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Together Institute

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  • Introducing the Community Weaving Framework

    Introducing the Community Weaving Framework

    5 elements to weave healthy communities
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jun 17, 2024
    Community = relationships

    Community = relationships

    Easy to forget. And yet the essence of all community weaving work.
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jun 27, 2023
    Why we stopped trying to engage passive community members — the 3 circles model.

    Why we stopped trying to engage passive community members — the 3 circles model.

    So many community weavers struggle with trying to activate the passive parts of their community. That can be a frustrating and exhausting…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Dec 15, 2021
    Is it possible to have a career as a network weaver in the social impact space?

    Is it possible to have a career as a network weaver in the social impact space?

    I sometimes get approached by university students and recent graduates about our work at Together Institute. They are attracted to the work…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jan 28
    We can’t force collaborations in social impact networks

    We can’t force collaborations in social impact networks

    But we can create the conditions for them to emerge organically
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jan 26
    Paying attention to Critical Mass in Communities & Networks

    Paying attention to Critical Mass in Communities & Networks

    How big do groups and sub-groups need to be for them to thrive?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Nov 22, 2024
    How do we resist the urge to create THE network?

    How do we resist the urge to create THE network?

    And how can we learn to instead uplift the whole ecosystem around us?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Nov 9, 2023
    Who got time for deep community?

    Who got time for deep community?

    Or: How do we weave thriving communities when everyone is stretched thin?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Nov 8, 2023
    Is a community’s purpose best communicated as a question?

    Is a community’s purpose best communicated as a question?

    Community = Living the questions together
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Sep 19, 2023
    Show me the goods: Why organizations love investing $ into custom-made community tech

    Show me the goods: Why organizations love investing $ into custom-made community tech

    And why it’s often not a good investment…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Sep 15, 2023
    Communities and nation states

    Communities and nation states

    A thought experiment: What if nation states remembered that they are simply very big communities?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Sep 14, 2023
    Don’t create your own community platform or social network.

    Don’t create your own community platform or social network.

    Instead, integrate into your members’ existing tech behavior.
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Aug 1, 2023
    3 thought experiments about the value of relationships within groups

    3 thought experiments about the value of relationships within groups

    And a reflection on how we define collective success…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jul 13, 2023
    The enticing illusion of clarity in community

    The enticing illusion of clarity in community

    Or: Clarity in community is an ongoing, always temporary conversation
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jun 20, 2023
    How do we make large gatherings more relational?

    How do we make large gatherings more relational?

    5 ideas: smaller sessions lead by participants, fractals, rhythm, roles and expanding the audience definition
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jun 9, 2023
    The (subtle) power of relationships: the story of a photographer

    The (subtle) power of relationships: the story of a photographer

    A few weeks ago I was fortunate to spend three days with an amazing group of network weavers from the BMW Foundation. I walked away with…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Apr 20, 2023
    Community weaving is about creating (safe) excuses for people to connect

    Community weaving is about creating (safe) excuses for people to connect

    I have been living in Amsterdam for 2.5 years now and found it surprisingly hard to make friends and build my own local community. In New…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jan 20, 2023
    The brutality of the word “Social Impact” — and why metaphors matter

    The brutality of the word “Social Impact” — and why metaphors matter

    This image is what I think of when I hear the word “impact”.
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jan 4, 2023
    The magic of finding my peers of relationship-centred practitioners

    The magic of finding my peers of relationship-centred practitioners

    Reflections & impressions from the Relationships Project gathering.
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Dec 19, 2022
    “Networks connect; communities care”

    “Networks connect; communities care”

    What’s the distinction between a network and a community?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Dec 16, 2022
    Beyond the noise of crypto: 4 amazing community technologies

    Beyond the noise of crypto: 4 amazing community technologies

    Blockchain has a lot of promise for community, but most of it is still largely unusable. Here are 4 powerful non-crypto community tools:
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Dec 1, 2022
    Relationships before structure — an obvious lesson we keep forgetting?

    Relationships before structure — an obvious lesson we keep forgetting?

    Have you ever participated in a meeting to debrief a collaborative project, where the ultimate conclusion is that we should have invested…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Nov 21, 2022
    How can we make co-creation in community less exhausting?

    How can we make co-creation in community less exhausting?

    I don’t know about you, but I find co-design of community awesome and often absolutely exhausting. What can we do to make it better?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Nov 16, 2022
    We’re all talented at community, but so out of practice. What if we became good at community again?

    We’re all talented at community, but so out of practice. What if we became good at community again?

    What if we — collectively — became good at community again?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Nov 9, 2022
    Community as a place to practice a better future

    Community as a place to practice a better future

    What if our communities are an ideal place to model and embody - today - the future we’re hoping to create?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Aug 16, 2022
    Paying attention to the community cross-pollinators

    Paying attention to the community cross-pollinators

    Who are the people helping to weave local chapters into a bigger whole?
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Aug 2, 2022
    The unique motivation of outsiders to run local chapters

    The unique motivation of outsiders to run local chapters

    At Sandbox, our local chapters are run by volunteers from the community that we call “ambassadors”. At some point I started to notice a…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jul 20, 2022
    Community leadership through role modeling?

    Community leadership through role modeling?

    In the 1950s, social psychologist Solomon Asch developed a series of foundational experiments around social conformity. One of the famous…
    Go to the profile of Fabian Pfortmüller
    Fabian Pfortmüller
    Jun 22, 2022
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