18F METHOD CARDS - TOOLS TO PUT HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN INTO PRACTICE
https://methods.18f.gov/
From the web site: "The 18F Method Cards are a collection of tools that describe how our teams put human-centered design into practice. We’ve gathered them here and created simplified instructions to help other organizations and federal offices adopt human-centered design into their own projects. These cards are focused on design in the context of digital services, but can be adapted to non-technical design projects as well. stage: beta".  This is an official website of the United States government.

A DATA MODEL TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS UNDERSTAND, MANAGE, AND GROW THEIR COMMUNITY - THE ORBIT MODEL
https://github.com/orbit-love/orbit-model
This page on GitHub describes The Orbit Model, which "is a framework for building high gravity communities.  A high gravity community is one that excels at attracting and retaining members by providing an outstanding member experience."

ACTION FORESIGHT - HELPS JUMPSTART FUTURES THINKING
https://actionforesight.net/blog/
From the web site: "We seek to help people to challenge their assumptions about the future, as this is the pathway to identifying blind spots and being able to see the future with greater flexibility and openness. We design and deliver a number of organizational futures, visioning and strategy workshops, that help organizations to understand the critical emerging issues impacting their sector, and to develop viable and powerful new visions and pathways.  Our workshops are highly interactive and participatory and we include a variety of games and embodied processes."  Read articles on their blog to gain a greater appreciation for the work they do.

ADVICE FOR TRANSFORMING SYSTEMS: 3 RESOURCES FOR FOUNDATIONS FROM FSG CONSULTING
https://www.fsg.org/advice-for-transforming-systems/
Download these three FREE resources "to help you reflect on how your foundation can build power, follow the community, and support the movements we all need to transform inequitable systems." 

AFTER SCHOOL RESEARCH - FROM DALLAS AFTER SCHOOL
https://dallasafterschool.org/afterschool-research/
From the website: “Dallas Afterschool works to level the playing field for children of all races and economic backgrounds by informing community stakeholders, supporting afterschool and summer programs and their staff members, and coordinating community resources. We envision a community with the resources and the will to provide impactful learning beyond the school day for all children.” This page shows some of the research done over the past few years by the Dallas Afterschool

AN ARTICLE ABOUT REPLICATING THE ORBIT MODEL IN MEASURING MOVEMENT POWER
https://www.brittanybennett.com/post/replicating-the-orbit-model-an-exercise-in-measuring-movement-power
This article by Brittany Bennett shares here attempt at replicating the Orbit Model analysis with Sunrise Movement data.  The Sunrise Movement is "a youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good  jobs in the process."  Using data to understand a movement's growth and organize better is what this article focuses on.

ARTICLE ABOUT PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS
https://www.urban.org/features/creating-lasting-change-through-community-leadership
This Urban Institute article is titled: "Creating Lasting Change through Community Leadership:  How Promise Neighborhoods are Working with Residents to Weather Crises and Transform Communities". The three neighborhoods profiled are Camden, NJ,  Perry County, Kentucky and Oakland, CA.

ASSETS FOR THE GOOD IN GROUPS - LUTHER SNOW SITE
http://www.luthersnow.com/asset-mapping-title-page.html
Luther Snow and friends are currently working to develop an online networking and resource site for the sharing and development of Asset Mapping and related positive strategies.   Visit his web site to see the group grow, and to learn from this network of experienced leaders.

AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER - CHICAGO WEST SIDE COLLECTIVE EFFORT
https://austincomingtogether.org/
The goals of this group are "Collaborate to improve education and economic development outcomes in Austin; Build trust through effective communication, transparent operations, and commitment to action; Promote unity by valuing and respecting any individual or entity that shares ACT’s vision."

BACKBONE LEADERSHIP IS DIFFERENT: THE SKILLS AND MINDSET SHIFTS NEEDED FOR COLLECTIVE IMPACT
https://collectiveimpactforum.org/resource/why-is-backbone-leadership-different/
This page on the Collective Impact Forum shares a new podcast discussion of how backbone leadership in collective impact efforts is different from traditional, more hierarchical leadership styles.  The site has links to reports and is the result of over 10 years of work. 

BLACK MOMS CONNECTION -
https://www.blackmomsconnection.com/ourstory
From the website: "Black Moms Connection is a global online village and incorporated non-profit providing culturally relevant tools and resources to empower and educate the Black woman.  By encouraging mothers to increase the social, emotional, financial and well-being of the Black family– we will positively impact that Black community and the world at large."

BOSTON METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING COUNCIL
https://www.mapc.org/
From the web site: "The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is the regional planning agency serving the people who live and work in the 101 cities and towns of Metropolitan Boston. Our mission is to promote smart growth and regional collaboration. Our regional plan, MetroFuture, guides our work as we engage the public in responsible stewardship of our region’s future." 

BUILDING A CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE - MATT LEIGHNINGER ON SLIDESHARE
https://www.slideshare.net/mattleighninger/building-civic-infrastructure-nmifc-keynote
This site hosts a variety of SlideShare presentations describing weaknesses of current forms of civic engagement and ideas for improvement.

BUILDING A BETTER TOGETHER ECOSYSTEM - CREATING A  NATIONAL NONPARTISAN SUPPORT NETWORK OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY HUBS
https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/current-projects/better-together-america
The Mediators Foundation "Better Together America" project is described on the website that I point to with the link shown above. In addition, here are two examples of mapping a network, using Kumu.io and using coggle.it. Both show a "Better Together America Ecosystem".   a) the Kumu version: https://kumu.io/mesasebree/healthy-democracy-hubs-map#hubs/center-for-high-impact-philanthropy ; b) the coggle.it version: https://coggle.it/diagram/Zh7VvlCvDnguaLCL/t/better-together-america-ecosystem

BUILDING A CULTURE OF EMPATHY - VIDEOS AND ARTICLES
http://cultureofempathy.com/
Until someone not living in poverty or distressed circumstances "walks a mile in the other person's shoes" he/she does not have the empathy and understanding needed to help solve that person's problems.  

T/MC NOTE: Volunteer involvement in a tutor/mentor program is a strategy go increase the number of people who empathize with issues of high poverty and who become more willing to commit time, talent and dollars to helping people in poverty overcome their challenges.

BUILDING NETWORKED IMPROVEMENT COMMUNITIES IN EDUCATION. GETTING IDEAS INTO ACTION
https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/resources/publications/getting-ideas-action-building-networked-improvement-communities-education/
reach thousands of locations and millions of educators? That's the question this essay focuses on.  This essay focuses on an alternative social organization needed to structure and guide the varied and multiple associated efforts necessary to sustained collective action toward solving complex education improvement problems.

BUILDING RESILIENT ORGANIZATIONS:  TOWARD JOY AND DURABLE POWER IN A TIME OF CRISIS - 11-2022 ARTICLE
https://convergencemag.com/articles/building-resilient-organizations-toward-joy-and-durable-power-in-a-time-of-crisis/
From the website: "In this essay Maurice Mitchell unpacks the problems of non profit organizations and movements face, identifies underlying causes and core problems, and proposes concrete solutions."

CAPACITY BUILDERS CONVERGENCE - SUPPORTS BROAD RANGE OF PRACTITIONERS
https://www.fabriders.net/capacitycon/
This network aims to support organizations who work as capacity builders, or intermediaries, who help other organizations develop and strengthen internal and external capacity.  This article points to events held in 2023 and earlier.

CATALYST 2030 - COLLABORATING TO ACHIEVE THE SDGs
https://catalyst2030.net/
From the website: "We are a global movement of social change innovators. We are NGOs, social enterprises, intermediaries, funders and other social change innovators, collaborating in the  urgent movement to achieve the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs).

CATALYTIC COMMUNITIES (CATCOMM) - BRAZIL
https://catcomm.org/
This is a community organizing network based in Brazil and on the Internet. Its database collects and shares information about similar efforts, or related to member interests, from around the world.

CATALYZING NETWORKS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE - A FUNDER'S GUIDE
https://www.issuelab.org/resource/catalyzing-networks-for-social-change.html
From the IssueLab page: This article "Explains how funders can "catalyze" networks to address complex, interconnected issues: weave social ties; access diverse perspectives; openly build and share knowledge; create infrastructure for widespread engagement; and coordinate resources and action.

CENTRE FOR CONTEMPLATIVE DIALOGUE, INC
http://contemplativedialogue.org/
From the web site: "Why do people find it so hard to work and relate in ways that don’t generate conflict and division?  This practice offers proven ways to overcome those divisions. It supports individuals and groups in showing up in ways that make a measurable difference in the quality of life and outcomes we create. It supports building a shared approach that is effective, practical, and better allows us to do what we do best.

CENTER FOR STORY-BASED STRATEGY - LINKS MOVEMENT BUILDING WITH NARRATIVE  POWER AND STORYTELLING
https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/
From the website: "The Center for Story-based Strategy cultivates imagination spaces where story, grassroots leadership, organizing, and democracy are interwoven strategies to build power."  Read the blog posts on the site to build your understanding of this resource.

CHICAGO INVEST SOUTH-WEST INITIATIVE - COMMUNITY AREA MAPS
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/invest_sw/home.html
From the website: "INVEST South/West is an unprecedented community improvement initiative under Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot to marshal the resources of multiple City departments, community organizations, and corporate and philanthropic partners toward 10 communities on Chicago's South and West Sides."   The site has detailed maps of 10 focus community areas that others might use for their own planning and collaboration.

CHICAGO PROMISE ZONE: POLICY REPORT ON REINVENTING HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE
https://uchicago.app.box.com/s/6hdbae1xx9cn4b0mdwkwqvqir40e5s4u
This is a report prepared by students involved in the University of Chicago’s Public Policy Studies Program. Reviews potential of duplicating Harlem Children's Zone in Washington Park and Woodlawn community areas of Chicago.  If you search on the https://pbpl.uchicago.edu/cprt web site for "promise zone" you'll find additional reports on this topic

CHI COMMONS CO-OP: COOPERATIVE AND SOLIDARITY MAP
https://www.chicommons.coop/cooperative-map/
From the web site: "chicommons.coop is a multi-stakeholder cooperative that documents the cooperative and solidarity economies in the Chicago area and produces interesting communications projects in neighborhoods and virtual communities." The list of organizations are shown on a map, organized by categories. Take a look. 

CISQUARED.ORG - COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING PLATFORM
https://www.cisquared.org/mission/
From the web site: "How do we build appropriate systems to empower all individuals to become contributing members of society? In a world that loves to entertain the debate, “Broken Person or Broken System?”, our answer is to focus on the process."  Browse the site and join their on-line community.

CITIES AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
https://jarche.com/2017/10/cities-and-the-future-of-work/
I point to the Harod Jarche blog from a few other links in this library.  This 2017 article talks of "cities as places for learning" and "nodes in a network society".  As we envision a future beyond 2020 articles like this should stimulate your thinking.

CIVITY - A RELATIONSHIP BUILDING INTERMEDIARY
https://www.civity.org/
From the website: "Civity" is a culture of deliberately engaging in relationships of respect and empathy with others who are different. Civity grows, a we/they mindset gives way to a we/all mindset. Civity helps community leaders strategically transform their communities to understand and celebrate differences - across race, class, culture, and politics."

COALITION OF URBAN AND METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITIES
https://www.cumuonline.org/about-cumu/
From the web site: "The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities is an international affiliate organization of universities in large metropolitan areas that share common understandings of their institutional missions and values. CUMU is dedicated to its member institutions and to the creation and dissemination of knowledge on the issues that face our urban and metropolitan campuses and the communities we serve." COLLABORATION IDEAS FROM INTERACTION INSTITUTE https://interactioninstitute.org/roles-of-collaborative-leadership/ This 2011 blog article is one of many resources that the Interaction Institute offers on its web site.

