Summer Reading -- New Report on Online Civic Engagement  

Expanding on Spitfire’s recommendations for building Network Activism, Power to the Edges 1.0 makes the case for online mobilizing as the most effective way to activate in today’s Internet-focused world.

This recently released report, commissioned by Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, provides a snapshot of the current state of online democracy. The report argues that the future of civic engagement belongs to communities and organizations that can most effectively align online and offline strategies and activities, and harness the passion of individual activists. Online activism does NOT preclude or even dilute the need for “on land” activism, nor does it change the ultimate ends of citizen engagement, but it does require a change in culture for organizations to successfully engage in it and Power to the Edges 1.0 offers some valuable insights into this changing environment.

A great resource for any nonprofit, Power to the Edges 1.0 uses case studies and research to showcase this restructuring of the way people, companies and nonprofits interact with each other and highlights the need for organizations to take advantage of new opportunities to design, deliver and fund efforts to encourage citizens to be active participants in the world.

Check back for more reading suggestions to help you maximize your organization’s communications.