Foundation Transparency 2.0 - Social Media

New York's Foundation center is embarking on a new initiative to foster transparency in foundations. Of course, the Foundation Center itself formed out of a desire for foundation transparency back in 1956, so this is an update on their original theme.

This update will focus on using web and social networking technology to communicate what they are doing, and highlighting foundations doing the same. It isn't only about transparency.

Larry Blumenthal of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says that, "social media can make foundations more effective." Blumenthal says that if foundations embrace the principles of social media - collaboration, openness, transparency, timeliness, sharing work in progress, and learning from failure - then they will have stronger, more grounded, innovative, and effective solutions.

I like the idea of more grounded foundations.

http://foundationcenter.org/media/news/20100201.html
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/commentary/co_item.jhtml?id=272300003