Non-profit organizations were among some of the earliest to start innovating with social media. So it’s no wonder that the for-profit community sees opportunity here.

Case in point: Chris Hughes, one of the creators of Facebook, is at work developing a social network site geared toward the non-profit community. The project, called Jumo, is set to launch in the fall. Jumo’s goal is to connect individual do-gooders with projects and organizations they wish to support. (Check out this recent NPR interview with Hughes.)

It’s an interesting development for those who follow non-profit technology. Will the network compete with long running web communities such as the volunteer-focused idealist.org (which is set for its own relaunch in the coming months – perhaps as a social network?)  Will it rival the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), the highly active online community for non-profit tech professionals? The NPO tech world is no stranger to online communities, but the Facebook-like social networking platform that Jumo touts could be a great addition.

One thing that’s fairly certain is that Jumo won’t significantly cut into the user base of Facebook. At 500 million users, Facebook is essentially mass media now. Most non-profits will probably not want to immediately jump ship from completely from Facebook to court supporters and donors through the fledgling Jumo. Still, this network could be a great new resource for the already active non-profit tech/social media community and a another tool to incorporate into a non-profit social media strategy.

Any thoughts on Jumo? What would you like to see from it?—KEIDRA D. CHANEY

Bob McDonald

Bob oversees all sales, marketing and operations of 435 Digital. He has extensive background in digital sales and launching successful start-ups. Before 435 Digital, Bob oversaw all online and mobile sales for Chicago Tribune’s brands. This included ChicagoTribune, Metromix, Triblocal and ChicagoNow. As the first sales manager of ChicagoNow, Bob developed several strategies to monetize the innovative blog network. Under his guidance, ChicagoNow was profitable in less than one year after its launch. Before joining Tribune in 2009, Bob launched the interactive sales team at Fox Chicago. In less than one year, his team generated $1.2 million in revenue. Previously, Bob oversaw all sales for HuntingNet.com, the world’s largest hunting website. At Midwest Outdoors, a TV show about hunting and fishing, Bob worked in production, sales and did on-camera work.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me: