What’s a Network?
If you google network, the first result that comes up is a 1976 satire directed by Sidney Lumet. If you dig down the page further, you’ll get to computer networks, how shy people can network, and telecommunication network services. We use the word “network” a lot. It’s in our name. But, none of these results describe what we mean. Instead, when we talk about networks, we think about collaborations among
Better Know a Network: Recognizing The Chicago Community Bond Fund and Its Allies
The murder of George Floyd brought attention to the long list of black men and women killed in recent years by the police, including Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castle, and Breonna Taylor. We are outraged by the continued police violence and oppression of black people and other people of color. At NNSI, we condemn this violence and stand with the Black Lives Matter movement to
Better Know a Network: Higher Expectations for Racine County
Higher Expectations for Racine County has existed in some form since 2007. In 2014, Higher Expectations’ executive director Jeff Neubauer came together with the national director of the StriveTogether organization, Jeff Edmonson, to outline a new vision for the coalition. Edmonson wanted to galvanize the community, bringing new energy to the network and identify core and measurable areas for Higher Expectations to focus. These areas included kindergarten readiness, elementary reading,
Better Know a Network: Learn to Earn Dayton
In 2007, EDvention was formed as a collaborative aimed at improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities for youth in Dayton, OH. In 2011, EDvention expanded its focus beyond STEM, becoming what is now Learn to Earn Dayton—the cradle-to-career initiative focused in Montgomery County. In 2015, Learn to Earn Dayton merged with Ready-Set-Soar, a readiness and reading proficiency program, and became part of the national network, StriveTogether, dedicated to
What Makes a Good Network Leader?
Leading a network is much more complicated than advancing a single organization. Many successful organizational leaders are not good network leaders. Organizational leaders are often accustomed to making a decision and then having it implemented by paid staff. Network leaders get organizational leaders to work together without merging into a single organization – meaning they neither make decisions independently nor have the power to mandate their implementation. Conveners and long-term
Better Know a Network: Agewell Pittsburgh
In 2004 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Jewish Association on Aging, Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, and Jewish Family and Community Services were brought together by the Jewish Community Foundation to form Agewell Pittsburgh. The partnership was convened initially around a Nationally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) grant. The funds made it possible to create the first version of their network. They created care teams across the participating organizations. Social workers