Come On In. The Water's Fine.
An Exploration of Web 2.0 Technology and its Emerging Impact on Foundation Communications

Produced for the Communications Network
Made possible by support from The California Endowment, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

From a sector perspective, the technologies and societal trends are new enough that not all of the questions have been answered yet. Among the key questions that emerged from the interviews for the field to consider and pursue moving forward are:

Control and transparency.
How comfortable will foundations become with the participatory nature of Web communication? With the transparency and exposure, and loss of message control? How long will it take foundations to adapt to this new communications world?

Generational digital divide.
Is the generation divide real when it comes to emerging technology? How can it be overcome? Will it take new leadership to truly adapt, or can the early adopters model behaviors for others to emulate?

Influence.
How can foundations best maintain and increase their influence over the issues they care about? How will ideas and feedback generated from online communications best influence grantmaking decisions?

Alignment.
How will foundations align resources in their communications functions, and between communications and programs, to best meet the opportunities and challenges of a Web 2.0 world? If communication is less about a unidirectional message, and more about how foundations engage with their audiences, what does this mean for integration of communications and programs?

Evaluation and measurement.
How will foundations assess and evaluate the impact or success of their online communication efforts? What are the right metrics? And how are the challenges inherent in the Web 2.0 world any different from the measurement obstacles of traditional communications?

Individual giving.
What are the implications of the rise of Internet-empowered individual giving for foundations? As Web 2.0 tools make it easier for donors to do due diligence and actively participate in their recipient organizations, will the public come to expect a more public vetting process for funding social issues than grantmaking foundations have traditionally provided? How will nonprofits adapt to the need to interact with foundations in a traditional way and social entrepreneurs in a new way, and how will this affect their capacity?

Grantee network building.
Should foundations be funding nonprofits to develop their capacity to communicate with and build networks among their service recipients, donors, practitioners, and volunteers? Do communications professionals in foundations have a role to play in such funding decisions? Do Web 2.0 technologies have implications for aligning communications and programs in a new way in order to have the greatest impact on the societal issue the foundation is focused on? What is the right investment balance between a foundation’s own communications efforts and that of its grantees?

Communicating with the general public.
Should foundations take advantage of the opportunities Web 2.0 offers to interact directly with the public? Is there a role for grantmaking foundations to use their resources and Web 2.0 technologies to help create networks of people interested in certain issues and connect them with grantees to take action (donate, volunteer, advocate)? Could this be a way to help advance progress on foundation priorities?