Giving Compass' Take:

• The MacArthur Foundation discusses how the organization has adjusted its process in finding Fellows with technology — and how that has increased the diversity of candidates.

• The tech described here — email, YouTube — is hardly groundbreaking, but it emphasizes the need for nonprofits to change with the time and use every tool at their disposal to improve their infrastructures.

• Here are five ways your nonprofit can successfully adapt to new technology.

The search for highly creative individuals who become MacArthur Fellows was once called a "truffle hunt" in recognition of their rarity and the talent required to recognize them. For some, the archetype of a MacArthur Fellow is the brilliant yet unknown artist or the lone-wolf scientist, such as paleontologist Jack Horner who had neither a college degree nor an academic affiliation when named a Fellow. Recently, we have heard frustration that lone-wolf scientists no longer exist or that all the truly creative people are already richly rewarded. Some question whether truffles still exist. Is this nostalgia for the "good ole days" or is it more difficult to uncover the true "surprise" or maverick today than it was 20 years ago?

We have tweaked our selection process to adjust to changes in technology, but the path to becoming a MacArthur Fellow then and now begins with a submission from an invited nominator whose identity remains a secret. Twenty years ago, this was a very small cadre of rotating nominators, but today, with the availability of email, we have a larger and more diverse network across the country. Perhaps these changes have contributed to the increased representation of women among MacArthur Fellows.

Technology has also made it easier to research and follow the work of a potential Fellow at a distance. Although we still conduct in-person reconnaissance, we can frequently watch a nominee's talk or performance on YouTube.

Read the full article about technology and the search for MacArthur Fellows by Cecilia A. Conrad at MacArthur Foundation.