Disrupting the status quo required today

Disruptive innovation can take place on many levels.

For instance, consider the generational shift that marks the continuing decline of the baby boom and the ascendance of the millennial generation (pity the poor sandwiched generation X) and the effect it is having on the philanthropic world.

In one of the feature stories in this 2016 PBN Giving Guide, we found that teenagers are becoming a more important part of the philanthropic landscape. They are searching for a connection in the causes they give to, one that is direct and knowable. Just writing a check is not good enough for them.

As a result, nonprofits that are paying attention are making changes in how they approach these potential donors to meet them where they are.

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Similarly, the rise of social media has created the #GivingTuesday phenomenon. It is becoming almost as big as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but that brings its own challenges. With an international reach, some organizations are finding that their messages can be lost in the torrent. In many ways, proper use of social media echoes what those young donors require – personalization, not broadcasting.

As interesting as those two challenges are, perhaps one final bit of disruption may be the most difficult to come to terms with in the Ocean State.

Marty Sinnott, the head of Child & Family, the Newport-based provider of support services, brings an outsider’s perspective. And to him, Rhode Island requires a lot more collaboration across agencies, political boundaries and missions. We are just too small to be so fragmented, and the result is a multitude of missed opportunities to improve the welfare of the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

So as you look through this edition of the Giving Guide, consider how you might disrupt Rhode Island just a little bit. n

Mark S. Murphy

Editor

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