The Bystander Effect

Read time: 3 min

👋🏾 Hey! I’m Sid and this is The Philanthropy Futurist, a weekly advice column preparing you for the future of the nonprofit sector. Each Friday, I tackle reader questions about measuring impact, driving growth, and managing your nonprofit.

This Week’s Newsletter at a glance:

• The Bystander Effect

• Philanthropy News From This Week

• Sid’s Book Recommendation

The Bystander Effect

Everyone cares.

But almost no one acts...

And that gap is quietly killing the nonprofit sector.

We don’t have a funding problem... we have a bystander problem.

Right now, nearly 70% of nonprofits are losing funding while demand is rising. Layoffs are surging little by little, and services are becoming more stretched thin. And still… most people don’t even know it’s happening. In my opinion, this isn't laziness... I think people are just lowkey conditioned not to act.

The bystander effect tells us that when responsibility is shared, action often disappears. Because while everyone could help, most don't feel like they need to help.

And nonprofits have unknowingly designed for this outcome. We’ve frequently made impact too broad, too collective, and way too abstract.

“Support the mission” is not a call to action... it’s a diffusion of responsibility.

The orgs that break through usually do so by doing the exact opposite.

They interrupt attention (e.g. Ice Bucket Challenge energy).

They name the crisis clearly (not “challenges,” but think consequences).

They assign responsibility (be specific... “you" can help in "this way”).

They make it personal (explain how this will affect your family, not just someone else’s family).

And most importantly... they raise the cost of inaction.

Because the truth is most people don’t take action just because something is important, they take action because not taking action becomes unacceptable.

If nonprofit leaders want more participation, we need to stop broadcasting the same ole feel-good messaging, and start articulating a deeper level of ownership.

The future of the nonprofit sector won’t be decided by how many people care.

It will be decided by how many people feel like they’re the only one left who can’t look away.

Until next time y'all ✌🏾

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Philanthropy News From This Week

• Why we’re slow to help nonprofits (and what to do about it)

• Some Funders Want Nonprofits to Merge

• How nonprofits and foundations are navigating new challenges, future impact

• Nonprofit internships: Empowering youth, building a passionate workforce

Sid’s Book Recommendation

Each week, I recommend a book or film that has impacted my life in a positive way. My recommendation this week is:

Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

This book teaches 21 practical strategies to stop procrastinating and boost productivity by tackling your most important, challenging task — your "frog" — first each day. Drawing from Mark Twain's quip about eating a live frog to get the worst over with, the author emphasizes decision, discipline, and determination to build task-completion habits. Learn more.

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