Social Networks for Social Change

(WSP 166)

Networks aren’t new. They are as old as human society. We are all part of networks: our families, our schools, our workplaces, our social circles. But new tools and technologies — from emails to blogs, wikis, texts, and twitters — are changing the way we connect. Tools for social network analysis and mapping now allow us to understand and leverage networks of relationships that were previously invisible to us.

This workshop will present the latest research and case studies about network effectiveness, and explore how network approaches can benefit social change. We will experiment with frameworks and diagnostics that will help you assess your networks, explore new social media tools, and brainstorm ideas for interventions to strengthen networks. Effective networks are particularly relevant during this time of economic uncertainty as they can lead to enhanced fundraising, collective learning, participant engagement, and greater media coverage and action. This workshop is most appropriate for those working with nonprofits or foundations, or interested in social change.

Due to its short format, this workshop cannot be taken for Credit.

Heather McLeod Grant, Senior Consultant, Monitor Institute

Heather McLeod Grant is a senior consultant with the Monitor Institute. She is co-author of Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits, named a Top Ten Book of 2007 by The Economist. Additionally, she is an advisor to the Center for Social Innovation at the Graduate School of Business, where she also lectures, and to leading nonprofits and foundations. She received an MBA from Stanford and an AB from Harvard.

Diana Scearce, Consultant, Monitor Institute

Diana Scearce’s consulting practice focuses on helping social change organizations, networks, and multistakeholder groups increase their impact through collective action. Since 2007, she has been one of the leaders of a partnership with the Packard Foundation exploring the potential for networks to accelerate social impact. Findings from this work are captured in her co-authored articles, “Working Wikily: How Networks are Changing Social Change,” and “Working Wikily 2.0: Social Change with a Network Mindset.”