COLLECTIVE IMPACT - OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/collective_impact
This Winter 2011 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) featured article about Collective Impact, and the Strive network in Cincinnati that propelled "collective impact" into a widely followed strategy in the years since then. This article has been followed by many others. Read them all. Share this with future philanthropist. These illustrates the potential of strategies like the Tutor/Mentor Connection, as well as challenges.

COLLECTIVE IMPACT FORUM
https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/
From the newsletter: "The Collective Impact Forum is the place for collective impact practitioners and those interested in collective impact — from nonprofits, to funders, to people in government, to business leaders, and others — to come together to share success stories, problem-solve, and learn from each other. It is an initiative of FSG and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, in partnership with many others working to advance the practice of collective impact."

COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, THE
https://www.comnetwork.org/
From the website: "The Communications Network connects, gathers, and informs leaders from the  most influential foundations, nonprofits, and social sector consultancies across the globe.  We are a vibrant, diverse, and dedicated community of over 3,000 communicators, storytellers, strategists, designers, researchers, producers, and community builders."

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: THE ORGANIZATIONAL FRONTIER (2000 HBR ARTICLE)
https://hbr.org/2000/01/communities-of-practice-the-organizational-frontier
This article was written in 2000 before the birth of social media, Google and other internet platforms emerged. It is still relevant.    

COMMUNITY BUILDING TIPS - BEFORE OPENING A SPACE
https://www.deskmag.com/en/coworking-tools-tips/community-building-tips-before-opening-a-space
This article was written to show how co-working space planners should build community before purchasing space. The steps they recommend are useful for any community organizing effort.

COMMUNITY COMMONS PORTAL - DATA, TOOLS, AND STORIES TO IMPROVE COMMUNITIES AND INSPIRE CHANGE.
http://www.communitycommons.org/
From the website: “Community Commons is a robust online platform that supports change-makers working to advance equitable community health and well-being. For over a decade, we’ve connected those driving change to the best tools, resources, data, and stories to support this work.“

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MATTERS (NOW MORE THAN EVER)
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/community_engagement_matters_now_more_than_ever
This 2016 Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) article focuses on the challenges and opportunities of collaborative problem solving.

COMMUNITY ISSUES MANAGMENT (CIM) SYSTEMS
https://www.slideshare.net/cds09/the-use-of-community-issues-management-cim-to-integrate-community-data-and-facilitate-informed-decisions
This slide show illustrates a very sophisticated facilitation process that is being piloted by the Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES), University of Missouri.


COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING TOOLBOX
http://web.mit.edu/cpsproject/home.html
From the web site:  " The Community Problem-Solving Project @ MIT, is a resource for people and institutions worldwide. The users of this site work in all three sectors--public, nonprofit (or non-governmental), and private--and across them. They work on a wide variety of issues, from housing and health care to education and the environment, from labor and economic development to crime and public safety and "comprehensive" community change. They are managers, organizers, supporters, investors, educators and trainers, evaluators, everyday citizens, and more, working in cities and rural communities around the globe to tackle important social problems and seize opportunities to promote change."


COMPLEXITY, SELF ORGANIZING, AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS - ARTICLE
click here
This is an article posted on the Learning Change blog titled "Self-organization in Communicating Groups – the emergence of coordination, shared references and collective intelligence".
From the conclusion of the paper:  "This paper has reviewed the mechanism of self-organization, conceived as the spontaneous coordination of actions performed by different agents. Such coordination helps to make the actions more synergetic, while reducing the friction between them. The result is that coordinated actions achieve their intended goals more easily and more effectively. In particular, coordination may result in an apparently unreachable goal or unsolvable problem getting within reach, as sources of obstruction vanish and missing elements are fitted in."

CONSTELLATION MODEL OF COLLABORATIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
https://timreview.ca/node/183
The Constellation Model of Collaborative Social Change" from the Centre for Social Innovation (Canada). This article describes how a larger network of organizations are united by common purpose, with thin infrastructure and bureaucracy, and lots of flexibility and freedom of action by individual members and groups of members.

CREATING COLLABORATION TAKES MORE THAN TECHNOLOGY
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-04-20/creating-collaboration-takes-more-than-technology
Article in Business Week by Evan Rosen is worth reading.  I've suggested for years that businesses should provide these collaboration tools to their employees to use in their volunteer work, where their passion to do good is hampered by the lack of time to do good work. Many may learn to use these tools through their social work and bring the experience back to their paid work. Read blog articles by Evan Rosen at  http://collaborationblog.typepad.com/collaboration 

CREATING THE FUTURE - A SYSTEMS THINKING APPROACH
https://creatingthefuture.org/about/
From the web site: "Creating the Future is a collection of people around the world, supporting each other in a grand experiment designed to determine how much better the world could be if the questions we ask in our day to day lives are bringing out the best in each other." 

CRITIQUE OF COLLECTIVE IMPACT - 2016 ARTICLE
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/voices-from-the-field-10-places-where-collective-impact-gets-it-wrong/
This article by Tom Wolfe, titled "10 Places Where Collective Impact Gets It Wrong" expands what people should be thinking about when they decide to build community collaborations.


DEMOCRACY COLLABORATIVE.ORG - BUILDING COMMUNITY WEALTH
https://democracycollaborative.org/
From the web site: "The Democracy Collaborative is a national leader in equitable, inclusive and sustainable development through our Community Wealth Building Initiative. This initiative sustains a wide range of Advisory, Research and Field Building activities designed to transform the practice of community/economic development in the United States. Another important program is the Next System Project, ongoing intellectual work designed to connect Community Wealth Building to the larger context of systemic economic transformation."

DEMOCRACY FROM BELOW - CREATING A COOPERATIVE SYSTEM WHICH CAN GROW TO INCLUDE EVERYONE ON THE PLANET
https://liberigi.net/
This link points to a website with an aspirational heading of "A Better World is Possible".  To get there the site says "we all need to work together".  Visit the site and learn more about this idea. 

DIGITAL SPACES DIRECTORY 
https://newpublic.org/directory
This website is aggregating links to digital spaces as a "jumping off point for further exploration and research for anyone who's interested in studying, building, stewarding, or simply using digital platforms."

ECONOMIC & SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS OF COLLABORATION - 2005 ARTICLE
https://irvingwb.typepad.com/blog/2005/08/the_economic_an.html
This 2005 blog article, written by Irvin Wladawski-Berger, is stimulating in its discussion of innovation and collaboration.

E-GOVERNANCE IN CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY - 2018 RESEARCH
https://www.pauldouglasinstitute.org/Publications/E-Governance-in-Chicago-and-Cook-County
This research by a team at the University of Chicago looks at E-Government and E-Governance in Chicago and Cook County, Il, and proposes ideas for the "Next Stage in Online Government Service."

EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY - IDEAS AND TOOLS FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE
https://www.everyday-democracy.org/about/history
From the web site: "Everyday Democracy was founded as the Study Circles Resource Center in 1989. In the early years, we focused on developing a better kind of public dialogue, drawing on the ways people talk in their everyday lives. Then, we championed the idea that public talk is for everyone, and helped communities organize to bring all kinds of people into the conversation. Now we’re helping people connect public dialogue to real solution using our Dialogue to Change Process with a racial equity lens."  To support its work an extensive web resource library has been created. Take a look.

EVOLVING BACKBONE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COLLECTIVE IMPACT INITIATIVES
https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/library/article-connecting-the-dots-collaborative-governance-and-collective-impact-backbone
The Collective Impact movement has been growing since around 2011 and much has focused on the role of the "backbone" organization that leads and supports the effort. This article offers most recent (2020) thinking on how this is structured. Download the Free PDF.

EXPANDING BENEFITS OF A NETWORKED WORLD - 2019 ARTICLE ON NETWORK WEAVER BLOG
https://networkweaver.com/expanding-the-benefits-of-networked-work/
In this  Network Weaving  blog article June Holly describes a process of collaborative learning. This is one of many Network Weaving articles that are included in this library. 


EXAMPLE OF NETWORK ANALYSIS - "QUESTIONS YOU MUST ANSWER TO SUCCEED WITH ANY ECOSYSTEM-LED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT"
https://www.innovisor.com/2020/06/09/influencers-doers-power-players-the-key-people-for-a-californian-ecosystem/
If you're trying to bring people together to solve a problem or develop an opportunity you need to know "Who are the key people; how are they connected to each other; what are the barriers?"   This article shows an example of network analysis applied to this problem. 

FEEDBACK LABS - SUPPORT FOR NON PROFITS
https://feedbacklabs.org/summits/
From the website: “Feedback Summits are Feedback Labs’ flagship conferences that bring together leading thinkers, practitioners, funders, and researchers in closing feedback loops in aid, philanthropy, nonprofits, and government. Each convening ignites widespread community experimentation and collaboration among organizations that aim to improve people’s lives by collecting and responding to constituent feedback.”

FITFO NETWORK - "A NETWORK FOR NETWORKS"
https://www.fito.network/boosting-funding
This site was created in 2023, based on many years of previous experience. The network is made up of thousands of people, with leaders from Africa, India, South America and Europe.  It's goal is to help networks get the ideas, connections and resources each needs to do their work well.  One section focuses on boosting funding for networks. 

FOUR ELEMENTS OF HUMANE EDUCATION  FROM INSTITUTE FOR HUMANE EDUCATION
"https://humaneeducation.org/the-four-elements-of-humane-education/
The Institute teaches people to "have the skills and experiences to be solutionaries for a more just, humane, and healthy world." This page points to four steps in a "problem solving" process.

GARFIELD FOUNDATION’S COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS INITIATIVE - RESOURCE PAGE
https://www.garfieldfoundation.org/
From the website:  "The Garfield Foundation’s Collaborative Networks initiative supports the development of highly strategic networks. The Foundation will apply lessons learned during the last decade while developing the RE-AMP Network to another geographic region and/or issue, in collaboration with a new set of foundations and advocates. Our goal is to create collective impacts beyond what has been possible with traditional funding and non-profit practices."


GREAT LEADERSHIP - CONDITIONS FOR CHANGE - ARTICLE
https://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/01/beckhards-change-equation.html
This article shows "three factors that must be present for meaningful organizational change to take place."  It's one of many articles about leadership on the blog.

GREATER AUBURN GRESHAM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
https://www.gagdc.org/index.html
From the website: "Mission is to foster and promote revitalization of the community by designing and implementing programs that improve the community's economic viability; increase availability of quality housing to people of different income levels, while maintaining and improving existing affordable housing and enhance delivery of social services, particularly to senior citizens."

HEALTH EQUITY WORKS - WASHINGTON U - ST. LOUIS SUPPORTS COMMUNITY LEARNING
https://healthequityworks.wustl.edu/about-us/our-story/
From  the web site: "Health Equity Works is passionate about the transformative process of data and community collaboration to drive health equity. We’ve worked with more than 100 community organizations to accelerate action."

HEALTHIER TOGETHER INITIATIVE - FLORIDA
https://healthiertogetherpbc.org/
From the web site: "Healthier Together, is a community-driven, multi-year, placed-based, funding approach developed by Palm Healthcare. This strategic initiative convenes neighborhood leaders and residents, listens to their needs, and provides financial support and resources to help the neighborhood make positive, healthy changes. Explore this site to learn more about the solutions targeted neighborhoods are creating to address complex health issues."

