Conversation with Newdea

Tracy Gary and I conferred today by phone with Newdea on how their technology might help donors, advisors and nonprofits work together for optimal outcomes.  I have written about Newdea here and here. Newdea is a well funded double-bottom line social venture, now several years old. They have a powerful idea: Creating an online site where donors, advisors, large financial services firms,  and nonprofits can converge. Donors can find appropriate causes, and then track results.  Advisors can better serve clients, and meet new ones from donor networks. Firms can provide a value-added service to top clients. And nonpprofits can be visible to more donors, as well as strenghtening their relationship with existing donors. That is the vision. Was it Clausewitz, though, who wrote, "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy"? Getting the cultures and procedures of donor, advisor, and nonprofits to fuse productively is difficult -  just as the upside is enormous if it can be done effectively. Technology is part of the solution, as is motivation, education, training, and person by person empathy and relationship building. We hope to talk with Newdea further. They seem intent on capturing and promulgating best practices from an area (donor philanthropic advisory services with an eye to social impact) that has been a boutique service and black art. If they can get into their systems the practical, empassioned wisdom of someone like Tracy Gary, they will do a lot of good while growing their business and that of their forprofit constituents.