Web of Change 2012 & Beyond

Web of Change 2.0

Re-inventing our community for 2012 & beyond

Today’s Agenda• Process overview: drivers of change, what’s on the

table, community engagement process

• Background: WOC assets, limitations, competitors, audience, & purpose

• Vision: Future program ideas to help meet our purpose

• Finance: Models & ideas to support sustainability

• Leadership: Do you want to help build this? Help find resources? Partner?

Why a new vision?• Success has raised expectations on what WOC is

• Founder needs to share long term ownership; current model relies too heavily on significant, temporary volunteer leadership time

• Ongoing desire to expand programs, yet barely enough capacity to produce one main event

• Is WOC a community or conference? What is our commitment to movement organizing & leadership? What is our new sustainable model?

What’s on the table?

• Programs: Continue w/ Hollyhock core offering? Move to diff location? Expand geographic reach? Reach new audiences? Invest more in content or community?

• Financial Model: What new model will better support stronger programs? How do we find more resources? Should we merge or partner?

• Leadership: Who is needed to co-own this? To manage it, while continuing to engage volunteers in running it? Who wants to step up?

Web of Change Offering

Assets & strengths • Hollyhock event has outsized impacts on sector &

participants. Transformation happens!

• Recognized brand in target communities

• Social tech space continues to drive sectoral change

• Strong, vital, generative community of alumni

• Consistent support from sponsors, some large biz

• In 2010 started relationships w funders (not for 2011)

Limitations • WOC needs more than one leader to drive vision into

future; 2012 event needs new event anchor team

• Too much to ask volunteers to do given expectations for quality, diversity, + community

• Hollyhock logistics = substantial effort + costs (travel)

• Need more $ to pay for core staff + new programs

• Lack of structure/mysterious power dynamics; are we Jason’s, property of 6 firms, or movement-owned?

Core challenge:

WOC needs new Funding.WOC needs new Leaders.

Audience: A tribe of fearless leaders pioneering new

strategiesof digital engagement to improve the world.

Opportunities

• Deepen trust network, more intentionality

• Define campaigns that work; document solutions to the biggest sector wide issues

• Shift NGO cultures; inspire senior leaders to change

• Greater support for internal change agents; longer term training

• Drive more movement diversity + unity

• Help develop leaders to fill staffing gaps

Purpose: Leadership developmentfor a networked world.

Possible program options

1. Hollyhock anchor event / event not at Hollyhock

2. Local, distributed events (WOCx)

3. Deepen community connections

4. Stronger content play

5. Executive track event for senior leaders

6. Enterprising non-profit helping others do open events

7. Leadership corps for rising digital campaign stars

Possible financial models

1. Ask current sponsors to dig deeper

2. Find foundations who support networks, digital, organizing, innovation

3. Tiered pricing: higher costs for large NGO’s

4. Choose more accessible location, lowering costs

5. Ask for modest annual membership fee; intensify fundraising amongst alumni

6. Partner with an established NGO w/funding

Questions

Break into groups of 4-6, talk about your choice of:

1. What is the greatest value WOC can provide?

2. What support is needed for the movement?

3. What support is needed for you as a change agent?

4. How can our model adapt to meet those needs?

5. Who can we hire, partner with, or engage as leaders to build Web of Change? Who will fund it?

Next Steps

• Gather ideas + feedback from these consultations

• Take inputs back to transition council; pattern & structure opportunities & challenges

• Create online idea platform for further feedback

• New directions decided in early 2012