The New Dork: An Entrepreneur State of Mind

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 8 Mar 2010 1
Remember when being a dork meant you just weren’t cool? That was before “The New Dork” – a spoof of Jay-Z and Alicia Keyes’s "Empire State Of Mind" which pays homage to the rising generation of geeky entrepreneurs – or, what we like to think of as the new trendsetters.  
 
While “The New Dork” just started hitting the interwebs this afternoon, it’s already being deemed the anthem for entrepreneurs, and why not? It paints a picture and tells the story of entrepreneurs doing what they love – and we think there’s nothing dorky about that.
 
So, who's your favorite "New Dork?"
 
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Oversharing 2.0

by Kristin Ivie on 1 Mar 2010 2
girls sharing

Today's topic: oversharing. I will admit I'm a repeat offender. I can't count the number of times I've been enjoying a meal with a new acquaintance and inexplicably started sharing personal information in excessive detail. Before I know it, the words are just rushing out of my mouth like water from a broken dam, and there is literally nothing I can do to hold them back. Usually my oversharing is forgiven; occasionally I'm delighted to find it matched, or even one-uped, by the person across the table; and, yes, every now and then, it's met with visible discomfort and the notable lack of a follow-up get together, but overall, it's a relatively harmless vice.

Having slightly more potential for harm, however, is the habit of oversharing online. It's no secret that we at Social Citizens are all for being active online. We love to see people blogging, tweeting and posting videos about their thoughts on issues, brands, and experiences, but is there a point where all that social networking is TMI?

When I helped my dad sign up for Twitter over Christmas break, we had an exchange which demonstrates what I think is a common generational difference. He was a little bit horrified by the public nature of everything he was being asked to post on Twitter. He was not so sure about sharing his location, his photo, nearly anything he was doing or even his real name. ("Kristin, you have heard of identity theft, yes?")

According to the recent Pew study on Millennials, we're actually more wary of others than previous generations. Perhaps our penchant for transparency and our comfort online overcome this stated mistrust and lead us to post too much information about ourselves online because I hadn't really given much thought to the dangers of talking about myself in such a public way, and based on some of my friends' online activity, apparently neither have they. Whether it's airing private grievances, posting pictures I wish I'd never seen or just making your daily routine public, oversharing online can lead to discomfort and danger.

Foursquare is a fun application encouraging people to check out new places in their city, but we might need to think twice about how we use this and other location-based applications. Perhaps in an effort to rack up badges, some users have taken to checking in literally everywhere they go. (I am of the opinion that if someone cannot join you there, it's not kosher to check in.) In addition to annoying their twitter followers, these overzealous check-ins are also establishing their itineraries by chronicling when they get to work, when they go out for lunch, back to work, at the Dupont Circle metro (where they're clearly starting their commute) at the Clarendon metro (where they're clearly ending their commute) and at their apartment building. You do that every day for two weeks and as PleaseRobMe.com tries to demonstrate, you are giving opportunistic evildoers a leg up.

A recent survey indicated that the majority of Americans think it's wrong to friend your boss on Facebook. Likewise, an even higher percentage of bosses (62%) think being friends with their employees online is weird. I tend to disagree, but I'll concede that I have a particularly social media-friendly office environment. But the survey results touch on a common concern about sharing too much via social networks with coworkers, as well as potential employers, clients, students, exes or parents.

This concern is complicated by the fact that many people don't even realize who they are sharing all their information with through Facebook. Every now and then, there's an uproar about Facebook, and the changes to its privacy settings - who owns your information, who can see your information and whether you can really remove your information might surprise you. Nick O'Neill has a helpful list of privacy settings every Facebook user should know, or if you prefer, you can watch the video version. 

Where do you draw the line on talking about yourself online? And how do you take advantage of the utility and fun of social networks without putting yourself at risk?

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Young Donors Want More than a Party!

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 19 Feb 2010 2
Party?
Today’s guest blogger, Derrick Feldman, is CEO of Achieve where he provides guidance to organizations to help them develop new fundraising strategies. Today, Derrick focuses on the importance of engaging young professionals as donors in a more meaningful way.
 

Walk into a hip bar in a metropolitan area after work and there’s a chance that you’ll be greeted by a table draped with a banner bearing the logo of a local nonprofit. Over the music pulsing in the background, two young staffers will welcome you and offer you a name tag. On behalf of the nonprofit’s Young Professionals Group, they’ll thank you for coming, encourage you to enjoy yourself and offer you information about the organization.

 
This has become an increasingly likely scenario, which is why, during a recent conversation with a university vice president, I listened as he expressed concern about such groups. “More than 10 organizations in the city have some sort of young donor group with an affinity to the organization,” he said. “They’re all competing with each other for attention.”
 
It’s true: The concept of the Young Professionals Group (aka, Young Donors Society or Young Donors Group) has spread faster than a funny video on You Tube – which explains why, when we speak on young-donor engagement, I’m always asked whether these groups work. Of course, as a consultant, I have a famous answer for this and many other questions: It depends.
 
