The Networked Nonprofit

Ahmed is the perfect example of the divide between the fortress and the sponge. At the Nonprofit Technology Conference, Kanter said that during a session, Ahmed got up and said, “The problem isn’t social media. The problem is that YOU are the fortress. Social media is not my problem: I have over a quarter million followers on Twitter, and 2.1 million views on YouTube. I have a hard time having you guys take me seriously.” He discussed how when the Haiti earthquake hit, he wanted to connect his large network with the Red Cross, but the Red Cross ignored him. It was the type of scenario where the fortress model wasted an opportunity to engage with a whole new network of passionate people looking to help.