I think it remains to be seen whether Ami and his team have a strategy, beyond an emergency appeal for funding, for getting out of the crisis that Idealist is currently in. I really hope that they do because I think Idealist provides a very necessary service.

Let’s give Ami the breathing room he needs, and the confidence he has earned, to do what he does best. I see this thread as taking away from his valuable time and the public confidence that he has earned.

Thanks again!

Ami

So great to hear your response! I am glad that you have community support, as you should after all your years of assisting the non-profit community and bringing people together.

While I understand the reason you took your plea to the idealist community, I do feel asking for such support is a slippery slope (hate the term, but am using it anyway) and a tactic that if utilized broadly in the non-profit community would hurt us all.

I truly look forward to what Idealist has in store and how you adapt to the changing landscape in which we are all learning to operate.

Stacy

Thanks for writing and for being open to this dialogue. I applaud your willingness to engage in debate during what is, I’m sure, a very difficult time.

I wasn’t suggesting that you lay out all of your plans for the future in your email appeal. Rather, I’m suggesting that you signal to your supporters and donors that you have undertaken a complete review and restructuring of your business model so that you can emerge from this crisis on a whole new path.

And I don’t think you should just be “implementing ideas,” rather, I think you should be coming up with a completely new business model and new strategic direction. Perhaps that is in the works, but I’m not hearing that.

Thanks for taking the time to write this. I am sorry I can’t answer all your questions right now, but just a few things:

- I am not sure that an email appeal was the best place to lay out all of our alternative plans for the future.

- The banks were bailed out by the government, using tax-payer dollars. We asked our community – people who have benefited from Idealist over the years and believe in what we do – to give us a hand in a tough moment. We have helped hundreds of thousands of people over the years, always for free, so I don’t think that asking for help once in 15 years is a terrible thing. So far, 4,000 people have stepped up, with donations averaging $30. I think that’s a great thing for a community to do, and I am glad we asked.

- We have received hundreds of suggestions for what we should do, ranging from, “you should go to the Foundation Center,” to much more sophisticated ideas. We are looking at all options, but we need a few months to implement them, and we will.

Thanks!

Ami

This is the second post of yours I have read. As a consultant who has over 20 years of experience working in the social sectors, I like the way you think! After reading this article, what I hear Idealist needs to do is make their case by showing they have clarified their idea of what they are passionate about, what they can be the best in the world at and what drives their resource model. The intersection of those three things is their sweet spot. That is what they should be working on promoting. I am not at all familiar with this organization, but I suspect that they need to create or revisit their strategic plan, mission and vision. And, in times of crisis, it is so difficult to take a step back and do what is important instead of being distracted about what is urgent. I wish Idealist all the best!

Your comparison with the bank bailout is a great one. Why sink money into an old model that doesn’t work anymore? The market is obviously demanding change, so let’s take advantage of that opportunity. And I love your idea of crowdsourcing a solution to Idealists’ plight. Let’s see what happens.