Let’s first look at the positives:
 
Right idea. By establishing such a group, a nonprofit takes a step in the right direction, demonstrating that it recognizes the need to involve the next generation.
 
Front-line experience. Some Young Professional Group activities do engage young people in the work of the organization through group volunteerism and other opportunities, giving the young professionals an opportunity to have an impact on the organization.
 
Creative fundraising. These groups raise support for the organization, often in creative and nontraditional ways. It’s fun to see some of the fundraising ideas that come out of these groups – granted, some are a little tacky, but others are pretty interesting.
 
Energy boosts. Young nonprofit leaders can be reinvigorated by the organization’s interest in working with young donors, and they’re often excited to help craft activities and events to pull more young professionals closer the organization.
 
Now let’s break down some of the cons:
 
Poor substitutes. These groups too often act as substitutes for real relationships. Recently, when I asked a fundraiser how many of her donor visits were with young professionals, she said, “None … that’s why we have a young donor group: to create that relationship so I can focus on larger donors.” True, the Young Professionals Group is an opportunity to create new relationships, but real donor engagement goes beyond that. As donors, young people expect a call, a conversation and a personally meaningful engagement opportunity.
 
Social, social, social. Trust me: I like a party as much as anyone. But, social activities can’t provide real young donor engagement. It’s demeaning and disrespectful to assume that the key to engaging young professionals is throwing a party in a bar. Would you hold events at bars if you were pursuing your top 50 donors above the age of 40?
 
Benefits vs. Philanthropy. There’s a difference between a Young Professional Group and a dues-paying society. If you pay dues, you expect a personal benefit; with philanthropy, however, you expect to give for the benefit of the community or the beneficiary of services. If Young Professionals Groups are established with dues expectations – even if the contribution is to the organization – the donor will expect some sort of personal benefit. As a result, once a young professional feels the value of the relationship has diminished, he or she will leave. On the other hand, if his or her personal philanthropic interest and engagement is high, that person will stick around.
 
So, nonprofit leaders: Here is your opportunity to think beyond simple activities to personal relationships.
 
Undoubtedly, some organizations will say Young Professionals Groups can have great benefits. I agree. But that doesn’t make them substitutes for personal relationships. As in life in general, a party, event or activity is a great way to meet people, but not a great way to forge real relationships.
 
So, what’s an organization to do? Utilize these groups to ignite engagement and then take a traditional approach to relationship building. Call and invite a young professional to hear more about the organization. Understand his or her personal motivations and match interests to opportunities beyond the Young Professionals Group.
 
Like an annual event, that Young Professionals Group might one day lose its flair; when it does, you’ll want to have a relationship that can outlive it. That way, you’ll still have access to your young professionals’ talent, motivation and passion long after the party’s over.
 
 
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It's Time to Move Beyond the Great Generational Divide

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 18 Feb 2010 3
Great Divide Brewing Company
Yesterday our friends over at the National Conference on Citizenship turned up the heat when they posed the question, “What’s in a Generation: are stereotypes being replaced by a society wide call to do good? “ I say, let’s hope so.
 
About two and a half years ago when Social Citizens was just a kernel of an idea, we saw our society begin to shift in a way that was more accepting of openness and transparency – be it in government, in the workplace, or even the nonprofit sector. We saw a new social marketplace being born where goods and services were exchanged not just for money and profit but for good social outcomes. We saw the adoption of technology explode as social networks began springing up everywhere keeping us connected 24-7.
 
While generational generalities are difficult to make, since not all people of the same age have the same characteristics and life experiences – we do know there are patterns that define us. I believe many of the above examples were heavily influenced by the rising generation of Millennials. However, with my parents on Facebook, and my 95 year old grandma playing wii bowling with her neighbors, there are certain patterns of behavior which transcend generations. And while these technological advancements have in large part either been created by or heavily adopted by my peers, they are impacting the way that all of us do business, elect our public officials, and make choices about how we give back to our communities.
 
What I appreciate about the conversation over on NCOC is not just their leading question, but the questions that follow – is it really important to continue the debate over which generation is “better” or “more civic minded” or is it time to put those aside and recognize our collective power, and the tools available to us to help meet some of society’s most pressing needs? Call me an idealistic Millennial but I think this is where we must go if we are to realize change in our communities and around the world.
 
I think we’ve made great progress in bridging sectors and building public-private partnerships. Now is the time for greater understanding and appreciation across generations. There’s much that can be learned if we open our minds – and there’s much we have to share if people are willing to listen.
 
For some expert and diverse perspectives over on NCOC, I encourage you to take a look at what authors and sociologists Morley Winnograd and Michael Hais, and Pete Peterson of Common Sense California have added to the conversation.  What are ways that you have worked with members of other generations to do good? How have you seen people defy the characteristics of their generation to achieve change?
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