HENRY MINTZBERG - REBALANCING SOCIETY AND OTHER ARTICLES
https://mintzberg.org/blog/category/4
Henry Mintzberg is (2013) Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at McGill University. He has "worked for much of the past twenty years, in collaboration with colleagues from Canada, England, France, India, and Japan, and now China and Brazil, on developing new approaches to management education and development. Articles like, "Rebalancing Society...radical renewal beyond left, right, and center", offer new ideas for planners and innovators who are working to create a world of the future with equal justice and opportunity for all."

HOLACRACY - A NEW WAY OF RUNNING AN ORGANIZATION
https://www.holacracy.org/explore/
This web page describes ways to empower more people in the organization in ways that improves productivity and efficiency. The ideas could apply to a network of organizations, not just to work within a single organization. Add to your reading list.

HOW COMMUNITIES WORK TOGETHER: LEARNING FROM CHICAGO'S COMMUNITY NETWORKS STUDY
https://www.mdrc.org/chicago-community-networks-study
From the web site: "The Chicago Community Networks study is an unprecedented opportunity to explore and examine how networks are structured and how they function. Conducted in nine Chicago neighborhoods the study takes a mixed-methods approach, combining formal social network analysis with in-depth field interviews in an extensive effort to measure how community organizations collaborate on local improvement projects and how they come together to shape public policy."  Bookmark this site and return often. New articles will be added throughout the year.

HOW DO PEOPLE MAKE CHANGE? NORTHWESTERN U. ARTICLE
https://magazine.northwestern.edu/features/how-do-people-make-change/
In this article Northwestern University experts share the keys to effective social movements.

HOW ONLINE COMMUNITIES ARE FARING IN 2016
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-online-communities-are-faring-in-2016/#ftag=RSSbaffb68?
Building and sustaining effective on-line communities requires an investment of resources, talent and time.  This article shows some of the lessons being learned from surveys of on-line communities. 

HOW TO USE "THEORY OF CHANGE" FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE
https://www.thinknpc.org/resource-hub/thinking-big-how-to-use-theory-of-change-for-systems-change/
From the web site: "We think that, applied well, theory of change can support charities and funders to take a systemic approach to their work. This report identifies five common pitfalls that organisations fall into when using theory of change, and walks through five rules of thumb that will help organisations to use the approach to tackle complex problems." This link includes free PDF articles you can download.

IMAGINE CHICAGO - CULTIVATES HOPE AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
https://www.imaginechicago.org/overview-about
From the web site: "Imagine Chicago helps harness imagination for public good, encouraging and equipping people to become engaged in imagining and creating hopeful futures for their families and communities through both discourse and action."

INFOGAGEMENT - CITIZENSHIP AND DEMOCRACY IN AGE OF ENGAGEMENT - PDF
http://www.pacefunders.org/publications/infogagement.pdf
This 2014 report describes the intersection of open government/civic tech, democratic participation/inclusion, and journalism. For those who seek to build support for those in poverty this report should stimulate innovation in ways we connect.

INNOVATION IN COLLABORATION - GITHUB
https://www.wired.com/2013/09/github-for-anything/
This article describes how GitHub is growing from an on-line tool for tech folk and hackers to a platform where people can work together to solve any form of social and/or business problem.

INSTITUTE FOR COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - LISC
https://www.lisc.org/
From their web site we learn: "The Institute for Comprehensive Community Development was established to advance the field of comprehensive community development and the positive impact it has in urban and rural communities across the country. The Institute is a place where the community development field can take what it learns from practice and use it as a base from which to provide training, to promote research in comprehensive community development, and to investigate the public policies that would best advance this work locally and nationally." LISC works in 35 cities and works in hundreds of rural communities. 

LAP - LOCAL ACCESS PROGRAMS
http://www.lap.org/LAP/Local_Access_Programs/local_access_programs.html
From the web site:   "The LAP Purpose is to nurture diverse, interwoven sustainable local communities globally by facilitating and modeling the emergence of computer-empowered, creativity inspiring, consensus building community communication centers and networks.   Local Access Programs are any and all visual and performing arts, learning, mentoring, valuing differences, digital storytelling, networking, visioning, mapping or other programs that are consistent with the purpose and principles of LAP. LAP is a catalytic solution for locating, augmenting and propagating programs and resources. Any software programs useful in running LAPs are also Local Access Programs which can use LAP as a cause related marketing strategy by giving to and selling through LAPs."

LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE - OTTO SCHARMER ARTICLE
https://www.leadershipandchangemagazine.com/lead-emergent-future-otto-scharmer/
This article starts with "“We are collectively creating results nobody wants”, says Otto Scharmer (famous for Theory U). That’s why leadership should help people to see the whole system. It is time to change our organizations and institutions, and bust three leadership myths. Make your difference and start with this blog post!"

LEARN ABOUT DOUGHNUT ECONOMICS - WHAT IS IT?
https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics
From the website: "Doughnut Economics proposes an economic mindset that's fit for the 21st century context and challenges. It's not a set of policies and institutions, but rather a way of thinking that brings about the regenerative and distributive dynamics that this century calls for. Drawing on insights from diverse schools of economic thought - including ecological, feminist, institutional, behavioural and complexity economics - it sets out seven ways to think like a 21st century economist in order to bring the world's economies into the safe and just space for humanity."

LIVING CITIES - CLOSING THE GAP NETWORK
https://livingcities.org/initiatives/closing-the-gaps-network/
From the website: "Founded in 1991, Living Cities is committed to improving the lives of people living in US cities."  This link points to the "Closing the Gap Network" project, which  "is a ten-year initiative that brings together leaders from cities across the country who are committed to imagining what an anti-racist society might look like, and to playing an important role in building it through the transformation of government policies, practices and operations"..  For those working to bring people together to solve complex problems this report offers a lot of good information to support your efforts.

LOOMIO SUPPORTS GROUP DISCUSSION AND DESCION MAKING
https://help.loomio.org/en/
Bringing a group together and facilitating discussion and decision making can be enhanced by on-line facilitation and decision support tools. Loomio looks like a tool that many might use. Try it out.

MANAGEMENT INNOVATION EXCHANGE - "WHEN NOBODY IS THE BOSS"
https://www.managementexchange.com/blog/when-nobody-and-everybody-boss
This article describes organizations that empower all members to share ownership and responsibility for success.

MANAGING ALLIANCES WITH BALANCED SCORECARD (HBR ARICLE)
https://hbr.org/2010/01/managing-alliances-with-the-balanced-scorecard
Building ecosystem of government, NGO and business partners is complex work. HBR article says "Ecosystem creation should include an additional design principle: Align multiple stakeholders around the new strategy. This can be achieved through proven tools from the corporate sector, such as a strategy map—a widely used component of the balanced scorecard tool kit for creating organizational alignment around strategy."  This link points to article that discusses the Balanced Scorecard. Be sure to open the links in the sidebar to look at visualizations. 

MASTER PEACE FOUNDATION - BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER IN 40 COUNTRIES
https://masterpeace.org/
From the website: "The MasterPeace peace movement is run by local well-established NGOs/Social Enterprises in 40+ countries, who are licensed to operate as a ‘MasterPeace Club’ in their locality. They are facilitated by a highly motivated core team based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. We offer a unique platform to a large community of changemakers, social entrepreneurs, volunteers, bloggers, journalists, musicians, entrepreneurs and active citizens to connect and support each other with taking action.  We monitor and evaluate the projects of our MasterPeace Clubs twice a year. In 2018, we carried out 350 projects in 40 countries. Our joint learning capacity is THE ‘driver’ for our yearly growth."

MIDWEST FACILITATORS' NETWORK (MFN) - NOW IAF
http://www.midwest-facilitators.net/
Many of the ideas on the Tutor/Mentor Connection web site have been learned by participation in meetings hosted by MFN between 1995 and 2005. MFN is now merging into the International Association of Facilitators, Chicago Chapter. 

MORE ARTICLES ABOUT SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS
https://tutormentorexchange.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/social-network-analysis-articles/
Since 2007 Tutor/Mentor Connection has been sharing links to articles about social network analysis and social capital on its NING community group. Since it's possible we may not continue this site, due to rising costs, I've moved these articles to a blog article on Wordpress. 

MOVEMENT LABS - FACILITATES GROWTH OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
https://movementnetlab.org/
From the web site: "The Movement Netlab is a practice-centered ‘think-make-and-do tank’. We are comprised of movement-based activists, organizers and researchers  whose goal is to help develop powerful conceptual and practical tools that help facilitate the growth and effectiveness of the most dynamic, emerging social movements of our time."


MULTISTAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION FOR HEALTHY LIVING COLLABORATION TOOLKIT
https://www.weforum.org/reports/multistakeholder-collaboration-healthy-living-toolkit-joint-action
From the web site: "To assist stakeholders in initiating and managing multi-stakeholder actions for Healthy Living, the World Economic Forum and the Pan American Health Organization, in collaboration with Bain & Company, have developed the “Toolkit for Multi-stakeholder Action”. The Toolkit is based on a simple six-block framework to help collaborations structure and progress with their joint work."

MY CHI MY FUTURE - COMMUNITY PAGES - COLLABORATIONS
https://explore.mychimyfuture.org/
The My Chi My Future initiative was launched by Mayor Lightfoot and has been continued by Mayor Johnson.  It serves as an intermediary, bringing together youth-serving organizations from throughout Chicago.  Since 2022 it has encourage the growth of community-based planning initiatives.  These are found on the home page under the Communities tab.  Examples are, Austin - https://mychimyfuture.org/village/austin; Greater Englewood - https://mychimyfuture.org/village/greater-englewood; Humboldt Park - https://mychimyfuture.org/village/humboldt-park.  On each page are logos for youth serving organizations serving that area. Click each logo and go to a page that describes the group, and find a link to the group's website.  

NATIONAL COALITION FOR DIALOGUE AND DELIBERATION
https://www.ncdd.org/
From the web site: "The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation is a network of thousands of innovators who bring people together across divides to tackle today’s toughest challenges. NCDD serves as a gathering place, a resource clearinghouse, a news source, and a facilitation leader for this extraordinary community."

NATIONAL NETWORK FOR COLLABORATION - FRAMEWORK FOR COLLABORATION
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/model-for-community-change-and-improvement/framework-for-collaboration/main
This page on the Community Toolbox of the University of Kansas website shows these goals:  "Learn how community partnerships, support and intermediary organizations, and grantmakers can collaborate to build healthier communities. * A FOCUS ON COMMUNITY (AND SYSTEMS) CHANGE WHAT MAKES IT WORK: SEVEN KEY FACTORS IN COMMUNITY CHANGE
* WHO IS INVOLVED?
* A PROPOSED"MEMORANDUM OF COLLABORATION" 

NET MAP - INFLUENCING MAPPING OF SOCIAL NETWORKS
https://netmap.wordpress.com/about/
From the web site: "Net-Map is an interview-based mapping tool that helps people understand, visualize, discuss, and improve situations in which many different actors influence outcomes"  Editor comment: This looks like a valuable resource. Would be valuable to work Tutor/Mentor Connection is doing if funds could be found to apply the talent to use it.

NETWORK ANALYSIS FOR CHANGE - ARTICLE
https://interactioninstitute.org/network-analysis-for-change-collaborations-clusters-champions-and-coach-weavers/
This is one of many articles on the Interaction Institute for Social Change that demonstrates a use of mapping and network analysis to support collaboration.  Take a look. 

NETWORK IMPACT: DIFFERENT APPROACHES AND COMMON GROUND - 2016 ARTICLE
https://interactioninstitute.org/network-design-for-collective-impact/
This is another article from the Interaction Institute for Social Change that profiles different networks and uses visualizations to show how participants are connected and interacting.

