maya enista

It's no surprise that the economic downturn has presented new challenges for many in the nonprofit sector. But as organizations faced tough decisions over how to cut costs, raise new funds and maintain their mission, some nonprofits began to consider new opportunities as well. Although not often a popular solution among nonprofit leaders, some nonprofits even began to think creatively about how strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions might improve their efficiency, reach and services.

Early this year, a pair of Millennial-led organizations chose this path less traveled, and Mobilize.org announced that it would acquire Generation Engage. We wrote about the announcement on Social Citizens, and speculated that this decision to rock the boat would ultimately pay off for the organizations and the Millennials they serve. Now almost a year later, I asked Mobilize CEO Maya Enista to give us her honest take on the growing pains, obstacles, triumphs and benefits of a nonprofit acquisition.

What was the most important factor that set you up for a successful acquisition?

In retrospect, I’m extremely impressed with how well executed the acquisition was. For this, I think Justin Rockefeller and Decker Ngongang, the leadership of Generation Engage, deserve the most credit. They were clear on their commitment to increase the impact and reach of their network and they recognized that Mobilize.org was a good partner in that.

Another important factor that was essential to our success was our ability to articulate our expectations and requests; whether it’s that a logo color change or a staff member’s salary be maintained, we created a comprehensive MOU [(memorandum of understanding)] that outlined everything so we went into the relationship clear on benefits, potential challenges and next steps.

To any organization considering a similar move, I strongly suggest the detailed MOU over the unnecessarily long, legal contract which often does not speak to how staff members will talk about the acquisition/merger, who will hold relationships, what will happen to emails and how the culture of the organization will be maintained or how the history of both organizations will be respected.

What challenges or sacrifices have Mobilize.org and Generation Engage had to face to make this work?

There was significant work to be done, legally, in transferring trademarks and other assets but we had a wonderful team (legal and financial) working with us to make this a smooth process. The challenge that I most worried about was how to integrate the programming and network of Generation Engage into Mobilize.org in a way that was authentic, to both groups, and how the staff members would come together under one umbrella. I was pleasantly surprised on both counts and we now have an even larger, active and engaged network that is managed by a talented, passionate staff that is comprised of former Generation Engage staff members, long-time Mobilize.org staff members and new team members who have joined since the acquisition.

There are definitely times when we needed to clarify roles, needed to change our vocabulary and practice our talking points, but when Decker and I are both asked often to “spill the dirt” on the acquisition and we always laugh about it. We’re very fortunate to have a partnership of mutual admiration, respect and working towards a common goal to make our collective work stronger than the sum of our parts. Most importantly, we have fun and never lose sight of how fortunate we are.

What has been challenging for you personally as the leader of this transition?

Significant growth, literally, happened over night. I went from managing a team of three to a team of eight and a budget that almost doubled. It was an exciting time, although at times, overwhelming. I credit the Board of Directors of Mobilize.org in helping me navigate this opportunity and ensuring that I think through (and prepare for) every possible scenario. I have learned a great deal about organizational management, what I do well, what I do not do well and most importantly, how important it is to appreciate your colleagues and praise them for their unique contributions to our work.

What has the merger allowed you to do?

Work proactively. It’s been such a blessing. I’ve spent a long time working reactively; to funding requests, to media, moving from event to event, and at times – losing sleep about payroll. Due to the increased support, capacity and funding, we’ve been able to take a step back and ask ourselves important questions about our impact, how we’re telling our story, what we’re doing each day (week, month, year) to increase opportunity, access, relationships and resources for Millennials through our work.

What advice do you have for other nonprofits considering a similar move?

DO IT. There’s too much work to be done, and we need to be smart about how we do it and most importantly, we need to do it together. Coincidentally, I’m writing about this on the heels of an interesting article in Fast Company, written by a woman whose work, opinion and energy I admire greatly, Nancy Lublin (Founder of Dress for Success and currently, CEO of DoSomething.org). She hits the nail on the head when she says, we need to work to put ourselves out of business by SOLVING problems, not measure our success of how large our staff is or how much our budget grows. Nonprofit collaborations, true collaborations, are rare and acquisitions and mergers, are even more so and I know it sounds scary, or suspiciously like failure, but it’s not about your ego, or the logo, or what your organization is called – it’s about the work that we (the royal, non-profit we) have ahead of us.

