Weaving Is A Public Good

“We have to be able to work at unprecedented scales in unprecedented ways to address the unprecedented issues that we face. If we stay in our individual organizations and are only focused on our one piece of the puzzle or our slice of the issue without ever coordinating at larger scales and seeing the whole picture, I don’t think we’re going to meaningfully address the complex and systemic issues we face. We have to be able to work together across these divides.”
-David Ehrlichman, author of Impact Networks

Coordination is a term often trumpeted by web3 wizard and Gitcoin founder Kevin Owocki. His recent book, Impact DAOs outlines many of the impact orgs which operate as DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations). His coauthor, Alejandra Borda uses the term impact cartography — the mapping out of those focused on impact. Cartography is an important first step. The next would seem to be connecting.

David Ehrlichman, author of Impact Networks has created Converge, which fosters connection by both supporting existing networks of impact-focused organizations, as well as helping build new ones.

This kind of connecting between organizations and networks is vital, but equally important is weaving connections between impact-focused individuals.

In the process of working on Global Unity, I’ve gotten to meet hundreds of change-makers — people dedicating their lives to making a difference in the world whether it be through environmental regeneration, web3 (post-blockchain technology) for good, politics, activism, or art — it’s been quite inspiring.

Nearly every time I meet one of these change-makers, another in the same area of impact comes to mind and surprisingly, nearly as often, they have never met. It seems natural to invite an introduction, which more often than not turns out to be fruitful.

The Gitcoin community extensively talks about (and does about!) public good. A public good is something that benefits everyone. Gitcoin has funded more than $50 million in public goods through their Gitcoin Grants quadratic funding platform.

By not only weaving together impact orgs, but impact individuals, we strengthen the bonds between the entire impact community.

“Strength comes not from size,
But from unity.”
- Sun Tzu, Art of War

Some are more naturally inclined to see connections they feel should be made — let’s call them weavers. What happens when a weaver meets someone? They go through their internal rolodex and see who that person should meet. But that’s one rolodex.

What happens when you get two — or ten — weavers into a room to discuss a soil expert or those with community-empowering innovations? You can further amplify the good they each do.

This piece is being written both to encourage you to introduce change-makers you think should connect — and as an introduction to WeaverDAO.

WeaverDAO is being launched to help give structure to the often organic process of introducing change-makers, and to facilitate other ways of weaving. WeaverDAO has five primary activities:

Weaving — Introductions between impact-focused folk.

Impact-Niche Masterminds — Gathering of specialists, leaders, and innovators in a particular impact niche.

Holding Mixers — “Impact speeddating” sessions.

Decentralized Recruiting — Crowdsourced, curated, impact recruitment.

Live Events — Check out Transformative Impact Summit in December.

We recently held our first mastermind, an Impact Measurement, Incentive, and Reward Mastermind, featuring a few dozen incredible people focused on some aspect of Impact MRV (measurement, reporting, and verification), incentivization and/or reward. The response was overwhelmingly positive and we will be holding them regularly. The next impact niche we will be for Soil, Regenerative Agriculture, and Food Systems.

There is an entire constellation of impact orgs and individuals out there making real change. How much more powerful could they be if there was a way for them to all work together?

By supporting change makers — who are already doing public good — with new connections, we ourselves do public good. It does good to connect those who do good. To weave.