When we created the Centre for Social Innovation, one of the driving forces behind it was the instinctive desire to build connections. There was a sense that if we could only just get the social mission sector connecting with each other that they would start to build a deeper knowledge of how our issues are integral to each other. We imagined communities of practice emerging and we dreamt of actually seeing groups working together to move their issues forward. We dreamt of cross-sectoral movement building. Ahh… what a dream
Last week we learned that funding has been secured from the Law Society of Ontario to support the work of the Ontario Nonprofit Network. There have been several attempts to build a body of nonprofits in Ontario but none have stuck. So, this time round, we are hoping to do it really differently. A group of folks from across sectors has come together to see what we can pull together. With Lynn Eakin (funded by Metcalf) in the lead, folks like; Jini Stolk (Creative Trust), Paul Bubelis (Sustainability Network), Janice Wiggins (Pro Bono Law), Sandy Houston (Metcalf) Peter Clutterbuck (Social Planning Council of Ontario) and myself have come together to dream how we might build the connections without the burden — apply a little complexity theory to network design.
The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) is envisioned (and I mean really envisioned, because at the moment it is only in the minds of a few folks) as a loose network of networks — a cascading communications system where information is shared between our sectoral mailing lists — as a way to respond to cross sectoral issues. We see ONN as being driven by the energy and the interests of the network itself. We see constellations emerging in response to issues which affect us. We see building the loose connections through ‘light’ process with an eye to creating the conditions for emergence. Which is all to say, we are hoping that we can build the social capital across sectors, avoid the heavy process and representation and focus on what we need to do together. Piece of cake ! : )
Our first constellation, if you will, is the formation of an expert reference group to respond to the Ontario Government’s Nonprofit Legal Framework Modernization process, but we are also seeing a constellation forming around the social economy. Perhaps a group will form around raising the profile of the nonprofit sector in Ontario or perhaps we will start aligning with each other to figure out a more effective relationship with government around funding and accountability. There are a myriad of issues which affect many of us in the sector. I guess that I hold out hope that one of our constellations might be looking at how the environment sector will start pushing for subsidized day care spaces and how the health sector will start using their strength to mobilize around climate change and how green jobs will be part of a poverty reduction strategy — all in good time.
More information about your Ontario Nonprofit Network of Networks will be coming soon, but I thought that I had better share the news that this is the works. This is a completely open network and if you are keen to get your network or organization involved, we would love to have you.