6-6+Draft+Frequently+Asked+Questions

=FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS=
 * What’s the relationship between networks and movements?
 * What the difference between investing in networks and investing in field building?
 * What’s the relationship between network theory, systems dynamics and complexity theory?
 * How are decisions made in network context? What is known about effective network alignment and governance?
 * When and how to use social network mapping and analysis?
 * What is network weaving and how to support it?
 * When weaving networks, what needs to be done in-person and what can be done online? How to integrate the online and in-person?
 * How can I measure my foundation’s efforts to weave networks online?
 * What are techniques for facilitating network interactions and “holding network space”?
 * How do I get started using social media if I don’t have any time?
 * What competencies do network leaders need?
 * What skills and characteristics are needed to invest in catalyzing networks?
 * What skills are needed to effectively contribute to learning and assess network impact?
 * How do I convince others that working transparently and using social media adds value to my work as a program officer?

What is the relationship between networks and movements?
Manuel Pastor and Rhonda Ortiz define movements as, “Sustained groupings that develop a frame or narrative based on shared values, that maintain a link with a real and broad base in the community, and that build for a long-term transformation in systems of power.”

Movements are made up of networks and networks are embedded in movements. Structurally, a movement might look like a network of networks—with a dense set of relationships at the core where many networks are overlapping. At the same time, networks—formal and informal—may be one of many vehicles for building a movement.

For example, the Pro-Choice Movement is built around a narrative about a woman’s right make her own reproductive decisions. The movement connects the needs and values of women with policymakers and the public dialogue in order to slowly shift power structures such that women are guaranteed reproductive rights. Individuals and organizations have moved fluidly in and out of the Pro-Choice Movement. There are no membership requirements, no formal structures, and no designated center for the Pro-Choice Movement as a whole. There are multiple centers that have grown and changed over time. There are many networks –formal and informal, large and small—embedded within and cutting across the Pro-Choice Movement, ranging from NARAL Pro-Choice America with its advocacy networks at the national and state levels and due-paying membership base, to looser and more private abortion support groups.

For movement builders, an understanding of networks presents an opportunity for a new level of intentionality and impact when designing, participating in and supporting the myriad of networks that link together to create the underpinnings of a movement.

What the difference between investing in networks and investing in field building?
[to be drafted]

What’s the relationship between social network analysis, systems dynamics and complexity theory?
__What is social network analysis?__ The explosive growth of social networking websites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace has brought social network analysis and mapping to the forefront of public attention. But the field has a long history that traces its roots back to the early part of the twentieth century, emerging from work in a range of different disciplines—sociology, anthropology, psychology, geography, mathematics, computer science, and economics.

In the early 1930s, Jacob Moreno developed the sociogram, the first formal approach for mapping the relationships within a group of people. Sociograms diagrammed clusters of individual points connected by straight lines and helped identify community leaders and outsiders. The term “social networks” itself was actually coined by J.A. Barnes in the 1950s, as he studied social ties in a Scandinavian fishing village, seeing that people’s social lives could be envisioned as “a set of points, some of which are joined by lines” to create a “total network” of relationships.

Since the early sociograms and study of social networks, the field has grown immensely in both scientific sophistication and popular application. SNA, as it is practiced today, produces both visual and mathematic analysis of human relationships. Rather than treating individuals (people, organizations, or other entities) as the sole unit of analysis, social network analysis focuses on the connections between them, and shows how the structure of these ties affects individuals and their relationships.

__Systems dynamics:__ Systems dynamics is a methodology and set of tools for framing and understanding complex issues and problems. Originally developed in the 1950s to help business leaders better understand corporate problems like employment stability, systems dynamics is now being used across sectors for policy analysis and design.

Whereas social network analysis looks at how “nodes” (e.g. people, organizations, ideas) are connected, systems dynamics looks at the complex external environments in which networks are embedded and how the elements that make up a system interrelate.

Systems dynamics is an important source of tools for understanding networks, like systems diagramming.

__Complexity science:__ Complexity science is the broad study of patterns and relationships in real-world systems, like gene regulatory networks in a cell, physiological systems, food webs, stock markets, the Internet, and social networks. It brings together insight from a many different bodies of knowledge, including networks, systems dynamics, game theory and collective intelligence.

Complexity science offers important insight into understanding the nature of emergent and complex systems, which can serve as a helpful lens for understanding networks.

