Building a Shared Understanding of Innovations That Make Our Democracy Work Better
The newest among FCCP’s four working groups, Research + Experimentation wasted no time in 2016 building out a leadership team and delivering valuable funder-driven programming. Through the FCCP 2016 Convening, a first-of-its-kind survey, and a suite of virtual discussions, this group helped our grantmaking network utilize quality research to strengthen the effectiveness of civic participation activities and understand work that is already happening so that costly duplications can be avoided. This impactful group is off to an excellent start!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2016
Discovering New Ground Through Research + Experiments at the FCCP 2016 Convening
Leveraging a report drawn from a survey of civic engagement research and experimentation projects conducted by the R+ E Working Group, this FCCP 2016 Convening session focused on the results of this first-of-its-kind survey to inform a discussion among funders around key trends, gaps, and needs. Through the discussion, participants identified new topics for further exploration and research as well as opportunities for potential collaboration through the Working Group.
Four Virtual Discussions in 2016 to Keep Funders Informed
- Two-part Voter Registration Series: In February, the Working Group organized a series on voter registration which debuted new data from the Independent Voter Registration report as well as a broader discussion of shifts in thinking and best practices for voter registration work.
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- Ballot Initiatives: In August with the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, R+E hosted a discussion on current research and experiments looking at the connections between ballot initiative campaigns and voter turnout. In addition, funders discussed what realistic outcomes from these types of campaigns look like and future research projects which would continue to improve our understanding of the importance of ballot initiative campaigns.
- Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE): In September, R+E held its first virtual meeting with its members to build off discussions held in 2015 with the network and do a deep dive into Integrated Voter Engagement. This working group meeting helped take the conversation past the “101” stage and to dug into some of key areas of tension and debate around IVE and what effective funding for it looks like.