The Sharing Economy of Nonprofit Organizational Strategies: The Top 10 Nonprofit Blogs
The word Top 10 written in vintage letterpress type
Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to learn what a sharing economy of information is first-hand. During my time as a Blackbaud intern, one of my core responsibilities has been to scour the web to find the best resources available related to nonprofit organizational strategies. Typically, these strategies fell into one of these categories: Fundraising, Nonprofit Management, Social Media, Marketing, Technology, Big Data, Storytelling, Professional Development, and Nonprofit News.
The wealth of information available at our fingertips is a driving force for the nonprofit sector, empowering us to be better fundraisers and nonprofit professionals.
As my research progressed over the summer, the bottom of the iceberg was revealed to me and industry thought leaders became apparent. While nonprofit blogs have been ranked before, my rankings are based off my own personal research and opinions.
I chose the blogs that published consistently and those that I felt offered unique perspective with every post. I took experience and industry knowledge of the authors into account as well, but tried to focus more on the quality of the content.
If attitude reflects leadership, the constant optimism and critical thinking coming from these thought leadership blogs reflects the attitude of the nonprofit industry as a whole. So, without further ado, here’s my list of the top 10 industry publications.
The Top 10 Nonprofit Blogs
#10: Techsoup
Tech soup has provided some of the best nonprofit technology strategies and news in my research. Some great examples would be gearing up your macs and showing how social good technology projects are changing the world.
#9: Philanthropy 2173
Lucy Bernholz is a visiting Stanford University scholar whose thoughts on Philanthropy, civil society, and politics can only be described as refreshing and forward thinking.
#8: Nonprofit Marketing Blog
This smart, philanthropic marketing resource managed by editor Caryn Stein is one that consistently provides all-star opinion pieces from industry leaders like Liz Ragland and Nancy Schwartz.
#7: Pamela Grow
Pamela Grow is well known throughout the nonprofit industry and among the big nonprofit consulting players. Her content always promises to be concise and to the point.
#6: The Storytelling Nonprofit
Vanessa Chase is a storytelling master.. After running into her blog and researching the importance of nonprofit storytelling, I had no choice but to create a category all of its own in my archive: Nonprofit storytelling and narratives.
#5: Hands on Fundraising
Mary Cahalane is a brilliant nonprofit fundraising consultant who uses real life experiences to provide excellent fundraising strategies. Some of Mary’s strongest work has been Mom tested, donor approved and what empathy has to do with fundraising.
#4: GuideStar Blog
Guidestar pumps out high quality content day after day. They consistently bring in great thought leadership pieces from the likes of Derrick Feldmann, and Claire Axelrad
#3: Nonprofit Pro
My number 3 resource is one that I have visited every day since I started diving into nonprofit best practices early this summer. With contributors like Jeff Jowdy and Katrina VanHuss, this blockbuster resource is a must-read for any nonprofit professional.
#2: Nonprofit Quarterly
I have often heard that there are two things you should never talk about: religion and politics. Many nonprofits strive to tackle the social problems stemming from complex variables surrounding religion and politics. NPQ is the most progressive resource when it comes to the analysis of complex socio-economic problems plaguing the USA in the 21st century. NPQ doesn’t deserve the second spot they earned it.
#1: John Haydon
John Haydon is my one #1 blog resource because he’s “changing the world with smarter marketing by helping nonprofits navigate the ever-changing landscape of social media. Every blog post shares detailed tactics and strategies for advancing your nonprofit mission in the digital world. His site is a must-read for any modern marketer.
Anyone involved in the nonprofit sector should dedicate time to reading and learning from these resources. It’s my belief that they will continue to contribute to the progression of the nonprofit industry.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated on April 19, 2023 with correct links. Blogs with broken or outdated links had their links removed, but their names and references were kept for historical purposes.
