TY - JOUR T1 - Platformation: Cloud Computing Tools at the Service of Social Change JF - Technology Innovation Management Review Y1 - 2012 A1 - Anil Patel KW - charity KW - cloud computing KW - nonprofit KW - Platformation KW - sharing imperative KW - social innovation AB - The following article establishes some context and definitions for what is termed the “sharing imperative” – a movement or tendency towards sharing information online and in real time that has rapidly transformed several industries. As internet-enabled devices proliferate to all corners of the globe, ways of working and accessing information have changed. Users now expect to be able to access the products, services, and information that they want from anywhere, at any time, on any device. This article addresses how the nonprofit sector might respond to those demands by embracing the sharing imperative. It suggests that how well an organization shares has become one of the most pressing governance questions a nonprofit organization must tackle. Finally, the article introduces Platformation, a project whereby tools that enable better inter and intra-organizational sharing are tested for scalability, affordability, interoperability, and security, all with a non-profit lens. PB - Talent First Network CY - Ottawa VL - 2 UR - http://timreview.ca/article/580 IS - 7 U1 - Framework Anil Patel is an Ashoka Fellow and Executive Director of Framework, the charity that runs the Timeraiser. The Timeraiser is part volunteer fair, part silent art auction, and part night on the town. To date, the Timeraiser has generated 100,000 volunteer hours, engaged 6,500 Canadians to pick up a cause, worked with more than 350 agencies in need of skilled volunteers, and invested $580,000 in the careers of Canadian artists. In the decade ahead, Anil will be focused on how nonprofits and funding organizations can share critical information online and in real time. ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Applied Collaboration Studios: Transforming Complex Problems into Systems of Continuous Social Innovation JF - Open Source Business Resource Y1 - 2009 A1 - Stephen Huddart A1 - Anil Patel AB - This paper asserts that the voluntary or social sector plays a pivotal role in generating and disseminating social innovations through collaboration with diverse partners. The authors explore the potential to engender a quantum shift in the sector's efficiency, reach, and impact through the combined use of open source technologies, social process tools and collaboration platforms. The objective is to contribute to a new generation of intelligent social systems, enabling an evolutionary recalibration of relationships among ourselves, our social and economic institutions, and the planet. As a means of integrating and disseminating the most promising approaches, the concept of Applied Collaboration Studios is proposed. Its primary activities would be: i) dissemination of open source technologies; ii) ongoing instruction and coaching in the use of social process tools; iii) the assembly and launch of multiple collaboration platforms; and iv) collaboration with other like initiatives to create ecologies of scale that inform and precipitate systems change toward greater resilience. The paper concludes with a reflection on the conditions necessary for such a project to come into being as an open source initiative, and an invitation to contribute to an ongoing discussion. PB - Talent First Network CY - Ottawa UR - http://timreview.ca/article/268 IS - July 2009 U1 - J. W. McConnell Family Foundation Stephen Huddart is the Vice President of The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation in Montreal, and the Director of Social Innovation Generation (SiG) @ McConnell. U2 - Framework Foundation Anil Patel is the founder and Executive Director of the Framework Foundation in Toronto, originator of Timeraisers and the Civic Footprint. ER -