The point of activism is to make some change in society. Nonprofits exist to improve the world in some way, usually by offering educational programs, social services , research, or advocacy for or against some issue. Regardless of structure and goals, most organizations and individuals interested in improving society face some similar challenges:
- Raising money.
- Getting more of the results that their program aims for.
- Recruiting students or program participants.
- Selling new policy and program ideas.
- Devising effective and realistic new programs and policies.
Some organizations are pretty good at borrowing and adapting ideas from numerous sources. Business copy marketing tricks. Activist groups adopt tactics and messages developed by other groups. Social service programs that work in one community often get copied by organizations in other communities.
Other organizations are good at spreading ideas. The Young Mens' Christian Association (YMCA) created a widely-used structure for promoting certain values. Planned Parenthood has chapters in many cities in the United States.
Public policies and regulations from Europe sometimes get adopted in the United States. More often, activists push for adopting similar policies, such as congestion taxes to reduce traffic in cities. New policies and regulations might be promoted more successfully if proponents took a systematic and creative approach to selling their ideas.
Still, there is room for improvement. The best way to realize the potential of social betterment organizations lies in copying some ideas from the business world. Management consultants, engineers, and entrepreneurs have come up with many tools for generating ideas, solving problems, finding opportunities, selling ideas, evaluating ideas, and deciding which ideas to implement.
The richest single source of such information would be the writing of Edward De Bono. He is a pioneer in the teaching of thinking as a skill who has also contributed some thinking "tools" that anyone of average intelligence and education can master. De Bono invented lateral thinking, described in Serious Creativity. He also invented a systematic approach to evaluating ideas called Six Thinking Hats, described in a book of the same name. Six Thinking Hats, Six Action Shoes, and Six Value Medals describe problem-solving strategies for which the books were named.
Tony Buzan invented a method for organizing ideas and brainstorming. Mind mapping is a graphical way of organizing ideas presented in his 1991 book Use Both Sides of Your Brain. Mind mapping also has applications in note taking and in organizing large writing projects.
The computer-loving social innovator could use software to facilitate brainstorming, problem analysis, and decision making. There is software that ranges from no cost to thousands of dollars. Most desktop software that's intended for an individual costs under $200.
Where does one get started? Start simply. Go to the library and get one of the books mentioned here. Do a search on creative thinking or on problem solving and see what you come up with. Recruit a friend or coworker (or several!) to work with you.
