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GivingActionConferenceCalls/MinutesAugust102004The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 3:00 EST and will be convened by Ruth Ann Prange.
Contents from our Meeting:
I. Purpose of meeting and guiding thought II. Drafting a Purpose Statement for our GIVING LIST, MONTHLY CALL, SHARED ORGANIZING SPACE III. A Monthly Call Different On-line sites where some of us our playing: What we value and there limitations
I. Purpose of meeting and guiding thought.
The focus of the meeting was the need to define a purpose statement and principles for a collective "Giving Community" so that we can communicate our work more easily and clearly to others. Julie wrote up a guiding thought, that was very useful in focusing the call. Many felt that this was the best description to date about what a possible shared space might look like. We reflected on the following:
Imagine a future, where “we” have successfully structured a common, shared space for Giving to Flourish – both virtually on-line and at local community centers (be it at a coffeehouse, someone’s living room or a more formal environment). You enter the site or visit your local center. The first thing you see is:
That serve as an invitation to participate in an open inclusive, safe space where it is easy to help each other to do something.
Looking back, we appreciate the simplicity of our work, the clarity that enabled willing champions like us to come together to share a host of infrastructure and supports for “Giving to Flourish”. Shared supports such as:
· A media campaign · Market places · Facilitators of the Common Good · Networks of non-profits, educators, communities, governments · Social venture banks · A library
People and projects that came together to support something we could not do alone! In fact we were so successful that we are now an established Open Space owned, operated and governed by its membership (individual entities and mission statements, partnering in various ways to support personal and social growth locally and worldwide). All that’s required for membership is that participants agree to follow and support each other in using a simple set of organizing principles designed for Giving to Flourish in an open, safe, participatory environment.
What is that clear purpose and set of simple principles?
II. Drafting a Purpose Statement for our GIVING LIST, MONTHLY CALL, SHARED ORGANIZING SPACE
There was much discussion about why we need and what the purpose of a Giving organizing space would serve. There were 3 distinct thoughts on the subject:
1) We need an organizing space with a clearly defined purpose to make it easy for us to invite others to join and contribute to helping uplift and contribute to what’s valued, needed and wanted by its participants.
2) We only need a purpose that connects our work without any organizing structure
3) Both are good – AND – we need a purpose statement for the Giving List, Our Monthly Call and a Shared Organizing Space.
The following is the discussion that resulted from around each:
1. Needing a Clear Purpose and Organizing Structure to define our Giving Community “Space”: Several on the call valued the idea of defining a purpose and organizing principles for a Shared Organizing Space. This would make it easy to invite others to join and contribute. That the title from the conference “Open Space for Giving to Flourish” is confusing to those who did not attend our event. We all agreed on the need to keep the space open and inclusive and the need to support the linking of sectors and networking – some of us are concerned that existing sites and current organizing structures are not truly an OPEN SPACE because policy either limits membership and/or participation and/or has no policy that protects the rights or property of participants. Some feel there is a need to structure a public entity that is governed and facilitated by its participants. Examples were given of On-line sites where some of us our playing: What we value and possible limitations (see agenda item III)
2. Not needing a purpose or organizing structure, but using the Open Space for Giving to Flourish as our purpose: Several people felt they were not ready to commit to a formalized purpose at this time but really valued the concept of staying connected around the purpose of Open Space for Giving to Flourish. They were not sure how they might participate in leading or championing an idea to help uplift a shared space for a specific purpose. They see a need to hold monthly calls just to stay connected and to have a list to invite others to where calls, events, and information could be shared to help each other build on each other’s momentum. Ruth Ann agreed to draft a potential purpose statement for the monthly call so it could be better shared, so we can invite others to participate and connect with us. Gerry offered to draft a potential purpose statement for this list that is an open invitation for people to post calls, events, information and invitations to participate in discussions at other sites. Julie offered to set up a workspace at Omidyar Network Commons: www.omidyar.net so we can have a place to network with others and hold discussions, draft action plans, and post news. Papers and other concepts using the Open Space format.
3. Both are good – AND – we need a purpose statement for the Giving List, Our Monthly Call and a Shared Organizing Space. It’s clear we have participants that need both. So… the list and monthly phone calls will be used as described in 2. above (comments encouraged). And, some of us offered to set up some play spaces at various sites some of us participate at to see what we might look like if we were to organize around a clear purpose and simple set of principles. In the meantime, Julie will be in DC and Chicago between August 23-31st and will be working with Michael, Valerie and Ted on developing a potential business plan for what the Market Place connected to some of the other ideas might look like. We want to create a business plan that can generate revenue and link together some of the components needed for a shared Open Space that operates both virtually and face-to-face that supports infinite ways to contribute to making the world a better place.
III. On-line sites where some of us our playing: What we value and possible limitations
This dialogue came up in the context of our need for a publicly owned space as some of the spaces we participate in, our membership and/or how it is governed is by discretion of the owners of these site:
· Omidyar Network Commons: http://www.omidyar.net, is owned by Omidyar and there is nothing to say that any one of us could be asked to leave. However, the site is easy to use and there is an open atmosphere of participation. Members upon joining sign a contract that does not protect them from losing access to content posted at the site. Membership is free and there is some technical assistance available.
· Membership at Giving Space at http://www.givingspace.org is at the discretion of Tom Muneckee. However, anyone can contribute to discussions held by Giving Space at Omidyar Network Commons. To become a member of Tom’s site, contact him through the site. Tom hosts events and introduces newcomers to the list. He also intervenes when he feels the dialogue is getting off task or negative. His list is primarily a discussion list with high traffic and lots of talk about the giving. Membership is free. Not much technical assistance available, but Tom is very accessible and open to discussion on most anything.
· The Gift Hub http://www.gifthub.org is at the discretion of Phil. Perhaps Phil could elaborate more on the process of becoming a member and blogging at his site.
· The Chaordic Commons at http://www.chaordiccommons.org has a membership based governance system that is open to anyone on the planet and a constitution that protects the content of what individual and collective members create together. However, they are now charging a $25 minimum annual membership fee (which makes it inaccessible to those without funds). And, any member can join the IT group and work on site design and volunteer to participate on the governance council. Technical Assistance Available though the membership based web server.
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