Look, we know everyone procrastinates. I do it, you do it, we all do it.
But if you haven’t registered yet for the NCDD 2014 conference yet, today is your last day to get registered before the extra $100 late fee kicks in. So if you’ve been putting it off until the last minute, now is the last minute!
We are pleased to share a thought-provoking blog piece penned by Rich Harwood, director of The Harwood Insitute – an NCDD member organization. Rich reflects on a significant trend in the non-profit world that is familiar to many of us, and how our thinking around it can change. We encourage you to read the piece below or find the original here.
The watchword for community change nowadays is “impact.” This little, two-syllable word seemingly insinuates itself into every discussion about change. In doing so, it has redirected everyone’s attention, but not always in the right direction. If we’re not careful, we’ll lose sight of our most precious mission: to help people transform their lives and build stronger communities.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for “impact.” Who isn’t? I’ve spoken before hundreds of funders at an Aspen Forum for Community Solutions conference, published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review on this topic, engaged in various roundtables and webinars, and developed thousands of “public innovators” to create collective change in communities across the U.S. and overseas. But the impact of this seemingly little word is not always so productive or positive.
My experience working with people in communities, with foundation leaders, with various national initiatives, and with a variety of others is that the deifying of this word has produced a cascading effect of collective responses that endanger our mission. Consider the kind of discussion that ensues when we all start to talk about impact:
Our frame instantly becomes that of metrics and measurement – in other words “data.”
We then lunge toward enlisting large numbers of professionals and organizations to sit around a table and develop the right answers to whatever the data tell us.
Then we generate committees and workgroups and initiatives to implement the answers.
Our focus is then transfixed on the mechanics of managing all of these moving parts.
On the surface, nothing I’ve written sounds blatantly wrong. And as I’ve travelled the country, I have become convinced – indeed, moved – that those of us engaged in this work are excited about it because we so deeply want change. We believe that we, as a society, can do better. We have come to the conclusion that only by working together can we build stronger and more resilient communities and lives.
But the notion of “impact” can drive and distort our mindset and behaviors in ways I doubt most of us either intend or want.
The word immediately drives us to focus on data, activity and the mechanics of change. In the process, we can lose sight of the actual pain and suffering of people in our communities. We can forget that people not only want to alleviate their pain, but they also hold aspirations to move their lives forward.
We can get so lost in the mechanics that we fail to actually build different community relationships, norms and practices that change how a community works together – not just now, but in the future. We can wholly buy in to our own plans and initiatives without paying attention to how change truly occurs in communities.
The idea of impact can cast a spell over us. It shapes what we do and say. But if we want to create impact – to help people transform their lives and build stronger communities – we’ll need to break this spell.
Let’s make sure that in our quest for impact we keep communities and the people who live in them as our reference points.
Part of the reason we chose our theme Democracy for the Next Generation is that we are committed to encouraging and cultivating the young leaders who are emerging in our field. We will have more students and young people joining us at NCDD 2014 than at any previous conference.
We’ve made this happen through our $250 rate for full-time students (35 students have registered using this option), and through granting an additional 50+ scholarships for students and youth that need help with registration, and often travel stipends and lodging too.
This was made possible through an anonymous donation of $10,000, but we have tapped out these funds and then some. We just couldn’t turn away the amazing young leaders who showed sincere interest in joining us, and passion about building their future careers in this field. Plus, we know this is one of the smartest investments we can make, for the conference and for our field.
Will you help show our community’s support for these emerging leaders by donating to the youth scholarship fund? At this point, we need to cap new scholarship requests (which keep coming in!) – unless we get your support.
So we are calling on our fabulous community to help us raise another $4000 to support the literal “next generation” in joining us in Reston, VA later this month.
Please contribute to our student & youth scholarship fund today by completing the short form at www.ncdd.org/donate – NCDD, and all of these promising young people, could really use your support right now!
Your tax-deductible donation will go directly to helping us provide travel reimbursements, shared hotel rooms, and registration for the last batch of scholarship hopefuls. Plus anyone who donates $50 or more will have their contribution acknowledged in the printed conference guidebook.
Additionally, we are thrilled that NCDD Board member and Colorado State University professor Martin Carcasson is bringing a whopping 15 of his students to join us all the way from Colorado! Though we’re helping them with registration, Martin and his students are raising funds for their travel and lodging expenses through a Kickstarter-style campaign here. Check out their great video and support them as well!
The following post featuring a fascinating article about what technology can do to bring about “Democracy for the Next Generation” in local government came from the Davenport Institute’s Gov 2.0 Watch blog. Read it below or find the original here.
