Rabbit Ears and Reynolds Wrap
In my last post, you may remember I’d just wrapped up watching Breaking Bad on Netflix. I still miss it…
I have to admit, I’m not a big watcher of television and when I do, Breaking Bad is not the kind of show I would have normally been drawn to. But we’ve cut back on cable and are trying out Netflix on Apple TV, so I asked my Facebook friends what show they’d recommend. Breaking Bad won hands down. And so about once every few weeks, my husband and I would stream this show through the internet and enjoy a few hours of escape into the world of Walter White.
On the morning after my final Breaking Bad episode, I was thinking about how technology has radically changed television and so many other things in our everyday lives. Because of these advances, I was able to stream these episodes via the internet and watch whenever my husband and I could steal a few hours. Just a few years ago, none of this was possible. My children have no idea what “rabbit ears” might have to do with television (surely some of you remember using Reynolds Wrap to boost your antenna signal?), and they’ll likely always think pausing and rewinding TV is the norm. Yet, I just wrapped up a phone meeting on my cell phone because the internet based phone system in the KNN office is down. Clearly, relying on technology has its benefits and its costs.
I have similar thoughts as we wrapped up our second annual KY Gives Day on April 9. When I first started working in the nonprofit sector over twenty years ago (gulp), I didn’t know the internet existed and certainly never thought anyone would ever be able to use their credit card online to make a charitable contribution! So many things in the world are changing with these advances in technology and with regard to fundraising, nonprofits and donors are coming along to take advantage of these opportunities. KNN is often challenged with how to take advantage of the time and money saving technological advances, yet still engage our KNN members, donors and partners in a meaningful way to strengthen our sector. While I am confident that the technology making events like KY Gives Day possible will help make raising funds more cost effective and engage more Kentuckians in philanthropy, some tried and true methods of communicating with donors like picking up the phone and a handwritten thank you note are still valuable tools. Both are here to stay and we’ve got to adapt personally and professionally to operate effectively in this ever-changing environment – and sometimes that’s scary. But stepping outside of our comfort zone and being innovative is what nonprofits are known for – so I know we are up to the task.
What new technologies is your nonprofit working with in 2014? Please let us hear from you so we can be sure we are keeping up to speed and offering folks the latest information. And I’m still looking for the next great show . . .
Danielle Clore
Executive Director
