Next Edge Support Systems for Early Stage Funders

Link	SUBGROUP CONSENSUS	Resource Pledges	Time Pledges	Innocentive-Style Competitions	Games for Sustainability	Future Onramps
Proposed name of initiative		NextEdge Resource Pool	NextEdge Volunteer Pool	Attention Wagers
Subtitle		Seeding Next Edge innovation	Pool "gift certificates" of personal research time for funded projects	Solve the big challenges
Summary Description		A system for members of Next Edge – and later, other tribes? – to bootstrap gamechanging initiatives through pledged gifts of resources	Pledge __ hours of research help to others in the community (on topics of their choosing), if three others pledge to do the same. Build visibility and relationships with other NextEdgers	Receive curated NextEdge insights useful to your projects. Give NextEdge Breakthrough currency to the degree the insights are helpful. If you want, wager your own reputation points when you see a way to help others.
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Quote				Kevin Jones: "there is too much to catch on the next edge..."
Related Examples		"Tribefunding" smartermoney.nl/...	beex.org is.gd/...	innocentive.com
When to use		Useful when members of online groups want to help launch breakthrough ventures	When we have time and are feeling generous	When we feel Overwhelmed
When not to use		Not useful when individual tribe members have enough resources	When our time's too short	When we just want the raw feed
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1. ATTRACTOR - what makes this interesting		Next Edgers can pledge resources – such as funds, volunteer help, and Frequent Flyer miles gifts – to seed gamechanging ventures	Give a boost to NextEdgers or aligned projects you most admire (with a prospect of reputation-building feedback)	Get a "Catch of the Day" (curated NextEdge inbox) to solve the biggest challenges you're facing
2. CHALLENGE(S) - tensions addressed		Old policies and institutions are failing, yet innovators are struggling	1) Many nascent NextEdge initiatives need volunteer help 2) NextEdgers now lack a system to offer help – and to receive ratings/references that lift value of their personal currencies	1) We're all drowning in the exaflood 2) New talent coming into NextEdge has no clear way to earn reputation by adding value to breakthrough initiatives
3. OPPORTUNITY - vision of achievable change		Next Edge innovators overcome startup resource bottlenecks (Some) innovations ease or resolve local and global crises Next Edge "Gift Pool" system gains attention and is adopted by aligned tribes	(as a giver) - Good feelings from helping out - Relationship/visibility with other NextEdgers - Reputation boost for personal currency (as a receiver) - Free help for projects you value	See & rate items sent by other NextEdgers (in your "Attention Wager" inbox) for solutions to your greatest project challenges Award NextEdge Breakthrough Wager currency to the degree that items help solve your posted Innocentive-style prize challenge
4. STRATEGY - proposed steps to make the change		Preferred strategy Tribe members who opt into the Pool pledge monthly funds or inkind resources. Once each quarter, members vote and choose an admired, well-known figure to disburse the Pool's resources. The assembled resources go to recipients identified by the trusted figure as having breakthrough potential. Recipients deliver monthly progress reports to the tribe in a format designed by the trusted figure. Other promising paths: Each Next Edge subgroup votes every month to choose 2-3 people and/or projects showing promise to advance its "track" aims. These are posted on Beex, Kickstarter (or similar inhouse pledge site developed by Next Edge). Each innovator outlines specific reporting/tracking commitments for his or her project in advance. The full Next Edge community reviews and discusses on a Gift Pool wiki. Individuals who have committed to Gift Pool support donate funds or inkind support to specific initiatives of their choosing. Givers then leave feedback ratings based on quality of their recipient's verifiable (by third parties) progress reports and impact measures. Tribe members who commit to a Gift Pool support go to an external or internal pledge site each month and review (unfiltered) profiles by Next Edge innovators. They donate funds or inkind support to specific initiatives of their choosing. Givers then leave feedback ratings based on quality of their recipient's verifiable (by third parties) progress reports and impact measures.	1) Evaluate fit of pledge sites (beex.org, pledgebank.org, etc) for NextEdge love bombs 2) Create simple web site for Next Edgers to create, issue, track redemption of personal "gift certificates of time", and a rating system for recipients to leave feedback on completion of each project 3) Approach Tribesourcing/Crowd Fund subgroup on Next Edge about a joint pilot project 4) Do beta test with one or more admired NextEdgers as initial Love Bomb recipients 5) Improve the system based on the beta test 6) Conduct a full-fledged Next Edge pilot 7) "Productize" the system as an open source app that can be shared with other Next Edge-aligned tribes	1) Participants post summaries of their active projects and related Innocentive-style prize challenges in a NextEdge Breakthrough Wager page, and agree to update their profiles at least once each week during a two-month trial period 2) Each participant recieves 1000 NextEdge Breakthrough currency points upon completing the profile, with another 50 added per week. 3) Participants go about their respective activities. When a person comes across something of apparent value to a posted Innocentive-style prize, he or she forwards the link to the prize offerer. The subject line contains something like "Mark Frazier wagers 200 points that is.gd/... will be useful to Devin Balkind in getting land for his intentional community." 4) The originator of the prize challenge wins all of the wagered currency in the event that he or she deems the resource link to be of no value. (A notice of this, plus a brief note on the reason it lacked value, would be sent to the person who made the bet to help tune any future wagers) But if the message had some value, the prize giver might send back (for example) 100 Breakthrough Currency credits - a signal that the bettor was somewhat close, but not quite understanding what the prizegiver was seeking. And the "jackpot" prize would be given in the (rare) cases when a person deemed their Breakthrough Challenge to be completely solved. Such flows could help individuals build substantial holdings of NextEdge Breakthrough Currency by consistently delivering items of value. This would provide a way for other Next Edgers to more quickly recognize highly successful curators.
5. TEST - what stakeholders think of steps		Acceptance issues (via Facebook poll?): Does our subgroup agree on a draft strategy? Do we want to build an inhouse solution, or try with outside platforms? Do we invite other subgroups to offer candidate projects, people? Are Next Edge founders & widely-admired folks on board with idea? (once introduced tribe-wide) Are tribe members willing to pledge?	- Do New Currency subgroup members think a pilot is worth doing? - Are creators of pledge apps (eg Beex) willing to customize their solutions for a subgroup pilot? - Will participants in the pilot find it useful? - If they do, will a Kickstarter or similar pledge drive get enough backing to prepare a NextEdge-wide community solution?	- Do New Currency subgroup members think a pilot is worth doing? - Are creators of alt-currency apps willing to customize their solutions for a subgroup pilot? - Will participants in the pilot find it useful? - If they do, will a Kickstarter or similar pledge drive get enough backing to prepare a NextEdge-wide community solution?
6. DECISION – next action		Next steps: Compare tribesourcing/Crowd Fund ideas Next weekly conversation explores open issues, moves toward consensus	Shall we explore NextEdge Love Bombs in the upcoming conference call?	Shall we explore Attention Wagers in the New Currency conference call?
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Gaps to be filled for this pattern		more research on "Related Examples" of tribesourcing
Related uplift patterns		none yet
Potential allies & opponents		everyone
Past use		not many past examples of tribesourcing yet found
Current use		not many current examples of tribesourcing yet found
Future use (links to prediction wagers)		I
Pattern initiator (contact)		Mark Frazier (Skype Openworld) or mfrazier at openworld dot com	Mark Frazier (Skype: openworld)	Mark Frazier (Skype: openworld)
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