I offer myself, and Decker, as resources in this process and we’re happy to share our experiences and evangelize for the importance of increased strategic collaboration in our field.

What's next for Mobilize.org?

We’re planning our 10th Democracy 2.0 Summit in April, convening Millennials to work collaboratively to propose solutions to the most pressing issues that they’re facing. This round of Summits (called Target 2020: My Education. Our Future.) will be focused on the community college crisis that our country is facing; engaging students in North Carolina, New York, California, Michigan and Florida to take a leadership role in improving access and success for all our nation’s students. During each Summit, Millennials will award funding to the solutions that they believe will be most successful in increasing completion rates in their areas (up to $50,000 per Summit).

You can read more about our upcoming Summits and our Target 2020 work by visiting our website and to receive updates on our work, join the Mobilize.org network.

As we this decade draws to a close and we prepare to ring in a new year, there are many perspectives about how the 2000s will be remembered. In the last 10 years, we've seen many defining moments, including the Sept. 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, a recession, the inauguration of our nation's first African-American president, incredible advances in technology and a social media revolution that has been compared to the Industrial Revolution.

However, what also defines this decade is the fact that our generation, the Millennial Generation, truly came of age during this time – and these events and many others have helped define who we are, for better or worse (although we hope the former). As we look forward to whatever lies ahead in 2010, Kari and I thought it would be a great opportunity to invite some of our diverse and interesting Millennial friends to offer 100-word predictions on what lies ahead for our generation in the coming decade. Take a look at their thoughts, and add your own in the comments.

I know enough to know I haven’t the foggiest what the 2010s hold. Rewinding back to 1999, very few among us could have predicted the anthrax scare, Twitter, sexting, “not on our watch!,” or Matisyahu. But I will posit that in the next decade, the social graph is likely to become an indispensible engine of social change. The average Facebook user has 130 friends. Every Millennial is empowered – like no member of any generation before them – to rally 100s, or 1000s, to catalyze positive change in the world. I have no doubt these social citizens will continue to amaze us.
- Jason Rzepka, VP of Public Affairs, MTV

I spend a lot of time thinking about how technology and social media can bring people together locally and globally. In the next decade, innovative ideas using the web, particularly mobile will radically transform our concept of volunteerism and giving. There is something powerful that happens when you can see the direct impact of your involvement. I view social networks and communication tools like Twitter as an evolution of the physical role a church or community centre once played. It has never been easier to find ways to get involved, meet others offline and use your skills for good.
 - Amanda Rose, social entrepreneur and Twestival organizer

At some point over the last ten years I became an adult – and found out very quickly that being an adult is hard. There is no manual or guide to reference. You are on your own. By comparison, changing the world isn’t so difficult. Ten years ago, there was little that one individual could do that would produce meaningful, measurable changes in our society. Today, there are websites and widgets to help you navigate and a global community to join or help to mold. Being an adult will always be hard. Changing the world is getting easier by the day.
 - Brian Reich, communications specialist and Media Rules! author

Next decade, giving money will become less important than giving voice, giving time and giving work.
 - Ben Rattray, founder and CEO of Change.org (who challenged himself to predicting in 100 characters...exactly)

In 2010, the oldest of Gen Y will be 30 years old. No longer the "baby" in the nonprofit workplace, the "next" generation will quickly become the "now" generation and the whole world will be watching to see if we will step up to lead with compassion, innovation and a sense of urgency to fix the myriad of problems we've inherited. 2010 does not ask that Gen Y get "ready to lead.” It demands that we actually lead. What I think we'll see in 2010 is more young people answering that call. And I hope to God that you're one of them.
 - Rosetta Thurman, writer, speaker, professor and consultant

Expect a re-examination of ideology in the sphere of millennial-directed activism. It is unsurprising that millennials – having grown up in the shadows of astronomically sloppy ideological doses – so strongly gravitated towards the pragmatic Barack Obama. However, we must re-imagine, not turn away from, ideology. Without an agreed upon and articulated set of ideals, we will find ourselves paralyzed, forever on the defensive. Algorithm-calculated action coupled with social-network-organized dissent makes for a dynamic revolutionary body, but if we do not birth universal and flexible guiding philosophies into which we can package our intentions and actions, it will live soullessly.
 - Alex Steed, Millennial Generation activist and enthusiast

