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Posted by Trista Harris on November 19, 2007

Gen X and Y in the Nonprofit Sector

Rosetta from Perspectives from the Pipeline has another great post about Gen X and Y leadership in the nonprofit sector. From Rosetta:

The Only Constant is Change: Give Younger Generations the Chance to Create a Better Future for the Nonprofit Sector

“…What will ultimately happen is that new generations will simply create their own institutions to replace the old ways of doing business.”
- comment by Michele Martin on this blog post

I have been thinking about Michele’s inspiring words a lot lately. Just think, younger leaders of Generations X and Y absolutely have the opportunity to change the face of the nonprofit sector and find new ways of fulfilling our missions smarter, faster, cheaper, and with more innovation to better our communities. Now I’m all for ditching the old models of working that are not working in our organizations, but for young nonprofit professionals, it’s just not that easy to envision. The question we are all asking ourselves is, how? We know there has to be a better way to serve more kids and battle hunger more effectively and fight poverty, etc. but we just don’t know how it will work when our ideas for change aren’t always welcomed in our current organizations. We feel the challenges every day concerning long hours and low pay, the lack of infrastructure, inefficient technology, and outdated modes of implementing programs that hinder us from doing our jobs well. So we know there are more effective ways of implementing social change, and we bring the energy and idealism to back it up. But how can things change if younger generations aren’t a part of the solution in current organizations? How will our ideas help shape the invisible future of the nonprofit sector? Read the rest here.


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4 responses so far

4 Responses to “Gen X and Y in the Nonprofit Sector”

  1. philbradley Says:
    November 18th, 2007 at 4:20 pm

    I’m ready, but as you point out, I’m young, so I lack the resources and expertise (which can still be applied to new models). So who’s out there to help me create a new institution?

  2. Anonymous Says:
    November 19th, 2007 at 10:26 am

    I appreciate the links you provide in your blog, and I have found many useful resources this way. I have one suggestion, however: when linking to an article or post written by someone else without any editorial content of your own, I think it is generally more respectful to provide a link to the article itself, rather than copying and pasting the text. That allows the reader to see the article in it’s original context, with the original formatting, and also allows the author of the article to more accurately track who is reading their work. Just a suggestion.

  3. Trista Harris Says:
    November 19th, 2007 at 10:55 am

    Anonymous,
    Thank you for the heads up about linking to other sites. I have used full articles because I don’t want other writers to feel like they are being taken out of context but I understand the need for tracking so I’ll change my practice.
    Best wishes,
    Trista

  4. Izzy Forman Says:
    November 19th, 2007 at 1:43 pm

    In the interest of full disclosure, I work for 360i, which is an agency doing online publicity for SCIFI Channel.

    I wanted to quickly add an interesting example that I think compliments the important issues raised in this post.

    As nonprofits move forward and learn to utilize technology in meaningful ways, many broader opportunities for people and organizations to help the underserved are developing.

    An example of this is a new fundraising campaign, presented by the SCI FI Channel and Habitat for Humanity, that brings together pop culture, television, and the web to engage donors.

    Here’s how it works, TIN MAN, SCI FI Channel’s re-imagined version of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” has formed a partnership with Habitat for Humanity called “Brick by Brick” through which they will fully fund a build project in Kansas. To do so, during the months of November and December at http://www.scifi.com/habitat, people can buy a $10, virtual, “brick” towards the build.

    So, in the mini-series, an ordinary Kansas girl journeys beyond the yellow brick road to discover the meaning of home and, in real life, viewers can help families in need build their own homes.

    The show premieres on Dec 2 at 9pm. Below is a link to the show’s trailer for you to check out.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sjnie-aqYw

    All the best,

    Izzy Forman
    360i on behalf of SCI FI Channel

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