Updated slides for a recently presented Grant Managers Network webinar.

1. SOCIAL GIVING: EMERGING
TRENDS IN PHILANTHROPY
@Pg33k on Twitter

2. OVERVIEW
The Social Giving Framework
Social Media for Grantmakers
Data: Big, Open, Strategic
Crowdfunding + Grantmaking

3. What’s the problem?
Philanthropy is seen, when it is seen, as…
Elitist
Opaque
Inaccessible
Unaccountable
Fickle
Arbitrary
Secretive
Arrogant
= Anti-Social

4. What’s the problem?
Challenging the effectiveness of the “strategic
philanthropy” model in a complex world.
…strategic philanthropy assumes that outcomes arise from a linear chain of
causation that can be predicted, attributed, and repeated, even though we know
that social change is often unpredictable, multifaceted, and idiosyncratic…
Emergent strategy does not attempt to oversimplify complex problems, nor does
it lead to a “magic bullet” solution that can be scaled up. Instead, it gives rise to
constantly evolving solutions that are uniquely suited to the time, place, and
participants involved. It helps funders to be more relevant and effective by
adapting their activities to ever-changing circumstances and engaging others
as partners without the illusion of control.
- John Kania, Mark Kramer, & Patty Russell, “Strategic Philanthropy for a
Complex World”

5. It doesn’t have to be this way.
The social giving framework
provides new directions.

6. Social Giving Values
Participation
Transparency
Accessibility
Clarity
Accountability
Trust
Vulnerability
Open systems

7. SOCIAL GIVING BENEFITS
Philanthropy Designing for Innovation
Disrupt negative power
dynamics.
Tap into community and crowd
power (money, knowledge,
action).
Engineer for serendipitous
connections.
Takes the power of joy, play &
identity in giving seriously.
Millennial ready.

8. Social Giving Overview
social media
open data
How?
micro-grants
giving circles crowdfunding

9. Social Giving Overview
social media
Today
crowdfunding data

10. Social Media
If you show your human side by communicating
like a human being, chances are good you will be
seen as accessible and approachable. Then you
are on your way to establishing a relationship and
building trust.
- Marie Deatherage, Meyer Memorial Trust,
Opening Up: Demystifying Funder Transparency

11. Social Media

12. Social Media
Strategically motivated sharing:
Save time! (no, really)
Enhance proposal quality & fit.
Celebrate & engage grantees.
Accelerate organizational learning.
Build thought leadership.
Transparency: give an “inside look.”

13. Social Media
Case Study: Knight
Foundation
Note the high
ratio of “re-tweets”
A grantee
celebrating a
grantmaker!

14. Social Media
Case Study: Case
Foundation
Visual content

15. Social Media
Getting started
Listen: start with grantees.
Choose one “audience” profile.
Choose one platform.
Leverage your existing information
assets: subscriptions, internal
reports, etc.

16. Social Media: a word of
warning
- Opening Up: Demystifying Funder Transparency

17. Social Media
Questions &
Discussion

18. Data
What’s a data strategy good for?
Save time! (yes, really)
Reduce bias and arbitrary
decisions.
Equity in accountability (aka
transparency).
Attract new expertise.

19. Data
Data terms to know
Open data
Big listening
Ambient data

20. Data
Initiatives: Fdn. Ctr. Reporting Commitment

21. Data
Reporting Commitment: What is hGrant?

22. Data
Initiative: Ashoka Feedback Labs

23. Data
Getting started
Start simply, change culture.
Share aggregate impact metrics
creatively.
Embrace social media.
Research hGrant compatibility.
Produce and share grantee perception
reports.

24. A note on transparency
It’s coming, with or without you.
InsidePhilanthropy.com: Speak Truth to
Money
Philamplify.org: Honest Feedback to
Improve Philanthropy
Foundations are beginning to publish
their grantee perception reports.
Form 990 will be machine readable
soon!

25. Data
Questions &
Discussion

26. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers

27. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
Why should grantmakers care?
Save time! (ok, maybe)
Surprise: the crowd has more $
and knowledge than you.
Build your grantees’ capacity:
capital, supporters/volunteers, new
leaders.

28. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
New study
Based on this evidence, the change from a hierarchical
expert‐led system to a mixed expert and crowd‐based one may
have large positive effects on the types of innovations that the
system produces, as allowing more ideas to come to fruition
has been shown to lead to increased innovation quality.
Similarly, a crowdfunding approach has the ability to include
individuals who would not otherwise have access to… A more
diverse pool of individuals can further increase innovation.
- Ethan Mollick and Ramana Nanda, “Wisdom or Madness? Comparing
Crowds with Expert Evaluation in Funding the Arts”

29. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
Case study: Kickstarter Curated Pages

30. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
Case study: Kansas City 10% Crowdfunding
Requirement

31. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
Case Study: ioby grantmaker collaborations
+

32. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
Case Study: StartSomeGood collaboration
+
3 pilots
4.5 x the match in crowd $

33. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
Case Study: Kapor Center & Black Girls Code
+
$27K match generated $114k
New messaging: Everyone’s gift
matters!

34. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
Getting started
Play with the platforms & give.
Survey your grantees for interest.
Reach out to the platform leads.
Pilot a campaign match.
Advanced: find your next grantee
through a platform.

35. Crowdfunding for Grantmakers
Questions &
Discussion

36. Resources
Strategic Philanthropy for a Complex World
http://www.ssireview.org/up_for_debate/article/strategic_philanthropy
Opening Up: Demystifying Funder Transparency
www.grantcraft.org/transparency
Infographic: What’s Trending With Foundations and Social Media
http://www.glasspockets.org/glasspockets-gallery/foundations-and-social-media-
infographic
The Value Added of Engagement (on foundation executives using Twitter)
http://blog.grantcraft.org/2014/01/the-value-added-of-engagement/
Knight Foundation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/knightfdn
Case Foundation on Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/casefoundation

37. Resources, continued
Also see Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s various social media
accounts: http://www.rwjf.org
On “Big Listening,” Beth Kanter interviews Rachel Weidinger of Upwell
http://www.bethkanter.org/listener/
Is “Ambient Data” from Social Media Channels Useful for Funders?
http://www.bethkanter.org/ambient-data/
Reporting Commitment Map http://www.glasspockets.org/philanthropy-in-focus/
reporting-commitment-map
The hGrant format used by the Reporting Commitment
http://www.foundationcenter.org/grantmakers/hgrant.html
Ashoka Feedback Labs: http://feedbacklabs.org/

38. Resources, continued
Kansas City Community Capital Fund Case
http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2014/02/how-crowdfunding-can-be-used-as-a-community-
development-tool/
Kickstarter curated pages https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/curated-pages?
ref=home_curated
ioby collaborations
• http://www.ioby.org/nycecoschools
• http://ioby.org/memphis
StartSomeGood Network Pages (like Kickstarter’s curated pages)
http://startsomegood.com/Community/NetworkPartners
Black Girls CODE/Kapor Center case study
http://www.philanthrogeek.com/crowdfunding/ultimate-matching-grant-grantmaker-
joined-crowd/

39. Thank you!
Nathaniel James,
nathaniel@Philanthrogeek.com, @nj140
on Twitter
www.Philanthrogeek.com, @Pg33k on
Twitter
The Philanthrogeek fire hose of links:
https://delicious.com/james.nathaniel/philanthrogeek