Adjacent to the requisite exhibitors hall at Independent Sector’s Annual Conference is a big room full of color and music. There is graffiti-like paint on the walls, ambient music blasting from a sound system, and a curious configuration of tables and chairs set up, well, like a human lab. This new discussion format is what Independent Sector calls a FutureLab, a concept designed by Architects of Group Genius and part of their Envisioning Our Future Initiative launched this year to engage the sector in an open and provocative conversation that will help us all shape a more desirable 2020 for our organizations and the communities we serve.
Back in September, Independent Sector launched FutureLab as an online platform to garner input from the wider nonprofit community about where the sector should be focusing through 2020. So far, there are conversations happening around leadership, diversity, technology, global engagement, impact, and civic engagement, among others.
During the conference, several in-person FutureLabs were set up for attendees to share their ideas and feedback about specific topics. The one I attended was called, “By 2020, Nonprofits Facilitate Broad Civic Engagement that Fuels Our Democracy.” I’ve become more and more personally curious about how nonprofits can engage our communities to participate in the change we seek. Maurizio Travaglini, a tall, lean man reminiscent of a ballet dancer greets us with a strong Italian accent. He is the designer behind this super cool “lab” and encourages us to enjoy what he calls a “social experiment.”
We have a few introductory speakers. Miles Rapoport, President of Demos poses an intriguing question. How can we create an upward spiral of the democratic spirit? Kirk Clay, Director of Civic Engagement at the NAACP offers his take. He says that once we elected President Obama, we thought our work was over. But, he warned, “the trip isn’t over until we unpack the car.” Kirk envisions a shift from single-issue campaigns to multi-issue alliances, giving the example of the NAACP’s census project which needed to be connected to redistricting campaigns and others to work effectively. Chris Gates from Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) reminds us of a teeny little issue with all this talk about nonprofits using social media. “If we’re going to take advantage of new social media tools, we have to be comfortable with transparency and democracy. If we take advantage of this moment, we could end up with new civic activists and volunteers.” A woman named Martha (whose affiliation I cannot now recall) stands to give us a final word.
The future is not something that’s just out there. The future is something for us to create.
And create we do, in small groups of five, talking through different ideas for civic engagement in our communities. My group ends up focusing in on place-based community engagement across seemingly disparate issues that actually affect everyone. We imagine a centrally located community space where people can meet, talk, and share information. Kind of like a renewal of the “public square.” We discuss testing out small campaigns block by block, earning small wins on local issues and involving relevant nonprofits to support what residents really care about. Someone mentions the successful efforts of Crossroads Charlotte as a model. Other groups come up with “Take Your Kid to Vote Day” and a national call to civic action, much like President Obama’s National Call to Service.
There are a lot of ideas and a lot of talk about increased collaboration in our respective communities. The music gets blasting again as everyone leaves, energized and thinking about the future.
Want to add your voice? Check out FutureLab’s online component where you can add your own ideas and rank the ones that have already been posted.
