How can we effectively "make the case" to our boards and trustees that networks are critical to systemic and transformational change?

Increasingly, networks are being recognized as powerful – if not essential – tools for creating equitable and sustainable change at both local and global levels. From climate change, to health equity, to educational systems, networks can have a deep leverage effect on shifting patterns and structures, increasing impact and making change more "permanent".

As such, there is a growing chorus of funders who support network-focused approaches for systemic change. 

Yet despite the advances, most philanthropic staff find it difficult to justify supporting networks to their executives and boards. Investing in a networks-based approach often requires upending many of the traditional funding structures  we are used to, like:

• Assumptions that we can solve our societal problems through quick, short-term fixes

• Expectations that outcomes can be linear and pre-planned, even in extremely complex environments

• Views that relationships and trust are "nice to have" rather than critical elements of equitable, sustainable change

This interactive workshop – led by an esteemed panel with a combined decades' worth of research and experience supporting philanthropic boards to invest in network-based approaches to change – will explore how philanthropic teams and network leaders can effectively "make the case" to board members. 

We will look at how to:

• Use data-driven stories and case studies to highlight real-life examples of social impact through networks

• Manage expectations around quick impact, planned outcomes, and transactional relationships

• Translate network concepts into terms and deliverables that are relevant to decision-makers

• Involve boards to more deeply understand and support broader ecosystems

• Clearly link network approaches to the foundation's mission

Participants will gain and generate practical insights into how to:

• Shift your and your partners’ approach to achieving impact from a focus on your own organization/institution to your networks

• Reframe their approach to acknowledge and value community assets, the quality of the interconnections and relationships among network players

• Support each other as funders and practitioners to practice network leadership

• Evaluate network health and impact with a focus on relationships, process and outcomes

About the Speakers & Facilitators

Facilitated by: Jane Wei-Skillern is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Social Sector Leadership at the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley. She has studied and published extensively on nonprofit networks for more than two decades. She frequently presents keynote speeches, webinars, and workshops to share her research on network leadership. A distillation of her work can be found at newnetworkleader.org

Agnes Meneses has over 23 years of experience working in and alongside philanthropy and nonprofits gaining many perspectives of and appreciation for the complexity of relationships among communities, organizations, and funders. She centers equity and belonging in her work to systems change. She is passionate about learning and sharing knowledge as ways to encourage generative dialogues among individuals, institutions, and collectives.

Claire Wathen cultivates the global Skoll Foundation network and collaborates with partners to help unlock resources and bridge ecosystems. Claire co-leads network engagement for the Skoll World Forum, founded the Skoll World Forum Fellowship and TEDx Skoll Conversations. She is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford, a co-host of the Wasan Network, and an advisor to multiple organizations.

Marty Kooistra is the network weaver with Civic Commons currently focused on the Black Home Initiative and is a champion of coalition-based work at the intersection of community development, equity, and affordable housing. An avid practitioner of network leadership, his efforts have advanced homebuyer financial readiness, subsidy & financial sustainability policies, the rehabilitation and preservation of foreclosed and distressed properties, and the design & development of affordable high-performance housing.

Hosted at the Pitch Tent

As the sun beats down on the vibrant network festival grounds, a colorful tent catches your attention. In the “Pitch Tent: Where Network Leaders and Funders Meet" people mingle and engage in lively conversation. In one corner, a group brainstorms ways to evaluate the impact of their collaborative efforts. Others discuss the potential for funding networks to create systems change. As attendees say their goodbyes and exchange their contact details, the sense of excitement for future collaboration lingers in the air.

What is the Networks Festival?

Embark on a month-long journey filled with connection, curiosity, and play bringing together thousands of changemakers, funders, conveners, companies, and governments to explore the power of networks to transform our world.

As you step into the festival grounds, you'll be greeted by a buzzing atmosphere of excitement and innovation. Everywhere you look, there are people eagerly discussing the latest breakthroughs in network theory, sharing stories of how networks have changed their lives and communities, and dreaming up new ways to harness the power of connections.

Leveraging the power of lived experience, we will strengthen our collective practice, directly increase funding opportunities for networks, and foster new collaborations to scale innovations and amplify transformational impact on the lives of billions around the world.

Whether you're a seasoned networker, curious changemaker, or philanthropist interest in "doing things differently" – there's something for everyone at the Networks Festival. Join us!