We usually think of scale as an escalator that moves in only one direction: up. Things start small and local and, if they succeed, they grow to be large and global.
Often, this model is correct. But focusing too narrowly on it might make us miss opportunities to scale in other ways. Sometimes, in fact, scale can work in reverse — by taking a global idea or model and giving it a new application on the local level.
In Detroit, I’m working with a small but growing group of philanthropists and professionals affiliated with the Jewish community who are demonstrating this principle by adapting a global model developed by the Jewish Funders Network for Jewish networked philanthropy. In the process, we’re discovering new ways to better understand and serve our local community and to share ideas.
Read the full story here.
