Woodstock, rock ’n’ roll’s most famous music festival, took place 48 years ago on August 15-18, 1969. Flower children, hippies and beatniks alike swarmed to an alfalfa field in the upstate New York town of Bethel to see rock legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sly and the Family Stone, the Who, the Grateful Dead and many more. Despite the 500,000 people in attendance, there were few incidents on the overcrowded grounds—even as many musicians and festival-goers used the event to protest the Vietnam war happening abroad and the racial tension at home. Jimi Hendrix’s closing set at Woodstock, which has been said to be the single greatest moment of the sixties, is most remembered for his impromptu performance of the Star-Spangled Banner. Before you race to dust off your old record collection, check out these five nonprofit headlines from the news this week.
1. Here's My Number, Text Me Maybe?
Sending and receiving text messages is arguably the most prevalent mode of communication in this day and age. This preference comes as no surprise with many service providers offering unlimited texts as part of even their most basic plans. Because text messages instantly pop up on mobile devises they are much more difficult to ignore than emails that may go unchecked, unseen or are delivered straight to a user's junk mail box. According to an article in The NonProfit Times, nonprofit managers can use this information to their advantage when formulating plans to increase marketing efforts by way of larger audiences. Being sure to stay within the bounds of consumer protection laws, nonprofits may find that texts are the best way to communicate with their supporters. But who should your nonprofit be texting? Click on the link above to find out the four groups of people best communicated with via text.
2. Nonprofits, Now is the Time to Step Up!
We are living in an era of unrest. Amid the social, political and racial tensions that are so widespread in the day-to-day, nonprofits must recognize and understand the moments that define them. Nonprofits—the very organizations that are built upon and holdfast to the basic principles of human rights, justice and equality—must take leadership. An article in the Nonprofit Quarterly states that many nonprofit organizations often mirror the warped identity of our society at large. It is not enough to simply renounce racism, nonprofit organizations must counteract injustice with a model of moral certainty and common humanity. Is your nonprofit ready to take a stand in the wake of the events that emerged from Charlottesville? Check out the article linked above to get inspired.
3. Opportunity Youth and the Opportunity Divide
Opportunity Youth are defined as young people ages 16-24, who are not on a conventional track to a four-year degree. Despite being equipped with the skills required by a job—skills such as determination, dependability and tenacity, members of this group are often overlooked based on educational requirements. The Forbes article linked above mentions that skills Opportunity Youth have acquired through their life experiences and personal backgrounds can be of significant value to employers and their businesses. Nonprofits can benefit from these skills and help to bridge the ever-growing opportunity divide by addressing the issues that contribute to unequal distribution of employment and education opportunities. Not sure where to begin? Follow the link above to find innovative examples from an initiative called Grad of Life on how to catalyze market demand and create sustainable employment pathways.
According to The Radicati Group’s Email Statistic Report, 2017-2021, more than 269 billion emails are sent out each day. The constant chime of the inbox on our computers, tablets, and mobile phones means it is easy to click on something without looking closely enough. In the age of malware and ransomware, opening up risky emails can be an expensive mistake for nonprofit organizations. Does your nonprofit’s staff know how to spot unsafe emails? The link above from The NonProfit Times provides seven vital questions your organization should answer before clicking on any emails, attachments or links.
Those of you involved in an existing nonprofit understand that the materialization of a nonprofit organization is not one that can be reduced to the act of registration alone. Instead of a single, solitary event, nonprofits are born in several stages—questions asked and answered, information gathered, resources accrued, and routines and procedures established. But what about people with no nonprofit knowledge who wish to form a nonprofit organization? An article from Nonprofit Quarterly describes the gestation period of nonprofit formation. Take a look at the linked article to learn five key insights that are essential to understanding organizational development.
That’s it for this week’s Friday Five! We’ll be reliving the glory days of Hendrix and the rest of the Woodstock crew all weekend long. See you next week!
Can’t get enough of the Friday Five? Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and send your questions about the nonprofit world to info@b-alaw.com. We’ll be back next week!