February 24, 2011 | Read Time: 5 minutes
Last April, two lists of recommended blogs for nonprofit readers were published three days apart. One was The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “A Word Cloud of Popular Charity Blogs” based on an online survey of fund-raising experts at U.S. charities. The other was Owen Barder’s list of “Development Blogs You Should Read.” I was startled and concerned when I discover that the two lists didn’t have a single blog in common.
I know that aid workers and nonprofit fund raisers have different jobs and different professional needs. And I know that only a small fraction of nonprofits work internationally. But shouldn’t there be at least a little overlap between the fund raisers and the field staff? In theory we all have the same end goal in mind, so a greater mutual understanding might help reduce some of the problems that regularly occur.
Richenda Ghebrial-Ibrahim, who works with social media for World Vision, wrote a post on her blog Thinking Out Loud that eloquently explained “Why Fundraisers Should Read Development Blogs,” and she’s given me permission to cross-post parts of it here.
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Why Fundraisers Should Read Development Blogs
I have a confession to make: Although I am a fundraiser/marketer/communicator I am also a development groupie. “A what?” you ask. Well … I spend my free time reading the books and blogs of development practitioners; some are experts. Which is why Linda Raftree’s recent post on “Why Aid and Development Workers Should Be Reading Blogs” [adapted from Dave Algoso’s post “A Grad Student’s Guide to the International Development Blogosphere] has compelled me to write this post; as the circle of beneficiaries is not limited to development workers [and grad students] alone.
Fundraisers: I know what you’re thinking: “I have enough on my plate. Deadlines. Targets. Pressure. Emails … How can I squeeze this in?” I encourage you to make time, even if it means shuffling your Facebook time to blogs. It will make you better at your job. Here’s why:
You will better understand your “product.” Every good marketer understands that to best promote your product, you need to understand what you are selling. Although I hate using these terms (it demeans and simplifies the work and people we partner with), development blogs can teach you an endless amount about your “product.” Eliminating poverty is not easy or fast. It’s not something you will learn in a day/month/year. The context is ever-changing, complex and unpredictable. There is significant theory, applications/case studies to learn from and, similar to social media, you need to follow the experts and trends to stay relevant. Even though I have been mentored by aid veterans for years, I learn something new every day that compels me to re-think what I am doing and challenges me.
At World Vision Australia, new staff complete a class entitled Why Is That Child Poor?, an overview of poverty alleviation through lessons from aid and development experts. It’s an excellent course, but in two days the quantity of information can be overwhelming, especially to a novice. Reading development blogs is a natural extension to a course like this. You continually learn and process information that will help you to best understand your “product” and to keep your strategies relevant to the context you’re raising funds for.
Donors want more. Those compelled to truly make a difference have (mostly) become apathetic to the elevator speech about “simple” solutions to poverty. Donors are hungry for more information and want to know where their dollar-a-day is going. I have daily conversations with donors on this topic. So far, we have only scratched the surface in explaining sustainable community development and disaster relief. Development blogs are a treasure chest of information that explains both.
Additionally, our lack of explanations of the complexities of development has driven some donors away from community development (a “hand up”) and toward direct benefits (a “hand out”). Case in point: undesignated funds. Many donors are skeptical and resistant to give to this type of funding because it appears to lack accountability. Many [international nongovernmental organizations] have completely failed to explain the value, impact, and flexibility of this type of funding. Instead, donors give elsewhere because they know exactly where their money is going rather than deciding where it can be used best. And why wouldn’t you!? Use development blogs to better understand the complexities of development. Then use your marketing brilliance to share these insights with your info-hungry donors.
You’ll stay current in your own field. Many prominent development bloggers cross lines between community development and new-media communications. They give commentary on a multitude of marketing campaigns, communication techniques, donor promises, and emerging [international nongovernmental organizations]. I find it far easier to understand what my peers are doing via these blogs than through my own means. It was through these bloggers that I first heard of 1MillionShirts and of Save the Children’s The Lottery of Life campaign. Even if you don’t agree with some of the commentary, it’s wonderful to have access to consolidated information on the latest marketing campaigns.
Disclaimer: expect cynicism. These are not warm, fuzzy blogs. They are more critical toward fund-raising efforts than they are praising. Personally, I believe this is because many of the campaigns they critique are ones that trivialize their work and the people they aim to help. That said, do not allow their critical stance to discourage you from engaging with the writers directly. I have found all bloggers to be approachable, considerate, and affirming. Whenever I have had questions (even ones I thought were stupid), they have been an incredible resource and I value these relationships immensely.
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If Richenda and I have convinced you to try reading a few development blogs, you can find great lists of blogs in the links posted above, and you’ll see many overlaps with Owen Barder’s list.
