This week I have been asked to write a blog entry that explores a non-profit organization from the Social Sector from the perspective of Enterprise 2.0 Value Levers. The social sector value levers as defined by the McKinsey Report are: Crowdsourcing resources and solutions, Mobilizing Resources, Fundraising, Creating and expanding volunteer network, Retaining support, Education, and Engaging supporters. Additionally there are the Enterprise Wide levers: Improving collaboration and communication, and rapid organizing.
Re-introducing Stepping Stone Clubhouse
I introduced Stepping Stone Clubhouse in a previous blog entry in which I briefly touched upon the ways in which the organization is already engaging with Enterprise 2.0 principles. This time I will drill down into areas where the organization could better harness the might of social media to improve upon the ways in which it is running itself and to better capitalize upon the opportunities presented by Enterprise 2.0.
Stepping Stone Clubhouse is a not for profit, non-institutional setting in which people with a mental illness receive support and opportunities to re-engage with the broader community. It provides advocacy, rehabilitation, housing, and employment opportunities to its membership. It exists within the broader community of the ICCD , an International organization that provides: Expansion, Accreditation, Training, Research, Advocacy and Public Awareness to mental health clubhouses around the world.
Being a service based clubhouse (not a drop in centre) at the very core of Stepping Stone Clubhouse, and all other ICCD clubhouses, resides the principal of community. Stepping Stone Clubhouse therefore has more to gain from the principals of Enterprise 2.0 then just about any other type of organisation.
As covered in my previous blog entry on Stepping Stone Clubhouse the organization already engages in the wider community of clubhouse, with many other government and non-government organizations, and within its owner community of members. Further researching the organization, however, I have found that its approach to Social Media lacks in direction and drive and I do not believe the organization is successfully getting all it can from the realm of Enterprise 2.0. Though they have a Facebook page it does not invite involvement and is more of a newsletter keeping interested members of the public up to date with what is going on in the organization.
Crowdsourcing resources and solutions
One of the core services Stepping Stone Clubhouse offers to its members is opportunities (health services, housing, employment, and education) available from the broader community. Though it does utilise a quite large web of contacts to find opportunities for its members, it does not utilise a social media world of opportunities to its full potential.
Stepping Stone could help its members find employment by promoting them on its Facebook page, and or on its own website. By advertising an individual’s skills and talents, and their availability it could utilise a far broader network of contacts. By crowd sourcing in this way the clubhouse would also be advertising its activities and would be able to better promote its membership to the world at large. This could be extended to the housing program advertising members who are looking for accommodation and would probably also help its members find housing from unconventional sources.
Additionally Stepping Stone Clubhouse could do more to crowd source solutions to problems that the clubhouse faces. Though the organisation crowd sources from its membership in face to face meetings and also utilise its network of external contacts it has not yet extended this principal to opening itself up to a greater membership. Crowd sourcing in this manner would bring in solutions from a much broader base of people and would also promote the organisation in an ongoing way to its readership.
Closing Thoughts
I have only been able to briefly touch upon some of the multitude of benefits that an organisation such as Stepping Stone Clubhouse could draw from a more active involvement in the world of social media.
Your input is valued
Please feel free to respond with any ideas you may have about how Stepping Stone Clubhouse could gain greater benefits from Enterprise 2.0 value levers.
Blogs I have read so far
See Adams latest blog entry for insights into how the Cancer Council can better capitalise upon the benefits of Enterprise 2.0 Social Media.
See Connors latest blog entry for insights into how Surf Life Saving Australia can benefit from Enterprise 2.0 value levers
Aden Jones 
Nice and informative write up. you might want to rephrase “Stepping Stone could help its members find employment by promoting them on its Facebook page” should be stepping stone could get more employee’s through facebook. something like that
Thanks for the response but I think you misunderstand, probably because the use of the word member is a very club specific piece of terminology. I was saying that Stepping Stone could use social media to find jobs for people who are members of it to find employment outside of the clubhouse. Hope that clarifies things.
Thanks for this valuable post. I think they can utilize more of social technology. For example, they can have a Twitter account and let people communicate with each other which gives them the chance to re-engage with the community.
And here is my blog post about Kiva, a non-profit organization that utilizes social media vey well
http://maramalkhayyal.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/social-media-best-practices-for-non.html
Thanks for the mention Aden. It’s ‘Conor’ though. Just the one N.
So you mention Crowdsourcing is a solution to the SSC’s problems, but I feel you don’t elaborate or apply it enough. Are you saying that they get the public to do their advertising for them? You say it already has a large source of contacts. Is it just a matter of getting those contacts more actively involved in spreading the word about the clubhouse?
Thanks for the feedback Conor, it is always nice to get constructive criticism.
I think Stepping Stone needs to build more of an online following. I believe they have over a thousand members signed up and lord only knows how many contacts in other organisation across the globe. Their Facebook page, however, only has 259 followers. With almost everyone knowing someone with a mental illness, I believe this following could be greatly expanded and that social media may be just the way to do this.
Once Stepping Stone has generated a meaningful online following they would be able to utilise this new resource to help their members by crowd sourcing: jobs, housing, ideas, etc. Hope that clarifies things.
Do you feel that Stepping Stone could find an improvement if they offered more of a community based approach where members are encouraged to interact with each other through Social Media or would that detract from their overall message and consensus when dealing with mental illness?
Having had the chance to think a little longer about Stepping Stone Clubhouses existing, and potential gains from the use of social media, I have come to the conclusion that they really need to leverage their members and external contacts to build up a fan base. Additionally they need, and I know they don’t already have, a clear cut social media policy.
Without a strong fan base, any message they try to send out will not be successful. But to answer your question more directly, yes I do think they need to build their social media presence but in a planned, methodical way. I don’t think it would detract from their message, on the contrary, I think that a greater presence will greatly improve their ability to deliver their message.
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