How are decisions made in network context? What is known about effective network alignment and governance?
[to be drafted]

When and how can a foundation use social network mapping and analysis?
Social network mapping and analysis (SNA) is an analytic technique for helping us understand, map, and measure the networks of social relationships that connect people to one another. SNA produces both visual and mathematic analysis of human relationships. Rather than treating individuals (people, organizations, or other entities) as the sole unit of analysis, social network analysis focuses on the connections between them, and shows how the structure of these ties affects individuals and their relationships.

When looking at a network map, meaning is drawn from the relative location of actors within the network. A cluster is a discernable group of people that are closely connected to one another (imagine a tight knit group of coworkers, friends, or business partners). A hub and spokes network—which looks a bit like a starburst—signifies an individual with many connections to others who are not connected with one another, or to others in the network.

The core of the network is the highly interrelated group at the center of the community. They are often responsible for connecting disparate groups and holding the network together. The periphery, meanwhile, is the more loosely affiliated range of individuals and groups that are not as well connected to the core. In many communities, the periphery is a key source of important new perspectives, ideas, and innovations. __When should grantmakers use social network mapping and analysis?__


 * ** General Uses ** || ** Applied to Grantmaking ** ||
 * Visualize the network: see connections within the system || Develop understanding of new field / issue area. Come to know the network ||
 * Make visible network resources || Identify opportunities for alignment, leverage, intervention ||
 * Diagnose “health” of a network || Identify network needs and opportunities for support / increased effectiveness ||
 * Spark strategic conversation among network participants || Share with grantees and others working in issue area. Use as common ‘mental map’ for provoking conversation about opportunities for impact ||
 * Assess change in network over time || Capture baseline map and future maps to visualize and assess shifts in network connectivity over time ||



What is network weaving and how to support it?
__What is a “network weaver”? What does a weaver do?__ ‘Weaving is the intentional practice of helping people to build – and to connect to – more relationships of trust and value, by virtue of being genuinely interested in building and connecting oneself to more relationships of trust and value.’ – Bill Traynor

Network weavers do a range of activities that are all focused toward making connections in order to strengthen existing ties, bring new people into the network and bridge divides. For example, they learn about the interests and needs of individuals and groups in the network and look for opportunities to connect needs and haves. They codify and share information and knowledge with the network, so information flows throughout the network improve and participants can begin to connect with one another directly. They build capacity in others to weave the network—so making connections becomes a shared and distributed responsibility. And, they keep the network vibrant by bringing in and linking to new ideas and resources from the outside.

__What considerations should funders keep in mind when supporting network weaving and acting as weavers themselves?__
 * Where is the weaver housed?
 * How does the weaver frame his/her job and affiliation?
 * What is the weaver’s relationship to the foundation?
 * How does the weaver think about his/her impact / performance indicators?

When weaving networks, what needs to be done in-person and what can be done online? How to integrate the online and in-person? (By Beth Kanter)
Designing the right blend of online and in-person interaction in networks is not an exact science, it is more of an art form. The right mix depends on the purpose of the network, the actual work that people in the network are doing and plan to do together, how well people in the network already know or trust one another, and, last, but not least, network members' comfort levels with online tools.

It is important to not only about think about tools, but about what types of human interaction and range of activities are needed to accomplish goals. This task is best done by what Nancy White callsas "Technology Stewards" - a person or group of people who are responsible for taking care that the network is using online technology to learn, coordinate, connect, or share information together. This person or individuals have enough experience with the inner workings of a network to understand its technology needs, and enough experience in technology to take leadership in addressing those needs.

You’ll need a good understanding of what the network will do together. What are the typical pattern of activities and connections through which members experience being a network. Is this a learning network or an action network? The actual work together provides a framework for a tool choices. You’ll want to pinpoint how the network will do its work: meetings, open-ended conversations, shared content, co-creation of content, projects, access to expertise, and emergence/relationship building. It is also important to consider whether the network needs to be open or closed or somewhere in between. All of these considerations are important for not only selecting tools, but figuring out the right blend of online and offline activities.

The technology steward can carefully and slowly introduce and model the use of social media tools in simple and transparent ways that helps move the purpose of the network forward in small ways and allows for new people to discover and participate in the network. One option is to mix interacting with online tools or have "back channel" with a face-to-face event so they are taking place at the same time. An easy way to do this is to establish a Twitter "hashtag" and use to "live Tweet" the meeting, taking breaks to integrate the conversation on Twitter into the face-to-face session.

