Session Title: Rapid Prototyping

Leadership Framework Component: Developing Building for Action & Impact

Session Description:

(History)

Informally we’ve had many allies in our global and local communities: Allies working to create choice, and protect user rights and advocate for open innovation across media, news, education, science and beyond but we’ve never been deliberate as a project about training volunteers to identify, create and nurturing partnerships in their communities. As a result such partnerships tend to occur informally, go unacknowledged and untracked, and often phase out after initial collaboration.

In Reps we have referenced community partnerships as a way to limit budget requests (sharing space, sharing media etc) and grow community, but never provided adequate guidance beyond the recommendation.

(Future)

Creating grassroots partnerships with like-organizations (like Open Data) , non profits, institutions (like libraries and schools), and with kindred spirits in our communities creates allies, helps build community, expands the reach of our mission. On a human level community partnerships creates allies, and allows us to share and leverage resources for mutual benefit. By fostering and managing these partnerships at the grassroots level our volunteers can do more we can build towards greater impact globally.

Partnerships can be as straightforward as two people sharing a space for events once a year, sharing conference booths or more complex as planning longer term projects. In both cases there are best practices for identifying, and managing these relationships for longer-term benefit.

Session Objectives:

• Participants understand the value of creating community partnerships (alliances with other orgs, and kindred spirits in their community.)
• Participants can identify 5 different types of community partnerships that can help them move faster, be more agile and build community
• Participants can identify 3 potential partnerships in their community - and have prioritized their value in helping them reach goals in 2015
• Participants leave with a designed ‘bridge’ to their first prioritized partnership, with 4 clear action items to initiate that partnership
• Participants understand best practices for maintaining community partnerships
• Participants leave with a maintenance plan for their first bridge.

Agenda (draft is fine!):

Facilitators:

• Michael
• Pierros

Session documents & Relevant Links:

• Air Mozilla Talk