Nonprofit chief executives get some encouragement to start blogging

Blogging about the voluntary and community sector in the UK can be rather unrewarding because few senior figures write about their work - or, I suspect, read blogs. There's not much blogosphere buzz. Maybe that's going to change now that Stephen Bubb, chief executive of the organisation for nonprofit chief executives acevo has got going with Bubb's blog.

Governance magazine can't resist a rather patronising piece highlighting the sectoral politics that it perceives between the lines:

In the olden days, before the internet was born, even Very Important People generally had to wait to be invited by editors for the opportunity to tell their public what they were thinking.
Not so today. With the advent of Web 2.0, anybody can set up a blog and share their innermost with the world. Which seems to suit Stephen Bubb, chief executive of acevo (pictured), to a T.
On Bubb’s new blog, at http://www.bloggerbubb.blogspot.com/, the chief executives’ chief executive promises readers will be treated to “the inside track of a third sector leader influencing in Whitehall, championing professionalism and causing a stir”.
He then goes on to treat readers to an intimate rundown of his week, complete with namechecks of Ed Miliband, Phil Hope, John Hutton, and even The Queen. It also contains a couple of glimpses into his private life.
He makes thinly-veiled digs at the NCVO (“Whilst others are debating whether to broaden out to civil society, acevo has always recruited members from housing associations, unions, and political parties”) and at Richard Gutch’s Futurebuilders, of which he is soon to become chair (“I need to do a good job steering Futurebuilders back on to track in supporting service delivery through the third sector”).
He congratulates Miliband and Hope on the work they did behind the scenes on gift aid to secure “a good Budget” for charities, and advises: “I do hope the sector will show appreciation for this instead of what we often do – whinge. Whinging has its place. However, so does thanks for a job well done.”
And on a personal note, he reveals that he is thinking of getting a dog, and that he has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Because of this (the diabetes, not the dog), he has to “get a grip on a proper diet and do some exercise”. How this will affect his notoriously busy networking schedule remains to be seen. What is certain, though, is that thanks to Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s marvellous invention, we shall undoubtedly be kept informed.

Governance say of their print magazine that it is:

.... the essential resource for charity trustees. It provides comprehensive yet concise coverage of all the issues trustees need to be aware of, and offers practical advice to help boards implement clear, well thought-out strategies that will ensure their charity’s success.

No blog or feeds on their site, or commenting. Old-style come to us, we speak, you listen.
So I think that it is splendid that Stephen has taken the plunge, and in doing so is able to speak directly to others in the sector. Can it be long before Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, feels he should join in?
If Stephen is looking for some blogger friends, there's a list of blogs and wikis in the non profit social media field on the social media wiki.

Meanwhile let's pop over to his place with a welcome to the blogosphere and a few encouraging tips. Every blogger needs an audience: let's start building one for Stephen.

Comments

[Paul Caplan]

Yeh. Just popped over to leave a bit of encouragement. It's going to be a lot easier for us evangelists whipping up the troops for this stuff if their bosses are already on board. Simon at Brook (http://brookcentres.blogspot.com/) has got it and it shows. Talking to the rest of his organisation, there's not the sense that they have to check upstairs of cyncism: "ah it'll never happen". I always say organisations cannot and should not Blog. That's people's job and bosses' too.

[Nick Temple]

Likewise....can only be a good thing...all about the continuity now, as we well know....

[Andrew Brown]

Funnily enough I'm talking at the NCVO tomorrow about blogging on the basis of my blogging experience in my day job.

I keep on getting positive feedback from my audience and having seen me do it for three years now my Chief Executive took the plunge recently and seems to enjoy the qualities we all like about blogging.

So it looks like there's a small band of CEO's out in the third sector blogging away. Perhaps Stephen could be persuaded to invite them for a meet-up!

[David Wilcox]

Hi Paul, Nick, Andrew ... quite a blogger convention cheering on bloggerbubb. I wonder if blogging CEO of the RSA Matthew Taylor would host a little get together for us all. RSA is supporting The Membership Project which aims to promote this sort of thing.

[Andrew Brown]

Don't know if this would help, but my CEO's a Fellow.