rethinking dissemination: how nonprofits can reach a broader audience for their research
TRANSCRIPT
bringing nonprofit research into focus
IssueLab
Gabriela FitzCo-Director, IssueLab
Rethinking DisseminationHow nonprofits can create a broader audience for their research.
bringing nonprofit research into focus
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
Nonprofit research …Informs the work of advocates, policymakers, educators, and practitioners working in a specific field.
Enhances the public’s understanding of complex social issues.
Serves as a hook for building more general awareness around the issues we work on.
Is your research reaching its intended audience?
bringing nonprofit research into focus
Expectations Are Changing
Cultural shift towards sharing information and pooling
resources.
Distributed information networks that require nonprofits to
push their work into other environments.
Less and less reliance on traditional media channels for
dissemination.
Expectation that content is free, easily accessible and easily
digestible.Tools and Tactics Are Also Changing
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
bringing nonprofit research into focus
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
bringing nonprofit research into focus
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
bringing nonprofit research into focus
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
Traditional Dissemination
Traditionally dissemination worked in a couple of clear-cut (and relatively
centralized) ways.
Media outreach
Print distribution
The presentation of research at conferences/workshops
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
Online DisseminationThe web changed dissemination, but only to some degree.
Electronic version of the report or even an interactive dataset
Dissemination through eNewsletters
Targeted email outreach to existing social network
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
Web 2.0 and BeyondFive basic principles of online dissemination
1) Push not pull
2) Crafting your message so that its portable
3) Seeing your knowledge sharing efforts as part of an ongoing
conversation
4) Reaching the right people - not the most people
5) Thinking about dissemination as a form of open publishing
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
Web 2.0 and BeyondRelying on the Right Crowd
Picking your target audiences - get as niche as you need to be.
Target groups for whom information sharing is a kind of social capital.
If you target the right crowds size doesn’t matter. Targeting a large crowd with interests that don’t overlap yours is wasted effort
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
Twitter RSS feeds Social networks Social bookmarking Blogosphere Publishing platforms
Media eNewsletters Web version
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IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
bringing nonprofit research into focus
How IssueLab can support dissemination efforts
1. List your research with IssueLab. Its free.
2. Partner with IssueLab to keep us updated about your research. When you create a contributor account on IssueLab you will see the option to partner.
3. Consider implementing IssueLab’s SubDomain service on your own web site to help you better manage your own online publications archive and to more easily syndicate your work (If you want to know more about this we can demo it for you.)
Consider working with IssueLab on future research grants to support your dissemination efforts.
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
bringing nonprofit research into focus
Upcoming Webinars
October 1: Case Studies in Research Report Design
October 22: How to Find Your Audience Online
November 12: How to Make Your Research More Readable Online
IssueLab Rethinking Dissemination
bringing nonprofit research into focus
IssueLab
Gabriela FitzCo-Director, IssueLab
773-649-1790