Citizens across the country trust their federal, state and local government less. With this lack of trust, citizens are creating apps and using social media to help each other. Some cities are hesitant while others are embracing this phenomenon because technology is here to stay:
Local governments are facing new realities. Citizens’ trust in government has declined, and financial constraints do not allow local governments to deliver all of the services their communities would like. In response, citizens are changing as well. Increasingly, local residents and organizations are seizing opportunities to engage with their communities in their own ways by creating platforms that bypass government. . .
In Alexandria, Va., a citizens’ group launched ACTion Alexandria, an online platform for residents to engage in challenges, debate solutions, share stories and develop relationships, all on their own and without the help or permission of the city government. Even though ACTion Alexandria is a platform created and owned by citizens, the city government supports it and even partners with it.
We are so pleased to announce that the Text, Talk, Act mental health conversation is returning, this time with a great contest element. TTA is part of the NCDD-supported Creating Community Solutions initiative, and we highly encourage our members, especially those of you who work with youth, to consider hosting your own conversations! Learn more below or visit www.creatingcommunitysolutions.org/texttalkact.
One in four adults suffer from this in any given year. If it were cancer, diabetes or heart disease, we’d label it an epidemic. The once silent killer has suddenly starting screaming at us everywhere we go. It’s rocking our communities, and it’s affecting our families.
“It” is the state of our mental health – and it’s time we all started talking about it. And given that 3/4 of all mental health problems begin between the ages of 14 and 24, young people desperately need to have this conversation. But how do you bring up the elephant in the room? And how do you talk about something that’s been left in the shadows for so long?
Right now, across the country, young people are finally having this conversation. Through text messaging, groups of emerging adults are receiving discussion questions to start the conversation, and are given resources to learn how to take care of themselves and how to help a friend in need. These brave young people are ending the silence and taking to social media to encourage others to talk about the elephant in the room.
On Monday, October 6th, this conversation will go nationwide. Anyone, anywhere, at any time can join this vital effort. It’s easy:
Gather 3-4 people* and text START to 89800
Talk with their group using the text-enable questions
Be part of the change
To encourage the conversation, participants can win prizes for themselves or their schools/community organizations. One of 10 lucky winners (between the ages of 18-24) will receive $500, and three $1,000 prizes will go to a winning high school, college and community organization. In addition, three lucky participants will receive an iPad mini. Visit bit.ly/TTAcontest for more details and to register.
Groups that can’t join the nationwide discussion on Oct. 6th can host a Text, Talk, Act event any time from now through the end of October. Simply text START to 89800 to begin.**
This initiative was developed in concert with Creating Community Solutions, part of the National Dialogue on Mental Health, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, The National Institute for Civil Discourse, Everyday Democracy, American Association of Suicidology, National Alliance on Mental Health, the National Campus Leadership Council, and Crisis Text Line.
*Don’t have 3-4 peeps with you on Oct 6? Join the discussion on Twitter using #TextTalkAct
**From Canada? Short codes blocked on your phone? Use 7785881995
The theme for this year’s NCDD conference, “Democracy for the Next Generation“, is meant to invite us to build on all the innovative tools and practices that have been invigorating our field in recent years. Many of those innovations are digital, and that is why a major goal for NCDD 2014 is to help our field better understand how to utilize technology for engagement and to provide insights and know-how for harnessing the emerging technologies that support dialogue and deliberation. NCDD 2014 will feature tons of “next generation” engagement tech, so don’t miss it - register today!
In keeping with our theme, we are excited to share the great list of 50 “next generation” online engagement tools (no implied endorsement) that our partners at CommunityMatters compiled with help from our friends at New America, EngagingCities, the DDC, and NCDD’s own director. Check out the CM post and the comprehensive list below or find the original version here.
Online public participation is an effective complement to face-to-face events such as community workshops and design charrettes. Selecting the right platform to get the most out of digital outreach can be overwhelming.
The first step is to learn what tools are out there! Here are 50 tools for online engagement in no particular order (and with no implied endorsement). These digital platforms can help local government consult, collaborate with, and empower citizens in community decision-making.
Once you’ve perused the list, check out the notes and recording of our September 5 conference call with Alissa Black and Pete Peterson, who shared advice for selecting digital tools that align with engagement goals.
coUrbanize: List project information for development proposals and gather online feedback.
Cityzen: Gathers feedback by integrating polling and social media sites.
Community Remarks: Map-based tool for facilitating dialogue and collecting feedback.
Crowdbrite: Organizes comments for online brainstorming sessions and workshops.
EngagementHQ: Provides information and gathers feedback for decision-making.
MetroQuest: Incorporates scenario planning and visualizations for informing the public and collecting feedback.
SeeClickFix: For reporting and responding to neighborhood issues.
Neighborland: Forum that encourages community discussion and action at the neighborhood level.
PublicStuff: Communication system for reporting and resolving community concerns.
MindMixer: Ideation platform for community projects.
NextDoor: Private social network and forum for neighborhoods.
Adopt-a-Hydrant: Allows citizens to help maintain public infrastructure.
