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In Good For Nothing? Why Nonprofits, Designers, and Techies Can't Talk to Each Other, Ayca Akin explores the the intersection between the three groups, offering 15 insights into character, priorities, and world views that are sure to bridge the gaps. Here's the start:
Anyone who has worked with nonprofits can attest to the fact that a low budget and a lack of tech-savvy staff can hinder a group's ability to communicate its mission and affect change. But as a designer researching the use of technology to help nonprofits, I've come to understand that differences in how designers, technologists, and nonprofits see each other (and themselves) is at the heart of the problem.There are a lot of designers and tech-savvy people out there who want to put their skills to good use and help nonprofits serve larger communities and interests. Indeed, working exclusively with clients who can afford them often pigeonholes designers into serving smaller and smaller segments of the population.
But venturing into the nonprofit world can be a dangerous prospect for those who live in a world where technology and innovation are essential ingredients to solving problems and creating change. As one designer who volunteers his skills recently remarked, "the challenge is that volunteers often have to work with nonprofits that don't understand the value of employing design technologies."
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Comments
Great, useful article! I think it also works to substitute "academics" for "non-profits."
We've actually tried to address this issue by getting the consultants, techies, and np staffers together (http://groups.nten.org) - and I don't think the situation is as bad as you make it sound.
But you're right on about transparency, making sure the channels of communication are open, and that everyone considers the other's point of view on the issue.
We're also educating the "accidental techies" so that they can be as effective as possible with their budgets and the tools available - and to be able to have helpful conversations with the techies and designers out there.
Thanks for the honest discussion here - and I look forward to more on it.
Seems to me that most of the frustrations in dealing with non-profits expressed here are also alive and well in the for-profit world. Perhaps in a more perfect world non-profit projects would have marriage with colleges and universities whose programs would integrate learning with altruism and thus remove the insurmountable profit motive from the conversation.
As an independent designer who works with non-profits in close to 75% of my work, I can really appreciate what this article has to say. Thank you for a very insightful look at each side of the equation.
When working for a 'for profit' company a good designer takes into the entire landscape of the company. This can include available resources, brand identity, company wide goals, corporate structure, etc.. All of the same things need to be considered when designing for a non-profit. This will generally include the fact that most social change non-profits have limited budgets and thinly stretched staff.
Design accordingly.
At my nonprofit, I haven't seen the "technology is a big, scary monster" attitude. The management is quick to embrace technology - the problem is that embracing isn't synonymous with understanding. Technology's more like a foreign language to some of them - if they could speak it, they'd reach new people in new ways.
To their credit, they're doing well at overcoming large obstacles: the gaps in vocabulary, culture, and age between the world of Web 2.0 and the nonprofit sector.
Excellent research and reporting.
It is clear that the principles of marketing, branding, design and tech applied in the for-profit world are best applied in undiluted fashion for the not-for-profit universe as well. This sometimes takes quite some clarification as many, (though far from all), NFPs regard the business world as polluted.