Recently, I ran across an article on Mashable that I found to be quite fascinating. Being active in the non-profit, social good sector, the title of 4 Real Challenges to Crowdsourcing for Social Good caught my eye. If you are interested in this topic of crowdsourcing and social media, I highly recommend you read the complete article (just click the title of the article above).
In today’s post I am going to simply bullet some of what I think were great truths about the true challenges that are faced when trying to use social media to boost your social non-profit. Each of the below are direct quotes, from the excellent article:
- Many online conversations and literature on the topic fail to delve into the real hardships an organization may face in its [crowdsourcing] effort.
- Some of the hurdles may seem obvious. You need an active community in place before you can simply thrust your cause’s effort into the public for feedback. Additionally, the crowd has to at least be acknowledged if not rewarded for its participation, if the effort will be sustained for any length of time.
- Many non-profits assume that their community will automatically care about the cause’s ongoing efforts. And while there is some common interest, to compel a community to act on an issue has to mean something to the individuals participating.
- So the average crowdsourcing effort has to motivate people with real meaning in their lives. That means an organization not only has to know its purpose, but also has to know where the community’s passions lie so it can strike the right balance.
- While the crowd craves freedom, people need to be told the rules of engagement and how to participate. These rules have to be clear, empowering for the crowd and directive in their end result.
Check out the complete article for more on the subject, and keep on doing good.
