Beth's Blog: Nonprofits and Social Media

Guest Post by Steve Waddell: Systems Mapping for Non-Profits - Part 1

See larger image here:

Map from:  Waddell, Steve. 2005.  A Learning History of the CARE LAC - Institute for Strategic Clarity Guatemala Poverty Project.  Institute for Strategic Clarity, March 15

Note from Beth:  As visiting scholar at the Packard Foundation, I'm connecting with other people who are studying and learning about how networks work.  A lot of the ideas resonate with using online social networks and social media effectively for nonprofits, especially in the larger frame of movement building.   This week at the Packard Foundation,  I had the opportunity to meet Steve Waddell whose research focuses on Global Action Networks.

One of the tools for better understanding networks are visual diagnostics and mapping techniques.  This another area of Steve's interest and expertise.   He co-authored a paper called "Visual Diagnostics and Mapping for Scaling Change" and we had an opportunity to discuss it.  He agreed to write a four-part primer on a visual diagnostics, mapping, and social networking analysis primer and how nonprofits might use these tools for social change.

We can easily be overwhelmed by the complexity of our work.  Every non-profit works with “systems” – internal ones relating to how work gets done, issue systems relating to the topic that the NGO is working to address, and mental model systems about strategy.  Clearly “seeing” those systems is important for success.  There are new forms of “mapping”, including social network analysis, which can vastly enhance and speed understanding of the systems.  They are diagrams of arrows and nodes that can communicate tremendous amounts of information visually much more easily than volumes of text.  

Within a system are stakeholders that can include individuals, organizations, networks of organizations, the range of their actions, their ways of thinking vis-à-vis the issue, and the natural and man-created environmental factors that influence the system. Stakeholders may or may not identify themselves as participants in the system.  One of the challenges of developing an issue system is to build participants’ identity with it;  this is critical to creating effective action to realize opportunities, address needs and respond to challenges. 


A core concept in systems mapping is “purpose”.  Generally there are three types of purposes that are priorities for non-profits to understand. 

1. Production System: The purpose here is the non-profit’s itself, and the maps describe relationships and roles in realizing the purpose;  this commonly models how the organization does its work. 
2. Issue System:  This system is where the non-profit is one of many entities that are working to address an issue such as health care, deforestation, peace, and community development.
3. Mental Models: These visuals describe how people (individuals, groups) think the world works, such as theories of change, power structures, and cause-effect models in general.

Each type of mapping has specific benefits.  The production system maps aid an organization to understand how work actually gets done, in comparison to formal org charts.  This analysis can assist in bringing greater alignment between the two, which in turn reduces conflict and enhances productivity.

Issue mapping allows a non-profit to understand key leverage points in the bigger system it is trying to influence.  These are points that, when focused upon, have a large ratio of amount-of-effort to desired-change.  The focus can involve application of resources, or actually reducing resources.

The mental model mapping can uncover conflict, make it discussable, and enhance effectiveness.  People can understand why someone else is doing what they are doing.  Often this helps people understand that their mental model may be important, but incomplete vis-à-vis the change goal – and therefore help people’s respective efforts connect much more effectively. 


These maps can include literally hundreds of nodes and arrows, or very few.  Experience working with people around the world proves that even relatively complex systems with even a couple of hundred nodes can be understood by people with very limited education.  Key is a participatory development process.  The map illustrating this post was  developed by a couple of dozen people in Guatemala from their mental models, to support CARE to vastly enhance its impact.  An evaluation a year later showed that the process was transformational from two perspectives:  people had significantly changed their relationships (who they were working with), and they had significantly changed how they understood their work vis-à-vis others’.  

This is part 1 of a series of social networking analysis techniques.  The next installment will explain two types of social networking analysis techniques, web crawling and inter-personal/inter-organizational ties.

What are your questions about system mapping and how you might use this in organization's strategy for movement building?

As Principal of Networking Action, Steve Waddell applies his 20+ years of experience in multi-stakeholder network development to address complex issues regionally and globally.

Drawing Networks on Napkins with Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor, Co-Authors of Net Gains

Last week at the Packard Foundation, I finally had an opportunity to meet Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor face-to-face.   I first came across their thinking and work on building social networks for social change via the resources section on the Barr Foundation web site back in 2006.

Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor co-wrote "Net Gains," one of the first practical handbooks on building and working in networks for social change.   Whether it is a network of organizations or individuals, this handbook provides a wealth of theory and practice on build, manage, and fine tune a network.

Peter is a president and co-founder of nuPOLIS is the Internet presence of the Innovation Network for Communities (INC), a national non-profit helping to develop and spread scalable innovations that transform the performance of community systems such as education, energy, land use, transportation and workforce development.

Madeleine is co-founder and principal of Arbor Consulting Partners, a research and consulting group led by senior social scientists. 

We talked a lot about network practices. It was a fantastic opportunity to identify similarities and differences between building networks of organizations as well as individuals - and of course how to weave together the two.  There are many parallels to the use of social networks like Facebook.

I was particularly interested in hearing their views on how to ignite a network - how it to get it started.  For those who are working on social networks and looking at how to catalyze their crowds on places like Facebook or Twitter - the advice resonated.   Do you know what the group's value proposition is?  Do you know what the individual value propositions are? (What's the pork chop factor?) It's all about building trust and relationships.  It reminds me of Eugene Eric Kim's point about networks - everybody is people.

Peter and Madeleine describe networks as "platforms for relationships."  And the goal of those relationships can be learning, collaboration, policy, service delivery, advocacy, mobilizing or action.   Peter is one of those people who likes to draw his ideas and at one point he got up and drew a grid on the whiteboard about the different types of networks and what interventions are needed for success.  Later, I found the chart in Net Gains.

We also discussed the whole issue of network evaluation and the difficulty of measuring those relationships versus a specific impact.  Also, the idea of faster tools like social network analysis that give us real time information and the need for someone who is embedded in the network as a real time evaluator.  And, of course, what metrics to use.

Madeleine shared a copy of the network health scorecard, a diagnostic tool that networks can use to reflect on how to improve.  She also discusses it in the video above.