NETWORKING ACTION - ORGANIZING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
https://networkingaction.net/global-action-networks/
From the web site:  "Global Action Networks (GANs) are a specific type of network. These are a new, innovative network that are addressing critical global issues like climate change, poverty, health, education, and human security. They do this by integrating seven characteristics.  These global, multi-stakeholder networks are organized around specific issues. They include Transparency International (corruption), the Forest Stewardship Council, Social Accountability International, the Marine Stewardship Council, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Microcredit Summit Campaign, the Global Water Partnership, and the Sustainable Food Lab."  Read more from the web site. 

NETWORK-ING DOES NOT EQUAL NETWORK WEAVING - 2018 ARTICLE
https://greaterthanthesum.com/not-networking/
The writer explores different concepts of network weaving and challenges readers with this statement: "And I believe that if we tease out a clearer understanding of the values and intent of network weaving, if we tempt our imaginations into this fresh, promising new territory, we go further to affirm and generate the kind of world we want to live in together. We affirm that weaving an impactful and resilient change network." 

NETWORKS, CLUSTERS AND ECOSYSTEMS: TAKING REGIONAL INNOVATION TO A NEW LEVEL
https://www.slideshare.net/edpro/networks-clusters-and-ecosystems-taking-regional-innovation-to-a-new-level-84170228
This presentation describes how organizations, communities and regions can embrace the complexities of open networks and harness the power of collaboration. The report summarizes 12  years of work done at Purdue to develop these concepts. 

NEW MODELS OF COLLABORATION: GIS COORDINATION IN NEW YORK STATE (2013)
https://www.ctg.albany.edu/publications/reports/new_models/
From the web site: "Governments around the world are attempting to improve public services through the use of advanced information technology. Increasingly these efforts rely on cross-boundary collaboration among government agencies, the private sector, and non-profit organizations.  This guide focuses on the key elements of these new working arrangements of particular importance to the people who will design and manage them.

NEW TACTICS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - ON-LINE SPACE TO NETWORK, SHARE IDEAS
https://www.newtactics.org/training
From the web site: "Since 1999, New Tactics has created unique resources – organized around the analysis of potential solutions rather than that of specific issues, geographic regions, or target groups – that allow advocates to clearly recognize the unique elements of their situation, and to seek promising approaches that have worked elsewhere in order to apply them to new regions or issues."

NEXTDOOR - THE PRIVATE SOCIAL NETWORK FOR YOU, YOUR NEIGHBORS AND YOUR COMMUNITY.
https://about.nextdoor.com/
From the web site: "Nextdoor is the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. It's the easiest way for you and your neighbors to talk online and make all of your lives better in the real world. And it's free." The EveryBlock site has been merged into Next Door as of 2019.  Browse the web site and learn more.

ONETEAM PARTNERS AND LISC JOIN FORCES TO CONNECT ATHLETES WITH COMMUNITY INITIATIVES AND IMPACT INVESTING
https://www.lisc.org/our-stories/story/one-team-partners-and-lisc-join-forces-connect-athletes-community-initiatives-and-impact-investing/
This is a January 2021 press release. It reads: "OneTeam Partners (OneTeam) is proud to announce a groundbreaking alliance with the Local Initiatives SupportCorporation (LISC), the nation’s largest community development organization, to provide 2,000 professional athletes with opportunities to catalyze opportunity in communities where they live and work."  


ON-LINE WRITING LAB AT PURDUE
https://owl.purdue.edu/
From the web site: "The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction."

ONTARIO NONPROFIT NETWORK - COLLABORATION MODEL
https://theonn.ca/our-network/how-we-work/
From the web site:  "ONN has several projects, constellations (working groups) and sector-wide initiatives, all in various stages of evolution and activity.  In addition to our constellations, we are also working closely with a number of other networks including the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, Imagine Canada, OSER, Creative Enablers Network, Volunteer Centres of Ontario and Toronto Neighbourhood Centres, just to mention a few."

OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY - OPEN SPACE WORLD.ORG
https://openspaceworld.org/wp2/
From the web site: "Open Space (Technology) is a simple way to run productive meetings, for five to 2000+ people, and a powerful approach to leadership in any kind of organization, in everyday practice and turbulent change.  The intention of OpenSpace World is to bring together just enough of the Open Space story to get you started, suggest some basic patterns, and send you (back) out into the web and the world, to find and do more opening.


OUISHARE - SCALING A SHARED VISION ACROSS COUNTRIES
https://blog.loomio.org/2016/01/21/ouishare/
We produce knowledge, organise events, and connect people, ideas and projects around the sharing economy, fab labs, crowdfunding, the peer-to-peer economy, and society in general."

PACT - SUPPORTS POOR AND MARGINALIZED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
https://www.pactworld.org/our-promise
From the web site: "A nonprofit international development organization founded in 1971, Pact works on the ground in more than 30 countries to improve the lives of those who are poor and marginalized. We strive for a world where all people exercise their voice, build their own solutions and take ownership of their future."

PROMISING PRACTICES IN BUILDING SOCIAL MOVEMENT NETWORKS
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/creating-culture-promising-practices-of-successful-movement-networks/
This 2013 article in the Nonprofit Quarterly addresses the challenge and complexity of building and sustaining social movements.

RADIAN - NON PROFIT THINK TANK FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
https://radianinc.org/
From the web site: "Radian is the only non-profit (501c3) architecture and urban design group in Colorado, bridging the gap between neighborhood-based projects and the development community by acting as a resource that serves all sectors, including private organizations, government/municipalities, community, and nonprofit groups. We focus on urban and rural development to enhance the health, sustainability, and quality of our communities."

RESILIENT CHICAGO - A PLAN FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH & A CONNECTED CITY
https://resilient.chicago.gov/strategy-development
The 2019 Resilient Chicago plan is the result of a planning process that began in late 2016.  This link points to the strategy development page. Download and read the full report. 

RESOLVE - RESULTS THROUGH CONSENSUS
https://www.resolve.ngo/
From the web site:  "RESOLVE forges sustainable solutions to critical social, health, and environmental challenges by creating innovative partnerships where they are least likely and most needed."

ROLE OF REGIONAL AND STATE INTERMEDIARIES SUPPORTING COLLECTIVE IMPACT
https://livingcities.org/blog/?id=239
Articles on the Living Cities blog, such as this one, provide ideas for ways collective efforts of many organizations within defined boundaries (cities, states, etc.) can be supported by intermediary roles.

SEMBL - A SYSTEM FOR VISUAL, DIALOGIC THINKING
http://sembl.net/
*   resemblance – understand a thing by exploring its kinship to another thing
*   visual dialogue – understand a group of things by seeing them in spatial arrangement
It starts as a digital board game. Look at a seed item – a photograph or quotation – and find something that resembles it. The challenge? Be interesting."  


SHARING CITIES NETWORK
https://www.shareable.net/sharing-cities/
From the web site: "The Sharing Cities Network connects local sharing activists in cities around the world for fun, mutual support, and movement building."  Since 2013 cities around the world have been mapping their shared resources via annual #MapJam events.

SKILLS FEST - GRASSROOTS PROBLEM SOLVING IN WISCONSIN
https://leanfrontiers.com/
From the web site: "Our vision is to inspire local activity in a way that achieves sustainable (Social, Economic, Environmental) scalable outcomes so that everyone we engage with unleashes their creativity and capability towards their own sustainable aspirations."   See how they are using Kumu.io to map their community.  https://kumu.io/sfc/skillsfest

SOCIAL CAPITAL - A STRATEGY FOR COLLABORATION
https://www.slideshare.net/vaxelrod/social-capital-glue-for-sustainability-542466
This 2008 Slideshare presentation shows the value of networked people and organizations. Imagine if all of the people connected via the web links and visitor traffic on this web site were connected, and interacting, in the way that is described on this presentation. That is the goal of the Tutor/Mentor Connection, formed in 1993, and the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, formed in 2011

SOCIAL CAPITAL - IDEAS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
https://infed.org/social-capital/
This site provides extensive understanding of social capital and it's different shapes and potential benefits.

SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB
https://socialmediaclub.org/
From the web site: "Social Media Club hosts conversations that explore key issues facing our society as technologies transform the way we connect, communicate, collaborate and relate to each other."

SOCIAL Q&A - ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE MORE COMPLETELY
https://socialqa.com/
I attend many meetings with more than 20 people and am constantly frustrated by how difficult it is to ask questions, engage with speakers, or with other participants. This Social Q&A application could be a solution to such problems. Take a look

SOLUTIONS-U - WORKING TO BRING SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM TO EVERY NEWSROOM WORLDWIDE.
https://www.solutionsjournalism.org/
From the web site: "Explore SolutionsU, an online learning platform to support solutions-focused learning and teaching about society's challenges.  And, visit Solutions Story Tracker™?, ???a curated database of solutions journalism stories?."  This web site is loaded with useful ideas and information. Take some time to get acquainted.

STACKEXCHANGE - COLLABORATION TOOL
https://area51.stackexchange.com/faq
From the web site: "Stack Exchange is a network of 150+ Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the preeminent site for programmers to find, ask, and answer questions about software development. Founded in 2008 by Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood, the company was built on the premise that serving the developer community at large would lead to a better, smarter Internet. Since then, the Stack Exchange network has grown into a top-50 online destination, with Stack Overflow alone serving more than 40 million professional and novice programmers every month. The broader Stack Exchange Network has expanded to cover topics as diverse as Mathematics, Home Improvement, Statistics, and English Language and Usage." The Area51 page is where people go to launch new conversations

STRATEGIC DOING - DO MORE TOGETHER
https://strategicdoing.net/
From the web site: "Strategic Doing teaches people how to form collaborations quickly, move them toward measurable outcomes and make adjustments along the way. In today’s world, collaboration is essential to meet the complex challenges we face. Strategic Doing enables leaders to design and guide new networks that generate innovative solutions. It is a new strategy discipline that is lean, agile and fast—just what organizations, communities and regions need to survive and thrive."

STRATEGIES OF SOCIAL SERVICE INTERMEDIARIES
https://ppv.issuelab.org/resource/rising-to-the-challenge-the-strategies-of-social-service-intermediaries.html
From the web site: "During the past decade, "intermediary organizations" have proliferated across the nonprofit sector. These organizations are typically positioned between funding entities (e.g., government agencies, foundations and corporations) and direct service providers. Intermediaries play an important roll in connecting organizations that share a common interest--and working to enhance the services these organizations provide, build larger service networks, promote quality standards, and monitor programs on behalf of funders." This paper discusses the work intermediaries do.

STRATEGY, LEADERSHIP AND THE SOUL
https://www.agility3r.com/about-us/strategy-leadership-and-the-soul/
From the web site: "Strategy, Leadership and the Soul presents a new paradigm for organizations. In building their case, the authors present a unique analysis of the dynamics of organizational evolution since 1850 to the present day, reflecting on how the context of the changing nature of society over time has informed the necessary adjustments in structure and leadership, and in what way these have been vital to the sustainability of those organizations." This is one of many resources on the Agility3R site. 

STUDY OF "HOW NEWS HAPPENS" - BY PEW RESEARCH CENTER'S JOURNALISM PROJECT STAFF
https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2010/01/11/how-news-happens/
Here are some questions this 2010 article addresses which are very important in 2022 and beyond: a) "Where does the news come from in today’s changing media?  b) Who really reports the news that most people get about their communities? What role do new media, blogs and specialty news sites now play?; c) How, in other words, does the modern news “ecosystem” of a large American city work? And if newspapers were to die—to the extent that we can infer from the current landscape—what would that imply for what citizens would know and not know about where they live?"