Some questions to consider around blending online and face to face interactions:

What is the purpose of the network? Does it need to be private and closed or should it be open and transparent? How well do people in the network know and trust one another? Is a face-to-face meeting necessarily to set the climate for trust and sharing? Can the network members easily and inexpensively meet? What is the actual work that members of the network will do together? What can done online? What needs to happen face-to-face? What is the technology comfort level of the group? What are some useful ways to embed the use of online technologies into the face-to-face meeting?


 * Resources**

What is A Technology Steward? A brief reflection on an article written by a tech steward, that includes a definition of the term Nancy White, Full Circle Associates, December 2006. ONLINE: http://www.fullcirc.com/weblog/2006/12/shining-light-on-technology.htm

“Chapter 10: Action Notebook” A practitioner-oriented summary of the book Digital Habitats that provides a step by step guide for stewarding technology and includes checklists, tables, and questions Etienne Wenger, Nancy White and John D. Smith, in Digital Habitats: Stewarding technology for the future, CPsquare, 2009. ONLINE: http://technologyforcommunities.com/excerpts/actionnotebook/

Online Facilitation Wiki A playground around online facilitation and online community work that can be used as a shared resource ONLINE: http://onlinefacilitation.wikispaces.com/

SpiderGram Assessment Provides clarification on the Digital Habitats Community Orientation Spidergram Activity, which can be used to assess community facilitation and tech stewardship needed Nancy White, Full Circle Associates blog, 2009. ONLINE: http://www.fullcirc.com/2009/03/31/digital-habitats-community-orientation-spidergram-activity/

How can I measure my foundation’s efforts to weave networks online? (By Beth Kanter)
There are two different ways that you need to measure social media strategy: measure for learning and measure for results. Measuring to learn is important, although not often valued. You need to set up small pilots and focus measurement in one or two areas. Most importantly, it means building learning and reflection into the process to understand what worked and what didn't at the end of project, initiative, or experiment.

Measuring for results beginning with identifying SMART objectives, answering the questions - how many and by when. Typically, SMART objectives are about increasing awareness about an issue or brand or thought leadership; engaging with stakeholders and activity including donations, signups, and behavior change. Specific metrics related to these objectives include: share of conversation, views, feedback, comments, and conversion rates.

There are also many different tools and metrics available to track and analyze online activity for your foundation's use of social media. The measurement tool box depends on the specifics of the strategy and tactics, but may include Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, RowFeeder, Radian 6, and others.

SMART Chart ([])

Discussion on KPI (key performance indicators) with Dan Michel, Digital Marketing Manager for Feeding America (the nation’s largest hunger organization) who oversees the execution of their external digital strategy—including social media. Beth Kanter, Dec 2010. ONLINE: http://bit.ly/networkfunders-measure
 * Measuring Online Networks: Feeding America**

A summary of learnings from Zoetica Salon (a free online space for informal peer learning about nonprofits and social media) surrounding measurement approaches, challenges, data analysis, metrics, and tools Beth Kanter, December 2010. ONLINE: http://www.bethkanter.org/measurement-tools-roundup/
 * Social Media Measurement Resources: Roundup**

This blog provides an introduction to “spreadsheet aerobics,” an actionable social media measurement strategy we can use to make social media a daily habit Beth Kanter, September 2010. ONLINE: http://www.bethkanter.org/get-your-social-media-strategy-in-shape-with-spreadsheet-aerobics/
 * Get Your Social Media Strategy in Shape With Spreadsheet Aerobics**

Using social media tools like Twitter or Facebook might feel like just another fire hose of information, but it isn't. Social Media tools can help you be efficient in acting with a network mindset and let you easily connect, listen, and share online. The best way to get started is to cultivate a personal habit of using these tools that works for you, but remember keep it simple. Here are some tips:
 * How do I get started using social media if I don’t have any time? (By Beth Kanter)**

1.) Pay Yourself First

Give yourself permission to spend some of your work day investing in your professional development and learning from your networks via social media channels. It isn’t just another task for your to do list. You are investing in your own learning. Practice a "networkmindset" every day even if for just 15 minutes a day - whether it is scanning Twitter or reading a few blog post. The point is to think about this activity as central to your work, not an add on. Jacob C Harold, Program Officer, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, uses Twitter as an easy way to stay informed about grantees activities with anecdotal information. He says it can also facilitate informal communications with other people in the grantee organization.

