RSA could fulfill Clay Shirky's vision of the new-style convening organisation

There were several linked areas of interest when the OpenRSA group started up in 2007: supporting Matthew Taylor's vision of RSA Fellowship as a network for civic innovation; ensuring that this was developed in as open a way as possible; and also exploring the use of social media by Fellows and others, through the in-house system and other complementary tools like this blog, wiki, and Google group.
The initial focus of the online RSA networks system - launched in November 2007 - was on encouraging Fellows to propose and develop civic innovation projects , and there are quite a few in the system. Since then the role of the system has expanded to include general networking by Fellows.
It is the importance of this sort of lateral networking between members of nonprofits that Clay Shirky emphasised recently, while in the UK to promote the paperback edition of his book Here Comes Everybody. He was interviewed by Amy Sample Ward.

Clay said that in a world where more and more people were connecting online with their interest groups, they would not be satisfied with old-style one-way membership services: you pay us the money, and we send a newsletter. Nor would the opportunity to provide feedback be enough. Members would want something better than the networking they could do for themselves online.

Having some sense that you all care about the issue - you all share something in common, whether it is geography or outlook or skills - and only we as an organisation can see into both of those kinds of values …

… that I think is the really radical convening function. Not just passive convening - use your membership in Greenpeace as a dating network for like-minded individuals - anyone can spin off that idea.

It’s really when a nonprofit can say we think you will find value from associating with these particular groups at this particular time.

But it requires a really dramatic shift …. and saying actually, in the same ways as we talk about the members of the body, we are made up of you, not just made up of your money and our executive committee, we are made up of you, the members, as our existence.

You then start to figure out ways to coordinate the members in ways to create the kind of value that we couldn’t have gotten to in the 20th century … but is now becoming not just available, but cheap, trival and expected by people.

This new, customised convening role could fit well with development of RSA networks, if the system is linked to membership profiles that allow Fellows to connect with others that have similar interests.
More about Clay's interview here.

The (Re-inventing) Membership Project is now up and running

The Membership Project is now up and running, with a open collaboration website at http://www.commonspace.org.uk. Do come across and comment - or even better, register and contribute. Here's what we say on the About page.

The Membership Project explores how the social web and other factors are changing the ways in which we may belong to groups and organisations.
We believe that these changes will have major implications for civil society institutions, ranging from national charities to local groups.
Put simply, will people still pay subscriptions if they can get information, meet and collaborate through social networks? As individuals, how do we turn connections made online and in other ways into deeper relationships and ways of working towards a better society? What benefits must organisations offer in future to survive?
We are inviting anyone interested to join us in a exploring how 'membership' and the act of 'joining' is changing, review the implications for civil society institutions, and then to develop services, support or guidance to help them meet the challenges and opportunities.
The precise objectives and outputs will be agreed during an initial project design phase, when we will also consider the drivers behind change. We wish to situate our discussions of how 'membership' is changing within a broader exploration of changing patterns of involvement/participation, which have been driven by a range of technological (including social media) and social factors.

You'll see that the aim is to develop a market place for early ideas, products and services which can then form the basis for more substantial work packages and funding bids.

Big thank you to RSA and the NCVO Foresight team for initial funding to get the site up and develop first activities, and proposals.

We'll be talking to RSA staff and NCVO about organising a get-together for anyone interested within the next month.

Membership in a networked society

The RSA Networks site is really taking off, and I've dived into the flow with a joint proposal with Simon Berry to look at what social networking will mean to membership organisations. That's led to additional discussion on what it may mean in future to be a member ... of an organisation, political party, or trade union. You can join in here - site registration is currently open. Here's the proposal, also on the wiki.

Membership organisations and associations are at the heart of civic life, but research suggests few recognise the coming challenges of a more networked society. Organisations may be bypassed as members use social media and networks to find information, services, and ways to organise. Or - like the RSA - organisations can rethink their current structures and relationships to members.
This project will invite forward-looking civic organisations to join RSA Networks in exploring the implications of social networking for civic institutions, and the practical implications of using social media, creative events, and new ways of organising for civic innovation.
We will draw on work already undertaken by the NCVO Third Sector Foresight Unit, and with their agreement invite the Unit, and practitioners involved in their technology network, to join us.
Some of the greatest opportunities for innovation lie in rural life. Ruralnet UK has pioneered the use of online systems for the past 10 years, and chief executive Simon Berry FRSA is a co-sponsor of the project.
We will run a workshop early in 2008 to co-design project plans in more detail. However, from discussions to date we would expect the project to involve:

• Collation of current research and thinking about membership organisations in a networked society, in association with NCVO Third Sector Foresight
• Development of briefing and workshop tools to help organisations think what the future may hold, and what they can do.
• Events - hosted initially by RSA if possible
• Collaborative work on online systems, skills development, and organising creative events.

If you think it is a good project idea, do throw on a comment here - or even better register on the site through the above links. It is currently open to non-Fellows.