This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. As I step into my role as the Director of Innovation Network, I am reminded that I am not alone. My strength as a leader comes from my ability to set free the amazing knowledge and talent around me: from the Innovation Network […]
Toward a Collective Power Framework
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. Written by Alissa Marchant and Cory Georgopolous Current Knowledge on Collective Power Advocacy evaluation is a rapidly growing field that has seen the emergence of several frameworks for building power for social change, measuring equity, coalition effectiveness, collective impact and creating communities of […]
Equitable Facilitation: Tips, Tricks, and Tools
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. This blog post is co-authored by Anvi Mridul and Rebecca Perlmutter. “Before we begin, I want to acknowledge the power dynamics created by virtue of me leading this meeting. I also want you to know that while I would like this to be […]
Insights on participant ownership in evaluation and learning
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. A starting list Earlier this year we were asking the representative of a grassroots organization whether and how they would be interested in being involved in the learning and evaluation work of one of our foundation clients. They told us that what is truly […]
Mapping community organizing models: An adapted journey mapping approach
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. Before the pandemic, Innovation Network partnered with Community Change to document the community organizing models of the nine local grassroots organizations in their Power in Places initiative. One common feature of the organizations (nine grassroots groups across eight states) we worked with is […]
Powered by our values: Equity, Curiosity, Growing Possibility, Community, and Authenticity
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. This blog post is part of a series of posts about Innovation Network’s transformation towards equity. “Innovation is progress in the face of tradition” — Divad @ThereBeKulture Over the last few years Innovation Network has undergone significant changes that sought to incorporate developments into our organizational […]
Carrying an Equitable Innovation Network Forward
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. Photo by Dom J This blog post is part of a series of posts about Innovation Network’s transformation towards equity. The work of equity starts with our own internal work, and by now you have read about our transformation towards equity and new values that […]
Leading through Transformation
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash As I transition out of my role as Director of Innovation Network, I’ve been in deep reflection about how the last 20 years shaped and sharpened my own approaches to learning and evaluation, as well as those of […]
The limitations of using an advocacy frame to understand and evaluate grassroots-led change
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. This blog post was originally published in AEA365 during the Advocacy and Policy Change week in March 2021 Over the past year, we have all witnessed the power and promise of grassroots-led change as popular movements and organized communities have galvanized widespread support for […]
“You only get as much justice as you have the power to compel.”
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at medium.com/innovationnetwork. This post first appeared in the Luminaire Group monthly newsletter, Be Lumin-Us in August 2019. Twelve years ago, when I began training as a community organizer in New England, I heard the following saying: “You only get as much justice as you have the […]