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Citizen sector

Social Citizens

"This Case Foundation-sponsored discussion paper focuses on the rise of Millennials—a Net-native, globally oriented generation whose cause lifestyle is redefining how we view activism. The paper investigates the potential impact of this group on the civic landscape, and raises provocative questions about their role in affecting positive, lasting change."

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Glenwood & Beyond

As the Pope County Family Collaborative Coordinator over the past 15 years, I have had the opportunity to work with a number of volunteer organizations. Glenwood & Beyond stands out as a stellar example of what community volunteers can do when they put their minds, hearts and elbow grease together. It all began through the enthusiasm of one woman who has since spread her excitement to hundreds of volunteers and projects over the past 6 years. Our community of 3,000 could have been content with its natural beauty, but the vision was to honor our land and lake by intentionally infusing beauty, increased usage and a feeling of pride in our downtown area, parks, and walking and bike paths around the lake. I am proud to nominate Glenwood & Beyond for this recognition.

Glenwood & Beyond was first organized to prepare for the Minnesota Design Team (MDT) visit in June 2006. At the conclusion of the visit, the group transitioned to implementing some of the projects that the MDT recommended as well as other community improvement projects that arise.

Contributor

Jeannie Pederson
2011-07-08 23:46
1 Comment

Promoting Innovation: Prizes, Challenges and Open Grantmaking

"In spring 2010, the Case Foundation together with the White House Domestic Policy Council and the White House Office on Science and Technology Policy teamed up to host a daylong public-private strategy session focused on promoting innovation through the use of prizes, challenges and open grantmaking.

The conference was an extension of President Obama’s Open Government Directive and the Case Foundation’s continued efforts to encourage citizen involvement in the decisions and policies that affect their lives. The result was a gathering of more than 200 innovators from more than 35 government agencies and 35 private and nonprofit sector expert organizations.

This report is a summary of the lessons, learnings and findings discussed at the conference, and highlights some of the shining examples of the power and pitfalls of crowdsourcing ideas and innovation."

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On the Brink of New Promise: The Future of U.S. Community Foundations

"This report captures the findings of the first phase of the future of community philanthropy project. It examines the changing environment for community philanthropy and its implications for community foundations. It posits that U.S. community foundations have entered a pivotal new era that may hold surprises as significant as was the introduction of commercial charitable gift funds in the early 1990s."

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Community Change Makers: The Leadership Roles of Community Foundations

"Based on a series of meetings organized by the Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth with a group of senior, community foundation leaders, this publication discusses the ways in which community foundations' unique access, agility, credibility, and local knowledge places them in a pivotal position at the center of community life and describes how community foundations throughout the US are using their position to develop and expand their leadership roles."

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i-Neighbors

"i-Neighbors is a social networking service that connects residents of geographic neighborhoods. The goal of this site is to help individuals and their communities organize, share information, and work together to address local problems.

i-Neighbors was first launched in 2004. The site now serves thousands of neighborhoods across the United States and Canada.

i-Neighbors is part of an ongoing research project directed by Prof. Keith Hampton at the Annenberg School for Communication, The University of Pennsylvania. This work has benefited from the support of the National Science Foundation, L-Soft, Microsoft Research, and a Google Grant. The views expressed here and by users of this service are not endorsed by these sponsors."

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The Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program

"The Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program is an innovative effort to bring residents into the priority-setting process of their city. It is based on the belief that the empowerment of residents and the mobilization of untapped resources, energy and creativity can make our progressive vision of the future a reality."

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Here We Are - Social Capital Case Study

"The subject of this case study is 'Here We Are' (HWA), a rural social enterprise on the west coast of Scotland in Cairndow, a community which can claim a history dating back to the 16th Century. Cairndow is a village of around 200 individuals on the side of Loch Fyne (Scotland’s longest and deepest sea loch)
with many of the same pressures being faced by rural communities across Europe. Founder, Christina Noble, believes HWA is part of the answer to these pressures and a transferable solution to fragile communities everywhere and she plans to roll out the HWA model to similar communities.

The Scottish Community Foundation (SCF) is a philanthropic foundation with an interest in understanding how social capital can be applied in a practical sense.

HWA suggested to SCF that they commission a Social Capital Case Study to articulate what HWA does and its importance for Cairndow’s future sustainability and resilience.

Assist Social Capital was set up in 2004 to promote the value of social capital as a pivotal resource in community life.

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Introductory Social Capital Reading List

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E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century

"Ethnic diversity is increasing in most advanced countries, driven mostly by sharp increases in
immigration. In the long run immigration and diversity are likely to have important cultural,
economic, fiscal, and developmental benefits. In the short run, however, immigration and ethnic
diversity tend to reduce social solidarity and social capital. New evidence from the US suggests
that in ethnically diverse neighbourhoods residents of all races tend to ‘hunker down’. Trust
(even of one’s own race) is lower, altruism and community cooperation rarer, friends fewer. In
the long run, however, successful immigrant societies have overcome such fragmentation by
creating new, cross-cutting forms of social solidarity and more encompassing identities. Illustra-
tions of becoming comfortable with diversity are drawn from the US military, religious institu-
tions, and earlier waves of American immigration."

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