Assembling an Activism Toolkit Using Social Science
Sociology is the study of social organizations and groups. How do families, companies, nations, and social movements really work? How do cultures change, or not change, over time? Those are the sorts of questions that sociologists answer.
The value of this sort of information should be obvious to anyone interested in social or environmental activism. All of those efforts involve groups of people and all efforts happen in a context. Nothing happens in a vacuum. What if you do not have the time to take some sociology courses and read a few books before getting back to business?
Things worth looking into:
1. Characteristics of successful innovations
2. Leverage points, places to intervene in a social system
3. How to use statistics
4. The basics of systems thinking
5. Finding and using secondary data - survey results, Census data, more - that support a policy idea or a cause
A Web site that covers these subjects, and a few others, might be the best way to get the information out there. This could be a project for an activist organization or a good home-based business - use the site to get traffic and then sell advertising or an e-book that expands on material on the site.
Characteristics of Successful Innovations:
It is just common sense that some ideas work out, and some don't. When you want to identify ahead of time what new ideas are likely to work out, things get a bit sticky. This is where a systematic effort to design successful innovations can really pay off, after you have a good idea of what is likely to work.
There most likely will be a guide to what worked in the past, and in what circumstances. In other cases there is not. In some areas of social activism it might be useful to have a sort of design guide to creating successful programs and policies. Research on the characteristics of successful innovations, and some instruction in design thinking, can be combined into a guide to how to create successful programs for Issue X.
Leverage Points:
Donella Meadows' classic essay "Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a Social System" describes things at a high level. Her essay is long, and a bit technical, but bears some studying. Do you want to attack a social problem in the most effective way? Knowing how to intervene in a system to change it might help with designing better education programs, regulations, social marketing, and so forth.
Survey Research:
If you aren't conducting polls or surveys you are missing out. A poll on your Web site is an opportunity to engage visitors, and possibly to actually learn some things. For the most part, a survey of past site visitors, customers, or your donor list is a better way to learn. Use a free tool like SurveyMonkey to put together a set of questions. A short survey of a small number of people would even be free. Use a survey to answer a bunch of important questions:
1. How well are our programs working?
2. What do our previous donors think about the organization?
3. How much does our mailing list know about Issue X?
Finding and Using Secondary Data:
In short, there is data out there that relates to your cause, program, strategic plan or marketing strategy. Survey results, Census data, local economic statistics and expert analysis of same can and should inform big decisions.
If you are interesting in discussing any of these ideas, feel free to get in touch at chesterdavisphd at gmail.com.
The value of this sort of information should be obvious to anyone interested in social or environmental activism. All of those efforts involve groups of people and all efforts happen in a context. Nothing happens in a vacuum. What if you do not have the time to take some sociology courses and read a few books before getting back to business?
Things worth looking into:
1. Characteristics of successful innovations
2. Leverage points, places to intervene in a social system
3. How to use statistics
4. The basics of systems thinking
5. Finding and using secondary data - survey results, Census data, more - that support a policy idea or a cause
A Web site that covers these subjects, and a few others, might be the best way to get the information out there. This could be a project for an activist organization or a good home-based business - use the site to get traffic and then sell advertising or an e-book that expands on material on the site.
Characteristics of Successful Innovations:
It is just common sense that some ideas work out, and some don't. When you want to identify ahead of time what new ideas are likely to work out, things get a bit sticky. This is where a systematic effort to design successful innovations can really pay off, after you have a good idea of what is likely to work.
There most likely will be a guide to what worked in the past, and in what circumstances. In other cases there is not. In some areas of social activism it might be useful to have a sort of design guide to creating successful programs and policies. Research on the characteristics of successful innovations, and some instruction in design thinking, can be combined into a guide to how to create successful programs for Issue X.
Leverage Points:
Donella Meadows' classic essay "Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a Social System" describes things at a high level. Her essay is long, and a bit technical, but bears some studying. Do you want to attack a social problem in the most effective way? Knowing how to intervene in a system to change it might help with designing better education programs, regulations, social marketing, and so forth.
Survey Research:
If you aren't conducting polls or surveys you are missing out. A poll on your Web site is an opportunity to engage visitors, and possibly to actually learn some things. For the most part, a survey of past site visitors, customers, or your donor list is a better way to learn. Use a free tool like SurveyMonkey to put together a set of questions. A short survey of a small number of people would even be free. Use a survey to answer a bunch of important questions:
1. How well are our programs working?
2. What do our previous donors think about the organization?
3. How much does our mailing list know about Issue X?
Finding and Using Secondary Data:
In short, there is data out there that relates to your cause, program, strategic plan or marketing strategy. Survey results, Census data, local economic statistics and expert analysis of same can and should inform big decisions.
If you are interesting in discussing any of these ideas, feel free to get in touch at chesterdavisphd at gmail.com.