Making the Case for Change

Web of Change has grown to the point where the expectations on quality, on community engagement, on everything we do are very high. This is a good thing! But it's clear that the largely volunteer model we've relied on to pull of our signature event is unsustainable.

Here's where we stand as we look to the future:

• After 11 years, Web of Change is still a project of Communicopia, which means one firm carries the financial risk every year, and it's time for that to change.
• The last two years in particular have been hard on the volunteers who stepped up to run it. The heavy volunteer model as it currently operates is broken.
• The model for how we choose the volunteer leaders, what my role is as founder, and who makes decisions is unclear. This works for a conference but there is more here and this is not a long term model for transparent open community management.
• Each year we set aside potentially great ideas for expanding our impact as we only have the capacity to pull off our core program (the event).
• We have never sought foundation money for this event, other than the New Networks fund in 2010, and believe there is money out there to support this work.
• We continually need to re-invigorate the institution with new leaders with fresh perspectives, new ideas, new connections to important communities we haven't reached in the past.

We've scheduled two conference calls to begin our process of community renewal. Please join us, we are eager to hear from you.

Wed, Nov 16th at 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET
Fri, Nov 18th at 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET

If you are a Web of Change alumni and would like to join a conversation about the future of Web of Change please email Julia for an invitation. Please include the years you attended Web of Change and your full email signature in the body of your message.