Martin Smith, Founder and CEO of JustMeans
Ok, ok, there’s a lot of social networks for nonprofits out there now. The list is so long that most nptech bloggers have ceased to mention new entries unless there’s something unique about the offering. At first, I have to admit that I thought JustMeans was a YASN (Yet Another Social Network) for the nonprofit sector. One of the core problems with most new social networks is the lack of content they exhibit as they slowly ramp up. It’s a classic chicken and egg scenario. You don’t get new users until you get compelling content but you can’t get compelling content because they come from your users. Unless of course, you bring the content to the site.
And that’s what Martin Smith, the CEO and Founder of JustMeans has done recently. I usually sweep through nonprofit-oriented social networks once or twice a month but I found myself confronted by JustMeans’ great job postings and thinking, “Hmm, how did this guy get all these great postings?”.
Frankly, I’m finding myself having more and more in common with venture philanthropy types so I definitely took the first opportunity that presented itself to attend JustMeans’ first social mixer in lower Manhattan last month. Ok, if you’re looking for the flannel and t-shirt crowd, JustMeans will not be your cup of tea. However, if you’re looking for people that have a consulting background and went to an elite university and are still in that weird interstitial period between the private sector and nonprofits, this is the place to go. What was odd was that everyone at the mixer kept asking each other, “How did you find out about this mixer? How did JustMeans find out my e-mail address?” Unlike many people who have started these me-too social networks for our sector, Mr. Smith claims a five-year history of working in the sector. It shows too. Mr. Smith is doing a great job of using mailing lists from the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network and his connections with venture capitalists and corporate social responsibility types to bring a unique group of people to his network. It may well be one of those few spaces for nonprofit entrepreneurs where they can practice their pitches ad nauseam.
Do me a favor, go over to Idealist, look for job categories that have something to do with venture philanthropy, corporate social responsibility or social entrepreneurship. They don’t exist there. However, JustMeans has a lot of job postings that are in those areas. This isn’t a knock on Idealist so much as JustMeans represents another different portion of the long tail of our sector. It’s a great way to build community by bringing content to the table before the users come and I’d like to think that more nonprofit social networks can jumpstart themselves in this way. It would certainly make it easier for people like me to help separate the wheat from the chaff.
One important disclaimer: I WILL be presenting a talk on socialmarkets at JustMeans’ next event which is taking place on the 29th this month. You’re all invited — e-mail me at abenamer ['at'] nonprofittechblog.org if you’re coming.
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