During lunch, we discussed the field of network building for social change - what's needed to build this field?   This is the drawing on the napkin that is described by Peter in the video.

Peter and Madeleine raised some interesting questions about the use of social media and support of network's work in a brief outline and I've pulled a couple of questions to chew on:

• What are the hypotheses about the differences social media can make for achieving a network's goals - learning goals, policy advocacy goals, innovation goals, and others?
• What patterns can social media use reveal that provide strategic insight for network?
• How can social media be used to build high-quality connections, a motivating relationship between members and build trust and reciprocity?

One of the topics we discussed was about the skills and practices of network weavers - whether they are working with networks of organizations or supporting an organization's network of supporters on Facebook.  As Madeleine points out in the video above, a network weaver is looking at how people are connected and what value they are getting from being connected.  A key skill of the network weaver is to pull out threads and pull people together.

As Madeleine notes, "it isn't about everyone being connected to everybody all the time."

A big part of the network weaver's job is pattern recognition and that requires a sort of scanning and watching - that takes time.   I also pointed out that it uses a different part of your brain and there is a need to shift mindsets to get other types of work done.

I tend to map my "working the clouds" work in short, time boxed bursts.  I tend to do it when my concentration is at a lower point.   But, when I have to write or blog or think about something, I find more and more that I need to stop being social - not do Twitter, Facebook, or email.  I also need to put classical music on my Ipod and concentrate in a different way.  I've also found that I need to do something physical to transition between the two - like take a walk or simply walk around my desk.

Peter described an interesting framework for thinking about this use of time:

• Activities that can be done while doing multiple tasks
• Activities that require quiet and doing that one task
• Activities that require several days of concentrating, creative immersion, and laser focus on that task

All in all, a great discussion about networks.

What can we learn from movement builders who built movements before there was Facebook?

Quentin Young, Founder, and Margie Schap, Executive Director
Health & Medicine Policy Research Group

Earlier this month, I hosted a series of guest posts on the topic of Movement Building and Social Media. Karin Pritikin, who I met in Chicago in June and works for  Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, reached out to me to share some of the "hallway conversations" taking place in her organization about movements and social media.  

Her organization was formed 27 years ago by an activist group of clinicians, social scientists, health care executives and policy analysts to advocate for health equity and improved public health.   The organization's founder, Quentin Young, has a long history of organizing and supporting movements using low tech tools like mimeographs, bullhorns, placards, shoe leather, sweat (sometimes blood) and public convergence spaces.

Karin noted in an email to me, "We often talk about how Facebook Fan Pages and tweets reach people quickly, but we wish their was some way to bottle  the "grit" of some of the earlier, more visceral methods.   Karin posted some snippets of conversation on the Health & Medicine Policy Research Blog that I'm sharing here.

Quentin Young describes an early movement he was involved in:

In 1937-39, I was a member of the American Student Union – a national organization of high school youth protesting   fascism, racism.  The depression was raging.  It was a politically charged time and we were “blessed” (I use the term with quotations) by powerful enemies who served as a motivation force. Hitler was gaining in

Europe

. Other fascist leaders were rising to power. These events, and later, World Events like Peal harbor were powerful motivators. Though one dominant force that moved us to action was the race issue. 

The proximity of

Hyde Park

High School

to the

University

of

Chicago

played a role in the way our  “movement” grew. College students recruited youngsters, exploited our youthful zeal as they exposed us to the issues of the day.

We connected largely via meetings, not unlike today’s meetings they had fairly versatile formats: sometimes a  well-known speaker or someone with special knowledge or credibility about an specific issue, sometimes in large auditoriums, sometimes smaller rooms.  There were other organizations fighting fascism in the city, and other youth organizations in neighborhoods on the north and west sides.   Occasionally we joined with them for larger conferences, but we focused on building awareness within our own communities.

We distributed literature, leaflets.  We had newsletters. We spoke publicly.  The tools available for mobilization were primitive. 

What does he think is different today?

In the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s action took place at meetings and demonstrations. Today’s media (TV/DVDs/MP3 players/The Internet  and now social media) has transformed where people are and live.  People stay in their homes and connect using these new social medial tools and channels. That is where they are. There is less physical outward direction. The action people take now is different.  The recent demonstration and sit-in over the proposed closing of the Republic Windows plant attracted attention and resulted in action, but it wasn’t attended by many people and it petered out quickly.

Margie Schaps describes the differences from the 1980's onward:

Today you learn about an issue online, or from a blog post, or an email someone has forwarded, and you take action by “clicking here to donate” or by “emailing your congressman” or by forwarding the link to your friends and mobilizing lots of people to e-blast an organization or an elected official to express your ideas.

Our organization, which Quentin founded in 1981 with John McKnight, used to write long policy papers,  really meaty 50 page documents that were read by no more than 50 of our collaborative partners. These days we’re evolving toward much briefer messages, distilling issues and action steps into much shorter form/format.

There is a new movement building model emerging. As a policy organization, we still use face-to-face meetings to address issues/inequities and develop solutions. This development of policy is not the movement building part.  Movement building takes place as we use new media tools to mobilize interested people to make decisions and take action on these highly specific issues.

Both Maggie and Quentin describe how social media can help power movement building:

The issues that we work on are emblematic of the larger social injustice that needs to be addressed. We  create “small movements’ around “hunks of oppression”  that are mapped onto the larger social and health trends and issues.  Free standing birth centers are a good example of what I mean. We worked for 20 years on the issue of giving medically underserved women in Illinois access to choice in childbirth.  It’s a w omen's reproductive rights issue. There’s a sexual/gender equality dimension. There is a need to oppose vested interests  that continue to oppress the public– in this case the obstetrical specialties. It took 20 years to get legislation passed to allow the building of these centers in Illinois. There is now public acceptance of the idea. So the small movement we built within the health policy sphere, to leverage change, is now broadening as we make the next step public, garnering broader support from the public to demand these options in their communities.

And by mapping this small movement onto the larger issues of health access for women and for everyone, it becomes more than an example of a hard won victory twenty years in the making, serving as both a motivator and an example of change in process. It really is movement-building on multiple levels. Social media tools  will play a large role in getting the word out and mobilizing small groups and  the public for progressive policy change.

