Beth Kanter offers a great overview of how and why a nonprofit might visualize the essential network it brings to its mission and programming. Using only sticky notes and markers, a group of staff members and board members can discover their most essential connections, identify shared connections, and observe critical gaps that need to be filled.
The process is all part of bringing intent and focus to an organizations most essential asset — its rich and interconnected network of individuals, organizations, and groups. And Beth’s overview underscores the importance of bringing strategic intent and clear outcomes to the exercise. At the end of the day, a nonprofit’s success doesn’t come from the fact that it HAS a network, but that it can ACTIVATE its network in positive and productive ways.
So, break out the sticky notes, and get started!
How might this approach be useful in the arts?