Challenges for non-profit organisations

New technologies provide fantastic opportunities for revenue-generation, but they also challenge and undermine many of the old models too.

Charities and other non-profit organisations may face challenges from new structures emerging online. For example, organisations that have relied on subscriptions from their members for newsletter, meetings and directories may find, in future, people getting much of what they need from social networking sites (more about this in What this means for membership organisations). Charities who raise money in order to pass it on to smaller projects are being challenged by organisations who make direct connections between donors and beneficiaries. Non-profits who think they can improve their services by adding an online dimension may find that they are outpaced by social innovation start-ups.

Organisations who think their static web site may just need refreshing should think about whether something more fundamental may be involved. They need to consider a change in the way that they do business – just as commercial organisations have had to do. You may think you need a new website – but you might just as easily need a new business model too. Clay Shirky has given a couple of interviews with Amy and David about how non-profits need to respond to this.