Says Karin in a follow up email shares, "Beginning that discussion has led to a powerful "small movements  that feed change on a large level" framing that is helping us as we move forward. It also is helping steer us to use social media for the "right" part of the equation."

Guest Post by Cheryl Contee: I Am Mommy, Hear Me Roar

Note from Beth:   In response for my call for guest posts on movement building,  Cheryl Contee pointed me to her terrific case study about Mom's Rising. This post was originally published on the Fast Company Blog and is being republished her with permission.   The original can be found here. 

I just got back from BlogHer, the largest gathering of female bloggers in America. It's the 5th year of the conference and has grown from a scrappy, homegrown, volunteer effort to a nationally renowned, corporate-sponsored conference. I had to pack an additional bag because of all of the swag given away. Brands like Disney, HP, Chevy, Eucerin, Wal-Mart, Pepsi and many more all competed for the eyes, ears and keyboards of women from around the nation. It makes sense: women account for an estimated 70% of all U.S. retail purchases.

Moms are more powerful than ever, thanks to Web 2.0. According to Katie Couric who recorded a special clip from the set of CBS Evening News for BlogHer 2008 (as seen above), 36 million women write or read blogs each week. I was there because 46% of mommy bloggers have contributed to a cause or a political campaign. My firm Fission Strategy specializes in providing social media savvy online strategy & services to leading nonprofits and foundations. One of our clients, MomsRising.Org, has successfully tapped into the power of the mommy bloggers and I went to BlogHer to further those connections and to learn more about what moms online are interested in.

With a few keystrokes, any well-connected mommy blogger can mobilize an army of other advocates to support or take down a brand, a cause or public figure. The world of mommy bloggers is unique even among the Web and has its own culture, cliques, leaders, stars and foot soldiers.

Founded in 2006, MomsRising.Org is working towards a family friendly America--some of their issues include health care reform, toxins in toys, equal pay and paid sick leave for moms. Fission recently helped MomsRising re-design its Web site to be more friendly to the plugged-in moms and those who love them across the country. This includes a prominent blog, twitter feed, easy ways to share MomsRising content plus lots of photos and videos.

We worked with MomsRising recently to help them roll out their customizable video for Mother's Day in which you can embed the name of your favorite mom and nominate her as "Mother of the Year". The video is over-the-top funny and features Brangelina, Beyonce, Barack Obama, and a talking baby. We worked with MomsRising to reach out to mommy bloggers and those discussing Mother's Day on blogs and over twitter. Twitter is the 24/7 backchannel for mommy bloggers, and MomsRising tweeted the video to many moms to encourage peer-to-peer sharing.

The results were spectacular: the video gathered over 14 million views in a two-week period. MomsRising's citizen membership went from 140,000 supporters to 1.1 million, thanks in part to innovative blogger, twitter and online partner outreach. MomsRising's story shows how powerful mothers can be when you enlist their support in ways they appreciate and enjoy.

You can get up-to-speed with BlogHer '09 through their official liveblogs.

Cheryl Contee is a partner and co-founder of the social media consultancy Fission Strategy where she specializes in online advocacy, engagement, and communications.

Read more of Cheryl Contee's Fission Strategy blog

Guest Post by James Wu: It's Not About Cause Fatigue, It's About Movement Building

Photo by Thomas Hawk

Note From Beth:  A few weeks ago, I wrote a reflection on an article in CNET called "Crowded Roads Ahead for Charity 2.0" based on an interview with Toby Daniels of Think Social and Scott Harrison of charity:water. Many people left comments reflecting on how the landscape has changed for fundraising on social networks, including James Wu from Acumen who graciously expanded his thoughts into this guest post.

I work at Acumen Fund and I manage the organization's social media work.   The CNET article struck an anxiety point for many of us who work in the trenches. 

We're really excited about the mention of the new charity:water website!  Making it easy for people to give to a cause by integrating charitable actions into the activities, routines, and habits of daily life is brilliant. It's a small step up the ladder of engagement and won't necessarily lead to true education about an issue and offline engagement, but that marginal increase in awareness has a lot of potential for deeper levels of engagement.  

Recently, a few staff members here just started experimenting with Birthday Wishes on Causes and were shocked at how easy it was for each of them to raise $200 from their networks without really lifting a finger. Your posts on Birthday Wishes definitely helped give us the courage & a blueprint to dive in, but it is only one rung on the ladder of engagement. 

There was one hypothesis made in the CNET article that I found curious: "At best, donations could be spread too thin, rendering many organizations less effective."   It could just be a matter of word choice, but I felt this was a bit of a leap. If fundraising is the only measure of what makes an NGO effective, then I worry about what the real value proposition is of organizations soliciting donations. We are seeing a real movement behind social enterprise & social entrepreneurship due to the sector's embrace of transparency and accountability. What determines success, failure, and impact has much more to do with how NGOs are ensuring the sustainability & scalability of their programs, grantees, or investees. Again, I think it was just a matter of wording and taking an excerpt slightly out of context. We certainly can't achieve any of these things without sufficient capital, but effectiveness is a measure of so many more variables.

One quote from the article related to Cause fatigue caught my eye. "If one tweet after another is seeking donations, people might just get fed up."  This is absolutely true and the reason why we must lead with a value proposition that is transparent, and clearly articulates how impact and long-term sustainability will be achieved. At the end of the day, organizations have to earn the right to ask. They must ask "Have we provided enough value, and demonstrated enough proof behind our model or concept to ask people to give?"

The article also talks about scaling issues for charity:water  "...their biggest problem now is scale...You need staff, you need operational resources, you need to have all your business systems in place..."  I think this was a really interesting and insightful observation by Toby. I'm not sure that charity: water's biggest challenge is scale, as it is demonstrating impact and long-term sustainability. There is no shortage of people in this world who have an appetite for helping provide safe drinking water to those without it. And assuming charity: water remains brilliant at marketing and communications, there will be no shortage of brilliant, talented, well-connected, well-resourced individuals who will line up to help them raise an infinite source of capital as long as they can demonstrate impact and sustainability of their solutions.

