The Commons

#Paidleave programs are sprouting up around the country. But without targeted outreach and user-friendly apps, people most in need of benefits may never get them. wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18-2

End users first: @MichiganHHS is talking with foster families, frontline staff and others as it begins redesigning an old compliance-focused IT system that no one loves. wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18-…

“It doesn’t matter how angelic your intentions are or how thoughtfully you craft a policy if one thing is neglected: delivery.” wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18/

The #EITC is one of the most effective anti-poverty initiatives in U.S. history. So why are $10.5 billion in funds left unclaimed by working people every year? wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18/

“Without explicit, targeted outreach, the people most in need of paid leave benefits may never learn about the program.” —@VShabo wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18-…

“There’s been a fortuitous convergence of technology that is by design more efficient and accessible, and a vision to update policy...to do a better job keeping children safe.” wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18-…

“We must erase any divide between policymaking and delivery,” from @mmdbassett. wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18/

Creating #paidleave programs and getting people to use them are not the same thing, says @VShabo of @NewAmerica. Here are her five lessons learned from years in the state policy trenches. wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18-…

At @MichiganHHS, Children's Services Agency staff spend 70%+ of their time at a computer wrestling with an outdated IT system. A new #agile project to overhaul software will help them get outside to help more kids and families. wearecommons.us/2020/03/11/18-…

@EmmaJaeBlue Hi Emma. Did you try using the subscribe page? wearecommons.us/newsletter/

Tulsa mayor @gtbynum comes from a long line of mayors. The powerful lessons he learned as a kid are still relevant today—and can teach us all a thing or two about leadership in a divided age. wearecommons.us/2020/02/19/exp…

“The real beauty and the real potential was having simple parameters and then letting people tap into their own creativity, leadership, and determination.” wearecommons.us/2020/02/19/sta…

“I treat [my job] like you would expect the CEO of a large non-profit to treat their job: it is about service, not about politics.” Tulsa, Oklahoma’s mayor, @gtbynum wearecommons.us/2020/02/19/exp…

Mayors occupy a uniquely public-facing role on government’s front lines. We spoke with Tulsa mayor @gtbynum about how he brings people together even while changing the status quo. wearecommons.us/2020/02/19/exp…

In our Q&A with @ianbassin, we learned so many practical ideas for shaping a work culture that’s forged in an anxiety-ridden era. wearecommons.us/2020/02/19/ste…

The roots of @IndivisibleTeam are its viral playbook, distributed after the 2016 election. How does that shape what leadership looks like for the organization, as it grows up? What can their model teach all of us? wearecommons.us/2020/02/19/sta…

We learned so much about the power of distributed leadership from @Leahgreenb of @IndivisibleTeam, who started a playbook that became a movement. wearecommons.us/2020/02/19/sta…

Weave your principles into every facet of the organization, and hire people who embrace them, says @ianbassin of @protctdemocracy. wearecommons.us/2020/02/19/sta…

“You know what people inside the federal government love? A good process.”— Lane Becker explains why process is an essential part of a changemaker’s toolkit, when bureaucracy can’t get out of its own way. wearecommons.us/2019/12/05/sha…

Today @monstro gives us a roadmap for the twists and turns of federal bureaucracy, with lessons from a successful change-making effort at the GSA. wearecommons.us/2019/12/05/sha…