Growing the movement

As we enjoy the last week of "official" summer, the warm weather continues to hold on the west coast, which bodes well for enjoying long lunches on the ocean-side deck at Web of Change in a month.

You may have heard some cool buzz about WOC this year. Like the distributed leadership model with 8 new people co-managing as anchors. Or how they and our 2010 hosts are producing "thought bombs" to share their big questions for the year. Or maybe that we have so much momentum, 10 years on, that we sold out in July (though the wait list is still open!).

But I think the biggest, most powerful innovation for WOC #10 in 2010 will be in a project led by Jodie Tonita and Gibran Rivera, to expand this community and connect it with other important movements more than we've ever done before. And that's where we need your help.

As you know the power of Web of Change is how it brings leaders together working at the intersection of movement building and technology. This year, we are connecting the existing WOC community with senior movement leaders of color serving front line communities in a way we have never before done. We have recruited these individuals and we are underwriting 24 scholarships  – folks who otherwise would not be attending - from organizations like Color of Change, Puente Movement, Third Wave Foundation, and the Florida Immigrant Coalition among others.

This kind of shift is an investment in our community that will strengthen all of our relationships, ideas and outcomes. It will also serve as a model for how other conferences and communities can not only open to more diversity, but actively, even aggressively, build it into the core of what they do and who they serve.

The Challenge:

We need to raise $27,000 to support this effort. Web of Change is directing a significant portion of its scholarship funds to provide matching funds for tuition (thanks to our generous sponsors), but we need outside dollars to make the whole program happen.

The Good News:

We have already raised more than $23,000! Thanks to the Akonadi Foundation, Schott Fund, Ford Foundation, New Organizing Institute, and a number of generous individual past participants who have donated already, through their organizations or personally, we're well on our way to the goal.

If You Can: Please Contribute

 Your donation is tax deductible, and 100% of it will go to pay travel and accommodation expenses of participants. And you know from your own experience that Web of Change changes lives, minds, career paths, and networks. Here is a chance to offer that gift to someone else. 

•  if you're in the US, donate here (donations here will be directed to Web of Change)
•  if you're in Canada, donate here (enter "Web of Change" in instructions section)

Thanks for considering this. And, as a past participant in WOC, be proud that your community continues to re-invent itself and deepen its commitment to movement building and the biggest, most transformative social change possible. Our world needs nothing less from us.

Most of all, keep up your own amazing work making change and improving your corner of our world.