The Nonprofit Democracy Network is a community of practice and peer support network for organizations working to make their organizations – and the broader nonprofit sector – more liberatory and transformative. We want the nonprofit sector to be more effective at creating a just, joyful, and sustainable world. We want our organizations to be living examples of the equitable, caring, and effective communities that we know are possible. And we know that there is a rich field of experimentation and practice of democratic self-governance from which we can learn and which we can help grow by building and sharing with one another.

We launched the network at our inaugural gathering in fall of 2017 (read more about it here). At our second gathering, March 27-29, 2019, we’ll dive into the nuts and bolts of co-creating forms of collective self-governance, taking on topics like compensation, inclusive decision-making, the impact of identity and culture on participation, coordination and accountability, and collective budgeting of time and money.

Participants in the inaugural Nonprofit Democracy Network gathering

Are you part of an organization experimenting with any of these areas? We would love for you to join us! This is an opportunity to learn about the state of the field, connect with fellow practitioners, learn from groups at the forefront of experimentation, and deepen your own organization’s practice.

We’re looking for organizations that are:

• Committed to undoing dynamics of racism, patriarchy, and other forms of structural oppression;
• Playing with more democratic internal structures, regardless of how far advanced; and
• Interested in being part of an ongoing network to deepen this work.

More details:

Format:This three day gathering will include education, conversation, and co-creation around common themes of collective leadership. The first day will focus on frameworks for organizational design and how those relate to systems change, identity, and liberation. On the second day, participants will break into smaller groups to dive deeper into specific issues and growing edges (e.g. staff/board structure, compensation policies). The third day will focus on identifying next steps and how to integrate learnings into your organizations.

Cost: Sliding scale from $400 – $1500 based on organization’s annual operating budget. We want participation in this cohort to be as accessible and community-driven as possible. We also want to justly compensate our facilitators, organizers, and other vendors. (Cost includes venue, facilitation, and meals over three days for 2 org representatives.) More information on cost included in the application form.

Organized and facilitated by: Participants in the 2017 Nonprofit Democracy Network, including staff from Sustainable Economies Law Center, Community Development Project, 350 Seattle, Reflex Design Collective, and more.

For more information and to apply: Fill out this Application by December 5th, and we will get back to you by the end of December.

WHEN
March 27, 2019 at 9am – March 30, 2019
WHERE
Exact venue TBD
Oakland, CA 94612
United States
CONTACT
Chris Tittle · [email protected]

Photo by CIFOR

The post Tools for Collective Self-Governance: A Nonprofit Democracy Network Gathering appeared first on P2P Foundation.

The NPDN is not the only attempt to learn how to operate effective nonprofit organizations; what sets it apart from other similar projects is how it defines “effective.”  For the NPDN, deliverables, quantifiable metrics, and program delivery are limited measurements of effectiveness; equally important is the extent to which the relationships, culture, and governance of the organization enacts values of justice, community, and sustainability while creating the potential for systemic transformation. This group of organizations envisions a liberated, resilient, and dynamic movement capable of solving social problems at their roots; and they have come together to help each other build it.

Participating organizations had varying areas of focus: providing legal services for immigrants, organizing permaculture action day, creating feminist media, ensuring access to abortions, and coordinating new economy organizations. Like trees in a forest, they may appear separate but underneath the surface they are connected. This diverse group is united by two characteristics: (1) an understanding that the success of all of their work depends on transforming patterns deeply embedded into our social, political, and economic system;  and (2) a need for organizational models that enable them to collaborate more effectively and equitably.

The gathering charted much of the terrain of democratic organizational governance. Each participating organization facilitated conversations or gave presentations on one of a number of topics including staff structure, culture creation, strategic planning, participatory budgeting, tactical fundraising, just compensation, and efficient and equitable decision-making. Since the end of the gathering, organizations have been staying in contact one-on-one, participating in group check-in calls, sharing support through a Slack group, and building an online resource bank.

This three-day gathering was just the beginning. Organizations across the country and around the world are acutely aware of a central struggle we all face:  many of our solutions to social problems reproduce the very problems they are trying to solve, and until we solve that dynamic, we we will never be able to really accomplish our goals.  This nascent network is not just bringing the conversation to the nonprofit sector, it is coming up with solutions and experiments to work through the struggles it observes.

Want to learn more and hear about upcoming opportunities to participate? Sign up here and we’ll keep you in the loop!

The post Launching the Nonprofit Democracy Network appeared first on P2P Foundation.