Michael Gilbert is an internationally known consultant to foundations and nonprofits, an innovator in the field of nonprofit communication, an influential author, and a social entrepreneur.
He is author or editor of numerous publications, including: Communication Centered Technology Planning, The Guide to Nonprofit Email, Twenty-First Century Fundraising, and The Campaign Cookbook. He is the Publisher and Editor of Nonprofit Online News, a premier newsletter of the field, in continuous publication since 1997. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Information Technology and Social Change, and of the Journal of Networks and Civil Society. Recent articles include: The Opportunities and Dilemmas of Nonprofit Technology Assistance Organizations (in the Nonprofit Quarterly) and Turning to Each Other in Hard Times: Four Steps for Saving Money and Building Social Capital (in Nonprofit Online News). He is often credited with helping ignite a revolution in nonprofit communication with his Email Manifesto and he is well known for his provocative and incise commentary.
Mr. Gilbert is equally well known for his challenging and inspiring speeches. He delivered the Keynote Address at the very first Silicon Valley Conference on Nonprofits and Technology. He has been a popular speaker with many organizations including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Planned Parenthood, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Nonprofit Technology Network, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the Kellogg Action Lab, and many others. Feel free to browse through a partial list of his Past Speaking Engagements.
Mr. Gilbert was the Founding President of the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network, which has grown into a the premier professional association for the field of nonprofit technology. He was the CEO of Social Ecology, a bleeding edge nonprofit software company, whose innovations are still being replicated throughout the sector.
Mr. Gilbert has directed several groundbreaking research projects; including the Nonprofit SiteAnalyzer Reports, the First Nonprofit Email Survey, and the Nonprofit Email Study, as well as numerous private studies. His most recent research report was Doing Well by Doing Good: A Report on Work Satisfaction in Civil Society. He is currently completing a large scale study on the topic of online cultivation practices.
Mr. Gilbert has served as Executive Director or Chief Executive of six organizations, as a board member or officer of more than thirty, and as a communication and management consultant to over 1000 organizations in more than 20 countries over the last 23 years. He was born in Sweden, lives and works in Seattle, and counts Berlin as his home away from home. In his spare time, he's a tango dancer.