NCVO ICT Foresight

The following is a summary of a report I have recently written - ICT Foresight: how online communities can make the net work for the VCS - published on 28 March. Free download here, or if you would like a hard copy email me.

If the late 19th century was the ‘golden age’ of mutual institutions, clubs and societies, the early 21st century is a new golden age of networks and online communities, a virtual replication of what went before. For many VCOs, online ‘social’ networks have the potential to be disruptive; that is, they have the power to change the model of organising upon which many VCOs, and particularly membership bodies, are based. The connections that ICT facilitates suggest that some organisations may increasingly be bypassed and that power may shift away from top-down hierarchical organisations and towards more fluid and participative networks where there is less need for a centralised ‘bricks and mortar’ coordinating organisation.

In particular, ICTs have ushered in new modes of communication and have changed individuals’ expectations of their interaction with organisations. Individuals, whether they are members, customers or just casual supporters, are increasingly expecting dissemination to be supplemented by opportunities for dialogue. Pushing information out from the centre is no longer sufficient; people now also expect organisations to pull in information from other sources. The idea that it is the network that generates content (ideas, policies, advice) is in some ways what the sector has always done and done well, but in other ways this represents a leap in the dark for organisations for whom being ‘on message’ is seen as an important discipline. As such, cultures of engagement present more of a challenge than technologies, which are increasingly cheap and easy to use. For VCOs willing to embrace them and to integrate them into their ways of working, the new ICTs present a range of opportunities to engage with new audiences and to build powerful networks of their own.

Some key strategic opportunities and risks
(This is a nice table in the report but tables in wordpress defeated me…!)

Membership
Opportunity: Membership organisation cements its position as the respected aggregator of knowledge in its field
Risk: Membership numbers fall as member benefits (information, networking etc) are increasingly freely available elsewhere

Information
Opportunity: VCO asserts itself as a source of trusted advice and draws on the expertise of its network of users, volunteers and other stakeholders.
Risk: By not undestanding changes to how individuals search for information, the position of a VCO is eroded as the public more easily find advice elsewhere.

Transparency
Opportunity: Trust in a VCO is enhanced by its use of technology to facilitate a continuous and open dialogue with stakeholders
Risk: A VCO adopts social tools but the culture of the organisation doesn’t change, resulting in a mismatch between the tools and the way they are used and an erosion of trust

Collaboration
Opportunity: A VCO becomes more innovative through the involvement of its network of users, volunteers and other supporters, and attracts increased funding
Risk: A VCOs staff and volunteers are frustrated by not being able to work in a collaborative way and leave the organisation

Fundraising
Opportunity: By telling engaging stories and connecting donors and recipients, a VCO inspires new potential donors and increases its income
Risk: A failure to provide human stories or adequate information about the impact of their work results in a VCO being passed over by donors in favour of other organisations

Marketing
Opportunity: By exploiting its networks (and its networks’ networks), a VCO reaches a new and diverse audience and increases its impact
Risk: Conflict arises as devolving marketing to its network grates with a VCO’s continued desire to control all its messages

The overarching message of the report is that – if properly managed by VCOs – the opportunities that the new social networks present should outweigh the risks. VCOs should not be apprehensive about utilising the tools of social networking, as these will be increasingly familiar to their staff – and relatively inexpensive to set up.

Sector organisations cannot, however, expect to be passive participants in this process, merely using a network as something that is ‘bolted on’ to their existing website. They need to understand the new participative culture that social networks generate. VCOs’ fundamental messages may not alter but their methods of dissemination will have to, as their audience’s expectations of how they receive the message evolves. To reach out effectively to the consumers of these cultural changes, VCOs need to make a serious effort to integrate the new tools into their work.

The report doesn’t go so far as providing practical advice to help organisations to ‘integrate the new tools into their work’, which is why I’m delighted that David Wilcox has developed a social media glossary for us, and is co-hosting a wiki carnival to gather together the wealth of practical and inspiring stuff that is out there on social media and the voluntary sector.

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