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BRIGHT IDEAS 

How stories, strategy, people and tech are creating change.

Hello! It's been great to hear from new subscribers and glad to have all of you here. Click reply and let me know if you've seen great content innovation stories, jobs or ideas to share. For now, let's take a look at “radical transparency” building powerful movements. 

Defining transparency. One story I've been trying to write is a look at the use and value of transparency in political campaigns. The Beto O'Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigns are two examples of U.S. midterm campaigns that used video and social media transparency to great benefit. 

And then I read Jose Antonio Vargas's memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen. He writes about living a life of radical transparency which got me thinking about the differences between transparency that builds trust through access and transparency that takes risks and invites people to join in sharing those risks. The differences matter because the scale of our challenges - and how we need to work together to meet them - demands risk. 

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What/who would be part of a membership innovation community? I put together this doc as a way of starting to identify and sort the types of organizations and people working on/interested in membership programs. This could include big NGOs and local nonprofits, churches, health clubs and gyms, cooperatives, political campaigns, software as a service companies and more. 

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Get this from a friend? Subscribe here. Think it's useful? Interesting? Please forward to a friend or colleague. Or share on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

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Dig in. Find what works. Tell that story. Mobilisation Lab, where I led content strategy in recent years, focused on identifying innovations in campaigning, strategy and leadership. The Solutions Journalism Project aims for the same: telling stories that help communities solve problems. They're sharing some of the best stories of 2018. I'd love to see more organizations using their communications resources and teams to help constituents and partners find and share solutions faster.

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Strong advocacy NEEDS strong local media institutions. Journalist Lyndsey Gilpin writes that she started the newsletter Southerly in late 2016, shortly after moving home to Kentucky, as a way to "shed light on overlooked news and longform stories about the complicated relationship Southerners have with their environment." Gilpin is talking about environmental reporting, which has never been well supported at any level. But as local and state reporting has been hollowed out, the reporting left behind is coming from national outlets that rarely have the time to let reporters build relationships and understand the complexity of local economies and politics. It further distances residents and voters from the media. If you can't consistently report out what's happening on the ground you can't advocate for change. 

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Identity card politics. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are protesting a plan by U.N. High Commission on Refugees to force refugees to use a smart card for identification and aid distribution. They’re worried that centralized identity data could be shared with Myanmar authorities and prevent repatriation or invite government retribution if refugees return home. Much has been written about UNHCR and others using blockchain to support identity cards that can make refugee administration cheaper, faster and more efficient – also making it easier for refugees to manage their educational, employment and personal data. But putting all of a person’s data invites risk, particularly if that person is powerless and persecuted. 

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Read about the company putting refugees to work training AI algorithms. It’s no small coincidence that refugees have little economic or political power.

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EVENT: Most groups, especially those with large teams and hierarchies, use something of an assembly line to create content - blog posts, press releases, reports, social media posts. It’s a great way to produce lousy writing. This 5 December webinar takes a look at alternatives.

EVENT: PowerLabs is hosting a webinar the next day, 6 December, about turning grassroots activism into lasting power.

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Do good work


A few great roles at the intersection of digital, content, creative and campaigning. Have one to share? Click reply and let me know. Have an idea of your next perfect role but not finding it? Send me a note.
  • Polaris is hiring a DC-based Direct Marketing Manager to lead all direct response fundraising. Writing, data, strategy, coordination with programs and other fundraising teams. By the way, Polaris is a leader in fighting human trafficking and slavery. 
     
  • Mothers Out Front is a smart US-based network of networks mobilizing people to act on climate - and giving them the info, support and tools they need to do right. They’re expanding and looking to fill a couple roles, specifically Field Expansion Organizer and National Expansion Organizer
     
  • The Movement Cooperative helps progressives use best-in-class data tools and resources. They're hiring for two positions, a Data & Technology Strategist and Digital Data Strategist. Remote location is a possibility. 
     
  • Good with words and know a thing or two about what it takes to get people passionate about wildlands and wildlife? Conservation International needs a Staff Writer who may be based anywhere. The job ad says speech writer and this role will write speeches but also press releases and most any other public-facing communications that staff leaders would deliver to an audience.
     
  • Want an incredible challenge? Be 350.org’s Global Campaigns Manager for Climate Solutions. Great team around you. Can be based lots of places around the world but I think there’s some preference for someone in global south. 
     
  • Restore Public Trust, “a new project of the New Venture Fund working toward accountability and transparency in government to root out corruption and malfeasance,” is looking for a Digital Director based in New York City or DC. Look for the description on the Wellstone Jobs list. Or hit reply and I’ll forward it to you. Super curious what this group looks to add to the spectrum of groups already working the anti-corruption in government beat.
Here's a google spreadsheet full of job lists, email groups and online job boards where you'll find roles like these posted. It's editable (for now) so feel free to comment or add a resource.

Addendum

Question? Idea to share? Let's talk. Reply or email ted@brightplus3.com.

Don't hesitate to forward this to others or pass along the subscribe page link. 

Sunday music

If you made it this far here's a special treat. Sarah Jarosz and bandmates playing Over the Edge.

Copyright 2018 Bright+3, Blah blah blah all rights reserved.


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