Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age

by Allison H. Fine

A new and empowering way of looking at and organizing social change! How can we move from serving soup until our elbows ache to solving chronic social ills like hunger or homelessness?  How can we break the disastrous cycle of low expectations that leads to chronic social failures? The answers to these questions lie within Momentum, a fresh, zestful way of thinking about and organizing social change work. Today's digital tools―including but not limited to e-mail, the Web, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), even iPods―promote interactivity and connectedness.  But as Momentum shows, these new social media tools are important not for their wizardry but because they connect us to one another in inexpensive, accessible, and massively scalable ways.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to read "Momentum" after finding it quoted on the homepage of Carrotmob.org, a grassroots, social-change project based in San Francisco. The excerpt (and its context) suggested a visionary, revolutionary tract about using the internet and Web 2.0 for radical ends. In fact, Fine's book is much more of a down-to-earth primer for non-profit managers than the soaring subtitle, "Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age," would have you believe. She dedicates considerable space to practical matters such as fund-raising, membership lists, and wikis. It's also a lot lighter on substance and case studies than I would have liked. Fine communicates a few key ideas effectively:

- In the connected age, the non-profit sector will thrive by "letting go" (of information, tools, messages), by breaking out of the stilted paradigm of a paid staff on one side, and consumer-like members on the other. The secret is to merge membership and staff, to make members the movement(Obama-style) by engaging their ideas and skills, and arming them with the power to drive the movement, rather than simply asking them occasionally for donations.

- Similarly, power in this new paradigm is less in controlling capital, a huge membership list, or a large staff. It's in having a vibrant and engaged network. In fact, a powerful movement might have no base or office at all; Fine offers as an example the 2004 protests against Sinclair Broadcasting Group's decision to air a controversial anti-Kerry documentary during prime-time, over regular programming. Over 150,000 calls to SBG advertisers prompted several to pull their ads, causing SBG's stock to drop by 10% within a week, a $60 million loss in revenue. SBG retracted the documentary.

- The traditional metrics for non-profits--dollars raised, members added, etc.--are wrong-headed. The sector needs a more results-oriented metrics system, focusing on measurable impact on issue-areas, perhaps modeled along the lines of ROI and other financial sector measurements.

Fine's recommendations make great sense, and looking around the non-profit sector, it's clear that most organizations are stuck in the Web 1.0 world she decries, with one-way-focused websites, a membership model offering the occasional update and request for money, nothing more. While a bit short on concrete ideas and case studies, Fine's book offers a conceptual road map for a more effective and engaging non-profit sector.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allison Fine does a very good job identifying how nonprofits can use the internet and its resources to change how they approach members, activists, donors, and the public in general. She give lots of examples both real world and fictional to emphasize her point--that connecting with activists in a meaningful way requires a significant change in the way that nonprofits operate.

I found this book useful as the organization I work for is considering many of the techniques she suggests. After reading this book, I have a better concept of why this shift is important and how we can make our relationships with our activists and donors better than they ever have been.

[Amanda Bullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is transforming the way I think about social change. So many of us beat our heads up against a wall trying to "make a difference" and then eventually give up. (at least that's what I feel like doing) This book discusses ways of creating large networks that collaborate on these big social issues. It involves using technology that not all will be comfortable with. Regardless, its a fascinating read. Very practical- and describes the plight of a non-profit worker perfectly. So if nothing else, you can find some solitude in being understood. =)

[Pete · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of good material. Yet... this is yet another "eyeballs are the most important thing" book.

p. 93, "Having more people participate in meaningful ways is far more important..."

Basically, it's more important to have a lot of people involved, than to be about a particular purpose. Let the participants decided what the purpose is. "Collective" wisdom is better...

I simply do not agree with that.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notable:

"If you send a message using digital communications, you should expect a response. In fact, you should welcome a response."

"Everyone...regardless of position or experience, need to become facile with using social media. Everyone who is part of an activist organization needs to be empowered to think every day about ways to connect network members to one another and to push conversations forward."

[ReImagine Science · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy-to-read update on the current explosion of work done by networks. Similar in area of thought and exploration to the realm discussed in 'The Starfish and the Spider' and 'Tribes.' However, I found this book to be more holistic and 'gentle' in its approach to the topic; makes a nice compliment to the other two reads.