The Evolution of the Global Scale Project: We need you!

Amy Sample Ward — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:27:24 +0000

The Global Scale project has had a slow start. Bonnie and I saw a need for a shared space to pool questions, ideas, lessons learned and examples from the work of many organizations, campaigns, and even community groups were doing to try to scale success, especially across geographic boarders, to help create a better world. That’s where the impetus came from to set up the Global Scale wiki and google group – they were to serve as that place, that meeting ground, where we could find others, talk about our work, and start building up a repository of information and resources. And we still see that need, and still think we can help. But we think there are a few things getting in the way of adoption and engagement:
– with a name like that!
– where do I fit?

Bonnie’s reflections are up on her blog, too.

Writing this blog post also made me realize that I think even Bonnie and I have different views of the “Global Scale” project – and that’s just fine! I think people looking to ramp up/scale their work to different communities even if the geographic boundaries aren’t part of it, are people who should be engaged. Similarly, people working on projects/programs that are just in one part of the world but are trying to communicate them (especially if they are trying to elicit support from elsewhere) to people outside that region should be joining in and sharing their experiences. Etc. I really think there is a wide range of opportunities for finding value to contribute regardless of the work or organization someone is from.

With a name like that!

Naming anything can be a difficult task: you can over state or under sell, you can rely on jargon or be too vague. In this case, “global scale” meant something to us because we had context and our own definition. But it isn’t something, so we’re hearing from the current community members, that makes sense to them or connects as something relevant to their work. The name doesn’t match the purpose. We need a name we can all orient around, that captures the idea: it isn’t about working on global initiatives per se, but is instead about ramping up efforts and scaling impact to effect, at least eventually, a greater world.

Where do I fit?

We also want to ensure that the name and the language used on the wiki help answer the question of “where do I fit in all this” immediately to the community. We know many, many people that have ideas, experiences, and information to share on this topic, but when directed to the wiki they didn’t see how their work was relevant. Again, just because we have an understanding of the space, doesn’t mean it’s clear to others. We want to ensure that the entire community understands both what they can share and what they can learn from the wiki.

And we hope you’ll help us!

What names would you suggest? Maybe “Scaled Efforts” or “Scaling Impact” “International Outreach” or something else – we need your ideas!
What gets you thinking? What kinds of prompts or questions would help you start to think about this topic and help you identify how you can contribute?

(Photo credit: Flickr: ToastyKen)

Global Scale: Launching the discussion list & much more!

Amy Sample Ward — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:17:29 +0000

As I announced in August, Bonnie Koenig and I are cultivating a learning space at http://globalscale.wikispaces.com. I am excited to say that we have created a bit more content, a new discussion group, and are planning a roundtable discussion for December! It’s pretty exciting And we hope you’ll join us!

Why Global Scale

Movement building is something I’m very passionate about, and I think we can truly make lasting social impact if more organizations, campaigns, and changemakers operated in a movement focused way, instead of investing resources and capacity into one-time efforts. Opening up the way we work, collaborating with others to further our reach, and inviting the community to take responsibility for success (by extending opportunities to contribute) all help us build movements and scale up our work.

Global Scale Purpose:

Bonnie and I were inspired by conversations with each other on and offline but knew there were many more people who should be involved in discussing, sharing and learning. The Global Scale project aims to create a resource for NGO practitioners where guidelines, lessons learned, tips, links and other help for ‘scaling up’ effective programs can be found.

How to Contribute

Global Scale Discussion Group

This email group is intended as a conversation space to supplement and support the Global Scale Wiki. We recognize that some times it’s easier to share a link, talk about a concept, or participate in a discussion before jumping into a shared learning space like a wiki. So, share whatever you like on this list!

Join the email list (Google Group) today and introduce yourself!

Global Scale Wiki

With this wiki, we are aiming to create a resource for NGO practitioners where guidelines, lessons learned, tips, links and other help for ‘scaling up’ effective programs can be found.

Visit the wiki today and share your ideas and examples!

December Roundtable

This month’s NTEN Communications Roundtable focuses on communications struggles, lessons, and best practices for working internationally. Movement building, campaigning, and scaling programs and services across regions, borders, and countries is incredibly important to making lasting social impact. Bit it also comes with very real obstacles for communication: from translation and language barriers to cultural differences that may impact your programs or reception of your services.

Date: December 7th
Time: 10 am – 11 am PST

global scale – Amy Sample Ward