can "join the movement," share stories and view relevant Twitter messages directly on the site, and interact with other Facebook followers. The service launched in May of this year and is growing (they already have 6,000 Facebook followers). I believe it's exactly the type of move large established non-profits need to make to stay relevant to today's socially-connected youth.
A disruptive shift toward socially-networked communications is well under way. Smart organizations embrace change and look for opportunities in times like these. Even smarter organizations anticipate where the disruption is leading us and become agents of change themselves.
Kiva.org and American Cancer Society are both participating partners at www.endorseforacause.com.