How Does Your (Fundraising) Garden Grow?

By Bernard Ross and Paula Birnbaum Guillet

Case Study: Innovation at Greenpeace International

Greenpeace has gone through two phases in developing its approach to innovation, in addition to an Eye of the Storm phase that happens at the beginning of most new ventures. (See “Organizational Structures for Innovation” sidebar.)

Eye of the Storm
In 2004, Greenpeace appointed a coordinator for international innovation, Marcelo Iniarra, a high-performing employee who had developed some of Greenpeace’s online work in Argentina. He worked from Greenpeace’s headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to organize an innovation program focusing on online initiatives.This was considered the Eye of the Storm phase because lots of things were happening, but there was an unnatural stillness at the center.

The plan wasn’t entirely effective. Working at the international headquarters provided access to power, but it actually constrained some initiatives since there were definite views on what was possible and what constituted a risk. Being close to the CEO isn’t always an advantage if you want to pursue a radical agenda. He or she is responsible to a range of stakeholders and has to reflect that rounded view.

Pirates
After a year, Iniarra asked to work away from headquarters, specifically in Argentina. This distance allowed him to experiment. This was considered the Pirate phase because Iniarra had a small team, a budget and the chance to try any tactic without the need for extensive reporting to headquarters.

One result was an amazing virtual march in 2005 when 250,000 people worldwide sent pictures from their mobile phones to a Web site to register their concerns about Japanese whaling practices. These pictures were projected on the edifice of the hotel where the International Whaling Commission was meeting in South Korea, and the mobile campaigners subsequently were approached to become donors.

Open Source
Finally, Greenpeace decided to open the challenge of how to raise funds — and successfully campaign for an end to whale slaughter — by moving to the Open Source phase. Essentially, this involved asking supporters for ideas. This is a technique pioneered by Procter & Gamble, which accepts formulations for new cosmetics and care products from the public. Companies like Microsoft are involving the public in open-source communications when they ask if you want to submit those error messages you get while trying to work in Office.

One other part of the principle idea was to convert these supporters to donors. This model seems to sit well with Greenpeace’s activist approach. Iniarra has since moved on from Greenpeace, but the process continues …

Experience shows that even a systematic model isn’t enough. There are a number of roles managers can play in stimulating fundraising innovation. What does your organization need you to be?

Mentor: The mentor adopts individuals or even ideas, ensuring they achieve their full potential. He or she cuts through bureaucracy to ensure innovation wins through and is recognized at the top. Mentors can agree to specific support and organize connections with key decision makers. Does your organization need you to be a mentor? Who or what should you mentor?

Gardener: The gardener ensures that the organizational culture (the garden) sustains experimental ideas (plants). The gardener can nurture ideas in their early stages, but there also comes a time when ideas have to grow by themselves. Is your organization an “innovation garden”? What would you change to make it so?

Talent scout: The talent scout, like the mentor, focuses on individuals. But the key is seeking talent from outside — new employees, temps, interns, secondees or even consultants. Organizational energy is created through an influx of fresh blood. Does your organization need talent? And if so, what kind?

Catalyst: In science, a catalyst produces radical change in a normally stable substance. In innovation, it’s someone who brings together diverse elements — teams or individuals — to create a reaction. (Note that once you create the reaction, you can’t control it.) Who could you bring together to create a dramatic reaction — donors and beneficiaries, perhaps? Who could work on a problem in a radical, new way?

Ethnographer: An ethnographer studies human behavior across cultures and generations. In an innovation sense, he or she searches for needs not yet met or even fully expressed by the organization’s donors and tracks how donors use the Web site, then changes it to meet this need. Which donors might you study to gain some insights into how to change your work?

Venture intellectual capitalist: This is a budget-holder with a free rein and the ability to spot longshots. He or she sustains a portfolio with fast-return and high-ROI projects. It’s important to allow the VIC to be judged across a whole portfolio over time rather than on a case-by-case basis. Could you get your hands on a budget? And if you could, what would you support with it?

Mash-up artist: In music, a mash-up artist mixes sounds to create something new. An innovation mash-up artist combines and controls in an organizational sense. He or she tears down silos, links unlikely ideas and brings in oddball outsiders to challenge current thinking. Unlike the catalyst, he or she directs the process. Are you a mash-up artist capable of choosing elements and combining them in unusual ways?