 Non-government organizations (NGOs) have launched a multitude of community directory and social networking sites aimed at helping to connect NGOs, businesses, governments, and individuals. These sites address the central issues of our day: climate change, poverty, the environment, peace, water, hunger, social justice, conservation, human rights, and more. The potential of these sites is self-evident – focused worthy causes, tapping the activist nature of social and political leaders, activating the collective intelligence of the group – all fueled by the energy of volunteers and the connective force of the Internet. The Obama political campaign gave a first glimpse of such possibilities.
Yet, these sites almost never achieve the full potential of connecting and activating the network. Why is that?
These networks are for the most part simply contact directories. Whether focused internally on employees and volunteers or externally on communities of interest, they typically are not even effective as social networking sites. How can they morph into the “activated” cause-based networks that they are meant to be?
Most networking sites do some kind of profiling and listing of affiliations and contracts. Some provide network-like visualizations that provide an overview of connections among people and organizations. Visual overviews allow a rough interpretation of the value of linkages but stop short of providing the analytics necessary for understanding network capabilities. Some networks, such as Wiser Earth, utilize social network analysis and/or tie to Google analytics and similar programs, but these analyses do not provide insight into the nature of the links and connections.
At a very basic level, networks are activated around the roles that people need to play to execute specific activities. Roles are key in turning informal social networks into active cause-based networks. Simply adding role descriptors and interests of people who could fill the roles to the database – provides the basic data necessary for value network visualization and monitoring with the ValueNetworks.com application. Then network supporters can readily activate the required roles and interactions to meet changing needs.
Without role data, network visualizations and analytics fail to provide information and alerts that can actually activate these networks. Without role data it is impossible to structurally support purposeful self-organizing activities or to provide the project planning, governance tools, or other necessary business processes to enhance network activity. Thus, while NGO websites bring forth and promote purposeful causes they struggle with activism.
Value Network Analysis (VNA) is an important tool for moderators or change agents to understand roles and intangible value exchanges so they can more consciously facilitate the creation of sustainable networks. Realizing a cause-based network as a value network can align activities to the deeper purpose of the organization, social network, or project. And value networks allow a true collective intelligence to emerge that can better embrace purpose and evolve towards higher order complexity. The potential for generating social, economic, and environmental good by building active cause-based networks is immeasurable. Our ability to activate this kind of collective intelligence and action may well be the determining factor for the future we will create. | 
