For+Newcomers

=//This page is intended to help orient newcomers to the Network of Network Funders Community of Practice//=

//Who we are//
The Network of Network Funders (NNF) is a community of practice for grantmakers who are intentionally investing in and working through networks. We are made up of 25 core participants from 14 different foundations across the U.S. We are connecting, pooling, and deepening learning about networked approaches to grantmaking so funders can be increasingly intentional and effective in catalyzing and strengthening formal and informal networks. [Click here to learn more about the history and rationale behind the NNF]

//Our goals//

 * Learn and dialogue around network-related topics that are of interest and importance to community of practice members
 * Experiment with network approaches and thereby enable institutional learning and adaptation
 * Generate new and actionable knowledge that addresses gaps in our understanding of network approaches to philanthropy
 * Weave a broader network of funders and others who are supporting and working through networks
 * Capture, codify, and spread knowledge of what work

//NNF participants are entering this conversation from different (and often multiple) starting points://

 * Catalyzing networks is core to **specific programmatic goals**
 * Understanding how to strengthen network effectiveness among foundation grantees is important for **increasing impact across programs**
 * **Adopting a network mindset** (working in more open and decentralized ways) is a way for the foundation to exercise leadership and have an outsized impact

//Questions we grapple with//
These are just a few of the big questions we've been discussing. Click here for a more complete list of questions.



... just for fun, here are a couple of word clouds that express the NNF's interests:

 * ===__Assessing Network Impact__===


 * ===__Catalyzing and Supporting Networks__===



//Our Trajectory//
Thus far, we've held webinars and convenings on topics related to the questions above. Below, you'll find a broad overview of the trajectory we've followed to date. For a more detailed trajectory and details related to each activity, see the agendas for our two learning cohorts: Network Impact and Network Support.



Additional Resources
Here are resources that the NNF has found particularly useful in framing our understanding of networks, philanthropy and social change. There's a lot here. To get started, check out these short articles:
 * Monitor Institute's [|'Working Wikily']
 * Valdis Krebs and June Holley's "[|Building Smart Communities Through Network Weaving]"

Connect to Us!
We've created a fictitious character on LinkedIn: "Funder Netty." If you have a LinkedIn account, please be sure to connect to her. We'll be using LinkedIn's network visualizer to generate a map of Netty's network -- which will show existing LinkedIn connections among NNF participants. We'll share Netty's network at the convening and online.

Since we're a relatively small group, Netty's network won't be large. But, let's see what we can learn. We're interested in possibly doing something similar for the GEO/Monitor convening in the fall.