Networking for Social Change

Networking for social change helps build a more effective collaborative organization. Networking—the voluntary cooperation of creative people—is a widespread social technology that is thriving around the globe. Networking for social change is a form of social organization that exponentially increases sharing of information (especially electronically), promotes human synergy, helps to pool resources, and can facilitate cooperative action for social change goals.

Networking for social change involves collaboration. Collaboration is a form of networking that goes beyond informal, spontaneous information sharing and resource pooling. Collaboration takes networking to a more highly developed level of carefully planned cooperation. Collaborative networking for social change builds a new organization of existing organizations with much greater power for mobilization of resources, sharply defined goals, strategic planning, and sustained action to achieve goals for social change.

Journeys into Justice is a new book that documents networking for social change of ten collaborative organizations that have successfully worked for securing social change for justice in affordable rental housing, living wage legislation, juvenile justice, immigrant worker justice, family empowerment, alternative sentencing for first offenders, and environmental responsibility.

A number of these efforts started as informal networking for social change initiatives that developed into more stable, long-term and powerful collaborative organizations for social change. The key to that effective networking for social change is found in strong commitment to common values, often based in religious traditions, and the creation of strong bonds of mutual trust and a long-term perspective for social change.

 

Want to read more about networking for social change? Get your copy of Journeys into Justice today!