The 2000s handed society a new set of tools. In the 2010s, we face the burden and the opportunity of figuring out how and when to use those tools for social good. Social networking tools could create homogenous online ghettos—or bridge cultures and communities. Online philanthropy tools could reinforce reactive, inefficient giving—or increase impact and reward performance. To succeed, we’ll have to innovate. But innovation is not an end in and of itself. Innovation is a means to reach our goals. Let us hope that the 2010s are nicer than the naughty 2000s—and that we learn to use the tools we’ve been given.
 - Jacob Harold, Program Officer at the Hewlett Foundation

The coming decade will see the demise of traditional political constituencies/Parties- to be replaced by The Cloudists. Cloudicrats/Cloudicans will create+push major policy agendas with cash, GOTV etc. using free G-software and no "national headquarters." They will organize via amazon-like algorithms ("voters who liked this initiative also voted for.....") and will change the very mechanisms of government/ing in ways we can't even imagine.
 - Ari Wallach, cofounder of The Great Schlep

My generation, the Millennial Generation, is staring off the edge of a tall cliff – Democracy, Society, Economy, pick your metaphor – and we’re deciding; collectively and through the use of technology, whether we are going to fall off or take a running start, jump and soar. I promise, we’ll run, jump and soar and in this decade we will innovative, create, collaborate and build a new definition of leadership, for all of the metaphors above. We are facing obstacles, no doubt, but we will best them. I am energized by what my generation will build if we invest in each other.
 - Maya Enista, CEO of Mobilize.org and cofounder of the 80 Million Strong campaign

Guest blogger Maya Enista is Chief Executive Officer of Mobilize.org, an all-partisan network dedicated to educating, empowering and energizing young people to increase civic engagement and political participation.

The current economic state for young Americans, and all Americans, is a frightening one. It tells the story of growing national debt; increasing personal debt; many instances of irresponsible spending and lending practices on college campuses and in low-income communities; inadequate health care coverage; and rapidly disappearing safety nets for our generation. These factors, coupled with the fact that we are living in a time of innovation and growth in our country, mandates that we find sustainable and creative ways to solve the problems of our society and ensure that in defining these solutions – we are not bankrupting our futures.

There are many approaches with which one might begin to attack the problems laid out above, but as the Case Foundation believes, most would fail without ensuring that citizens are at the center of solving their own problems. It is this belief, and the support of the Case Foundation, that has enabled us to create the Democracy 2.0 process, where members of the millennial generation work collaboratively to build the democracy that we will inherit.

Given the severity of this national crisis paired with the innovation, collaboration and technological savvy of the millennial generation – it’s imperative that we take immediate and collaborative action to put our economic future on a sustainable and improving path. Mobilize.org has heard this clear call for action from our membership. To respond to the growing concern among all generations, Mobilize.org and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation are hosting a millennial convening to explore the barriers preventing our generation from achieving financial health. It will take place November 18th – 20th in and it will be titled, Exploring the Millennial Generation’s ROI where we will bring together 150 millennials for discussion, debate and action on this important question.

As loyal Social Citizens readers know, the theory of change of Mobilize.org, entitled Democracy 2.0, prescribes that it’s not enough for millennials to identify their most pressing individual issues, but that the millenials must take the lead and work collaboratively to propose solutions to these issues and then obtain the resources needed to implement and institutionalize those solutions. To that end, Mobilize.org anticipates that it will award grants up to $25,000 for selected projects and proposals that rise to the top during our time together, through the use of interactive keypad voting technology. Additionally, funded ideas will become 12-month projects of Mobilize.org, whose partner network and funders are committed to further building their success. Mobilize.org is a millennial built, millennial led organization that understands that the economic well-being of this generation is the key to our success, both today and tomorrow. However, we also know that we cannot do it alone and we see the value in working in true intergenerational partnerships to solve society’s most pressing problems.

To apply to attend the Summit (travel + accommodations are covered by Mobilize.org) or for more information, please visit www.mobilize.org . Our application window is open for just eight more days, and we encourage you to share this announcement with your network of friends and colleagues. Please join us in Chicago for this important conversation, and more importantly – as we seed the action steps that will highlight the leadership, perseverance, innovation and creativity of the Millennial generation.