About Common Good Vermont
Vermont's Independent Sector
Vermont (pop. 621,000) is a small, tightly knit rural state proud of its independent spirit and high levels of civic engagement. Vermont's independent sector (3000+ organizations, $4 billion annual revenue) plays a primary role in the delivery of human and cultural services and in the preservation of the state's cherished natural resources. Most social services—food, shelter, healthcare and education—are delivered within local and regional community settings.
Often separated by geography (mountains, rivers, lakes), Vermont's 251 towns and 14 counties are increasingly knit together by broadband "build-out". Common Good Vermont leverages these electronic networks to bridge the barriers of Vermont's geography and the "beaten paths" of its hyper-local networks. New human and electronic networking activities will support the delivery of information and innovation to the state's community builders: project volunteers and professionals who, by virtue of their civic and nonprofit roles and responsibilities, are the lifeblood of the "green mountain state". Common Good's place-based and community virtual events are designed to improve the capacity of so many "small networks" that, improve Vermont's unique "quality of life".
A Networked Solution
Common Good Vermont is a people and web-based network that enables community and nonprofit leaders to access their collective knowledge, build partnerships, solve problems and achieve long-term social benefit for the people of Vermont. Common Good Vermont is a two-year pilot project designed to test assumptions, develop a scalable project and deliver a sustainability plan in December, 2010.
Common Good Vermont aggregates and filters the rich, collective knowledge of Vermont's nonprofits and community builders in ways that enable them to quickly sort through capacity building news, resources and events by topic, sector and geography—moving them from information retrieval toward sharing, collaboration and constructive partnership.
In addition to the dynamic web "hub" populated by community-based ‘meta-tagging' Common Good Vermont builds relationships and knowledge within the sector by hosting face-to-face networking events and multi-media training (web streaming, chats, webinars) and managing regular e-news, branded social networks (e.g., www.facebook.com/CommonGoodVT.org) and a statewide nonprofit listserv (common-good-vermont@googlegroups.com). Common Good Vermont also works with its partners to improve the data available to and about Vermont's nonprofit workings, as part of its effort to raise the profile of Vermont's independent sector.
Knowledge Within Our Reach
Research conducted by the Vermont Community Foundation and others indicate that the expertise necessary to improve community life is held within the state's nonprofit and civic networks. Vermont organizations are highly connected through local and sector-based relationships but access to knowledge, expertise and partnerships beyond the "beaten path" is limited. Organizations are eager to find new paths to improve operations, funding prospects and strategic partnerships, but are stymied by "lack of time" and "not knowing whom to trust".
Community leaders make a compelling case for easy to use capacity building news, resources and networking opportunities, and for leadership that stimulates partnerships between organizations and promotes the state's independent sector as a vital player in Vermont's future.
"Thought leaders" and trusted sources form the core of the Common Good network—prompting peers to seek out information and "share what we know" within and beyond the usual networks. As a community "tagging" and networking project, Common Good Vermont contends that information sharing lays the groundwork for community to convene on broader goals of collective action.
Funders & Partners
Common Good Vermont funders include the Vermont Community Foundation, the A.D. Henderson Foundation, and the Green Mountain Fund. Partners include the Vermont Alliance for Nonprofit Leadership, Found Line, Spencer Group, Johnson State College, United Way of Chittenden County, Marlboro College and Champlain College Nonprofit Management Program, United Ways of Vermont, and Vermont Council on Rural Development.
