American political struggle has always reflected the characteristics of its age, from the early merchants leveraging new economic power to political bosses organizing urban masses of the industrial revolution. Political struggle adapts to new climates, economics and social trends.

Today, we live in a body politic that is increasingly connected to each other and overwhelmed with information. The most active participants in modern movements are more likely to be approaching points of "decision paralysis" caused by an onslaught of calls to action from too many important causes. They're barraged with personalized appeals via email, snail mail, targeted magazines, and newsletters generated by the ubiquitous desktop publishing.

The resulting choice for millions of Americans is not to engage. Many people deliberately avoid focusing on issues that seem distant to their lives. Large segments of the population have reduced the long-term engagement with organizations, issues or causes.

In addition to information overload, the public increasingly wants to protect their privacy. They are actively working to stay off the "radar" of direct mailers, spammers, email campaigns and calling lists (over 50,000,000 households registered on the FCC Do Not Call List). This large subset of the public has not walked away from holding opinions on key issues. They have walked away from the current models of civic engagement. These non-joiners will self organize into play groups, book clubs, meet-up meetings, running groups and paintball teams but they won't join churches, bowling leagues, political parties and civic associations. The challenge to grassroots organizers is to match a significant portion of mobilizing and advocacy efforts with these new behaviors while also exploiting the advantages provided by emerging technologies and communications mediums.

Network-centric advocacy is the adaptation of advocacy and traditional grassroots organizing to the age of connectivity.

What is Network Theory? How is it Changing Business and Campaign Models?

Over the last several years theorists and practitioners have been cross-pollinating the lessons learned from network theory and technology development to other disciplines. They've updated social network theory, marketing techniques, infrastructure planning, business models, warfare models and group dynamic theory. The discoveries have lead to new approaches, including revolutionary leaps in problem solving, software development, computing, law enforcement, communications, marketing and supply chain logistics.

The implications of these advances have been enormous from launching new research into agent-based modeling to provide predictive traffic reporting (like weather reports), to tapping into distributed computing networks for cancer research or NASA research. Many sectors are working to use the flood of available information and the reliable rapid communication connections to create value and accomplish basic work in new ways. The effects can be seen from organizing open source software development (Mozilla.org), to building entire just-in-time business empires (Dell Computers).

The implications are now starting in political context, such as in the California Recall of 2003, the Dean for President campaign, Draft Wesley Clark campaign, Million Mom March, MoveOn'’s Bush in 30 Seconds project and a variety of small local campaigns. These new style campaigns are just beginning to mold models of plotting advocacy in a connected society.

Why Hire Green Media Toolshed as your Network-Centric Advocacy Consulting Partner?

Skill. GMT is one of the few nonprofit organizations building the necessary components to enable distributed campaigns. Marty Kearns, the Executive Director of GMT publishes a blog (www.network-centricadvocacy.net) that is at the forefront of research, promotion and writing on the subject. Further, he focuses on network-centric literature, key peer groups and conferences on the issue. Marty is one of the opinion leaders on the application of network theory to advocacy campaigns. The combination of implementation skills and theory development allows GMT to offer a suite of services, insights and connections difficult to match.

Sensitivity. GMT is a nonprofit environmental group. GMT staff has participated at every level of the environmental movement and within campaigns. Marty Kearns has been working for nonprofit organizations, foundations and advocacy campaigns for 11 years. Marty has founded two successful nonprofit organizations (Georgia River Network and GMT). Additionally, Associate Director, Bobbi Russell, has been in the movement for nine. She previously worked at Environmental Media Services and Fenton Communications. Carl Coryell-Martin is GMT's Director of Technology and one of the most talented programmers working for the environmental sector. Carl is currently building one of the largest peer production projects undertaken to date. GMT understands the challenges facing nonprofits, the dynamics of nonprofit collaboration, technology and the frustrations that impede campaigns.

Experience. GMT is currently serving more than 170 environmental organizations. GMT has a 80% renewal rate on year to year memberships. GMT has trained hundreds of groups on the changing nature of the modern news room and the impacts of connectivity on the 24 hour news cycle. GMT staff has focused exclusively on the role of technology needed for advocacy, the power of distributed voices and assembling resources that can be shared across organizational boundaries. GMT monitors technology innovations being used across the public relations industry.

Passion. GMT is not a neutral outside consultant. We are passionate advocates for building this new complementary layer of connectivity between supporters and campaigns. We provide consulting, at-cost, to our members. All donations from consulting for non-members are used to support the nonprofit operations. GMT is purely interested in guiding investments in staffing, technology, strategy and to implement successful network-centric advocacy efforts.

When can GMT Help?

You have work that needs to be done quickly. GMT can help you plan and execute campaigns that leverage a more connected body politic. GMT has the resources and expertise carefully developed over the last three years to step into your planning process with a unique and researched perspective.

You need help understanding the complex and emerging models of self-organizing campaigns. GMT can help you understand why your current campaigns are not benefiting from new connectivity of American culture. We will help you unravel the ways organizational management is inhibiting your campaign success and help develop answers to these problems. GMT will find more effective ways for you to deploy resources to create progress on your issues.

You need an outside consultant to represent competitive view points. At times, the network-centric advocacy approach requires strategy and perspective that runs counter to public relations, membership, branding and fundraising models often used by organizations. Our involvement makes sure there is balance to internal pressures that narrowly define success within the confines of an organization. GMT remains committed to carefully and tactfully highlighting those conflicts so that your staff can design network-centric solutions.

GMT can help your organizational leadership come to understand the new dynamics of activism and campaigns in modern America. GMT can help you highlight the organizational practices that destroy network function. GMT can also help partners plan network-centric campaigns and guide investments that enable new, complementary outreach strategies to extend impact on public debate and public policy.

GMT does not pretend to be experts in your issues or other areas of operations. The focus is on network-centric advocacy planning. As with the most successful marketing, legal, fundraising, organizational development or other consultants, engagement works best when GMT is part of a cooperative partnership with committed leadership, staff and volunteers.