Movement as Network

Active Citizen Marty Kearns points to an interesting white paper, "Movement as Network," by Gideon Rosenblatt. A movement, on Rosenblatt's, view has three kinds of constituent organizations, linked loosely and working together, so the sum is more than the parts.

1. People-oriented groups, small or large, serving a particular constituency
2. Solution-oriented groups, outlining a problem and pushing a particular solution
3. Resource-oriented groups, that provide essential elements of the infrastructure needed by the movement

Gifthub could evolve into a resource group, supporting donor centered, or wisdom centered philanthropy regardless of cause. It could be a node on many networks, within many, and even conflicting movements. That is, what you might call, the professional service model.

The challenge is that giving, much less rallying others to a cause, is driven by passion. The progressive movement desperately needs a node on its network to do what the conservatives have done so well, mobilize those with financial capacity, and get them to invest in a shared vision of a better world. However, honestly, even the conservatives funders and fundraisers could do much better. They too could learn to do wisdom-centered giving, rather than just making the traditional "Ask." The same donor-centered process that works from one cause will work for another. The same tools and techniques are transferable. And the same tax, legal, and financial professionals can serve any cause.

My own "cause" is a more open, inclusive, and vibrant civil society, characterized by raucous and passionate debate, not by pundits building a career, but among citizens who are willing to give and take, learn as well as teach, and actually change each other's minds, as we come together from the bottom-up, to participate in the life of our times, and to make a difference, each of us, in addressing obvious social ills. I associate that view of bottom-up democracy with bloggers, with progressives, with what was once called "liberalism" (before it became a cuss word), but also with conservative thinkers like William Schambra. (I also associate it with Grub Street in Swift's day, the coffee houses of that era, and the pamphleteering of Ben Franklin, Tom Paine, and Publius.)

So, perhaps, we can say that Gifthub is a "resource" for givers, for and from all honorable causes, and that we try here to model not just a cold, stiff professional courtesy, but also the open society of give and take to which we are all, presumably, committed.

Finally, giving is more than money. Social capital is raised through poetry, vision, love, and voluntary effort for the public good. Gift Hub should a rallying point and staging area for those who have more than dollars to give and who connect with one another as citizens, coming together freely to accomplish shared and noble ends within their own movement or community of interest.

Comments

[Chris Corrigan]

Very interesting paper...and perhaps the taste of things to come post-Chicago.

[Phil]

Marty Kearns is a brilliant guy; the ideals of an environmental advocate with an entrepreneur's spirit and business sense. Would be interesting to overhear, or convene, a conversation between him and Laura Trippi on net-centric advocacy.

[Gerry]

I really think that GiftHub could be an important resource for givers of all stripes. To me, there is wisdom in all traditions if you know how to find it, and conservatives are even more in need of this than others. To me, there doesn't seem to be much wisdom coming from the processes by which conservatives have been marshalling their resources politically and otherwise, even though the conservative traditions do have much to contribute to the debate.

I am hopeful that this conference and GiftHub will be an important step in bringing together people of good faith and diverse viewpoints around the common cause of giving.

[Phil Cubeta]

Yes, thanks, well put. We also have a lot to learn from one another about donor-centered, wisdom-centered, and community or cause-centered philanthropy, giving, and organizing. The tools and techniques, "what works," are independent of the particular cause, goal, or community.