SUPPORTING GRASSROOTS JUSTICE-ORIENTATED ACTIVISTS AROUND THE WORLD: A YEAR'S WORTH OF LEARNINGS (2023 ARTICLE)
https://medium.com/@TomLiacas/supporting-grassroots-justice-oriented-activists-around-the-world-a-years-worth-of-learnings-e685407eb4ba
This article shares work being done to connect grassroots social justice activists from around the world in a knowledge-sharing network.  Follow the links embedded in t he article to dig deeper into the work that this group is doing.  

SYNTHETIC OVERVIEW OF COLLABORATIVE ECONOMY - FROM P2P FOUNDATION
http://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Synthetic_Overview_of_the_Collaborative_Economy
This PDF contains an extensive "synthetic mapping and overview of the different manifestations of the emerging collaborative economy."  According to the authors, "One way is to read this report for its encyclopedic survey of the various sub-phenomena." The link points to a wiki page that provides further descriptions of the report, and links to the full PDF. 


THE CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP - UK PEOPLE AND KNOWLEDGE NETWORK
https://www.churchillfellowship.org/about-us
From the website: "Churchill Fellows are funded to discover the latest innovations and best practice in their chosen topic, anywhere in the world. They meet leading practitioners, observe cutting-edge projects and formulate a report on their findings and recommendations. Then they are supported to make an impact in the UK through sharing their global insights and putting their ideas into practice.  Every year we select up to 150 new Fellows, and since we were founded in 1965 we have appointed a total of 5,800. Many go on to become leaders in their field."

Note: The Tutor/Mentor Connection was visited by Churchill Fellows three times between 1995 and 2008.  Browse the list of Fellow and the reports they generated.

THE COMMUNITY CANVAS - TOOL FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY COALITIONS
https://community-canvas.org/
From the web site: "The Community Canvas is a framework that will help you build and run a new community, or analyze and improve an existing community. It identifies the fundamental themes to cover and helps you ask the right questions. “Community” means something different to every person. We have developed this tool in the hope of supporting anyone who runs an organization that brings people together and makes them feel like they belong, no matter if it’s an alumni organization, a sports club or an HR department."

THE HARWOOD INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC INNOVATION APPROACH - TURNING OUTWARD
https://theharwoodinstitute.org/approach/
From the web site: "The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation is a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit that teaches, coaches and inspires people and organizations to solve pressing problems and change how communities work together."


THE MOVE AT MIT - SEEKS TO "REBUILD OUR PUBLIC’S MUSCLE FOR DEMOCRACY"
https://open.mit.edu/c/themove/about
From the web site: "The Move is a movement to rebuild our public’s muscle for democracy.  This movement aims to bring together people of all backgrounds who are seeking to facilitate real civic engagement in today’s democracies. This includes researchers, leaders, academics, and politicians, as well as artists, community organizers, and ordinary citizens -- the people that we at The Move like to call “the front lines of our democracy.”

THE ROLE OF NARRATIVE CHANGE IN INFLUENCING POLICY
https://onthinktanks.org/articles/the-role-of-narrative-change-in-influencing-policy/
It's 2017. Have you heard the term "Narrative change"?  This article attempts to describe and create an understanding of what this is. If you're trying to influence people to change behaviors, practices or policy, this seems to be relevant.

THEORY U AND THE PRESENCING INSTITUTE (PI)
https://www.presencing.org/theoryu
From the web site: "Building upon two decades of action research at MIT, the process shows how individuals, teams, organizations and large systems can build the essential leadership capacities needed to address the root causes of today’s social, environmental, and spiritual challenges. In essence, we show how to update the operating code in our societal systems through a shift in consciousness from ego-system to eco-system awareness."    Browse the web site to learn more.

THINKING OF THE FUTURE AFTER COVID19 - WRITING STORIES
https://www.iftf.org/home/
From the website: "IFTF wants to offer the public—communities, policymakers, civic and business organizations—a guide to creating new visions of the common future. Think of this guide as a recipe with ingredients that you will need to imagine what is desirable, what you might want to avoid, and what you need to prepare for. What kinds of scenarios might it inspire?" Visit the site and learn more.

TINY NEWS COLLECTIVE - SUPPORTS EMERGING NEWS ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
https://www.tinynewsco.org/members/
From the website: "We provide operational support through shared resources and growing community learning to help first-time founders build sustainable news organizations that reflect the communities they serve."  One of these is The Harvey World Herald, https://harveyworld.org/, serving Harvey, Illinois. 

TOOLKIT FOR BUILDING VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES (LAST UPDATED 2007)
https://fullcirc.com/resources/online-community-toolkit/
This is part of a wealth of resources shared by Full Circle Associates in the early years of Internet and on-line community development.  While the site is more than 20 years old we can learn from ideas being shared in the past.

TOPOS PARTNERSHIP - CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING
https://www.topospartnership.com/
From the web site: "The Topos Partnership has as its mission to explore and ultimately change the landscape of public understanding where public interest issues play out. Founded by Axel Aubrun and Joe Grady of Cultural Logic and Meg Bostrom of Public Knowledge, Topos was created to bring together the range of expertise needed to understand existing issue dynamics, explore possibilities for creating new issue understanding, develop a proven course of action, and arm advocates with new communications tools to win support."

TOWN MEETINGS / PUBLIC FORUMS THAT USE MODERN COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
https://participedia.net/method/145
This article describes "the 21st Century Town Meeting method developed by AmericaSpeaks to increase the number of participants without decreasing the quality of dialogue and deliberation. The method was conceived in an attempt to 'update' the New England Town Meeting format for the digital age by integrating the use of Audience Response Systems and similar connective technologies."

TRACING AND UNDERSTANDING NETWORKS AS POLITICAL PROCESS
https://yannickrumpala.wordpress.com/tag/networks/
The author writes about understanding networks as part of a strategy to influence political action. This is blog of author of "Knowledge and Praxis of Networks As a Political Process"---- Yannick Rumpala from the University of Nice, in Nice, France.

TRANSFORMATIONS TO SUSTAINABILITY (T2S) - INTERNATIONAL
https://transitionnetwork.org/about-the-movement/what-is-transition/
From the web site: "Transition is a movement of communities coming together to re-imagine and rebuild our world. Here we explain what it is, why people do it, how the movement started and give you a sense of our underpinning principles and approach." Visit the site and learn more. 

UNDERSTANDING "SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP" - SSIR ARTICLE
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_dawn_of_system_leadership#
This Stanford Social Innovation Review article describes the role of systems leaders who help bring together many stakeholders to imagine new solutions to complex problems. 

USE YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
https://hbr.org/2020/07/use-your-social-network-as-a-tool-for-social-justice
This 2020 Harvard Business Review article shows that we all are part of networks and we have the potential to use those networks to help further social justice.  Take a look and apply the ideas.

USING SYSTEMS THINKING TO EXPLORE AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS
https://newcommunityparadigms.blogspot.com/2015/07/using-systems-thinking-to-explore.html
This is one of a series of article on the Pathways to New Community Paradigms blog which offers a deeper exploration into Collective Impact using blog articles and concept maps. If you're interested in collective impact, community collaboration or related ideas take time to visit the blog and the KUMU maps that are pointed to in each article.

VIDEO SHOWS GROWING COLLECTIVE EFFORT IN LACROSSE, WI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QmhekE7__k&feature=youtu.be
This video shows how an initiative launched by LaCrosse, WI schools is growing to build a unified system of school and community supports for kids.  Note the emphasis on communications, information sharing and relationship building that are critically important to this effort as well as the long term focus of creating a "legacy" effort.

VIRTUAL COLLABORATION OVERVIEW - VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_Mz-8JOWK8
This video by Gene Bellinger, introduces systems thinking presentations created since 2014 that use Kumu and insight-maker,  This focuses on virtual collaboration in a complex world.

WAYS TO IMPROVE COLLABORATION IMPACT - ARTICLE 2018
https://www.zdnet.com/article/idc-research-9-ways-of-amplifying-collaborations-positive-impact/
From the web site: "IDC research found the integration of core business applications, empowering cross-silo conversations, and enterprise adoption of collaborative platforms results in significantly fewer meetings, less email, and faster time to execute projects. That's because work is done in real time, and not waiting for the next meeting. But it takes adoption from the bottom up and the top down to succeed, and often a change in how work is done."

WEAVE: THE SOCIAL FABRIC PROJECT
https://weavers.org/about/
WEAVE was created in 2018 "to address the crisis of broken social trust that has left Americans divided along many lines, isolated and unable to address our common needs. The project aims to turn Americans into a nation of weavers, spreading connection and belonging."  Take a look at the "Trust Map" which is a link in the top menu bar on the website. 

WEB-BASED COLLABORATION RESOURCES
https://www.jordan-webb.net/
Learn how to meet and solve problems via Internet based meeting tools. Read the Web - Based Collaboration section at this web site.  At this site you can also find information about the Midwest Facilitator's Network, which hosted quarterly networking and information sharing meetings for facilitation consultants in Chicago between the late 1990s and late 2000s. 

WELLBEING IN EUROPE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT
https://edgeryders.eu/t/social-contract-for-the-poprebel-project-community/10252
This project is described on the Edgeryders web site."It is a collective effort to understand the ways in which citizens in various European countries live, work, and participate in society during times of populism on the rise. It is a platform to share stories, ideas and insights, make new connections, coordinate the work. It is a diverse group of people of all ages, genders, income levels, political ideologies etc., mainly in Central and Eastern Europe but not limited to it. It is a process that brings people together, virtually or physically, to share, inspire, connect and collaborate effectively. Out of this will emerge new ideas, new solutions and new connections that benefit all."

WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY "SYSTEMS CHANGE" - ARTICLE
https://bioneers.org/what-we-mean-when-we-say-systems-change-zp0z2107/
This article is titled "What We Mean When We Say "Systems Change" " and is an "essay by Motaz Attalla, Jennifer Berman, Jessica Conrad, Ruth Rominger, and Eleni Sotos from the Garfield Foundation.".

WOODS FUND OF CHICAGO SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT BUILDING
https://www.woodsfund.org/movement-building?rq=movement%20building
In May 2010 the Woods Fund of Chicago issued a call for proposals for its "first Movement Building for Racial Justice Fund", which is described at t his link.

Collaboration, Innovation, Knowledge Management, Visualization Links Section of Tutor/Mentor Library

While most information in this library focuses on helping kids in poverty areas the links in this section of the library can be used by anyone, in business, education, non-profits, etc. to build community coalitions and solve complex problems.  The site where this information has been hosted is now only available as an archive.

This graphic points to a range of information people need to 
know and understand in order to help kids in poverty areas
move more successfully and safely from birth-to-work. The
links in this part of the library come from businesses, as well
as non-profits. 


The links below are sub-categories in this section of the library.

If you find broken links send information to tutormentor 2 at earthlink.net

Collaboration, Community Building - click here

Concept maps, Visualization - click here

Creativity, Knowledge Management - click here

GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping - click here

Process Improvement, Evaluation - click here

Marketing, Communications - click here

10 TOOLS FOR CREATING INFOGRAPHICS AND VISUALIZATIONS
https://moz.com/blog/10-tools-for-creating-infographics-visualizations
This blog article provides a list of tools that can be used to create visualizations and infographics.

AI TECHNOLOGY FOR MAKING MUSIC AND SOUND
https://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2023/01/31/exploring-aspects-of-ai-music-generation/
In this blog article Kevin Hodgson reviews some AI sites he has explored.  Many of Kevin's blog articles share useful tools for teaching, learning and creating.

AI TECH TOOLS LIST
https://supertools.therundown.ai/
This site provides a huge list of AI resources".  Take a look. 


