logo
book Subscribe to our Magazine
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
    • Grassroots Fundraising Journal
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Podcasts
    • Tiny Spark
    • Women of Color in Power
  • Webinars
    • Free Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership

Brave New Frontier: The Tweeted Proposal

The Editors
October 23, 2015
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

Twitter-balls

Regular readers will know that NPQ is not especially impressed with contest philanthropy, but here is a new wrinkle on that theme. Some things even we can’t make up. NPQ received a press release on Wednesday from a corporate philanthropy. It read:

“The Deluxe Corporation Foundation is replacing the tedious nature of grant writing with the ‘Short & Tweet’ campaign in which nonprofits can state their case in a mere 140 characters. Through this new Twitter campaign, small nonprofits can be nominated for a chance to receive a $10,000 grant. The ‘Short & Tweet’ Grants Program is a Twitter-based giveaway, through which the Deluxe Corporation Foundation will award $100,000 worth of grants—giving 10 deserving non-profits $10,000 each. The nominated organization must have a primary mission based in economic empowerment, creating tomorrow’s workforce, promoting financial literacy, crisis assistance or the arts. From now until Wednesday, November 4th, anyone can take to Twitter and use the hashtag #DeluxeCares to make a nomination. For more detail on how the application and selection process will work, visit www.deluxecares.com.”

Frankly, we were at a loss for a proper analytical framework, so we turned to our periodic correspondent Phil Anthrop, who spoke to us from a retreat real close to Pocantico.

NPQ: As a longtime critical observer of philanthropy, how would you characterize this innovation in terms of its potential to spark real and lasting change?

Anthrop: In this wild 24/7/365 world, change happens in a jiffy, and then it disappears. Quite frankly, if your foundation doesn’t fund it before it vanishes, you will have missed the critical opportunity of that fleeting moment forever. Forever! Quicker decisions get quicker outcomes, and the movers move on, movingly, ever forward. (Am I making any sense here? Help me, people!)

NPQ: Any advice on how hopeful tweeters might word their messages?

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Anthrop: Successful tweet proposals need breviation-passion and IMHO real purpose, delivered with OMFG punch! Include a bank routing number so that they can EFT your grant w/i 15 minutes.

NPQ: Do you think emoji would help or hurt a proposal?

Anthrop: Emoji are doing to tweets what talkies did to the motion picture industry. Emoji deliver nuance, sophistication, and depth that will never be found in text alone. 😉

NPQ: How do you feel about the Deluxe Corporation Foundation in light of this recent development?

Anthrop: This would have been a clever/goofy innovation six years ago, when Twitter started. In 2015…oh wait, let me just text this guy back real quick.

NPQ knows perfectly well that some of our readers will try their hand at this high-stakes tweeting. Just don’t bet the payroll on it, and let us know how it goes.

The initiative is real; Phil Anthrop, only partially so.

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

NPQ_Spring_2022

You might also like
What Is the Nonprofit Sector of a Future, Equitable World?
Devon Kearney
New Data Tells Us Where Donor-Advised Fund Dollars Go—And Don’t Go
Chuck Collins and Helen Flannery
Report Maps the Philanthropy of Millionaire Donors of Color
Steve Dubb
One Nation Under a Groove: How to Build a Black Future Through Strong, Black-Led Community Organizations
Shawn A. Ginwright
This is What Solidarity Looks Like: Global Racial Justice in Antiwar Organizing
Kitana Ananda
Making Federal Infrastructure Funding Equitable—What Philanthropy Can Do
Lois DeBacker and Joe Evans

Upcoming Webinars

You might also like
What Is the Nonprofit Sector of a Future, Equitable World?
Devon Kearney
New Data Tells Us Where Donor-Advised Fund Dollars Go—And...
Chuck Collins and Helen Flannery
Report Maps the Philanthropy of Millionaire Donors of Color
Steve Dubb
WOMEN OF COLOR IN POWER
Women of Color in Power

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe
Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Authentic Leadership
Reclaiming Interrupted Lineages

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Submissions
  • Advertisers
  • Newsletters
  • Copyright

Subscribe to View Webinars

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.