August 14, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Nonprofit leaders are hungry for knowledge, writes Michael Idinopulos on the blog Socialtext. Conferences offer an opportunity for charity leaders to learn from each other, but they are costly and often impractical to attend.
So why aren’t there more opportunities for nonprofit executives to meet each other online?
Mr. Idinopulos says that charity employees could participate in discussions, share documents, describe case studies, identify experts, and create groups for others who work on similar issues.
He says: “Think of it as a standing online industry conference for nonprofit executives. And you don’t even have to get on a plane.”
Foundations are the “natural hosts” for such forums, says Mr. Idinopulos. They could start by creating networks for their grantees. Winning support from a foundation, then, would mean more than an infusion of cash. It would also include an invitation to become part of the foundation’s online club.
Mr. Idinopulos says: “The more wisely a foundation invests, the more powerful its proprietary network would become. I could even imagine a time when grant renewal decisions were determined by the quality of a fundee’s participation in the network, and when inclusion in a foundation’s proprietary network became more important to nonprofits than the accompanying financial support.”
What do you think of his idea?