I don't think we can underestimate the power of volunteerism in providing the resources and business systems that a non-profit needs -- especially volunteerism that breeds true leadership. As long as you have the proper infrastructure to support your community of proselytizers, scale becomes relative.


I absolutely agree on the need to work in networks of organizations. In addition to social networking infrastructure and channels, we're looking to build networked tribes of supporters and advocates all around the world. Based on the success of our all-volunteer Young Professionals group in NYC that's developed over the past year, we are thinking of launching chapters worldwide to help us with our mission of changing the way the world thinks about "the poor" and tackles poverty. Stay tuned to Acumen Fund's blog for more news on this soon!

I think Jill Finlayson's ideas on "thought leadership" are also key in rising above the noise and clutter.  Organizations must establish themselves as a trusted source. And we have to remember, one of the things that makes Twitter, Facebook, and social media great is that it's easy to opt-in and opt-out. The power really is with the people, so things only have to be as noisy as you want them to be or have tolerance for.

 I'm going to sound like a broken record here but to address cause fatigue and to create a real movement, organizations must ultimately demonstrate the impact and long-term sustainability of their work. Our challenge at Acumen Fund is making the concept of Patient Capital one that is generally accepted as an effective way of fighting poverty. Unfortunately, patience and complexity aren't the sexiest or most marketable ideas. But, we feel that people are beginning to wake up to the fact that there are no silver bullets and that complex problems require complex solutions that don't happen overnight. This doesn't mean operating without a sense of urgency, but instead eliminating unproductive dogma and polarization.

Movement building is all about relationship building techniques as Beth mentioned in her reflection. Social media offers some great tools, but the rules for relationship building don't change. The challenge is creating a high touch experience online as well as off.

James Wu is a Communications Associate at Acumen Fund where he works with new media and community engagement. He enjoys the process of cutting and peeling fruit, and likes to reward himself with milk and cookies before bed.

Guest Post by Frank Barry: Movement Building Links and Resources

flickr photo courtesy of racoles

Note from Beth: This week I've been researching and thinking about the topic of creating movements with others and invited guest blog posts on this topic.  Frank Barry offered to do compile a list of movement building resources and nonprofit examples and I've added a posts/resources from the last few years.   Over the next month, I'm continuing with recruiting guest posts on different themes, if you are interested, submit a post for consideration here.

Are you creating a movement or just campaigning?

Recent initiatives such as Charity:Water, 12for12k and Twestival have wowed us with their ability to create powerful movements using social media and the internet as their driving force.

Lance Armstrong Foundation, Susan G. Komen, The American Heart Association and many others started movements that are changing our world to this day. Each has withstood the test of time – Surviving no matter what the communication channel or how their message is spread.

The incredible people supporting each cause and the passionate teams leading these organizations are at the heart of their success.

Movements are amazing to watch form. They have an incredible ability to affect change in our world. The organic grass roots nature of movements coupled with their passionate supporters give them the ability to quickly spread around the world one person at a time.

It’s not just about creating campaigns, it’s about creating movements.

An excerpt from Brains On Fire helps drive home why movements are becoming more and more important in today’s highly connected world:

Movements go on as long as kindred spirits are involved.

Movements are part of the evangelist vocabulary. (Evangelize, passion, love…)

Movements are organic and rooted in passion.

Movements rely on word of mouth, where the people are the medium.

Movements are part of the evolutionist theory—whatever we co-create with the fans they can own and run with it, which will evolve over time.

 Below you will find some great resources to help you learn more about creating a movement.

What's A Movement?

Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals and/or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change. 

• Social Movement (Wiki)
• Creating Movements by by Geoff Livingston of The Buzz Bin
• Social Movements 2.0 by Vanessa
• Building Movement Project
• Five Stages for Social Movements by Training for Change

 Tips on Getting Started:

• How to Start a Movement in 7 Easy Steps by Nathan McGee of Social Media Today
• 10 Steps in Creating Movements by Conversation Agent
• The 5 Phases of a Movement by Brian Reich of Thinking About Media
• 10 Lessons Learned in Igniting Word of Mouth Movements by Brains on Fire (pdf)
• How To Create a Grassroots Movement Using Social-Networking Sites(YouTube video)

 A Few Examples:

• ZeroTrash shows how to create a social media grassroots movement by David Scott of Web Ink Now
• Planned Parenthood Movement Building: Leadership, Engagement, Stories, and Platform for Self-Organizing by Beth Kanter
• Twestival = Social Media for Social Change  by Paull Young of Mashable
• Amanda Rose, Twestival Leader, Reflects on Twestival by Beth Kanter

A for-profit example that gives us some good insight:

• Ford Corporation and Social Media-Fiesta Movement on Facebook
• Ford creates a Social Media Movement with Fiesta by Rick of Eye Cube
• Ford Fiesta Movement and social media participation points by Geoff Northcott of Supercollider

You should also check out the Building a Movement Project. They help Nonprofits!!

 What other examples have you seen emerging due to the new ways people communicate online? How are movements being started and how are they spreading in today’s modern and highly connected world?

Frank is a Consulting Manager at Blackbaud Internet Solutions. At work he helps nonprofits with technology, social media & online strategy. He also spends some time speaking at industry conferences. The rest of the time he enjoys family, learning, sports, food, friends & movies.

Guest Post by Lina Srivastava: Building Cultural Engagement for Change Through Media and Narrative

Screencapture from charity:water

Note from Beth: This week I'm researching and thinking about the topic of creating movements with others and have invited guest blog posts on this topic. 

The discussions on issue fatigue at both on my site and ArtTribes Network, and later at SocialEdge, prompted me to start looking at the flip side of fatigue, which in the case of social issues is engagement, participation and commitment. This is also a thread I've been examining in the engagement frameworks I've been co-creating, for Transmedia Activism, which looks at how one uses cross-platform distribution of content, co-creation networks and shared authorship to engage activists toward change; and for Modeling Global Change, which uses design thinking, user experience and structured narrative to examine partnership, influence and stakeholder collaboration toward parallel action and systemic change.

