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Philanthropy with a Network Mindset

Network of Network Funders

November 1, 2010

A Member of The Monitor GroupA Member of The Monitor Group

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Diana_Scearce@monitor.comCreative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported

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Today’s Objectives

• Share high-level themes from the SSIR article & recent research

• Explore the implications for funders• In the process, develop a shared

base of knowledge and language for NNF participants

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We’re Seeing Networks Everywhere in Our Work

Consultancy Incubator Think Tank

Network of Network Funders

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FINANCIAL CRISIS

BLURRING SECTORS

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

GLOBALIZATION

The World is Becoming More Networked

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The world around philanthropy is changing much, much faster than

philanthropy itself.

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Many of philanthropy’s core practices and principles remain essentially unchanged from the way they

were done a hundred years ago.

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strategy

effectivenessresponsiveness

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a network mindsetstrategy

effectivenessresponsiveness

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What Is a Social Network?

A group of people connected by relationships

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network

―adjective: connected, transparent, decentralized―verb: to connect, to spread, to organize into a network―noun: a structural form for organizing

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We’re Most Interested in Networks:

• Of individuals and/or organizations

• With many participants (and the potential to grow)

• Space for self-organization

• Fueled by new technologies for connection, collaboration and / or data visualization

Source of photo: flickr

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Networks Aren’t New

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…and New Online Spaces for Connecting People

But, There Are New Tools for Sharing Content

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Combined With New Understanding of Social Ties

Network map by Marc Smith

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Enabling Social Change With a Network Mindset

Working Wikily is an emerging leadership style characterized by greater

openness, transparency, decentralized decision-making, and collective action

Source of network image: orgnet.com

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What Does Working Wikily Look Like?

CentralizedFirmly controlledPlannedProprietaryTransactionalOne-way

communications

DecentralizedLoosely controlledEmergentOpen, sharedRelationalMulti-way

conversations

Where are you? The answer will be different for different situations

Established Practices Network Practices

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How Do Coalitions Relate to Networks?

Problem and answer are clear

Whole group decision-making

Whole group planning Whole group acts Reach goal through planned

action

Problem complex; solution unclear

Network does not make all decisions together

Experimenting, sharing results Many collaborative projects Emergent change

Coalitions

What is needed for your situation? The answer will likely be a combination of coalition and network models.

Networks

Adapted from June Holley

Source: June Holley

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Why is it Hard to Work with a Network Mindset?

Unlearning past behaviors and frameworks

Dealing with information overload

Brand and message control

Privacy concerns

Learning and leveraging new technologies

Assessing impact

Source of images: Cut Throat Communications, Blog.com, Rutgers University RU FAIR, Kodaikanal International School, flickr

Managing for accuracy

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5 ways working with a network mindset can fuel social change:

1. Weave communities2. Access diverse perspectives3. Build and share knowledge4. Mobilize people and build movements5. Coordinate resources and action

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Weave Communities

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Access Diverse Perspectives

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Access Diverse Perspectives

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Build and Share Knowledge

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Mobilize People and Build Movements

Source: Breaking New Ground: Using the Internet to Scale, by Heather McLeod Grant and Katherine Fulton; photos from KaBOOM! website

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Coordinating Resources and Action

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Coordinate Resources and Action

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Getting Started

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1. Understand the Context and Your Position Within It

Government

Foundation

Non-Profit

For-Profit

School

Unknown

Religious

Other

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2. Combine Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches

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3. Follow the Rules of Relationships

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4. Open Up to New Inputs

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5. Share By Default

Source of photo: Chris Burrell for WBUR, http://www.wbur.org/2010/02/22/pollution-settlement

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6. Nurture Your Network in Advance

Source of photo: Chris Burrell for WBUR, http://www.wbur.org/2010/02/22/pollution-settlement

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7. Start Small

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“Networks are everywhere. We just need an eye for seeing them.”

Albert- Laszlo Barbarasi