CivicInsight: Platform for sharing progress on development of blighted properties.
i-Neighbors: Free community website and discussion forum.
Recovers: Engages the public in disaster preparedness and recovery.
EngagingPlans: Information sharing and feedback forum for productive participation.
Street Bump: Crowdsourcing application to improve public streets.
neighbor.ly: Crowdfunding platform to promote local investment in improvement projects.
TellUs Toolkit: Map-based tools for engagement and decision-making.
Budget Simulator: Tool for educating about budget priorities and collecting feedback.
We recently received a newsletter from NCDD supporting member Matt Leighninger of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium (DDC), and we wanted to share it with you. The DDC has been working on some important and exciting projects, and they have 3 big announcements.
Infogagement: Citizenship and Democracy in the Age of Connection is the latest white paper from PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement). Written by the DDC’s Matt Leighninger, the report – downloadable here - describes the innovative collision of journalism, technology, and public engagement. It is based on interviews with PACE members and many other leading thinkers, and presents the main arguments in the form of six sections, a series of charts, and a two-act play. Leighninger, Paula Ellis, and Chris Gates will discuss the report in a PACE webinar next Tuesday, September 16th – register at www.pacefunders.org/events.html.
Second, the DDC is part of hosting a new round of the wonderful Text, Talk, Act initiative, which is jointly supported by NCDD:
Monday, October 6th, will be the next big day for “Text, Talk, and Act” – a nationwide, text-enabled, face-to-face on mental health. Thousands of people have taken part in “Text, Talk, and Act,” which is a Creating Community Solutions event in the National Dialogue on Mental Health. Participating is easy: just get together with 4-5 other people on the 6th and text “START” to 89800. For more information, see www.bit.ly/texttalkact.
Lastly, Matt is releasing a great new textbook soon that is sure to be a key work for those teaching about our field’s work:
Coming soon: Matt Leighninger and Tina Nabatchi (Maxwell School, Syracuse University) are hard at work on a textbook on Public Participation in 21st Century Democracy, to be released in early 2015 by Wiley/Jossey-Bass.
We encourage you to learn more about the Deliberative Democracy Consortium and their work at www.deliberative-democracy.net.
We think that NCDD members will be interested to learn more about a great initiative from Making All Voices Count, who will be launching global competition of innovative governance ideas next week. We encourage you to read MAVC’s write up on the competition below or find the original piece here.
While democracies share common features, there is no single model and the same is true for innovations designed to engage citizens and incentivise better governance.
On the International Day of Democracy September 15, Making All Voices Count, a global initiative that aims to foster and support new ideas to enable better citizen engagement and government responsiveness, will launch its second annual Global Innovation Competition (GIC).
“We’re excited to launch the GIC on this symbolic day and welcome challenging, bold solutions,” says Innovation Director Daudi Were.
The GIC is designed to tackle a different governance and accountability problem each year and invites the public to identify and vote on entries.
Last year’s winner came from a changemaker within government in Pakistan, and the competition sparked a surge of interest that led to a wide range of submissions from innovators across the world, with over 250 submissions received and 60,000 public votes cast.
This year, the GIC takes forward the lessons learned and is seeking ideas for Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia, the Philippines, Liberia, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mozambique, Uganda and Nigeria that relate to the following themes:
Legislative Openness – Inclusive and Participatory Lawmaking
Sub-national Governance
Gender Equality
Building Resilience and Response to Humanitarian Crisis
The competition doesn’t take innovation to mean the fastest and newest technology and several of the ten previous finalists utilised basic tools, such as SMS and a print news bulletin, in their solutions. As Were explains:
“It’s less about the technology and more about how it’s deployed and its relevance to the cultural, political, economic and geographical needs of the end user.
Anyone can come up with up an idea, but it takes an innovator to turn that idea into a working solution and it’s people like this we hope to attract in GIC 2015.”
Awards:
£300,000 in grants available to winners
Finalists will attend the Global Innovation Week in Jakarta, Indonesia; a programme of intensive mentoring and networking.
Winners will receive grants to support their projects, plus expert mentorship.
Making All Voices Count takes learning as central to its programme and earlier this year, a series of think-pieces were conducted investigating the conditions most conducive to the mission of “making all voices count”. This check-list draws on these outputs and has been compiled for GIC applicants.
One major observation, noted by Research & Evidence Programme Manager Duncan Edwards in the think-piece on Making, is that interventions designed to amplify citizen voice and secure government responsiveness are often conducted by outsiders and risk being disconnected from local realities.
The importance of including local perspectives in interventions is echoed by Juliana Rotich, Executive Director of Ushahidi, who says, “when it comes to your community, your society, your country, you are the expert.”