The same constructs which were discussed around combating issue fatigue can be used in creating a cultural movement around an issue. In particular, the building of platforms that allow for (1) storytelling and communication, and (2) effecting and demonstrating impact, allow for continuous commitment to the movement. Media and narrative play significant roles in creating and building these platforms.

It can be difficult to develop and retain engagement using cause-related media or social media for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the dearth of financing opportunities and access to distribution in the case of film, and the consistent effort and facility with short, quick messaging and branding required in social media. Creating a sustainable engagement platform within your existing structure takes time, creativity and dedication. But it's also easier to disseminate information than ever before, since the internet, web and mobile technologies allow for more connectivity and access.

There are a few foundational questions to be asked before building a cultural movement through the use of media and storytelling. Here are the three most basic:

1) Who's the audience? Are you preaching to the "unconverted"-- that is, are you bringing in the previously disengaged or the merely aware to a social movement to strengthen its numbers and potential? Or are you preaching to a choir of engaged and activist members?

The fact is that the more people are exposed to stories around a cause and the ideas behind theories of change, the more likely that change will be effected or you'll influence the people who can help create impact. But there's a difference in how you influence previously disengaged participants vs. active participants. The messaging and stories for the unaware need to be more basic and should be targeted toward entry and inclusion. Also, the burden of influence and persuasion is higher, while you risk that return on investment may be lower in terms of actually creating change.

The Story of Stuff is an example of a viral media piece that successfully engages at the lower end of the engagement spectrum, bringing "newbies" into the discussion of consumption and climate change while also engaging more knowledgeable or activist participants. Moving further along the spectrum, the film Citizens at Risk presents a more complicated story and presupposes deeper knowledge, yet is still successful and effective in presenting the issues.


2) How will you create connection? How do you pull people in, wherever along the line of the engagement spectrum they sit? Creating the basis for empathy can be a challenge at times. Nick Kristof has noted that humans respond to the suffering of individuals rather than groups. This is a difficult obstacle to overcome when you're dealing with crises or conditions that adversely affect large numbers of people, whether climate change or mass atrocities or access/rights issues. People tend to tune out. On the other hand, people respond to compelling stories and sharp narrative. So there is great worth in storytelling to raise awareness and promote activism. There is also risk in making a story a "hero's" story and focusing on a champion, to the exclusion of the situation and the impact. In gaining and retaining attention, the use of any media (film, art, social media) needs to be sparse, consistent and targeted and, more importantly, to create a personal connection.

CharityWater (which uses viral and social media with great effectiveness) , and 3 Generations (which doesn't use social media, but houses its content only on its website and in partnership with The Hub at Witness) each present interesting examples of how you can use stories to create empathy through stories that are intensely human and deeply empathic.

3) What are you trying to change? That is, what impact do you want to see and create?

It is through the loop of Issue-->Engagement-->Action-->Change that effective cultural movements move. And media (social, journalistic or arts-based) can be used at every step of that equation.

To a certain extent, the question of what you want to change should really be question number 1, every time you set out to create a movement or a program or an intervention. In the two frameworks I've been co-creating, Transmedia Activism Modeling Global Change, we've based the frameworks on the core value of putting the social change issue first. It's important to build your platforms to both create and demonstrate impact. Institutional funders and individual donors alike would rather contribute to and participate in initiatives that make a difference and do it well.

If you can show your impact-- whether through a powerpoint presentation, a good Facebook Causes page or Twitter campaign, or a good narrative-- you're more likely to succeed in keeping attention and obtaining resources that will sustain your efforts. Social media, in particular, offers a day-to-day alternative to annual reports, press releases and grant reports in showing direct impact in a consistent, immediate way. Hope Phones, for example, has been using Twitter to good effect in the mHealth movement, showing how mobile phones contribute to assisting community health workers efforts. Using social media to present not only the issue (and not the "ask") but for donor engagement (the "thanks") and the impact can help maintain participation in the movement and may also keep effort and messaging anchored in the "change" part of the equation.

Lina Srivastava is a strategist who works with nonprofit organizations, artists, filmmakers, activists and for-profits to focus on strategy, communication, design and media engagement to create social change.  This post originally appeared on Lina's blog Strategy for Social Change.

Planned Parenthood Movement Building: Leadership, Engagement, Stories, and Platform for Self-Organizing

Social Media Explained

View more presentations from kanter.

Allison Fine and I have been busy working on a book about how social media and connectedness is changing the way nonprofits are creating social change.   Today, we had an amazing conversation and interview with Cecile Richards and Tom Subak to learn more about Planned Parenthood's Social Media Strategy and their movement building techniques.

Earlier this week, I gave a presentation to a group of Bay Area Foundation program officers and funders who work on population research issues.   I spent sometime reviewing what Planned Parenthood was doing on social networks as well as their online presence - so it was good to get the inside story.   Tom and Cecile shared a rich story about culture change, loosing control, building relationships, story telling, multi-channel strategies, engagement techniques, online/offline metrics, and more.

A couple of takeaways from the interview:

• Leaders Lead Culture Change.   Over the past three years, Planned Parenthood has built an impressive Internet presence and social media strategy.  Cecile Richards, president, paved the way.  Says Richards, "Confidentiality is a big part of Planned Parenthood’s culture. And, as you know being successful with social media is the opposite of that. Three years ago, not everyone was convinced that we needed to shift our investment into our online presence.  However, given that we’re trying to reach young people – how could we ignore the place where most of them get their information?”

Tom Subak, Vice President of Online Services, adds "Looking back over the three years, Cecile made it clear to everyone that the Internet was a critical part of our future and that she was going to be personally involved in the organization's transformation to embrace it."

• Social media is described in terms of the mission, not the tools.  While the board wasn’t against technology or social media, it was a little bit of a mystery. Says Tom, "We don't talk about Facebook or Twitter. We talk about how using the tools expands our mission."  And, they don't just talk, it is backed up with reports and graphs about how the use of the tools supports their work -- the connection between the online efforts and people using services on land. But, as Cecile points out the storyline isn’t about technology or social media, it’s about movement building and the people they serve.