2.) Be Selective, Choose Tools Carefully and Learn One At A Time

Blogs, Twitter, RSS, Facebook, LinkedIn or Wikis - certainly there is no shortage of social media tools to embrace as part of cultivating a networked mindset, but that doesn't mean you need to learn every tool or more than one at a time. Focus on starting with the tool that works best for you, that fits your style and interests and resonates with your network. Not sure where to start? If you want to better understand grantee networks or connect with colleagues, pick the channel that they're using.

3.) Don't Go It Alone

As with anything else, learning a new skill or making a habit change is much harder in isolation. Find a colleague, perhaps another person on staff at your Foundation or a colleague who is interested in practicing a networked mindset using social media tools and do it together. Or set up a brown bag lunch with 3 or 4 colleagues. Invite someone who is very comfortable using these tools and get them to share tips via "shoulder to shoulder" or informal learning. If your foundation does "reading circles," set up one for a how-to book on using Twitter or Facebook and practice those skills together.

4.) Understand the Work Flow and Make It Routine

The biggest challenge isn’t so much learning the tool itself, but the challenge of using it in practice. It is difficult because you have to shift gears from comfortable routine of email and meetings. It’s a shift that at first doesn’t feel comfortable so take it slow. Start with a small daily dose, say 15-30 minutes a day. Also, think about the structure of your work day. When does it make sense to integrate something new? Is itbetter to start first thing in the morning when you get into the office and there are fewer distractions? Or maybe you want to do it over your lunch hour or towards the end of the day. You know your schedule and self best, but actually schedule it in your calendar.

Understand that in the beginning it is going to feel uncomfortable and possibly take longer to do. But as it becomes habitual, it will feel easier. The general work flow for using social media with a networkmindset includes: reading or scanning, asking questions, sharing useful resources, and connecting people in your network. Make sure you're doing some of these tasks every week during your "15-30 minutes" of daily practice.


 * Resources:**

“Time Management for Nonprofit Social Media Professionals: What’s Your Best Tip?” Describes ways to avoid or minimize social media bad habits, including tools to help us along the way Beth Kanter, January 2011. ONLINE: http://www.bethkanter.org/time-manage-tip/

“Using Social Media for Professional Learning: Seek, Sense, and Share” A discussion Beth Kanter’s “three words for 2011,” inspired by Harold Jarche's Networked Learning Model Beth Kanter, January 2011. ONLINE: http://www.bethkanter.org/seek-sense-share/

TechSoup's Nonprofit Social Media Page for Beginners This site is designed to be a starting place for those who are just beginning to dabble in social media, with curated resources, tips, and learnings from the leaders in nonprofit social media ONLINE: http://npsocialmedia101.wikispaces.com/home

What competencies do network leaders need?
The Leadership Learning Community (LLC) is conducting a collaborative research project to better understand leadership in networks. Network leadership is a vast field that draws on a rich and diverse history and sources, like negotiations, multi-stakeholder engagement, and innovation. While there is no definitive list of talents needed, the following competencies were identified by the LLC research:
 * Self-awareness: reflecting on who you are as a leader and your influence on communities. Seasoned community organizer, Bill Traynor writes that network leaders need to reflect on, “how they move through the world. How you exhibit fear, react to change, deal with letting go of power and ego. How you listen and observe and the keenness of your instincts for both conceptualizing and synthesizing. How you hold onto or let go let go of strongly held convictions about what is right and what will work.”
 * Connecting: creating social capital by making new connections and developing stronger trusted relationships.
 * Bridging: dedicating time and resources to reach out to others and making connections across silos to insure a diversity of experience and perspectives.
 * Using network strategies and tools to organize: using social media tools and network strategies to help network participants get involved in and coordinate large-scale social change efforts.
 * Experimenting and learning: taking an action learning approach where plans emerge and action is adapted in response to trying out different ideas and approaches.
 * Systems thinking: developing a shared understanding of how multiple factors interact to influence a system and identifying leverage points for making progress on complex social problems.

What skills are needed to effectively contribute to learning and assess network impact?
In addition to standard characteristics of strong evaluators, like analytic rigor, pattern recognition, and effective framing of the inquiry, evaluators of networks can also benefit from the following: Of course, it is hard to find all of these characteristics in one person. Prioritize the softer skills that are critical to success in this type of work and consider assembling a team with diverse talents.
 * Balance of network expertise and context expertise. Enough network expertise to effectively assess the aspects like connectivity and overall network health. Enough sector-specific knowledge to develop an informed/context specific interpretation of the results –recommendations on how the network might move forward.
 * A combination of anthropologic and journalistic skills. Ability to develop an assessment based on close observation, plus ability to capture stories of network impact.
 * High emotional intelligence and an awareness of his/her role/ position/ influence in the network
 * Adaptable and open. Without strong preconceptions of what should and shouldn’t work
 * Capacity building skills. Ability to help the network develop assessment skills
 * Ability to assess at both micro and macro levels
 * Ability to capture both expected and unexpected outcomes

