Your nonprofit’s network is much larger than you might realize. When you consider the people your staff, volunteers, donors, partners, and board members all have connections with, think about the beneficial relationships you might be missing out on! Your new collaborator, major gift prospect, high level volunteer, dynamic board member, or like-minded policymaker could be only a few degrees of separation away. But how would you know that unless you had a way of seeing this untapped relational network clearly mapped out? This fast-paced, two-hour 501 Talks Tech session will explore “Social Network Analysis,” a process of visually diagramming your interpersonal network, direct and indirect connections, and opportunities that can come about from being aware of this data. Creating your very own network map can inform you about how you can better leverage your relationships toward improving your programs, operations, fundraising, recruiting, and marketing. The technology focus will be on NodeXL, an open-source Microsoft Excel plugin that can help you improve your knowledge of the connections that are sitting right under your nose. At this workshop, we will: - Explore why Social Network Analysis matters to nonprofits - Understand what a Network Map is, and how to decode one - Follow a step-by-step tutorial to source, load, visualize, and analyze network data - Allow adequate time for questions and practice - Show pathways for additional learning and development

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Social Network Analysis
Mapping Your Nonprofit's Connections 501 Talks Tech by Lawson F. Knight

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Agenda
● Why Social Network Analysis should matter to your nonprofit
● Understand what a Network Map is, and how to decode one
● Tutorial
● Questions to pose for your analysis
● Sourcing data
● Preparing and loading your data
● Visualizing your network data
● Where to learn more

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The Networked Nonprofit by Beth Kanter
Nonprofits need to work less like isolated
institutions and more like networks

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Always design a thing
by considering it in its
next larger context – a
chair in a room, a room
in a house, a house in
an environment, an
environment in a city
plan.
–ELIEL SAARINEN

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Let’s Make a Network!

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Texas Hill Country
No fewer than 160 different
governmental and non-
governmental organizations, state
and federal agencies, universities,
landowner associations, and NGOs
are working to preserve Texas Hill
Country’s ecological and cultural
characteristics. Stakeholders span
10 different organizational
categories, from community-
based organizations to land trusts.
Source: SSIR Source: Wimberley, Wikipedia

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Types of Networks
● Relationship networks
● Support networks
● Action networks, and
● Formal networks.
June Holley,
Network
Weaver
Network weavers are people who intentionally and informally - and often serendipitously -
weave new and richer connections between and among people, groups, and entities in
networks. They also weave new and richer connections between among networks.

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n(n-1)

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Source: NTEN

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0
Clarify
Purpose
Convene the
Right People
Cultivate
Trust
Coordinate
Actions
Collaborate
Generously
Source: Converge

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1
Decoding the Network Map

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Anatomy of a
Social Network

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Additional Nomenclature
Edge(s) Vertex/Vertices

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Tutorial

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Clarify Purpose: What questions are you trying to answer?
●Whom do you typically turn to for help in
thinking through a new or challenging
problem at work?
●Whom are you likely to turn to in order to
discuss a new or innovative idea?
●Whom do you typically give work-related
information?
●Whom do you turn to for input prior to
making an important decision?
●Whom do you feel has contributed to your
professional growth and development?
●Whom do you trust to keep your best
interests in mind?
Clarify
Purpose
Convene the
Right People
Cultivate
Trust
Coordinate
Actions
Collaborate
Generously

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Exercise
What kind of network would you map? What questions do you need to answer?

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Cultivate Trust: Duplicate the Exercise
Clarify
Purpose
Convene the
Right People
Cultivate
Trust
Coordinate
Actions
Collaborate
Generously

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Low tech approach
Sticky Notes & Sharpies Transcribe in Bubble.us
Source: Beth Kanter

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Sourcing the Data

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0
Sourcing the Data
Survey Instrument

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1
Preparing and Loading your Data
Relationship data and attributes

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2
Getting the tool
●Visit
www.smrfoundation.org
●Click to the installation page and
follow instructions.
●NOTE: NODExl requires use of Microsoft
Windows™ (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10) and
Microsoft Office™ (2007, 2010, 2013,
2016)

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3
Loading Data
●Fill or paste in columns of
relationship data (i.e., edge
list data) in the Edges
worksheet
●Unique values used in
Column A and that appear
again Column B values must
be identical for them to map
correctly.

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4
Visualizing your data
Making the map and making it meaningful

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Visualizing Data – Getting Started
● Make the Map
● Undirected / Directed
● Change styles
● Move Edges and Vertices
● Make the Map meaningful
● Coloring Shapes
https://www.w3schools.com/cssref/css_colors.asp
● Adding Attribute Data
● Labelling
● Legends

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Visualizing Data – Next level skills
● Filtering
● Grouping

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Where to learn more
●How Networked Nonprofits
Visualize Their Networks by Beth
Kanter
●Network Weaver Checklist by June
Holley
●It Takes a Network to Tackle
Growth and Complexity by R.
Patrick Bixler, Clare Zutz, Ashley
Love, SSIR Oct. 13, 2016
●Relationship Building as a Measure
of Impact by John Esterle

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But high-impact organizations help their peers
succeed, building networks of nonprofit allies
and devoting remarkable time and energy to
advancing their fields. They freely share wealth,
expertise, talent, and power with other
nonprofits not because they are saints, but
because it’s in their self-interest to do so.
–Heather McLeod Grant & Leslie R. Crutchfield,
Creating High-Impact Nonprofits, SSIR Fall 2007

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Recap & Questions
Lawson F. Knight
lawson@intermountainimpact.org
(509) 293-7544