• Giving Up Control and Relationship Building:   As Cecile and Tom shared, their passionate activists are shaping the organization's campaign messaging and content.   "That's less so on email, of course, but now with all the work we’ve done cultivating and building relationships on Facebook and Myspace – when something happens, the response is there.  We help guide it."  Activists are sharing their personal stories in their own words, images, and videos across social networks with little prodding from the organization.

So, how specifically do they build relationships on social networks?  As Tom says, "There are many ways, but we do spend a great deal of time sending virtual birthday cards to folks. (It’s a great job for summer interns once you’ve put together your overall strategies and you can guide them)."  Obviously this is working because when they need to ask their activists to mobilize to support them when their funding is in danger, the activists are there. Sometimes before they ask.

• Platform for Self-Organizing:  As Tom Subak recalls, in the beginning stages of their social networking strategies, they goal was to get as many people to join their fan page.  They realized quickly it was the wrong approach.  "We’ve stopped cramming calls to action down people’s throats because we understand that’s not the culture of MySpace or Facebook or the way social media can be successful. We created a platform for folks to have a dialogue in the way they want. We support it, guide it."

 

As Tom Subak adds, "On social networks, we have a very light touch – we give people the opportunity to respond. It often happens through the wall comments – we go through the discussion areas, comments, photos and videos and we  take those stories to share with decision-makers." 

• The Power of Sharing Stories:   Planned Parenthood has built the infrastructure to be successful.  Their online services department is in charge of web site presence, email messaging, and social networking.   They work in collaboration with the communications team.  As Tom Subak mentions, "But something was missing: The intersection of content that we create with what our supporters create. It doesn’t matter whether it is on our web site or somewhere else. There are millions of stories inside of Planned Parenthood – the stories are incredible. We put a human face on our work and what we’re doing. With our stories, we try to figure out how to get more people engaged and change the public’s view. We now have a department called the New Media Content team. Their job is to create, edit, repurpose, identify content across all our channels. Where does this all come together – part of the organization that is thinking about content – in the way that content exists in now. It doesn’t matter where it is or who created. Another thing to is that it doesn’t matter where the content lives – we’ve been creating widgets that can placed anywhere – not just on our site"

I've been thinking about this interview for a good part of the day and especially this idea of the intersection of content that the organization creates with what their supporters create and share.   And, yes the whole balancing act of how you facilitate that without controlling it.  Perhaps it is a little more than a content creation strategy where your organization is doing all the heavy lifting, creating, editing, and production grids.   It's how you use the conversation to generate, aggregate, and facilitate social content.

Duct Tape Marketing blog has an interesting post called "Engaging Content Creates Engagement" which gets at connection.

Engagement is not really created by being a nice, genuine, caring and attentive sort of chap on twitter. It’s hard to create much momentum in any kind of social network without some of those qualities, but true engagement, engagement that leads to customers and partners, is created with content. Or, perhaps more accurately, engagement is created with engaging content.

The post goes onto discuss the balance between conversation and content.  Others have a different take. For example, John Cass, in his post "Measuring Engagement in Social Media."

I often think this idea of engagement is lost in the shuffle when thinking about how to use social media for marketing. Why is that? Well marketers are comfortable with creating advertising to attract customers, here the focus is on attracting customers and converting them, if engagement occurs it is to sell the product, the concept of engagement around the customer's content is something new, and the ROI of that activity still has to be justified for many marketers.

This is not to say that content marketing is not a good idea, or a wrong step, it's just I think content marketing is a stepping stone in the development of marketing to engagement. I also understand that many in the industry would suggest engagement is part and parcel of content marketing, but I think there's still some debate about the definition of content marketing and differences in how content marketing and inbound marketing practices are implemented.

How does your organization think about its content strategy in the context of social media engagement?

A Low Tech Version of Providing the Self-Organizing Platform for Movement Building

Last week I was in Michigan to do a training for Chapter Leaders of EPIP.  We were are all leaving Detroit at different times and the taxi to the airport wasn't exactly cheap.   So, EPIP provided a self-organizing platforn (a flip chart with a time line sign up.)   This let everyone organize into small groups and get to the airport without having to spend a lot of money.  And, it didn't involve as much time and effort if EPIP went around and asked her person what time their flight was and then organize the groups for people.

What do you need in your social media strategy to facilitate your supporters self-organizing around your goal?

Guest Post by Valeria Maltoni: Creating Movements

Note from Beth: This week I'm researching and thinking about the topic of creating movements.  If you have written a mini-case study about nonprofit movement using social media and would like me to consider it as a guest post, please fill out this form or if you know of a good resource on the topic, add in the comments and I'll aggregate

Guest Post by Valeria Maltoni: Creating Movements

Content is no good - even that of the useful kind - if it doesn't move someone to do something.

The best way of movement is "let's do this together" kind of experience. This is the job description shared by Brains on Fire (how great is having a name like that?) in their manifesto 10 Lessons Learned in Igniting Word of Mouth Movements.

What are movements about? They are about:

1. the passion conversation, not the product conversation - if you say this in a business setting people may not know who to react. Try it, you'll see what I mean. In my usual collaborative, expansive, and generous self I've often encountered tremendous resistance to this kind of behavior. Did I mention I don't give up fast? Watch for what lights people up.

2. begin with the first conversation - that's why it's hard for organizations to deal with a movement. They didn't see it coming. I remember the first time I heard the term grassroots, it gave you the idea of what it meant.

3. have inspirational leadership - this part is important, it delineates the difference between influence and inspiration. Influence is still part of the persuasion language - that's why I don't do posts that endorse products or projects in isolation. I believe that breathing life into something is much more powerful - and effective. Hence inserting ideas and projects in context.

4. there's a barrier to entry in movements - skin in the game is where it's at. Rites of passage are a necessary step in joining a community. In many respects, I think that removing those in modern societies has really taken away the ability for people to prove to themselves that they are part of it.

5. empower people with knowledge - the famous expression "opening the kimono". It's such an important step that changes the equation or balance of power and transforms the people on both sides of the exchange. Yet, there is difficulty - we have difficulty - managing that transfer.

6. shared ownership - when I talk with groups about this point and people ask me what happens if someone says you suck? I respond that I lean forward and ask them to tell me in how many ways I suck. No feedback, no learning - and probably talking to yourself. Only when there's engagement, there's sharing and communicating. When you refuse to take this step, you are the barrier.