AI TOOLS FOR EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, AND THE REST OF US
Control Alt Achieve - https://www.controlaltachieve.com/search/label/artificial%20intelligence
AI for educators - Larry Ferlazzo's blog - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/category/ai/
Claude - a family of AI models - https://www.anthropic.com/claude
These are blogs that are aggregating links to AI tools that can be used by any of us.

A LIST OF VIDEO CONFERENCING SOFTWARE
https://www.onmsft.com/feature/teams-zoom-slack-and-more-these-are-the-top-teleconference-solutions-to-consider-in-the-wake-of-the-coronavirus-outbreak
Over the past few years many free alternatives to Skype have emerged. This article points to a few.  Since Microsoft is shutting down Skype in 2025, this list is needed.

ARCHIVE TWEETS TO GOOGLE SHEETS WITH TAGS   
https://hawksey.info/
From the website: "TAGS is a free Google Sheet template which lets you setup and run automated collection of search results from Twitter."
I originally learned about this resource through this 2011 article.
https://hawksey.info/blog/2011/11/twitter-how-to-archive-event-hashtags-and-visualize-conversation/

20 FREE TOOLS FOR NONPROFITS DURING COVID-19 (AND BEYOND)
https://www.soapboxengage.com/blog/1893-free-tools-for-nonprofits
This article shows some of the best free or inexpensive software available to help fundraisers and development professionals.

ANTHONY MOSER'S LIST OF PUBLIC DATA TOOLS
http://publicdatatools.com/
This is a list of resources that can be used to build dashboards and make public data more available. Focus is on Chicago.  

APPS AND TECH TOOLS FOR NONPROFITS
https://www.nptechforgood.com/2021/06/29/74-free-or-low-cost-tools-and-resources-for-nonprofits/
This list on the NonProfit Tech for Good site offers a number of low-cost or free apps and online tools available to nonprofits. The web page says "Provided you set aside the time to explore and experiment, your nonprofit can use the apps and tools listed below to significantly improve your web, email, social media, and visual content.


BUILD YOUR OWN WEBSITE - FOLLOW THESE TIPS
https://htmlforpeople.com/zero-to-internet-your-first-website/
This blog is titled <@--HTML for people--> and this article's title is "Zero to internet: your first website".  It provides easy-to-follow instructions for building a homemade web page.  I learned about this by following Dave Winer on Twitter (X) https://x.com/davewiner/.  

BUNCEE - A CREATIVE AND PRESENTATION TOOL FOR TEACHERS
https://app.edu.buncee.com/
Here's how Buncee is described on their web site: "A creation and presentation tool for students and educators to create interactive classroom content, allowing learners of all ages to visualize concepts and communicate creatively." This link points to a page showing projects completed by students using Buncee. 

CALAMEO - DOCUMENT PUBLISHING
https://en.calameo.com/features
Calaméo is an online document publishing company. Visit this link to see the range of services they offer.

CAMSTUDIO- FREE SCREEN CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY
https://camstudio.org/
From the web site:  "CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs)"   Note: Tutor/Mentor Connection has used this to create videos explaining information we share.  

CANVASTERA (WAS GLOGSTER.COM) - CREATE ONLINE POSTERS"
https://canvastera.com/g
From the web site:  Canvastera was created following the discontinuation of Glogster, by users who voiced their desire for the service's revival.  Currently in Beta (2025).


COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY TOOLS - WIKI LIST OF BRIAN G. DOWLING
http://newcommunityparadigms.pbworks.com/w/page/44762412/Community%20Tech%20Tools
Brian's been keeping a list of  useful technology on his wiki for many years. Take some time to brows the list and see if any will be useful t you in your work.

CREATE E-BOOKS FROM BLOG ARTICLES, PDFS, ETC.
https://designrr.io/
If you write a lot of blog articles and have wanted to format them into pdfs and other types of publications this is a tool you might use. It does have a monthly fee.  

DIGITAL ARTIFACT TOOLS - COMPILED THROUGH ETMOOC 2013
https://gatherwithpurpose.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/digital-artifact-tools/
The Gather with Purpose blog has created an extensive list of tools that can be used for digital story telling and digital learning.

DIGITAL CAMERAS - EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW
http://www.jeffcurto.com/digital/index.html
From the web site: "For many consumers, though, the range of choices in today's camera market is so large that making an informed decision about what camera to buy is often difficult. Combine that with the impact of having to learn new terminology and new technology and moving to digital photography can look like a daunting task."  This page is intended to give you some resources to help you make informed choices both before and after you buy a camera. 

DIGITAL STORY TELLING RESOURCES AND SCRATCH ANIMATION - 2013 article
http://shegstrom.blogspot.com/2013/02/digital-storytelling-resources-and.html
This blog article points to several applications that can be used to create digital stories. 

DOODLE - ELIMINATES THE CHAOS OF SCHEDULING
https://doodle.com/en/
From the web site: "Doodle radically simplifies the process of scheduling events, whether they’re board or team meetings, dinners with friends, reunions, weekend trips, or anything else."

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY TOOLS - BUCKET LIST - 2013 ARTICLE
http://cyber-kap.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-bucket-list.html
On this 2013 blog article,  David Kapuler has an extensive list of education technology tools.

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY, LEARNING & TEACHING RESOURCES FROM ANTHOLOGY
https://www.anthology.com/
Anthology products include Blackboard. In this blog article they say "We exist to boldly change what education and technology can make possible together."

FEDICA - MAP SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS
https://fedica.com/blog/tweepsmap-rebrands-as-fedica/
This used to be "Tweetsmap".  It has re-branded and expanded its analytics to include Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon.  From the web site: "With these capabilities, you're able to measure your engagement insights from X, Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon."

FEEDLY - RSS READER
https://feedly.com/i/welcome
This site helps you aggregate articles and videos from various sources all on one page.

FLIPSNACK - ONLINE FLIPPING BOOK SOFTWARE
https://www.flipsnack.com/
From the web site: "FlipSnack is an online flipping book software that allows you to convert PDF documents into Flash page flip digital publications." Getting started is Free. 

FOTOJET - TURN YOUR PHOTOS INTO ART (FREE)
https://www.fotojet.com/
FotoJet offers "an all-in-one free online tool for photo editing, graphic design and photo collages."

FREE COURSES TO LEARN HOW TO USE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
https://www.techlifeunity.com/
From the web site: "Tech Life Unity is a free-to-use educational website that teaches technology users of all ages and skill levels how to use technology, especially the most popular websites, apps, and online tools. " Browse the site to see all that they offer.


GEPHI - VISUALIZATION PLATFORM
https://gephi.org/
From the web site: "Gephi is the leading visualization and exploration software for all kinds of graphs and networks. Gephi is open-source and free. Runs on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Note: in 2020 I'm seeing many using Gephi with NodeXL, to create network visualizations. Follow them on Twitter.

GLITCH - HELPS EVERYONE BUILD WEB PAGES
https://glitch.com/
From the web site: "Glitch is a simple tool for making web aps. It's a community. It's a company that aims to push the tech world to do better."


GOOGLE NOTEBOOK LM - AN AI-POWERED COLLABORATOR 
https://support.google.com/notebooklm/answer/15724458?hl=en
It's described as a tool that "helps you do your best thinking".  Look at the podcasts that I point to in this article to see ways this has been used in 2025. 

GOOGLE TRANSLATOR - CONVERTS CONVERSATION FROM ONE LANGUAGE TO ANOTHER
https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#
This is one of the most useful tools I've discovered. Type in your message in your own language and you can have it immediately translated to another language.


INSIGHT MAKER - COMMUNICATE IDEAS VISUALLY
https://insightmaker.com/
From the web site: "Insight Maker lets you express your thoughts using rich pictures and causal loop diagrams. It then lets you turn these diagrams into powerful simulation models. All this happens right in your browser, for free. No download needed, just sign up for a free account and get started now."  Here's a video showing updates to the Insight Maker site for 2023 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGXfV691QfQ

KNOW YOUR IP ADDRESS
https://www.whatismyip.com/ip-address-lookup/
From the web site: "WhatIsMyIP.com® is the industry leader in providing IP address information. We provide IP address tools that allow users to perform an Internet Speed Test, IP address lookup, proxy detection, IP Whois Lookup, and more."

LEARN ABOUT VIRTUAL WHITEBOARDING AND HOW IT'S A TOOL TO SUPPORT REMOTE TEAMS
https://www.kumospace.com/blog/virtual-whiteboarding
This is a blog article showing ways to use virtual whiteboards for visual thinking, collaborative learning, brainstorming, feedback, etc.  There's a free version for small teams. 

MAP A LIST - VISUALIZE YOUR INFORMATION ON GOOGLE MAP
https://mapalist.com/
This site offers "a wizard for creating and managing customized Google maps of address lists". Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC started using the FREE version in 2016 to create a  map showing tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago region. In 2020 the site started charging a monthly fee. We still use it. 

MAP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA  NETWORK - USING NODE XL
https://www.smrfoundation.org/
From the website: “A growing number of academics, market strategists and social media managers from around the world make use of this easy-to-handle tool.  You can, too! If you can make a pie chart, you can now make a network map!“


MIRO - ONLINE WHITEBOARD FOR VISUAL COLLABORATION AND IMAGINING THE FUTURE
https://miro.com/
The site describes itself as "A whiteboard, but better. Where teams get work done. Together, online."  There's a free version that that help organizations to understand the critical emerging issues impacting their sector, and to develop viable and powerful new visions and pathways. It's a new (2020) product. Jump in and bring your friends. 

PADLET - CREATE AND COLLABORATE WITH THE WORLD
https://padlet.com/
This application enables one to create on-ling bulletin boards for idea sharing, brainstorming, making list, keep notes, plan events, etc. Take a look.  This is an example of the application in use: http://padlet.com/wall/etmoocstory

PIXABAY - FREE IMAGES AND VIDEOS YOU CAN USE ANYWHERE
https://pixabay.com/
This web site has a library of images that can be freely used in blogs, web sites, letters, etc.

PIXLR - FREE IMAGE EDITING TOOLS
https://pixlr.com/editor/
Includes free web-based photo editor makes editing photos easy.

REAL-TIME POLLING TOOLS - A LIST OF RESOURCES
https://impedagogy.com/wp/blog/2020/07/31/online-interact/
This link points to a blog article of Terry Elliott, a college professor in Kentucky. There has used Wakelet to aggregate a list of polling tools that anyone could use to create a shared  understanding among people in a classroom or remote conversation.  He even invites people to add to his list.

RECLIPPED- HIGHLIGHT ONLINE VIDEOS TO SHARE
https://www.reclipped.com/
This looks like a useful tool. Web site says "Annotate, collect, and share parts of online videos  Share anywhere, LEGALLY. No downloading or screen-recording involved."

RSS FEED READERS HELP YOU KEEP UP WITH YOUR NEWS FEEDS - TOP FIVE (2024)
https://www.theverge.com/24036427/rss-feed-reader-best
This article explains what a RSS Feed Reader is and lists five sites, with a description of the free and paid versions for each.  The Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC uses Inoreader.com 

SCRATCH - HELPS CREATE STORIES, ANIMATION, ETC.
https://scratch.mit.edu/about
From the web site: "With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.  Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge."

SCREEN RECORDING AND SCREEN CAPTURE SOFTWARE- TECH SMITH
https://www.techsmith.com/
From the web site: "TechSmith has helped millions of first-time digital content creators create and share images and videos across corporate and academic settings. Learn how to incorporate screenshots and screen recordings into your communication workflows so you can maintain business and academic continuity.”

SCRIBBLAR - ON-LINE COLLABORATION TOOL
https://www.scribblar.com/
Scribblar is a browser based whiteboard and collaboration platform. Looks like you need to sign  up for an account and log in to learn what it's offering and how to use it.

