This article was downloaded by: [Deakin University Library] On: 26 March 2012, At: 02:29 Publisher: Routledge

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Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing

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The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting With Social Media to Drive Change, by B. Kanter & A. H. Fine
Wendy Scaife Ph.D.
a a

Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Available online: 24 May 2011

To cite this article: Wendy Scaife Ph.D. (2011): The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting With Social Media to Drive Change, by B. Kanter & A. H. Fine, Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 23:2, 209-211 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10495142.2011.572720

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Journal of Nonprot & Public Sector Marketing, 23:209211, 2011 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1049-5142 print/1540-6997 online DOI: 10.1080/10495142.2011.572720

Book Review
Kanter, B., & Fine, A. H. (2010). The Networked Nonprot: Connecting With Social Media to Drive Change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. The Networked Nonprot is a guide for the brave new world of social media. Without condescending or dumbing down, it targetsand more importantly, possibly excitesthe laggards and late majority adopters of the often-conservative nonprot population. Many such groups seem to have recruited a keen Gen Y volunteer to move their organizations into the digital age, without fully embracing the need for a social media strategy and zeal as part of their marketing and essence. The book is, thus, timely, and its structure makes it valuable reading, especially for managers, CEOs, and board leaders. In particular, it covers the wider environment and strategy as well as tactics, emphasizing the why as well as the what and how of social media. Reection questions at the close of key chapters offer pragmatic and thought provoking checklists. The authors urge executives not to abdicate their understanding of this social revolution, and to jump online and practice using social media so they can fully appreciate its power to alter both thinking and working approaches. They also suggest that the phenomenon is here to stay, and that hiding behind concerns about risk to brand and reputation or challenges from new stakeholders is staving off inevitable change in how nonprot organizations will operate into the future. The rst two chapters focus on this context and provide some definitions. This scene setting is logical and clear, and I, personally, would have enjoyed even more contextual reading because social media truly is a revolution that challenges traditional nonprot philosophy. It needs deep, rich understanding if nonprots are to both integrate it well and change long-trodden approaches. Beginning inductively, the case of the Surfrider Foundation is presented as a quintessential networked nonprot with its small core staff and highly engaged, but autonomous, volunteer system of thousands of people across the country acting locally to protect oceans and beaches. The nature of a networked nonprot is summarized as simple, transparent, and social-media savvy; it is easy for outsiders to get in and insiders to get out, while engaging people in inuencing and sharing their work. In the interests of garnering fresh resources for important community change, these organizations are releasing traditional control over brand identity, messages, and the people conveying them. They are recognizing that through these new technologies, individual power can now equal that
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Book Review

which was once only available to organizations. Free agents, as the authors term them, are changing the world, and networked nonprots are working with them for mutual benet. Another important denition provided is that of social media itself, used by these authors to denote what they call conversation starters (blogs, YouTube, Twitter), collaboration tools (Wikis, Google groups), and network builders (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter). In these early pages, the authors characterize the more traditional arm of the nonprot sector as fragmented, silo-like, and ill-equipped to tackle robust, full-blooded challenges such as hunger or poverty. Further building a case for nonprots to build their social media nous, they tackle myths and misconceptions, dispelling views about social media replacing face-to-face communication, or being only for the young. The potential contribution of social media is sited amongst nonprot trends and challenges such as a lack of future leadership, the rise of the Millennial generation and free agents. The book then breaks into two sections: How to become a networked nonprot and what to do as a networked nonprot. The rst section cleverly invokes Tolstoys quote, Everyone thinks about changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. This thought prefaces the concept that organizations need to move from an organization-centric lens to one that sees the world outside as energized by its own social media and connections, and not waiting for the organization to tell it what to do. Useful concepts are raised: social network mapping, the role of the network periphery in growth, the ability of social media to build social capital, network weaving to strengthen social networks, and creating a social culture. Practical steps for all of these aspects are covered, including organizational mapping techniques and social media policy, along with handbook examples and questions. Kanter proposes a ladder of engagement adapted to the social media environment in a chapter devoted to three nucleic nonprot imperatives: listening, engaging, and building relationships. Two further chapters explore other nonprot tenets that have stirred the minds of researchers: building trust and simplifying organizations, showing how social media can be harnessed to achieve transparency and to do more by doing less. Moving to what to do as a networked nonprot, along with the benets and pitfalls of crowd-sourcing (dened as organizing many people to participate in a joint project, often in small ways) are illuminated. The related technique of microplanning is described using the Hudson Institutes The Center for Global Prosperity case, outlining the changed compilation of the Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances. The ubiquitous idea of measurement is canvassed in a chapter on learning loops, where examples of metrics for engagement, return on investment, and social change are provided. Standalone chapters on the interaction of fund-raising and governance with social media cover two key uses of most sector interest. These authors are well credentialed as experienced nonprot and social media innovators, and the foreword by Facebooks Director of Marketing,

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Randi Zuckerberg, adds another dimension to this book. Its simple premise, that social media powers social networks for social change, is a contention that should interest practitioners and scholars alike. From a scholars view, the topic almost lends itself to a further chapter about theory and practice, because many rich leads into existing marketing and communication literature are evident in what the authors describe. However, the overall sense is of a thoughtfully crafted book that empowers individuals, boards, organizations, and the sector in what, for many, has been a zone beyond their comfort. Wendy Scaife, PhD Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprot Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

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