How do I convince others that working transparently and using social media adds value to my work as a program officer? (By Beth Kanter)
Don’t focus on the tools. Instead talk about the results. Document and describe the value of using the tools. Social media can help grantmakers keep informed of their program area, but also the broader field of philanthropy. It is especially valuable in a time of fewer resources, where funders are often engaged in conversations about bringing other resources to the issues they support.

Once you've built up your network, you don't need to do everything to get better results. Social media tools can help you easily connect with people who have the knowledge, resources, and ideas to share. While having structured information through formal channels is of enormous value for doing due diligence when thinking about a grant investment, using your network to connect and see what is out there can be equally valuable. For example, some foundation program officers say that using Twitter allows them observe grantee's work first hand or connect with others in the organization to get quick answers.

What lies beneath the resistance to using social media to understand, participate and weave networks?It is fear. Opening up organizations is uncomfortable because it strikes at the heart of what so many organizational leaders were taught as their jobs — to protect the organization by controlling everything that happens inside and outside their walls. Here are some tips to convince yourself and others that using the tools to work openly and transparently is worth the effort. Many of these pointers are equally applicable to making a broader argument for working with a network mindset:

1. Imagine The Worst Case Scenario: Ask yourself, ”What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

2. Name It and Claim It: Many times it is hard to convince others of the value of using social media because we haven't discussed it. Devote some meeting time for your team or staff to discuss. Start with the learning the concerns and acknowledge them.

3. Share Success Stories of Other Foundations: The guide has many examples and stories about foundations have been successful using social media and working with a network mindset. Share them with others.

4. Identify Influencers Inside Who Are With You: Identify people in your organization who are open to transparent and open approaches and have influence. Think of it as an internal social change process.

5. Have Your Social Media Elevator Pitch Ready: This elevator pitch is a sound byte that talks about the value of foundation staff us of social media in a few brief statements.

6. Do Internal Road Shows: This is important in larger organizations. You need to put together a brief road show that talks about how working with a network mindset has brought value. Don't even mention the tools.

7. Be An Internal Resource: Share articles, blog posts, or tweets about the value of working this way. Be open to providing mentoring or role modeling this approach.


 * Resources**

Social Media, Foundations, and Grantees: What Works, What Doesn’t? A blog post on ways for people to take social media to the next level, based on discussions from the Center for Effective Philanthropy conference “Better Philanthropy: from data to impact” Beth Katner, May 2011. ONLINE: http://www.bethkanter.org/cep11/

Integrating A Networked Mindset for Grantmakers Pt 1 A blog post on how grantmakers can incorporate network weaving activities into daily practice Beth Kanter, March 2011. ONLINE: http://blog.glasspockets.org/2011/02/20110221_kanter.html

Integrating A Networked Mindset for Grantmakers P2 A blog post on how to use social networking tools to visualize your network, why changing our practice is so hard, and how grantmakers can overcome the challenge Beth Kanter, March 2011. ONLINE: http://blog.glasspockets.org/2011/03/20110228_kanter.html

Networked Nonprofits Deconstruct Social Media Fears A blog post with practical advise for nonprofit leaders on how to move past the fear of social media and the discomfort of sharing control Beth Kanter, June 2010. ONLINE: http://www.bethkanter.org/wallow-in-fear/

Go back to 6-7 Draft Funders Guide TOC

 **// Sources: //**  ** “ ** A webinar on network typology and governance structures in Global Action Networks  Network of Network Funders Community of Practice, Feb 2011. ONLINE: http://networksguide.wikispaces.com/23-Feb+Meeting [J1]  ** Global Action Networks: Creating Our Future Together **  This book provides insights on large scale activist networks, particularly when there is inter-sectoral (business-government-civil society) and inter-organizational collaboration. It is grounded in theory ranging systems thinking and network analysis theory to community building and organizational change, and provides clarifying examples and suggestions.  Steve Waddell, 2011.  ** “Bringing a Network Mindset to Our Nonprofit Board” **  Blog post containing reflections from LLC’s ED on the steps the organization has taken to work with a more networked mindset  Deborah Meehan, Leadership Learning Community blog, Feb 2011. ONLINE: []

 [J1]  Drop?