PartnersGlobal Resiliency+ Roundup – March 2021

  March 31, 2021

At this point, most of our organizations have had a year of adaptation as we adjusted to a new and ever-changing reality. What lessons in resiliency has your civil society organization or movement learned this past year? How did you experiment and adapt? In what ways will you continue to cultivate that resiliency as you move into an eventual post-pandemic world?  

We’ve curated the articles, resources, and tools around organizational resiliency that have been inspiring us recently. Check them out as you continue on your resiliency journeys. You can learn more about civil society resiliency and seven reinforcing factors of organizational resiliency in the PartnersGlobal Resiliency+ Framework. 

We have also pulled 5 top resiliency tweets for a quick way to plug into the resiliency conversation. Check those out below!

5 Top Resiliency Tweets

  1. In light of recent, though not new, acts of anti-Asian violence, @dviyer, author and solidarity and justice expert, weighs in on how the Asian American community can be centering local community-based organizations who are committed to addressing anti-Asian hate during COVID-19 and beyond.  #StopAsianHate 

2. As we work to fight injustice, we can’t neglect the wellbeing of ourselves and our teams. We can’t do our work well otherwise. @comm_centric shares three ways to best position ourselves to fight injustice.

3. In the last year, we’ve all had to move our convenings online and we’ve all been a part of both good and bad virtual events. Check out these simple yet practical tips on convening better virtual events from @RobCottingham

4. Earlier this month, @Sys_innovation released a collection of 10 books, courses, and videos for learning about systems thinking. Take a look for resources and insights from leading experts on systems thinking and change. 

5. We’re inspired by the ways leaders and organizers in the development sector are addressing the decolonization of language regarding “aid” and “humanitarianism”. Explore this thread from @Tammamo on how the normalization of words like “field”, “mission” and “beneficiaries” perpetuate harm. 

Resiliency Resources by Factor

Business Acumen

Innovative ecosystems are key to the survival and success of organizations. In this new piece by Strategyzer, Frederic Etiemble writes on the “3 Core Elements of an Innovation Ecosystem” and the framework needed to develop an innovation capability within a large organization. 

In The agonizing privilege of now, author Jonathan Flowers explores the opportunity to innovate, experiment, and communicate in the transition from old dying systems to emergent ones. 

Learn more about the Business Acumen factor in the Resiliency+ Framework here.

Situational Awareness

What is systems change, and why does it matter for your organization? Experts from Systems Innovation answer these questions and others in this visual and interactive presentation.  

In Conflict Resolution after the Pandemic, experts interrogate the impact of coronavirus-related crises. The book description reads, “The pandemic has clearly exacerbated existing social and political conflicts, but, as the book argues, its longer-term effects open the door to both further conflict escalation and dramatic new opportunities for building peace.” Read more about these challenges and continued opportunities to pursue justice.  

Learn more about the Situational Awareness factor in the Resiliency+ Framework here.

Engaging the Narrative

Robust communication strategies are vital to the success, longevity, and influence of our organizations. Read more from Communication Matters on how well-executed communication efforts help organizations become stronger, smarter, and more effective at creating change. 

When we shift our narratives away from ‘othering’ marginalized groups and communities to centering their humanity and lived experiences, we not only increase the protection of these groups but of society as a whole. Genevieve Sauberli and Christina MacGillivray weigh in on this topic in the context of migration and migrant communities and offer a seven-step toolbox that shifts us away from zero-sum ‘us’ vs ‘them’ thinking to help us achieve lasting and impactful change.  

And lastly, check out this multipart series from Stanford Social Innovation review and The Communications Network on how effective communication drives social change, featuring articles about how to improve communications, foster a culture of communications, and the power of a nonprofit brand, among other topics.  

Learn more about the Engaging Narratives factor in the Resiliency+ Framework here.

Adaptive Capacity

The ability to adapt to change is at the core of organizational resiliency, and it’s an ability we’ll increasingly rely upon in as we enter a post-pandemic world.  In The Future of Team Leadership is Multimodal, Robert Hoojiberg and Michael Watkins postulate that “the post-pandemic future of teamwork will be a purposeful hybrid combination of virtual coordination and in-person collaboration.” Check out their piece to learn more about the skills team leaders need in order to succeed and thrive in a post-COVID-19 world. 

This new report from the FrameWorks Institute “Mindset Shifts: What Are They? Why Do They Matter? How Do They Happen?” explores the best practices and most effective strategies for moving mindsets. The report asks us to consider how the nonprofit sector can use this profound moment of change to shift deeply rooted mindsets. 

Image from the FrameWorks Institute report “Mindset Shifts: What Are They? Why Do They Matter? How Do They Happen?

Learn more about the Adaptive Capacity factor in the Resiliency+ Framework here.

Connectedness  

Strong organizations are purposefully and actively connected internally with staff and board members and externally with constituents, within the sector and across sectors. But it’s important to examine the nature of that connection and how meaningful it is.  

In this article, John A. Powell examines the important distinction between inclusion and belonging, and how the latter empowers us to cocreate the very thing to which we belong. Powell’s assertions have compelling implications for funding racial justice work, which he notes is often done without attention to power, including the power to cocreate. 

And with co-creation in mind, check out this Platform Design Toolkit designed to support organizations in collaborating, cocreating and engaging in enriching conversations with others.  

Learn more about the Connectedness factor in the Resiliency+ Framework here.

Legitimacy  

At the heart of organizational legitimacy lies trust. This involves establishing a social contract between an organization and its constituents on whose behalf it is working. 

With legitimacy in mind, we’re sharing these resources for organizations, movements, and networks who are youth-led or youth-focused.  

Explore this Youth, Peace and Security: A Programming Handbook, developed by the United Nations. It is a must-read for organizations working on the youth, peace and security agenda. 

And join the Young Feminist Fund as they celebrate the work of young feminists across the globe who are occupying the frontlines of impactful social movements and leading change worldwide while simultaneously facing risks and threats to their safety and security.  

Learn more about the Legitimacy factor in the Resiliency+ Framework here.

Resiliency Ethos 

A key lesson emerging from our continued pandemic reality is the necessity of protecting our own mental health and well-being and that of our teams. This includes learning about the impacts of stress on the ways we function. In Coping With Foggy Brain Days, the Blurt Team share helpful information around the causes of brain fog, its effects, and ways of coping. 

Check out The Wellbeing Project, co-created by The Skoll Foundation and others, for a series on the important connection between inner well-being and effective social change.  

Lastly, this is a great diagnostic tool from Innovation For Change – Africa geared toward civil society organizations working on policy and advocacy. The diagnostic tool helps organizations identify their strengths and weaknesses in the policy and advocacy areas while sharing resources to address your organizations specific needs. 

Learn more about the Resiliency Ethos factor in the Resiliency+ Framework here.

Our Expertise
Our Reach
Support Us