7. powerful identities - make something to believe in. Shared experiences provide a sense of belonging, they make us fall in love with the experience as well. We're social animals. This is also about raising the other by involvement.

8. live both online and off line - people are tactile and face to face is still by far the best way to engage. We learn to take cues from our environment early on by reading body language. You can have the most sophisticated social media program, sharing a physical space is still the best way to help word of mouth travel.

9. make advocates feel like rock stars - give people your attention. Period. That is what they crave and appreciate the most. Being heard, counting, being recognized. Ordinary people can and do have extraordinary stories and ideas to share.

10. get results - Fast Company used to be a movement. Passionate people with a sense of belonging and much to share. The magazine was a conduit, the stage where the conversation took place. I know of no other company so ahead of its time. The subscriptions practically sold themselves. The point is, as the authors of the manifesto put it:

Movements get results. Like waking up the zombies in the cubical farms of your office and opening their eyes to the fact that what they do matters. Like energizing your sales force. Like your fans putting out PR nightmares before you even have time to react. Like your fans creating their own marketing messages and gear. Coming to your defense. Helping you through the hard times. Co-creating new products.

[...] Movements move people to action. Movements transform companies. Movements change lives.

If you think about it, all the professionals you truly admire and follow have gone beyond creating a profitable company, they've set out to change the world. Profit was an outcome of that. It takes courage to let yourself take these ten steps, especially when the world bounces off you.

The first thing you need is that fire in your own belly. Can you ignite that? Then an idea of your destination. Can you envision that? These ten descriptors can help carry you there. Language matters, being moved is much preferable to being the target of a campaign...

This post was originally published on the Conversation Agent

Valeria Maltoni helps businesses understand how customers and communities have changed marketing, public relations, and communications - and how to build value in this new environment.

Book Giveaway: The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz

Note from Beth: This week I'm researching and thinking about the topic of creating movements.  If you have written a post on this topic and would like me to consider it as a guest post, please fill out this form or if you know of a good resource on the topic, add in the comments and I'll aggregate

One of the guest posts this week is from Think Social and is a conversation with by Jacqueline Novogratz.  A few months back, Lucy Bernholz introduced me to her book and James Wu from the Acumen Fund who gave me a copy of The Blue Sweater and this profile in the Economist.

Since this week's thinking and resource gathering is on movement building, I thought it was appropriate to do a book giveaway.   I'll be giving my copy away to someone who leaves a comment on this post (picked at random).  Leave a comment about why you want the book and if you know of a good resource on movement building, please mention it in the comments.

Guest Post from ThinkSocial: Building A Movement in An Interconnected World - A Conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz

Note from Beth: This week I'm researching and thinking about the topic of creating movements.  If you have written a post on this topic and would like me to consider it as a guest post, please fill out this form or if you know of a good resource on the topic, add in the comments and I'll aggregate

ThinkSocial at the Paley Center for Media is dedicated to advancing the use of social media in the public interest.  The site is a growing community of people who believe that social media used by people and institutions in the public interest -- like print, television and radio in the past -- can enable more effective responses to the social, economic and environmental challenges of our time.  For more information about ThinkSocial, please check out the About section of this site.

Building a Movement in an Interconnected World: A Conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz

While there is much to be gained by listening to and engaging with the technologists, business leaders and media theorists at the white hot center of social media innovation, there is also much to be gained from engagement with leaders from other fields who are encountering and leveraging social media in their work. The purpose of ThinkSocial is in fact to connect leaders who might not otherwise be connected in order to extend the benefits of these powerful new platforms and applications for public purposes.

Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder and CEO of the Acumen Fund, is certainly one leader from the field of social innovation whom I find incredibly inspiring and thought-provoking. And, we were lucky enough to have her paired with Pat Mitchell at the Paley Center for Media recently for a conversation titled “Building a Movement in an Interconnected World.”

As you will observe from the video we’ve put together, Jacqueline uses the power of examples and personal stories to make the case for greater moral leadership and pragmatic, market-based approaches that enable people to earn their way out of poverty and improve their health. While Jacqueline and the Acumen Fund are the first to admit that Acumen is still relatively small and has much to learn, without question its measurable impact through investments in the developing world is one of the real success stories of social enterprise and a beacon light for future endeavors. But, Jacqueline and Acumen are beacons for more than just social enterprise. Her stories also reveal the importance of social media to development.

Her stories manifest the power of social media to bring about a new global consensus for action on poverty and health — one story, one conversation, one call to action at a time. People can now talk in spite of geographic, economic and ethnic differences. And, with this new capability people – particularly those dedicated to development — are in fact finding tremendous insight and inspiration through their social media interactions because of these differences.

The distance between a social enterprise investor, a program officer, or a policy maker or citizen in the United States and a person in the slums of Kenya or India participating in an economic development or health social enterprise has never been smaller. We can now discuss, highlight and organize around the initiatives that work. Acumen is one such initiative and its use of social media is one such example for how this new capability is radically expanding the circle of social concern we all feel and the possibilities for acting on those concerns in mutually beneficial ways.

Please watch the video (4 Parts) and let us know your thoughts. What examples have you seen that further exemplify social media’s role in helping to affect social change?  Who else should we be highlighting here at ThinkSocial? Which individuals, initiatives or organizations are leading the way in their use of social media in the public interest?

We would love to hear from you!

Building a Movement in an Interconnected World: A Conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz (Part 1)

In the the first part of this talk Jacqueline discusses mainstream media’s coverage of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 and how it compared to social media and Twitter’s role in connecting Iranian people with the rest of the world following the recent controversial elections.

Building a Movement in an Interconnected World: A Conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz (Part 1)

In the the first part of this talk Jacqueline discusses mainstream media’s coverage of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 and how it compared to social media and Twitter’s role in connecting Iranian people with the rest of the world following the recent controversial elections.

Building a Movement in an Interconnected World: A Conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz (Part 2)

In Part 2 of this talk Jacqueline talks about Pakistan and the opportunities to create a global community around the people who are trying to create positive and lasting change in the country. She emphasizes how important journalists are in helping to tell stories, both internally and from the outside and how these stories have the potential to reach more people through social media channels.

