There is a term in the tech world known as the walking dead. These organizations are just scraping by but will never get any further. Walking dead organizations should probably just go out of business – the resources are better spent elsewhere.
We invited Dahna Goldstein on the podcast after reading her blog post Don’t Do It: Don’t start a nonprofit. After reading her thought provoking blog post, we did a bit of research.
With just a few clicks of the google machine, we learned that she is a thought leader in both the nonprofit and tech sectors. As founder and former CEO of PhilanTech, a board member with justgive.org, adjunct faculty at Georgetown, and a Fellow at the New American think tank, she offered a unique perspective on many aspects of the nonprofit sector.
*****Timestamped Highlights*****
(2:40) The story behind PhilanTrack
(6:20) The importance of sabbaticals
(9:00) Why you shouldn’t start a nonprofit
(14:53) How to respond if an organization isn’t meeting the community’s need
There is a natural tendency when somebody is really excited about a new idea to start a nonprofit. While that impulse is a wonderful thing, there are a lot of practical challenges that don’t come to mind when people have that impulse.
(17:30) Why you should consider starting a for-profit company instead of a nonprofit organization
(20:15) How to tell if your organization is among the walking dead
(24:20) The tech issues that nonprofit executives and board memberships should be thinking about (it’s not what you think)
(29:00) How to garner financial support for your organization’s technology
(36:15) The value of failure in the nonprofit sector
(39:00) The bad habit in the nonprofit sector that we should avoid
Links:
Dahna Goldstein’s Blog Post: Don’t Do It. Don’t Start A Nonprofit
New America
Board Source: Board Leadership Forum
Contact Dahna Goldstein via Twitter