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Research Rules

In a preliminary online survey, we gathered simple demographic information like age and sex, while also posing deeper questions about interests and preferences. (Surveys can also be conducted via phone or snail mail.) We asked how often people visited the Web site, what they thought about Dr. Love’s work in the breast cancer movement, and how they liked to be contacted. We also asked questions about giving patterns, such as “Do you support other breast cancer organizations?” Picking the right – or wrong – questions is a sensitive business and central to a survey’s success, and we avoided specifics about giving amounts so as not to be too intrusive. (See sidebar for tips on survey research.)We supplemented these surveys with informal focus groups – small numbers of carefully selected individuals who share their opinions in a moderated roundtable discussion. Our focus groups were asked about their thoughts and feelings about Dr. Love, her foundation, and breast cancer organizations in general. (See sidebar at far right for tips on focus groups.)

Finding Focus With Focus Groups

Facebook Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations

Whitepaper: Sustainable Social Media Infrastructure

A new type of non-profit organization is emerging, one that has never been possible in an offline world. These new organizations are creating permanent, sustainable public knowledge and communications infrastructure that is designed for public benefit.

The foundation world, largely absent from these success stories, should seize the opportunity to create new funding models for the next generation of long-term, public interest technology projects.