Function

Social Actions fulfills its mission by:

·         Providing a search interface and open API to active peer-to-peer social change campaigns from a large population of social action platforms;

·         Popularizing a standard format for indexing peer-to-peer social change campaigns;

·         Publishing articles and hosting conversations for individuals on planning and implementing peer-to-peer social change campaigns;

·         Distributing materials for organizations and foundations on how to engage constituents;

·         Providing on- and offline consulting services to social action platforms, organizations, and foundations; and

·         Encouraging collaboration among social action platforms and campaign participants.

These functions are facilitated by an open API, a blog, and consulting services.

Components

Social Actions Open API

Purpose                     To accelerate the efforts of social action platforms to expand their user-base and provide promotional tools to the individuals and organizations using their services.

Social action platforms are social networks or web applications designed exclusively for facilitating peer-to-peer social change campaigns. They are in a unique position to guide individuals and organizations towards outreach, fundraising, and program work that reflect peer-to-peer models for social change.

Examples include: BetterPlace, BringLight, CanadaHelps, Care2, Change.org, ChangingthePresent, ChipIn, Convio, DemocracyInAction, DonorsChoose, Facebook Causes, Firstgiving, Fundable, GiveMeaning, GlobalGiving, Helpalot, Kiva, ModestNeeds, MyCause.com.au, Nabuur, PledgeBank, Razoo, ShoutBack, SproutBuilder, SixDegrees, ThePoint, and ZaZengo.

Description               A public repository of active peer-to-peer social change campaigns from a large number of social action platforms. The open API will include:

·         A comprehensive guide to the participating social action platforms;

·         Instructions for third party developers who want to draw on the open API  for social change web applications;

·         A directory of mashups that make use of the open API;

·         Links to groups and blog entries on Social Actions that refer to the open API; and

·         Documentation for the standard format for referencing peer-to-peer social change campaigns.   

Revenue model         Beginning in July 2008, social action platforms participating in the open API will make quarterly membership fees to participate in the open API. The fees will be determined on a sliding scale that corresponds to the platform's annual budget and the success of Social Actions in delivering users through the open API. Changes to the fee structure will be announced three months in advance. We expect this revenue source to provide a minimum of $2,000 in support per month. The money will be used to support paid programmers and Social Actions team members working on the open API and derivative mashups. 

An additional note: We believe that the moment one tries to limit the flow of data through a network by monetizing it, the value of the network and the likelihood of the data spreading are diminished. The open API will be completely free to use and available to the public for the purpose of spreading opportunities for social engagement to as many people as possible.

Social Actions blog

Purpose                     To publish useful articles and host stimulating conversations about planning and implementing peer-to-peer social change campaigns, realizing the potential for the conversation around and within social campaigns to serve as a change catalyst and as a source of intellectual capital.

Description:               A meeting place for changemakers, service providers, and consultants interested in peer-to-peer models of social change.

The Social Actions blogging community is a place:

·         Where blogs devoted to peer-to-peer social change are hosted;

·         Where people interested in the subject meet another, share knowledge, and find ways to collaborate;

·         Where social action platforms are examined under a constructive microscope; and

·         Where campaign initiators, nonprofits, and foundations can go for suggestions on how to embrace peer-to-peer models of social change.

The blog will initially be led by several regular bloggers. Anyone can start a blog on Social Actions. A group of editors will designate high-value articles to be featured in the Social Actions blog rss feed. As of May 2008, the feed has 200+ subscribers.

Revenue model         Similar to other blogging networks, the Social Actions blog will feature 4-6 spots for sponsoring foundations, companies, and organizations.  These spots will be auctioned off in three-month blocks beginning in July 2008.  We expect this revenue source to provide a minimum of $2,000 in support per month.  The money will be used to support a number of regular bloggers and other Social Actions expenses.

Social Actions consulting

Purpose                     To serve individuals and organizations interested in making the most of the peer-to-peer social change sector. 

Description                A cooperative of consultants working at the intersection of technology, social change, and philanthropy.

The consulting section of Social Actions will:

·         Provide cooperative members with read-only profiles (above and beyond their Social Actions blog profiles), including a 'hire me' webform, and links to the consultant's websites, social actions profile, and previous work.

·         Feature a portfolio and client list 

·         Give a detailed explanation of the structure and purpose of the consultants cooperative 

Peer-to-peer social change is a big umbrella, encompassing a range of consulting services available to companies, nonprofits, philanthropists, and foundations.  We expect a range of consulting profiles, not just technology- consultants.

We will approach nonprofits, foundations and traditional philanthropists with a range of innovative ways to engage in fund- and trust-raising for nonprofit programs. Some of these options will draw on grant-making and nonprofit programming built into the social action platforms (coming soon in a few cases). Others will be a direct byproduct of the mashup and the open API.

Revenue model         The consulting group will be run as a triple-bottom line social enterprise. The consultants cooperative will bill clients at rates that can also pay for non-billable work. The revenue stream combined with a modest income from affiliate programs hosted on Social Actions will permit us to pay the cooperative members for time spent blogging, attending events, , and providing pro-bono work to clients who cannot afford our rates. We believe the consultants cooperative will be sustainable in the long run, and anticipate that it will provide sufficient resources to reinvest in the peer-to-peer social change movement.

An example of this kind of cooperative is the Sustainability Solutions Group, a Montreal-based collection of green energy consultants who are using this model to finance their professional and volunteer work, as well as their time spent organizing. They have even used the surplus income to make grants to local green energy projects. 

An invitation to participate