SOCIAL VIZ - MAP YOUR TWITTER NETWORK
https://socioviz.net/
You can map your Twitter  (x) network using this tool, but the free version is very limited. Set up a free account and see if it works for you.


TECHNOLOGY LEARNING TOOLS LIST - CREATED BY CLMOOC - 2022 update
click here
The Making Learning Connected MOOC at http://clmooc.educatorinnovator.org/2014/ has nearly 1000 participants. This Google doc is a list of tech tools that members have shared.

TELL A STORY USING STORY MAPS
https://storymap.knightlab.com/
From the web site: "StoryMapJS is a free tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events." 
Here's a story created using StoryMap.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/36b2e13a657d0dff7d3ca18e1dd0dac1/curiouscolab/index.html

TEXT ANIMATION TOOL - EASY TO USE
https://textanim.com/
This site is a fun, easy tool that can be used to animate short text phrases. Put in your organization name, Twitter handle, etc. and create an image you can share on social media.

THE FABULOUS REMIXER MACHINE - A VISUAL VOICE
https://remixer.visualthinkery.com/a/toptrump
Here's a cool tool to use to create visuals for your blogs, Tweets and FB posts. The intro says, "The Remixer Machine is a web app that aims to provide people with a visual voice, especially to those who might not consider themselves “arty” - or who don’t have the graphical tools to create. It uses an SVG template that allows certain parts of the SVG to be modified. SVGs (Scalable Vector Graphics) describe an image by using markup language. This means that they provide the ability for someone to very simply change a discrete part of the image. In short, they provide the perfect scaffold for visual remixing."  The link points to a collection of cards created using the app. 


USER VOICE - CUSTOMER FEEDBACK TOOL
https://uservoice.com/
From the web site: "Product management has always been more art than science, and we’re here to change that by transforming how companies gather and analyze product feedback. We automate the collection and management of product feedback and enrich it with quantitative customer data. By bringing science to the art of listening, we’re helping product managers prioritize feature requests to drive strategic product decisions."

VIDEOSCRIBE - CREATE WHITEBOARD-STYLE ANIMATED VIDEOS
https://www.videoscribe.co/en/?utm_source=Sparkol&utm_campaign=menu-link&utm_content=vs_homepage
From the web site: "Create your own Stunning, high-definition, whiteboard-style animation videos with no design or technical know-how."

WAKELET – USE TO ARCHIVE TWITTER #CHATS
https://wakelet.com/wake/170671fc-aa3a-4c93-9197-d12fafb1f511
This link points to posts I've made on Twitter, using hashtag #tutor #mentor #learning. I used the Wakelet tool to do this. If you have used Storify in pre 2018 archives, this serves as a replacement. In this blog article you can see other uses for Wakelet. https://impedagogy.com/wp/blog/2021/10/11/minimum-viable-university-universal-universities-collaborative-shared-public-private/

WRITE A LETTER TO YOURSELF, TO BE DELIVERED A YEAR FROM NOW
https://www.futureme.org/
The "FutureMe" web page opens to an email form, which you can fill in to send yourself an email that will be delivered to your in box in one year. What would you write now that you want to read a year from now? Try it.  It's free, but the site seeks a small donation once you verify the email. 

ALLIANCE FOR CIVIC TECHNOLOGY -
https://www.civictechnologists.org/
From the website: "The Alliance of Civic Technology (ACT) connects volunteer civic technology efforts, in both technology and advocacy, in their local communities. Our goal is to ensure the continuity and growth of civic technology volunteer communities across the United States, and to fill the gap left by the sunsetting of Code for America’s Brigade program." This is an emerging organization still in formation. 

ARCHIEVING THE INTERNET - SAVING HISTORY.
https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2024/05/17/when-online-content-disappears/
https://niemanreports.org/articles/saving-the-first-draft-of-history/
These links point to two articles focused on preserving Internet content.  One is from Pew Research Center, titled, "When Online Content Disappears".  The second is an interview with Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, titled "Saving the first draft of history." Everything in this web library will potentially be lost in a few years if a simple solution to the questions these articles pose is not found.

A CHICAGOAN’S INTRODUCTION TO CIVIC TECH — 2018
https://blogs.microsoft.com/chicago/2018/01/19/chicagoans-introduction-civic-tech-2018/
From the web site: "This guide is a broad overview of civic tech communities & resources in Chicago to help with your role as civic leader and organizer (whether that role is ongoing or newly minted)."


AGGH! MILLIONS OF WINDOWS 10 PCS CAN'T BE UPGRADED AFTER 2025 - WHAT DO YOU DO?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/5-ways-to-save-your-windows-10-pc-in-2025-and-most-are-free/
Microsoft is introducing a new Windows 11 operating system in October 2024 and that's a disaster for millions who operate PCs with older operating systems.  This article offers some options.


AN ARTICLE ABOUT WEB3 AND WHY IT MATTERS - 2022 ARTICLE
https://dionhinchcliffe.com/2022/01/11/what-is-web3-and-why-it-matters/
This article offers an overview of Web3 technologies, including blockchain, distributed ledgers, smart chains, and more. If you've been reading about these technologies this is a good article to begin some deeper learning.

ARTICLES AND HOW-TOS ON TECH SOUP SITE
https://www.techsoup.org/support/articles-and-how-tos/few-good-association-management-tools?cg=searchterms&sg=membership%20software
This 2011 article about Association Management Tools is just one of many articles on Tech Soup that you can use to support your organization's work.

BROADBAND ACCESS POLICY - NEW COMPENDIUM OF RESOURCES (2015)
https://www.pellcenter.org/new-study-offers-guidance-for-expanding-broadband-access/
This study "helps state-level policy makers think through their broadband policy choices while pointing to real examples from progress made in efforts from Maine to California."

BROADBAND ILLINOIS
http://www.broadbandillinois.org/index.html
From the web site: "The Partnership for a Connected Illinois (PCI) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Springfield, Illinois.  PCI seeks to advance the deployment and adoption of high-speed internet services and information technology which has resulted in enhanced economic development and public safety for Illinois' communities, improved healthcare and educational opportunities and a better quality of life for the state's residents." 

BROADBAND LAND - ON-GOING SERIES ABOUT DIGITAL DIVIDE
https://www.vice.com/en/topic/broadband-internet-land
From the web: "For the last several months (of 2017), Motherboard has been chronicling the myriad ways communities passed over by big telecom have built their own internet networks or have partnered with small ISPs who have committed to protecting net neutrality to bring affordable high speed internet to towns and cities across the country."

BUILDING OUR OWN INTERNET - ARTICLE
https://www.vice.com/en/article/7x4y8a/net-neutrality-fcc-community-networks
This article describes work being done in many places to create a new Internet, free of corporate and/or political control and interference.  Bookmark the site and use it for future reference.

CAXY, INC - WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
https://www.caxy.com/
From the web site: "Caxy Interactive is a web design and development firm in Chicago specializing in User Experience and Agile-driven software and technology development. We love helping clients break new ground, find new customers, and engage the ones they already have in unexpected ways."

CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY
https://www.cnt.org/vision-and-mission
From the web site:  "The Center for Neighborhood Technology is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization committed to improving urban economies and environments across the United States. We do this through innovation and by researching and analyzing urban problems, testing and promoting economically efficient and environmentally sound solutions, and demonstrating the value of investing in sustainable solutions."

CHICAGO CITY DATA USER GROUP - MEETS MONTHLY
https://www.meetup.com/ChicagoCityData/
From the web site: " The Chicago City Data Users Group is for end users, business users, enthusiasts, students, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in how to use city data. Our goal to promote civic engagement, innovation, and economic opportunity leveraging The City of Chicago's data."  The group host free meet-ups, usually the first Wednesday of the month, at the Microsoft headquarters in Chicago. NOTE: 10-2021 - due to Covid19 the face-to-face meetings have not been held since Spring 2020.

CHICAGO ENGINEERING AND TECH COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS LIST 
https://github.com/driscoll42/chicago-engineering-and-tech-communities
This is an extensive list of Chicago focused Engineering Communities and organizations. 

CHICAGO HACK NIGHT - MEETS WEEKLY IN CHICAGO
https://chihacknight.org/
This Chicago group organizes a weekly event at the Merchandise Mart to build, share, and learn about civic tech. Visit the web site and see project list  showing what many are working on and find links to other data user groups in Chicago. Note: 10-2021 – face-to-face meetings have not been held since March 2021. Weekly events are on-line.

CITY OF CHICAGO DATA PORTAL - MAP OF CONNECTED ORGS & PLACES
https://data.cityofchicago.org/Education/Connect-Chicago-Locations-Map/4jzv-pgsc
From the web site: "Connect Chicago is a loose network of more than 250 places in the city where internet and computer access, digital skills training, and online learning resources are available—for free. This data set represents all the available details for every location. The content is updated regularly by site administrators and location managers."  

CIVICGRAPH - MAP OF CIVIC TECH SECTOR
https://www.civicgraph.io/
This network analysis map created by a team at Microsoft visualizes the four sectors of civic technology users.  A great tool for learning who else is in the field and building potential collaborations. 

CLUETRAIN MANIFESTO
https://www.cluetrain.com/
The Cluetrain Manifesto was first published in the late 90's, providing a vision of a world connected by the Internet.  Opening statement read, "People of the earth...a powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed." See this and more on the Cluetrain website. 

CONNECTING ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS - A BROADBAND ACTION PLAN (2016)
https://www.shlb.org/action-plan
From the web site: "“Connecting Anchor Institutions: A Broadband Action Plan” was developed by the SHLB Coalition to provide ideas and actionable policy recommendations for government leaders at the federal, state, and local levels to address the broadband needs of anchor institutions. The ten policy papers highlight connectivity gaps and explain why broadband access is vital to communities nationwide. “

CONNECTING TECHNOLOGIES TO CITIZENSHIP - UIC FORUM WHITE PAPER
https://urbanforum.uic.edu/
This is a white paper by Jane E. Fountain, National Center for Digital Government, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which was submitted as part of the 2013 UIC Forum.  In the introduction the author writes "Among the key topics addressed in this white paper are the following: First, what is the state of connection between citizen and governments? Second, how does technology change and influence core elements of city government from the nature of governance itself to the challenges of service delivery to prospects for political participation and deepening citizenship? Third, and last, how are government services and information."  Included is a list of civic technology innovations that could be adopted in many cities. providers, brokers and decision makers in city government taking advantage of appropriate technologies to better meet citizen needs and demands?"

DATAMADE, A CIVIC TECHNOLOGY COMPANY IN CHICAGO
https://datamade.us/about-us/index.html
From the web site: "DataMade was born out of Chicago's Open Government community. In 2011, we started working on civic technology as volunteers of Open City. At nights and over weekends, we've helped make Chicago Lobbyists, Clear Streets, and Second City Zoning." DataMade is also a founder and host of the weekly ChicagoHackNight.

DIGITAL DIVIDE TECHNOLOGY ACCESS RESOURCES
https://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-technology-access-resources
From the web site: "Learn more about the changing landscape of the "digital divide" in education and beyond, and explore resources that discuss how to help all students develop digital and media literacy."  This list was started in 2011 and updated in 2015.

DIGITAL SPACES DIRECTORY 
https://newpublic.org/directory
This website is aggregating links to digital spaces as a "jumping off point for further exploration and research for anyone who's interested in studying, building, stewarding, or simply using digital platforms."

