Breakout Session 2: Mapping Your Community’s Information Needs

Facilitator: Terry Mazany, President and CEO, The Chicago Community Trust

Scribe: Christine Beddia, Director of Marketing and Communications, Coastal Community Foundation

The Chicago Community Trust (TCCT) tracked the State of Chicago’s News Ecosystem and created an inventory.  End result was The NEW news, Chicago’s Online News System. 

Problems to solve: quality journalism, sustainable business model, access by all, connections across groups, nonprofit interdependence.

Challenges: Inadequate political information, unhappiness with media coverage, many have trouble coping with information, some better served than others, low-income people particularly ill served.

Strengths: Wealth of sources, for different perspectives, widespread internet access, most felt informed, most can get information they need, libraries help, leaders have special sources, information literacy training helps. 

Resources: Community Media Workshop, Windy Citizen, Gapers Block

Discussion Questions:

1. Assessing the state of practice: who has done what?

Can a community foundation map around a specific issue?  The Chicago Community Trust took a broader approach and identified key words to help guide the work and path for engagement.  It’s important to identify who’s doing what and provide resources around specific issues.  Collaboration and discussion can result within clusters building on different groups’ experiences and perspectives. 

Free Library of Philadelphia offers easy access to local community members through transportation, remote access, classes and encouraging literacy. 

Pittsburgh Foundation created Pittsburgh on Video (POV), an online journalism initiative addressing the shortage of investigative journalism.

1. How do you define the problem?

The Chicago Community Trust could not play in the free market and didn’t try.  The market forces are too large and it is beyond the trust’s capacity. 

University of Minnesota established a workshop with the Minnesota Newspaper Association and the Editors & Publishers Community Leadership program.

Detroit public radio is working to provide education and active engagement through the Public Insight Network

MIT Center for Civic Media is building tools to present and share data.  MIT suggests finding a partner, see what works, utilize focus groups, and establish groundwork early on in co-design process.  Build with community rather than remotely. Identify least common denominator in order to scale projects.

Do something.org is powering action offline through teen outreach. 

Erie Community Foundation is utilizing Vital Signs framework with local newspaper to influence policy work through paper, editorials, etc. 

The Miami Foundation is launching a community indicators project around 10 drivers, called the Engage Miami project.

Building a reputation is important and underplayed. Community foundations have a responsibility to fact-check and to include a wide array of perspectives on topical issues. 

CEOs for Cities– intersect with community in a smart fashion. Translate the community knowledge into an action plan.  Talent Dividend Prize– Distill message and frame in non-business speak

There is a fine line between qualitative and quantitative data.  Use both for best case. 

Respect your audience. Open with qualitative and then back up and support with details in quantitative data.  Anecdotes are powerful and give an opportunity to support argument.

Data Therapy Webinar on Wed. 2/29 12pm EST (presented by MIT) Register at bitly.com/datatherapy

1. What is the value of mapping your community information needs?

The Chicago Community Trust partnered with a local university and invested $50,000.  High value from connecting/ leveraging local resources and partnerships. Trust gained insight into structure/ dynamics of news ecosystem in Chicago; used for decision making.

How do you provide access when the majority of the community is affected by poverty and lack of access?  African-Americans have mobile access.  Find ways to push data rather than forcing students to search.  Partner with social entrepreneurs to identify creative solutions.

1. What is the community leadership role of the community foundation?

The Miami Foundation looks to political officials for leadership, but more so to the informal nonprofit leaders and invests in future leaders through a program to train young professionals.

Princeton Area CF in Central New Jersey conducted focus groups with local nonprofits and found there is an expectation of the community foundation to provide assistance/ advocacy for the sector.

There is a fine line between advocating and a neutral convener role. 

1. How does doing this strengthen your local work and your community?

Emmett Carson of Silicon Valley Community Foundation emphasizes it is a difficult time for community foundations and to take a leadership role in their local communities is a way to become sustainable and stay relevant. 

1. What are local resources and local partners to engage?

-Partner with local libraries. 

-Other digital literacy programs: Career Link and Web Junction

– Amy Webb of WebbMedia Group has a new resource for new media, digital media, youth and libraries

-Local colleges and universities

-General public

Community foundations need to leverage partnerships because it’s unrealistic to expect the foundation to do it all.  Scalability will be more successful with multiple partners.

1. What are your big ideas for scale and sustainability?

Newspapers will fail.  Infrastructure could be donated to community foundations.  A separate entity could run the operation.  Community foundations could position themselves accordingly. 

Community foundations could take a stronger role in civic engagement for local government.  Help to alleviate burden of tax base.

Help nonprofits and donors to tell stories in compelling and engaging ways through alternative media.  Tell Me More project

Don’t recreate the wheel.  Learn from peers who have done things that are doable.

Knowledge management platform offered by Council on Foundations could be a possible resource for community foundations.