Current e-Journal

Boards, Governance, Bylaws and Organizational Design
Your board doesn't need to look the way it does. Your board isn't legally required to do much of the work it's doing. In fact, your board can be a force for actively accomplishing your mission!

For several years, our board has been exploring what it would take for boards to actually propel social missions forward. That question has driven a complete reworking of both Creating the Future’s board as well as a redesign of the whole organization.

Some highlights to help you generate new thinking in this critical area:

• All our board and strategy meetings will continue to be open for you to watch or participate. See more here
• The board’s focus will be integrity, ensuring the organization is walking its talk. See more here
• AND, per our most recent meeting, our bylaws will hopefully fit on just one page! Listen to that discussion here

Social Change Systems Overhaul
If you have been frustrated in your efforts to create a more humane, healthy world, you are not alone. In our initial inquiry into the cause of that frustration, we have found that many of the systems intended to support social change are actually thwarting that change!

To further our exploration (and to help us decide what actions to take), we are asking for your insights and observations, from your own work to create change. To that end...

• This slide deck includes our observations so far. Slide deck is here
• Please share observations from your own work. How have you experienced what we've documented in that slide deck? Let us know
• Help us improve that slide deck. Is it clear? What would you add? Let us know
• Please connect us! Are there people you know who are exploring these same issues? We want to learn from them! Send us a note 

Communications Strategy via Catalytic Thinking
Communications strategy doesn't have to be about differentiating and competing. After all, if we're going to create systems change, none of us can accomplish that on our own.

Last fall, we developed a strategy for sharing what we are learning here at Creating the Future. With Catalytic Thinking at the heart of that plan, it is inclusive (vs. competitive), rooted in our values.

Our next step is to implement that plan, and we hope you will come push those boundaries with us!

• Values-based, inclusive communications strategy: What is it? How does it work? See more here
• Changing the Questions: We summarized the questions we asked during those sessions, AND the answers, for you to see the difference Catalytic Thinking makes. (You can also watch the actual meetings!) See it here 
• Volunteer! The tasks to implement this plan range from a few minutes (posting to social media) to perhaps a day’s project. Whether you want to learn, to share your skills, or to stretch your thinking, let us know what intrigues you, and welcome aboard! Let us know

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That it for this edition. Next time, an update on the systems change that is resulting from our demonstration project with the Nevada Department of Education. Stay tuned!

Do you like the cycling image up above?
You can own it! See it here