E-DEMOCRACY FORUMS
http://forums.e-democracy.org/about/
From the web site:  "E-Democracy.org builds online public space in the heart of real democracy and community. Our mission is to harness the power of online tools to support participation in public life, strengthen communities, and build democracy.  Starting with the world's first election information website in 1994 in Minnesota, today we host over 50 local Issues Forums in 16 communities across three countries - New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition to these "online town halls," we promote civic engagement online around the world." 

EDUCATION SUPERHIGHWAY - FOCUSES ON INTERNET ACCESS IN SCHOOLS
https://www.educationsuperhighway.org/
From the web site: "EducationSuperHighway is the leading nonprofit focused on upgrading the Internet access in every public school classroom in America. We believe that digital learning has the potential to provide all students with equal access to educational opportunity and that every school requires high-speed broadband to make that opportunity a reality."  This site is full of data showing number of kids and schools with, and without, access to Internet. Search for info for each state.

EVERY LEARNER EVERYWHERE
https://www.everylearnereverywhere.org/how-we-work/
From the website: "Every Learner Everywhere is a network of twelve partner organizations with expertise in evaluating, implementing, scaling, and measuring the efficacy of education technologies, curriculum and course design strategies, teaching practices, and support services that personalize instruction for students in blended and online learning environments." The focus is on higher education. 

FOSS - FREE OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
https://freeopensourcesoftware.org/index.php?title=Main_Page
View this wiki to learn more about FOSS and ways non profits and small organizations might benefit from using it.

FREE GEEK CHICAGO
https://www.freegeekchicago.org/about
FreeGeek Chicago is a not-for-profit community organization that  recycles used computers and parts to provide functional computers,  education, internet access and job skills training to those who want  them.

FREE SOFTWARE MOVEMENT - GNU SYSTEM
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
From the web site:  "The GNU operating system is the Unix-like operating system, which is entirely free software, that we in the GNU Project have developed since 1984. The GNU system contains all of the official GNU software packages (which are listed below), and also includes much non-GNU free software, such as the X Window System. Also, the GNU system is not a single static set of programs; users and distributors may select different packages according to their needs and desires. The result is still a variant of the GNU system."

DEVELOPMENTS IN CIVIC TECH IN ASIA AND AROUND THE WORLD
https://g0v.news/civic-tech-weekly-feb-19-can-a-i-block-isis-propaganda-ef524b63b4d4?gi=485be8d7e8b8
From the web site: "g0v News is a news platform that offers the latest trends and developments in civic tech in Asia and around the world. We aim to build a global community of civic tech enthusiasts by telling their stories, and sharing their experiences. We provide news updates, case studies, weekly digests, and interviews with the civic tech community, and by the civic tech community. g0v.news is also the world’s first Chinese/English bilingual civic tech news platform.

GITHUB - A PLACE TO SHARE CODE AND COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS
https://github.com/about
From the site: "GitHub is supporting a community where more than 20 million people learn, share, and work together to build software."

HOW TO MAKE A WEBSITE: FREE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
https://websitesetup.org/
From the website: "This step-by-step guide walks you through every step you need to take to create a website for your business or yourself in an hour or less without using expensive tools."  

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION - ISTE
https://iste.org/about/about-iste
From the website: "the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), home to a passionate community of global educators who believe in the power of technology to transform teaching and learning, accelerate innovation and solve tough problems in education. ISTE inspires the creation of solutions and connections that improve opportunities for all learners by delivering: practical guidance, evidence-based professional learning, virtual networks, thought-provoking events and the ISTE Standards."

INTERNET GROWTH SINCE 1970S - 40 MAPS
https://www.vox.com/a/internet-maps
This article tracks the growth of the internet since 1969, using maps to show this growth. Very interesting.

KANSAS CITY DIGITAL INCLUSION COALITION
https://digitalinclusionkc.org/
From the web site: "The Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion is an open, collaborative group of Kansas City area nonprofits, individuals, government entities and business focused on fostering internet access and digital readiness in greater Kansas City. Membership meetings occur on a monthly or bi-monthly basis at the Kansas City Public Library."

LEARN-TECH-LIB - LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY LIBRARY
https://www.learntechlib.org/
From the web site: "The LearnTechLib is the premiere online resource for aggregated, peer-reviewed research on the latest developments and applications in Learning and Technology.  Encompassing more than 25+ years and 100,000+ documents of published international journal articles, conference papers, e-books, and multimedia content from 200,000+ leading authors, the LearnTechLib connects research and learning within one platform."

MEETUPS IN CHICAGO - TECH, COLLABORATION, LEARNING
https://www.meetup.com/cities/us/il/chicago/tech/
This link points to a Meetups pages with a variety of tech related groups that host regular meetings in Chicago. Most are free.

NEWS GATHERING AND VERIFICATION TOOLS - MINING THE INTERNET
https://firstdraftnews.org/articles/10-discovery-and-verification-tools-for-newsrooms-on-a-budget/
The mass amounts of information available on the Internet is overwhelming. This 2016 article shows 10 different tools that can be used to gather information from various sources.

ON-LINE LEARNING CONSORTIUM
https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/
From the website: "The Online Learning Consortium™ (OLC) is a collaborative community of higher education leaders and innovators, dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner – anyone, anywhere, anytime."

OPEN DATA SOURCES AND RESOURCES - CHICAGO
https://chihacknight.org/data-resources.html
This list of resources is compiled by the ChiHackNight group, composed of civic technology volunteers, which meets weekly at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.

OPEN SOURCE COMMUNITY PLATFORM
https://opensource.com/open-source-way
From the web site: "The open source way is about applying the principles of open source software development beyond software. Beyond technology. Opensource.com is about sharing how the open source way can change our world in the same way the open source model has changed software."

PCS FOR PEOPLE - PCS FOR PEOPLE REFURBISHES DESKTOP AND LAPTOP COMPUTERS FOR DISTRIBUTION TO ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.
https://www.pcsforpeople.org/about-us/
From the website: "Through electronic reuse PCs for People provides the opportunity for all low-income individuals and nonprofits to benefit from the life changing impact of computers and mobile internet."  

PROCESS VS. PRODUCT: CIVIC INNOVATION BEYOND OPEN DATA AND CIVIC APPS
https://medium.com/code-for-america/process-vs-product-856076f7985f
The author writes about the growth of the Open Savannah Civic Tech group and says "Restoring trust in our civic institutions — and, in so doing, working to make local government more responsive to user needs — is not a project spec or a deliverable. It’s not something you can achieve in a sprint; it’s more like a long, continuous marathon that may or may not have a clear finish line." Good tips for similar groups throughout the world.

SPECTRUM DIGITAL EDUCATION - GRANTS PROGRAM
https://corporate.charter.com/digital-education
From the web site: "Spectrum supports nonprofit organizations that educate community members on the benefits of broadband and how to use it to improve their lives. We award grants across the country to help accomplish this goal."

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT PAGE - CITY OF CHICAGO
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/progs/tech.html
From the website: “The City of Chicago is committed to leveraging technology to improve and expand City programs and services. In addition, the City aims to expand public access to technology across Chicago and is pursuing other digital excellence initiatives that encourage residents, businesses and communities to participate fully in 21st century online economic and social spheres.“

TECH & LEARNING - EDTECH RESOURCE
https://www.techlearning.com/features/about-us
From the web site: "Tech & Learning’s print and digital publications, websites, e-newsletters, and online and in-person events provide factual and evaluative information on trends, products, and strategies to education leaders who purchase technology products in their districts and schools." 

TECH SOUP, A FULL RESOURCE FOR TECHNOLOGY NEEDS
https://www.techsoup.org/
From the web site: "At TechSoup, people around the world find the information they need to make smart decisions about technology at their organizations.  U.S. organizations often first get to know TechSoup's product donation program, which provides eligible organizations with discounted software, hardware, services, and training.  Through our Global Network, organizations outside the U.S. gain similar access to the solutions they need. TechSoup's catalog includes more than 375 products from over 100 companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, Intuit, and Symantec.  Discover useful technology resources on TechSoup's blog, webinars, forums, newsletter, and articles and how-tos."

TECHNOLOGY FOR HUMANITY (T4H)
https://www.technologyforhumanity.org/
From the web site: "There has always been a gap between those people and communities who can make effective use of information technology and those who cannot. Now, more than ever, unequal adoption of technology excludes many from reaping the fruits of the economy.  We use the term "digital divide" to refer to this gap between those who can effectively use new information and communication tools, such as the Internet, and those who cannot. While a consensus does not exist on the extent of the divide (and whether the divide is growing or narrowing), researchers are nearly unanimous in acknowledging that some sort of divide exists at this point in time. We focus on minorities and people with disabilities, and we also occasionally help seniors and veterans."

TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (TIA) - POLICY ISSUES
https://tiaonline.org/news-publications/policy-filings/
From the web site: "The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is the leading trade association representing the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, policy initiatives, business opportunities, market intelligence and networking events. With support from hundreds of members, TIA enhances the business environment for companies involved in telecom, broadband, mobile wireless, information technology, networks, cable, satellite, unified communications, emergency communications and the greening of technology. TIA is accredited by ANSI." Click on the "advocacy" button on the web site to see a menu of policy issues TIA focuses on.

THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE NETWORK - DIGITAL AND DEVELOPMENT NETWORK - GLOBAL
https://www.comminit.com/ict-4-development/category/sites/global/ict-development
This link points to one sub-section of The Communication Initiative Network and Partnership web site.  This is an extensive library of information and people working on issues of importance throughout the world. Take time to browse the site. 

THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE - PRO BONO WEB SUPPORT FOR NON PROFITS
https://www.thedifferenceengine.io/
From the web site: "Our organization works with non-traditional entry level web developers not students and provides them with real life projects over a staggered 17 week program participation model. They work collaboratively within a team environment under the supervision and mentorship of experienced tech professionals. We offer our solutions PRO BONO to qualified nonprofit or social organizations.

THE OFFICE OF NATIVE AFFAIRS AND POLICY (ONAP) - DIGITAL DIVIDE ISSUES
https://www.fcc.gov/office-native-affairs-and-policy
From the website: "The Office of Native Affairs and Policy (ONAP) was established by FCC Order in 2010 to further the Commission's efforts to bring the benefits of modern communications to all Native communities."  The page includes a link to the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Tribal Leaders Directory website: sort bywww.bia.gov/tribal-leaders-directory. There you will find an electronic, map-based, interactive directory of information on each federally recognized Indian Tribe, as well as a separate Excel spreadsheet with the names and contact information of current Tribal leaders, among other information.

URBAN AND REGIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS ASSOCIATION - URISA
https://www.urisa.org/
From the web site: "URISA is a multi-disciplinary geospatial organization that provides professional education and training, a vibrant and connected community, advocacy for geospatial challenges and issues, and essential resources. URISA fosters excellence in GIS and engages geospatial professionals throughout their careers."

VISUALIZING SOCIAL MEDIA UNIVERSE IN 2018
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/social-media-universe/
This article has a great visualization showing relative size of different social media platforms in the world along with data tables showing number of users for each. 

YOUTH LEARN - STEM AND AFTERSCHOOL BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://youthlearn.org/resources/selected-research-and-resources-on-stem-afterschool-bibliography/
From the web site: "The YouthLearn team develops projects at the intersection of informal learning, 21st century literacy, and creative self-expression. Since 2003, YouthLearn has worked with numerous public and private clients to design programs, develop curriculum, and deliver professional development that provides educators the tools to empower young people and guide them in meaningful learning experiences connected with real world issues. Leveraging deep expertise in the management of complex national and international projects, we tailor content and instructional design to the needs of learners, crafting program strategies that foster powerful learning experiences." The resource section of the web site has many useful documents. This link points to two pdfs with STEM and Afterschool resources.