In the past year, LinkedIn has quietly ventured into the realm of interactive engagement by rolling out a trio of games during April and May of 2024. This move seems like an attempt to mimic the success of major media outlets like The New York Times, which generates significant revenue through games like the daily Spelling Bee and crossword puzzles.
However, LinkedIn’s approach comes with an intriguing twist that warrants a closer look, especially for nonprofit professionals.
The Privacy Trap: Public Sharing is the Default
Here’s what every nonprofit professional should be aware of: LinkedIn has made game activity sharing turned ON by default. This means that without changing your settings, your entire professional network can see when you’re playing games on the platform.
This default setting creates a situation where many users may unknowingly broadcast their gaming habits to board members, donors, volunteers, and other stakeholders. Unlike personal social media platforms where leisure activities are expected, LinkedIn has traditionally been a space for professional development and organizational advancement.
Reputation Risk for Nonprofit Leaders
For nonprofit executives and development professionals, this visibility creates unique challenges. Imagine a scenario where a major donor or foundation representative notices your organization’s Executive Director playing LinkedIn games during work hours when grant deadlines are approaching. While taking short mental breaks is healthy and necessary, the perception could undermine confidence in your organization’s leadership.
Similarly, development professionals who appear to be gaming rather than stewarding relationships might inadvertently send the wrong message to potential supporters who expect focused dedication to mission advancement.
Board Relations and Stakeholder Perception
Nonprofit boards often maintain oversight through LinkedIn connections with staff. When board members observe staff engaging with games rather than sharing impact stories or program updates, it could raise questions about organizational priorities and resource allocation.
For organizations working in crisis response, healthcare, or other urgent service areas, the optics of staff visibly playing games could be particularly problematic. Stakeholders might wonder: “If they have time for games, are they truly as resource-constrained as they claim in their appeals?”
“If they have time for games, are they truly as resource-constrained as they claim in their appeals?” – a potential donor
Protecting Your Professional Image: How to Change Your Settings
Fortunately, you can enjoy LinkedIn’s games without broadcasting your activity to your professional network:
When playing a game, look for the privacy settings option
Navigate to “who can see you’ve played”
Change the setting from the default “connections only” to “private”
This simple adjustment allows you to enjoy brief mental breaks without risking professional perceptions. However, the fact that users must opt out rather than opt in to privacy raises important questions about LinkedIn’s approach to user experience.
Strategic Considerations for Nonprofit Digital Presence
For nonprofit organizations, LinkedIn remains a powerful platform with 610 million users across 200 countries and territories. With 9 billion impressions in the LinkedIn feed each week and only 1% of users sharing content, there’s tremendous opportunity for mission-driven organizations to stand out with meaningful content.
Rather than game scores, consider how your organization might leverage LinkedIn for:
Sharing impact stories and program outcomes
Highlighting volunteer and donor appreciation
Posting thought leadership on sector challenges
Building relationships with potential institutional funders
Recruiting board members and skilled volunteers
Workplace Gaming: Nothing New, But Now It’s Public
Games in the workplace are certainly nothing new. In the 1990s, Minesweeper became perhaps the most infamous workplace distraction in tech history. First bundled with Windows 3.1 in 1992, Minesweeper quickly spread across the estimated 50 million Windows installations globally, with most in U.S. workplaces.
Productivity surveys from the mid-1990s estimated employees spent an average of 15-30 minutes per day playing bundled games like Minesweeper and Solitaire. This translated to approximately 65-130 hours per year per employee of “lost” work time. Productivity experts in that era suggested employers might lose between $500 to $2,000 annually per employee due to these bundled Windows games.
By 1994-1998, many workplaces implemented policies to block or remove these games from office computers due to productivity concerns. But here’s the critical difference: Minesweeper was a private activity. Your colleagues, donors, and board members couldn’t see you playing unless they physically walked past your desk. LinkedIn’s games, by contrast, broadcast your activity to your entire professional network by default.
For nonprofit professionals already battling the perception that they should work longer hours for less compensation because it’s “for the cause,” this public visibility adds an unnecessary layer of scrutiny.
Finding Balance in a Digital World
We have NO issues with taking a break during the day and playing a quick game to let out some stress. However, we just don’t want that break to cost you any potential reputational issues which might add to that stress.
So, while LinkedIn’s addition of games might seem like a harmless enhancement to user engagement, for nonprofit professionals, it introduces new considerations about digital presence and perception management.
The key issue isn’t that games exist on the platform—it’s that LinkedIn has made the default setting to broadcast your gaming activity, requiring users to take proactive steps to maintain professional boundaries. This opt-out rather than opt-in approach to privacy deserves scrutiny, especially for those whose professional reputation directly impacts their organization’s mission.
