Jumo was purchased by GOOD. I have to admit that I didn’t get into Jumo because a.  My social network is primarily full of nonprofiteers and other folks who want to do good so I didn’t need a separate network and b.  As much as I love the nonprofit sector, people simply don’t organize around organizations enough for the creation of a separate social network.

To be sure, there are brands around which folks may identify and love, however, a separate social  network implies that nonprofits are a primary social identification for folks, when this isn’t the case.  Instead, what people are identifying around is the desire to do good.  As Sean Stannard-Stockon notes in Tactical Philanthropy:

‎Our 20-something Millennial doesn’t define herself by the nonprofits she supports. She defines herself as someone who gives a damn. What she wants isn’t a special place she can visit to express her social self before returning to the “real world” of work, life and play. Instead she wants a world full of work, life and play that is built around a connective tissue that infuses all of her life with meaning.

This is not to say that nonprofits aren’t important  or that it need not be addressed separately; the sector has some unique challenges and triumphs that I explore specifically in this blog.  However, through my work I am constantly seeing how people are infusing their passion for social change into everything they do.  Additionally, organizations are beginning to shift perspectives of their work from being the primary place where social change happens, to being places that are conduits and incubators of social change.

Integration is becoming a norm and I see it happening in news, work, and organizational focus:

GOOD.is: GOOD understands the importance of seeing social change in all that we do.  Causes and social change are at the center of all issues, including technology, business, politics, and culture.  In doing so, we are exposed to the possibility that we can make a difference wherever we are.

Free Agents: More and more people are affecting social change outside of an organization. Harnessing social media, people mobilize their networks to take action or support a cause on their own terms. This phrase was coined by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine in their book Networked Nonprofit. Learn more about free agents and see examples.

Entrepreneurship: No, not social entrepreneurship.  Rather than making social change an add-on goal or pursuing a typical career at an organization, young people are simply building organizations that reflect their values.  This is a unique shift in perspective, one that I think has many implications for social change and nonprofits.

DoSomething.org:  DoSomething.org does  a great job of marrying social change with pop culture and technology to inspire teens to take action.  DoSomething.org structures its work around the fact that pop culture is important to teens [did you see their awards show on VH1 last night?]  and that teens spend a great deal of time online.  They are a great example of meeting people where they are and providing them with the tools needed to make a difference.

How else are people making social change a core component of what they do?