Building a Movement in an Interconnected World: A Conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz (Part 3)

In Part 3, Pat Mitchell asks whether we need moral leadership in social media. Jacqueline discusses how leaders in fact have a moral obligation and need to recognize the responsibility that comes with being ‘connected’. Jacqueline also talks at length about the Rwanda Genocide and how it would have been significantly different had social media been as prevalent then as it is now.

Building a Movement in an Interconnected World: A Conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz (Part 4)

In the final part of Jacqueline’s discussion with Pat Mitchell, she tells a moving story of an encounter in a Nairobi slum with Jane, a former prostitute, whose dreams of escaping poverty, of becoming a doctor and of getting married were fulfilled in an unexpected way. She first told this story at TED, however in this version she talks about the role of social media and how it has provided an incredible feedback mechanism, allowing individuals in the Nairobi slum to comment on and discuss her TED talk through sites such as Digg.com.

This post was published on the Think Social site here and is being republished with permission.

Guest Post by Geoff Livingston: Creating Movements

Note from Beth: This week I'm researching and thinking about the topic of creating movements.  If you have written a post on this topic and would me to consider as a guest post, please fill out this form or if you know of a good resource on the topic, add in the comments and I'll aggregate

Geoff Livingston, Guest Post

This is an excerpt from my keynote speech this morning given to the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network’s “Social Media for Social Good conference.” Valeria Maltoni wrote a great post with the same title featuring ten tips on creating movements just two days ago. Her post was based off of the Brains of Fire Manifesto, “10 Lessons Learned in Igniting Word of Mouth Movements.” Both posts influenced this speech.

Those of us that communicate for nonprofits find ourselves at a crossroads. The new social tools that we are here to discuss are not so new anymore. We’ve seen successes like Barack Obama’s incredible rise to the Presidency. Dynamic movements such as the Iraqi election. And frustrating challenges like fighting off big oil’s influence on the ever delayed climate change bill otherwise known as Waxman Markey.

There have the been the well discussed successes like DonorsChoose and Lil Green Patch. There are the ongoing efforts to fight Swine Flu, or new successes like LiveStrong. And the many, many hyper local and niche causes that touch the lives of their online communities not by the millions, but by the hundreds or thousands everyday.

If you are like me, you are asked all the time to use these media to create movements. BUT.

Yes, that difficult word, BUT.

We are asked to do it in controlled environments. We are asked to ensure brand and message quality. We are asked to contain those people and make sure they do what we want, and also ensure only the “good” ideas are accepted. We are asked to deliver #s of hits or followers. We are asked to master ever evolving technologies. And we are asked to do it with little or no resources. Ironically, if we have time, the last matter is the least difficult.

And that is the crossroads. Movements versus campaigning. Creating open communities with old siloed corporate structures. And yes nonprofits mimic their corporate brethren with siloed structures.

How can you tell the difference? It’s easy. If we are successful, we’re being talked about, rather than talking. People are writing their own stories and ideas about our cause rather than us publishing content. Tweet conversations about you happen instead of links from your Twitter account. Networks, groups, applications, conversations, meet-ups, T-shirts, donations, volunteer events and political actions receive community wide support and in many cases are created by the community itself.

See, the mark of a great social media effort is when the community itself owns it. We can light the match, we can use lighter fluid and kindling, we can fan the flames, but only the community can make our issue, our movement, burn with the full fire of an inferno.

Movements involve people, not Marketing, PR, Comms, Public Affairs, etc., etc. Our job as organizational communicators lies in trying to facilitate a larger conversation by providing the means for people to share, perhaps initiate conversations, and highlight the great work and thoughts of others. But we cannot use these tools to dictate the movement. And that means we must lead our organizations into a new era of communications.

The classic mistake of organizations is to apply the very old publishing content and messages approach to the not so new social media. Don’t make that mistake. And control? Please, why even bother? If you want to control then you don’t understand people, and you are in the wrong business. Get out now. My experience has informed me over and over again that you will fail. Yet, our executives and managers, our internal stakeholders cannot understand the open culture.

Listen before participating, and participate before publishing. Publish shareable information instead of dictating messages. Create relationships instead of transactions. This may as well be Sanskrit to many organizational leaders. And so you are not just asked to change the world, but also your organizations. Patience and consistent efforts, showing results over projects, over periods of time, and most importantly, with newly engaged stakeholders.

Never forget that this is about exciting and enabling people to carry forth the most noble of charges, your cause. You want them to tell their friends over dinner, buy that bumper sticker, make the logo their screen saver, provide an unexpected donation, go out and take pictures, and/or ask their CEO if they can send an email to the company.

See, a movement compels someone to make your cause a part of their life, not just their Facebook profile. It’s always better to have 500 people screaming your wares than 5,000 passive followers who don’t care. Never forget that, either.

Going back to the climate change bill. I cannot help but think of the green movement, and its failure to transcend the environmentalist and conservation movements to the point that American households are doing everything they can to become green. The great failure with Waxman Markey is not how watered down it has become, that big oil is winning, that the bill may never pass. It’s that our congressional representatives can get away with this. The movement is not strong enough.

I began our talk today with my personal nonprofit history. You know I believe this is our generation’s greatest challenge, as great as the fascist threat that faced our grandparents.

It is my hope, my prayer that I can use these god given communication skills, our not so new world of participatory media, and make green something so compelling that it cannot help but become an all powerful movement. I envision a time when people will gladly pay more for green technology, and they will consciously try to reduce their carbon footprint everyday. When disgraces like the Waxman Markey fiasco occur, they will be outraged with their political representatives and demand change, again and again until the right people are in office who will defend our world.

As you go into your sessions today, I ask you to think not about how to get 1000 people into your Facebook groups. Instead, how can you use your Facebook group to engage your fellows, change your work environment, and spark your movement.

Dubbed a “local blogging guru” by the Washington Post, Geoff’s award-winning book “Now is Gone” was released in 2007 and has been cited by the Wall Street Journal as a valuable resource for social media.