Transparency: A Good Thing for Nonprofits

There’s a new website called greatnonprofits.org. It was started by some students at Stanford University as a “place to find, review, and talk about great — and perhaps not so great — nonprofits,” according to the GreatNonprofits homepage.

After taking a look around the site, it appears to be very similar to other review sites you would find for restaurants and other services vendors. The idea of being able to post “not-so-great” information about nonprofits on this site might make anyone in the sector a little scared, but it shouldn’t.

The great thing about blogs, review sites like GreatNonprofits, and other forums where people can share information via the Web is that the road goes both ways. You can respond to criticism or compliments via these transparent avenues.

For nonprofits to be successful in garnering donations, volunteers, awareness or whatever your mission, it’s important to be transparent. There is an entire generation of potential donors and volunteers who did not exist before the Internet. This transparent tool is not only a tool, but a way of life for them. The nonprofits who want to reach this generation have to be part of it whether we like it or not.