Demonstration Project 

In order to unleash the value of social purpose networks, it will take more than an attitude of “build it and they will come.”   Instead it will take a communication strategy and coherent action to encourage members to make their expertise and relationships visible, and to actually begin to use the network.  

Only when individuals experience for themselves the value they and their colleagues can receive from using the network will the network begin to expand at exponential rates.    That is, it is not enough to try to get the number of nodes in the network to grow virally.  It is also essential to discover and exploit ways to spread the value proposition virally – to create a viral aha! experience.

This is an important task; but it is made much easier by using the power of trusted, reciprocal relationships to do much of the work.

As a first step in this process we will work with a few selected social purpose organizations to implement a short-term demonstration project aimed at proving the case and learning best practices.   An outline of the demonstration project is below.   Depending on your own organizations nature and needs, some of the components described below may be more emphasized, or less. 

As a preliminary step, we will host a one to two hour webinar so that key staff and network members can learn more about the practical details of the project and how it can specifically benefit their organization and network members.

Demonstration Project Components and Phases: 

1.      Working with each selected organization, we will:

a.  Help Identify the priority objectives and projects that can be most readily helped by making the organization’s  collective networks more accessible and usable. 

b.  Help identify a Seed Group of key network members who can benefit from use of the network, and others who can serve as natural connectors and evangelists to help spread use of the network.

c.  Provide one-on-one and small-group coaching and training to seed group member to help them use the Network more effectively to achieve priority objectives.

d.  Help Implement a decentralized "learning and development" program to make the network more complete and accessible -- through top down communications and bottom-up peer-to-peer growth. 

e.  Measure results , collect success stories, and assess and share best practices.

2.      In parallel to demonstration projects for specific organizations, project participants and other partners can help grow the larger Social Transformation Network.    The Social Transformation Network will expand the reach of networks of specific organizations, and will simultaneiously facilitate development of cross-organizational networks.

3.      Use results of demonstration projects to attract additional participants and expand project  components.

4.      As soon as practical, foster development of software solutions that can integrate private data of network participants (individuals and organizations) with the more public social network and profile data available in LinkedIn.

We invite social purpose organizations that are interested in participating in a Social Network Demonstration Project to learn more and apply.  Please contact Duncan Work, at duncan@socialcap.net.