Synopses & Reviews
Praise for ManagingNonprofits.org
"Hecht and Ramsey have hit a home run. ManagingNonprofits.org not only applies lessons learned from the dot.com worlds use of technology and the Internet to the nonprofit sector but helps nonprofit managers to adapt the best new management and leadership practices to their efforts. It is an invaluable tool for helping nonprofits reshape their old ways of doing business."
Milton J. Little Jr.
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
National Urban League
"Ben Hecht and Rey Ramsey pull no punches in stating forcefully why non-profits have to modernize their approaches to management in the digital age. Lessons abound as to why this is so, and the authors new book presents them most effectively."
Lawrence M. Small
Former President and Chief Operating Officer
Fannie Mae
"This book is the only one on the market specifically designed to help nonprofit managers understand and harness the power of technology and the Internet to strengthen the organization and better serve customers. Start building your Digital Culture today by buying this book and giving it to your employees, your board, your funders."
Paul Shoemaker
Executive Director
Social Venture Partners
"This book is the road map to the 21st century that nonprofits so desperately needand have been waiting for. Any organization that aspires to a role in our changing economy will find in these pages the tools they need to embrace and leverage such change for positive growth. Ben Hecht and Rey Ramsey have combined vision along with practical experience to produce a book that will not only help organizations survive and get to scale, but will ultimately save lives through stronger communities."
Bill Shore
Founder and Executive Director
Share Our Strength
"The power of technology to help solve societal problems is awesome. But first, technology and the right applications must get into the culture and hands of our most committed and knowledgeablethe not-for-profit sector and its legions of staff and volunteers. This exciting book shows the way."
Angela Glover Blackwell
Founder and President
PolicyLink
Synopsis
Nonprofit managers have been slow to embrace the digital age. Although technology has transformed the face of the for-profit sector and how it operates, nonprofit use of technology to improve internal functioning and to change the way services are delivered is almost nonexistent. These limitations actually have opened the door for for-profits to "compete" successfully for traditional nonprofit business, such as moving people from welfare to work.
ManagingNonprofits.org is both a call to action and a roadmap for change. Each chapter defines an element of Dynamic Management and identifies "digital hotspots" or places within that element, and the nonprofit's implementation of that element, where digital issues will most likely arise and need to be addressed. In addition, at the end of each chapter, Maxims of Dynamic Management or core truths that the authors have found helpful to follow in their day-to-day experience as nonprofit leaders in bringing Dynamic Management to their organization are provided. Finally, the authors highlight the experience of various nonprofit and for-profit organizations that have successfully made elements of Dynamic Management a reality in their organizations.
Synopsis
Over the next few years, certain fundamentals about the way the nonprofit industry operates will change. The digital economy demands a new way of doing business for nonprofit and for-profit organizations alike. Only the organizations that understand and anticipate these fundamental changes will survive, and doing so means adapting. Utilizing new technologies, new sources of money, and new management techniques will be imperative to the nonprofit organization in the twenty-first century. ManagingNonprofits.org can help you make this transition.
This book shows any nonprofit how to thrive in these times of change. It enables nonprofits to harness the power of technology to strengthen the organization, to provide value-added products and services to an expanding customer base, and to adapt to new dynamic management practices.
Dynamic management is a continual process of organizational self-reflection and repositioning that enables organizations to embrace change, capture market opportunities, and serve customers. The precepts of dynamic management are designed for the everyday operation of nonprofit organizations, but are just as applicable to the biggest multinational corporations.
ManagingNonprofits.org is both a call to action and a road map for change. Each chapter defines and discusses an element of dynamic management and identifies situations in which digital issues will need to be addressed. In addition, the authors present core truths that they have found helpful in their day-to-day experience putting dynamic management techniques to work in nonprofits. Also included throughout the book are real-life examples of business leaders and nonprofit organizations that have successfully made elements of dynamic management a reality in their organizations.
ManagingNonprofits.org provides expert guidance and proven methods for bringing your nonprofit into the digital age and building an organization that doesnt fear changebut thrives on it.
About the Author
BEN HECHT, JD, CPA, is an experienced nonprofit executive, author, and lecturer. In 2000, he and Rey Ramsey founded One Economy Corporation, a national nonprofit dedicated to maximizing the power of technology to expand opportunities for low-income people to improve their standard of living. He currently serves as One Economy's President and Chief Operating Officer.
REY RAMSEY, JD, is a seasoned executive and social entrepreneur. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of One Economy. From 1996 to 2000, the authors worked together applying principles of dynamic management at The Enterprise Foundation and its network of 1,500 community-based organizations nationwide.
Table of Contents
Foreword.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
About the Authors.
Chapter 1. Nonprofits and the Digital Age.
Understanding the Forces of Change.
Forces of Change at Work.
Learning to Operate in New Ways.
Building the Dynamic Management Map:Thriving on Change.
Notes.
Chapter 2. Dynamic Management andDynamic Organizations.
Dynamic Management Defined.
Dynamic Management Map.
Using the Map.
What if You Don t Invert the Pyramid?
Implementing Dynamic Management.
Is Dynamic Management Really Possible?
Reflect and Reposition.
Guiding Principles.
Notes.
Chapter 3. Organizational Context: Takingthe Pulse.
Why Ask What is Going On?
Holding the Mirror up to Yourself:Checking Your Own Pulse.
28Holding the Mirror up to YourOrganization and the Worldaround You.
Two Organizations That Took Their Pulseand Changed Forever.
Reflect and Reposition.
Guiding Principles.
Notes.
Chapter 4. Corporate Culture: Vision,Values, and People.
The Importance of Culture.
Vision.
Repositioning Your Vision: Visionand the Role of Leaders.
Values.
People.
Reflect and Reposition.
Guiding Principles.
Notes.
Chapter 5. The Business Model and theCustomer.
Defining Business Model .
The Customer.
Expanded Customer Choices.
Expanding Your Customer Base.
Sustainability.
Reflect and Reposition.
Guiding Principles.
Notes.
Chapter 6. Content Products and Services.
Reflecting on Content.
The New Frontier for Products andServices: The Internet Double Helix.
Reflect and Reposition.
Guiding Principles.
Notes.
Chapter 7. Infrastructure.
What Is the Infrastructure?
Senior Management.
Creating the Environment.
Having a Vision for the Net.
Stable and Diverse Resources.
Technology.
Reflect and Reposition.
Guiding Principles.
Notes.
Chapter 8. Alignment.
The Role of the Leader in Aligningthe Organization.
Tools for Alignment.
Corporate Structure and OrganizationalChart.
Reflect and Reposition.
Guiding Principles.
Notes.
Chapter 9. Living the Map: The OneEconomy Story.
Who We Are and How We Got Here.
Holding the Mirror up to Ourselves.
Building the Culture: Vision, Values,and People.
Developing the Business Model.
Building the Infrastructure.
Alignment.
What the Future Holds.
Share Your Experiences Living the Map.
Notes.
Chapter 10. What s in Store for the DynamicManager: Looking at the Futureof Nonprofit Management.
The Horn & Hardart-ization of Customers.
The Melting Pot in the Lunch Room.
Good-bye Tonto, or the End of the LoneRanger.
The Corporate Facelift.
How Do I Respond to These Trends?
Notes.
Appendix A: Resources for OnlineFundraising.
Glossary of Internet Terms.
Index.