The theme for this year’s International Day of Democracy is “Engaging Youth” and Making All Voices Count is particularly interested in solutions that amplify the voices of vulnerable members of society. In this post previous GIC mentor Fred Ouku offers a disability perspective and urges:
“If you’re talking about democracy – including ALL voices in the public sphere – it’s important to recognize the ‘public’ are diverse, with different needs and experiences.
My vision for this year’s GIC is that entrants, from the outset, design solutions that aim to make services or decision-making processes accessible and open to everyone. That is, for all members of society including marginalized persons or people that for some reason remain hard to reach.”
Applications for the GIC open on September 15, 2014 and close on October 15, 2014.
We know many in the NCDD community are interested in collective impact strategies, so we wanted to share a helpful piece on the subject from the blog of one of our newest NCDD members, Beth Tener of the New Directions Collaborative. We encourage you to her thoughts below or find the original here.
Several clients recently have asked us to help with strategic planning. The more I have worked with networks and cross-sector initiatives, I have seen the limits of the traditional way of thinking about strategy. Typically, a strategy will be for one organization to look out at the world, assess “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats” and devise an action plan for how they will influence change in the world.
When thinking about strategy for a network and/or multi-organization collaborative initiative, it calls for a different set of questions (as this section of our web site explores.) One key difference is to shift from a specific goal of one organization to focus on creating conditions for various players who work in the field to work more effectively by aligning their work around a shared goal and and finding ways to collaborate.
Here are examples of questions to craft a network-oriented strategy, from our work with non-profits and others working on social change goals such as growing a local food economy or improving educational outcomes for students in a community:
Where are most effective places to intervene in the system to achieve our shared goal?
What is needed to inspire, enable, and support people at these key parts of the system to self-organize and pursue this goal, e.g., transition their choices to more local foods?
What needs to happen collectively that individual people or organizations can’t make happen? (Or, said another way: What are projects or activities that are needed to reach the goal that no one organization can pull off alone?)
What needs to happen to change the system that’s not happening?
Seeing this, where does it make sense for the network to focus as to not overlap with these organizations?
(In most areas of social change, there is a crowded field of players that keeps changing. For the network to stay relevant it needs to assess regularly where it is adding value to keep strategic focus.)
What are criteria for actions/projects/investments for the network or collaborative initiative? For example:
Provide connection/learning across multiple organizations/sectors; amplify learning by aggregating knowledge of the field
Advance progress on barriers common across organizations, e.g., host a joint forum/summit about an area of barrier/opportunity
Align and coordinate work on key leverage points, e.g., facilitate work groups or task forces, invest and share research
Provide centralized support functions that the whole field can use/contribute to (e.g., metrics, message Q&A boards or list serv)
Incubate ideas and/or invest in a space, where there is a need that is not being addressed
Capitalize on connections – enable members to gain greater access through mutual connections, e.g., policy advocacy, connections to decision-makers, research
The Happiness Alliance, home of The Happiness Initiative and Gross National Happiness (GNH) Index, is a deeply grassroots organization. Their mission is to improve the well-being of society by reducing emphasis on economic growth and focusing on the domains that lead to life satisfaction, resilience and sustainability. Their purpose is to provide tools, resources and knowledge to foster grassroots activism for a new economic paradigm. The Happiness Alliance is a volunteer driven organization.
The Happiness Initiative
Gain the knowledge and resources to conduct a happiness initiative in your city, community, business or other organization and use the GNH Index. Receive a Happiness Initiative Leadership Training certification for full attendance of the course.
Happiness Initiative Leadership Training
Learn and share in an interactive and compassionate setting. This training will give you the tools, knowledge and resources to conduct a happiness initiative in your city, community, business or other organization. We will cover all the steps to conduct a happiness initiative. Topics range from the logistics of conducting a happiness initiative, to trouble shooting and taking a project to the next level. Areas covered include: team building, conducting the survey, media and communications, objective metrics, data gathering, report writing, town meeting planning and facilitation, project management, individual happiness projects, community happy projects, public relations and marketing and fundraising. You receive a Happiness Initiative Leadership Training certification for full attendance of the course.
Gross National Happiness Index
How to Use the Gross National Happiness Index is a simple and short guide to using a subjective well-being indicator at any scale for the grass roots activist at any level. It was first published in 2011, and has been used by over 110 cities, communities, campuses and companies in the US and internationally. Musikanski, L., Goldenberg, E, and Flynn, T., 2011, The Happiness Alliance.
But if you haven’t registered yet for the NCDD 2014 conference yet, today is your last day to get registered before the extra $100 late fee kicks in. So if you’ve been putting it off until the last minute, now is the last minute!
Part of the reason we chose our theme Democracy for the Next Generation is that we are committed to encouraging and cultivating the young leaders who are emerging in our field. We will have more students and young people joining us at NCDD 2014 than at any previous conference.
Please contribute to our student & youth scholarship fund today by completing the short form at 
