Capacity Building

Agenda

Second Morning Session 112015

The Link Project Brief Overview of Link Project Your own Current Experiences Doing Capacity Building How Can We Share Knowledge about Capacity Building Here

Facilitators: Dirk/Amanda/Jack Note Taker: Misty

Low Income Networking and Communications Project

Welfare law center (1998). Welfare stopped being a federal law. Every state had their own welfare policy. Welfare recipients who had there own welfare rights. Internet is being seen as a savior to those being disconnected.

Used a model called Circuit Riding. I was the first person they hired. Help welfare organization groups get on the internet to get on this listserv to communicate about what was going on.

The internet was further down the list on their priorities. Communicate with members about what we were doing. Track membership is what came up. Leadership development and track into leaders to talk about the issues. Databases became more important than the internet.

Email accounts/ Email discussion lists to contribute to organizational capacity. This was already done when I started (Amanda). But, what else do they need? All these groups needed

Mine leadership in membership to avoid the cracks. Lobbying funders to help with better leadership. Talking to other people that are doing this same type of capacity building work.

Websites, Membership Organization

People with a service that people need to come around a show up. Carrying an incredible amount of information with them about what other communities are doing and needs of those organizations.

More often than not, leading a strategy session, understand our impact and our own strategy.

Dirk worked in 7 years. Hired to be the last circuit rider at Link Project. Work with these organizations around the country to find out what people are doing. The grant-driven technology providing, and giving folks what they needed. Interesting dynamic. People weren't paying.

The project went away because of lack of funding.

I was dealing with a lot of stuff for these folks. I was having some basic stuff of the internet not working in our office.

These folks need a different type of support. They need people to support them in a different way and there needs to be a holistic approach. I realized I wanted to steady support in a more embedded away to be a local research. Then, I was the technology for the 3 groups. Then, grant funding ran out –> change to consultant and then worker cooperative.

The link project was able to exist. Trust network and “non-territorial” need to be baked in at every level.

What are conversations about effective capacity building? Where do you learn now about capacity building? Learn from each other, not be protective, better for the movements if we disseminate our good lessons.

Sunny: When I teach nonprofit organizations. What are my needs? So and so taught us and told us to get this. What is capacity? Organizations understand strategic needs better. What are goals? What are you trying to do? What are the important things of making this happen?

Look at all the needs and all the options and seen work out in other places. Vendor nuetral!!! Informed by mission and informed by social justice values.

What was some of the technical capacity building we did with folks? It's not scary. It has card games on it.

SQL: the language by which you search a query

It's about us having effective networks to pull from and learn from rather than than me, myself know everything.

checklist on tech capacity building. Set up the tech binder. Get volunteers to help support. Hugely empowering.

Yes, we want your help but we want it on my terms. We got paid for this work at one point but we can distribute it in a way that doesn't need capital.

Networks of organizations and networks of providers. Efficient economical training. Introducing capacity into a neighborhood.

What are your leadership development opportunities here? Anytime I worked on a group on capacity building. Making sure there are strategies in place.

Allied Media Projects, underpinned by an organization. All about organizers.

Train the trainers models Existing communities to share around and build community. We can continue building tech wise.

• Adult learning styles are important.
• Tools and trainings for making it happen.

Resources List

Occupy Tech group Upwell.us Fabriders.net Techworker.coop Allied Media Conference aspirationtech.org ethnic media resources