What data does the voluntary sector actually want..? #vitalstatsyh

Vital statistics : what the numbers say about Yorkshire & Humber

Tomorrow is the InvolveYH annual lecture, and there's a lot of open data questions around at the moment which i won't try and duplicate..

• NCVO datastore.. http://data.ncvo-vol.org.uk/category/datastore
• using statistical approaches to green space planning http://vsb.li/JNBe0q 
• Manchester open data strategy audioboo.fm/boos/1064400 
• Nonprofits Collect Lots of Data, But Most Don’t Use It.. http://shar.es/GOV1w 
•  'The gains of open data are to found in the critical engagement of participants' http://vsb.li/AAma6y
• New Research: The State of Nonprofit Data from @NTENorg: http://vsb.li/2TJ8WQ  

But on my way home I thought about a wishlist for the UK's head statistician (who we're having lunch with tomorrow), and this is what i came up with:

• census data is good big picture stuff, but we need consensus on a way of using flawed data
• 'scraped' data (ie data that exists but we dont currently know about) on real time social outcomes based on people's individual routes out of poverty
• random controlled tests on social outcomes - hard evidence to support the anecdotal 
• causal or relational links between policy areas we're not aware of
• consensus removing politics from poverty based data sets (eg closing of the Citizens Survey & IDS's changing data on Child Poverty)
• off the shelf tools to interpret data in visual ways

If you do nothing else before the event tomorrow, watch @karlwilding's video on "Charities should be the gold standard of transparency.."
www.guardian.co.uk/voluntary-sector-network/video/2012/jul/04/karl-wilding-ncvo-using-big-data

Data driven social change from Karl Wilding

What can we learn about social change from the music industry..?

This is a follow on from my pirate post the other day on remixing social change.

What can we learn about social change from the music industry..? 

• The trouble with all dominant cultural forms is that they don't invite you in. They just want you to buy the product. 
• Music is one of the only truely classless art form. 
• The future of music is at first alienating. Its a subculture, genuinely feeling like it's ahead of the rest. 
• If we want to remix change we have to have something no one else has. 
• What is the opposite of the music that is happening now now? And what do we need to make the bridge easy from here to there?What's your organisation's sound in a sentence? 
• What's your recognisable vocal communication singing style in a sentence? 
• We need to create something entirely new, something which hasn't been heard anywhere ever before. 
• But how do you know it sounds exactly like you and no one else at all? 
• What's the timeline of music? What's next? 
• This is year zero. 
• How can we get people excited again that something is actually happening, something is actually possible. we don't have to argue along the same old lines. 
• What comes after this? I ask myself that every morning - what comes after this? 
• It has to represent something. 
• It has to mean something. 
• I ask myself that every morning - what comes after this? 

Why We Don't Need Organisations Anymore..

Here's my presentation from last week at York CVS on "why we no longer need organisations". Its a tongue in cheek look at the rise of citizens in social organisations..

Here was the original brief:  

• In the 21 century, the power of networks may replace the power of organisations in driving social change.  
• This 40 minute talk at York CVS will showcase organisations and movements which are challenging existing institutions, organisations and hierarchies..

Beyond organisations oct 2012 from Casey Morrison

Volunteering rates by nationality..

Volunteering rates by nationality..

1. 56% of all Swedish adults volunteer
2. Slovak Republic (54%)
3. the US (50%)
4. Canada (48%)
5. the Netherlands (44%). 
6. Uk - 33%
7. The countries with the lowest participation rates (14% to 16%) are Poland, Japan, Spain, and Hungary. 

See the original article here.


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update:

On the demogragics question, this from TSRC on whether postwar generations are volunteering less and less..

"membership of voluntary associations were lower amongst men born between 1955 and 1964 and between 1965- 1974 than for those born in earlier cohorts. For women, those born between 1965 and 1974 also had lower levels of membership than those in previous cohorts, when age was controlled for.

"Whilst membership of voluntary organisations is not equivalent to volunteering, it is a useful indication of involvement in the third sector, and the findings raise concerns about whether such involvement will fall as more engaged earlier generations are replaced by less engaged cohorts."

A new hierarchy of motivation..?

The internet of things..

What can the social sector learn from the experience of franchising in the commercial sector..?

A new report is launched today on social franchising. Its on what we can learn from MacDonalds and if you put aside the instant cringe/yawn of needing to learn from unhealthy (in all respects) business models i think there's something in here.

Or to put it another way. I think others will see something in here.
and then do something about it.
which will change how we look at and respond to social change.

So these lessons are:

1. Design for scale – make sure it easy for others to replicate the processes and systems
2. Choose franchisees carefully 
3. Develop your people 
4. Test the business model to make sure it is replicable 
5. Continue to learn and improve the offer to franchisees 
6. Be three steps ahead of the franchisee 
7. Use networks to maintain quality and foster innovation 
8. Create freedom in the framework so that the business model can be adapted to the local situation 
9. Plan for sustainability – the financial model needs to generate enough for the central organisation to provide support to franchisees. 
10. Understand and adapt to markets 
11. Build the brand

Working for a large charity with hundreds of local sites/ organisations i see the clear benefit of operating like this. Its soemthing that 3SC and Locality have done collaboration and evidence under a banner.

I wonder who will create the mass market social change model of the next century..?