This guest post was authored by Ryan Ginard. Ryan is a Steering Committee member of the San Diego Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and will be talking about civic technology in philanthropy at the 2015 SXSW Conference in Austin. It is widely agreed that modern philanthropy is comprised of an individuals time, talent and treasure. What has not yet been agreed to however is how the non-financial measures of this equation are calculated and how those skills are cultivated to either maximize their ongoing impact or get to a point where those volunteers become regular financial donors. How can we identify and develop talent concurrently with their propensity to give? When should we ask volunteers to give and how much should we ask for? And one of the most painful recurring questions for nonprofits, how do we get our board members to give? Answers lie in the ability to track each step in someone’s civic evolution placed against a corresponding set of measures identifying the differing levels of participation. There are five steps to becoming a civic leader; 1. Learn – Attend meetings, get connected. 2. Support – Volunteer for a cause or organization. 3. Influence – Share your passion with personal networks to create more awareness for the cause and recruit new supporters. 4. Give – Give financially to your cause. 5. Lead – Organize a community movement or project. The different needs of nonprofits necessitate a flexible scale to guide this “evolution” and calculate any eventual financial ask. Understanding […] Read more