Something new and important is afoot. Nonprofit and philanthropic organizations are under increasing pressure to do more and to do better to increase and improve productivity with fewer resources. Social entrepreneurs, community-minded leaders, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropists now recognize that to achieve greater impact they must adopt a network-centric approach to solving difficult problems. Building networks of like-minded organizations and people offers them a way to weave together and create strong alliances that get better leverage, performance, and results than any single organization is able to do.
While the advantages of such networks are clear, there are few resources that offer easily understandable, field-tested information on how to form and manage social-impact networks. Drawn from the authors' deep experience with more than thirty successful network projects, Connecting to Change the World provides the frameworks, practical advice, case studies, and expert knowledge needed to build better performing networks. Readers will gain greater confidence and ability to anticipate challenges and opportunities.
Easily understandable and full of actionable advice, Connecting to Change the World is an informative guide to creating collaborative solutions to tackle the most difficult challenges society faces.
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Generative Network Difference
Chapter 2. Start Me Up: Designing a Network -Purpose -Membership -Value Propositions -Coordination, Facilitation, and Communication -Resources -Governance -Assessment -Operating Principles -Bonus Track'Advice to Funders and Other Network Engineers
Chapter 3. Connect the Dots: Weaving a Network's Core
Chapter 4. Network Evolution
Chapter 5. Enable and Adapt: Managing a Network's Development -Member Engagement -Network Infrastructure -Provisional Planning -Periphery Relationships
Chapter 6. Know Your Condition: Taking a Network's Pulse
Chapter 7. Back to Basics: Resetting a Network's Design
Chapter 8. Three Rules to Build By
Afterword Resources for Network Builders Appendices Acknowledgments Index
“An important contribution to the growing literature on networks, Connecting to Change the World offers startlingly useful guidance to those who need to navigate a changing new world increasingly represented by links and nodes. Free of the hyperbole and conjecture that sometimes accompany claims on the potential of networks, the authors rely on their research and experience to pinpoint the benefits and limitations of networks. As a person who works with policymakers and is actively engaged in philanthropy, this will become a well-worn reference book.”
