Network Navigator: Finding Focus in a Fractured Nation
Mar 2025
Network Navigator: Finding Focus in a Fractured Nation
Deep Dive Insight
How Storytelling Transforms Advocacy
Narratives help build bridges across seemingly impossible divides. This month, we’re spotlighting board member Phoebe Sweet, who shares how Advocacy Storytelling—and the use of strong, clear, authentic narratives—can bring communities together and drive real change.
This article is part of a series highlighting the perspectives of Netcentric Campaigns board members—leaders who help shape our strategy and offer practical lessons from the field.
See how storytelling builds trust, cuts through noise, and becomes a strategic lever for impact.
What makes an advocacy network truly effective—and able to grow over time?
This month’s featured resource breaks down the essential elements—from strategic planning to building genuine relationships—that help you build and sustain a vibrant, high-impact network.
Rooted in years of experience tackling wicked problems, this practical framework is designed to sharpen your skills and guide your next step in advocacy.
Build with clarity. Connect with purpose. Lead with resilience.
Navigating Through Chaos: Leadership in Fractured Times
Dear Friends and Partners,
The chaos, noise and disruption in our daily feeds continues to intensify. From the ever-shifting political drama to the daily barrage of crises coming screaming for our attention, advocacy networks face unprecedented challenges in maintaining focus and effectiveness. This fragmentation isn't accidental – it's often a deliberate strategy meant to leave us feeling powerless to effect meaningful change.
In this environment, network leadership becomes all the more crucial. The most effective advocacy leaders are those who help their networks triage information, prioritize high-impact initiatives, and maintain focus amid the noise. This means creating dedicated space for strategy discussions, establishing clear communication channels, and consistently reinforcing the connection between immediate issues and long-term goals.
These are the very approaches Netcentric Campaigns has refined over two decades of building resilient networks that can withstand turbulence and drive meaningful change. We're now exploring ways to apply these tested methodologies to the broader challenges of social disconnection that we're witnessing.
Stay tuned for more on this front soon, and if you’re looking for ways to strengthen your network, align your strategy, or explore new collaborations, let’s connect.
Warmly, Marty Kearns
Answers from the Field Addressing pressing questions from our networks
Q: “In an environment where there's a new crisis every day, how can advocacy networks maintain focus on their highest-priority initiatives?”
A: The world doesn't slow down for planning, but strong networks can still move with intention through chaos. This means anchoring to your core purpose, actively listening across the network, and decisively acting on what matters most.
Creating structured information triage is essential - including dedicated strategy sessions where leaders evaluate which issues warrant attention.
At Netcentric Campaigns, through our partnership with the Halt the Harm Network, we're applying this approach by piloting a program with environmental and political journalists who will share how they prioritize which stories to cover amid overwhelming information flow. This builds on similar work we've done using social media sentiment analysis to analyze which advocacy messages gain meaningful traction.
Our best advice? Zoom out regularly to reaffirm your shared vision, then zoom back in on next steps. Strategic calm is contagious – and an essential leadership quality during tumultuous times. Stay tuned for more insights from our journalist pilot in the coming months.
Emerging Trends and Critical Insights
Tackling Partisan Division Through Interventions
A recent Stanford-led megastudy tested 25 different approaches to reduce partisan animosity and anti-democratic attitudes across a sample of more than 32,000 Americans. The findings are a useful reminder: division isn’t inevitable—and there are practical strategies that can shift perspectives.
The most effective interventions focused on humanizing the “other side” through relatable stories and shared identities, or correcting exaggerated misperceptions about opposing partisans. Importantly, while some approaches lowered partisan hostility, they didn’t always reduce support for undemocratic actions or political violence—pointing to the need for targeted, multi-layered strategies.
For those building advocacy networks, this research offers both caution and clarity. Bridging divides is complex work, and different facets of democratic backsliding require distinct interventions. But with the right tools, shared language, and intentional design, network leaders can help shape conditions where democratic values are not just defended—but strengthened.
Updates from Our Partner Networks Driving Change in Communities Around the World
Halt the Harm Network Update: Reinforcing Network Fundamentals
The Halt the Harm Network is launching "Strategy Sundays," a new initiative designed to highlight and reinforce the core network-building tools and principles that have always been at the heart of our work. This responds to feedback from our recent network-wide survey where members expressed interest in revisiting the foundational strategies that make our advocacy networks effective.
This initiative comes at the perfect time given the network's recent growth. As we continue to expand, both new and existing members benefit from dedicated sessions exploring our overall network strategy. Strategy Sundays creates this opportunity without competing with the work-week campaigns and activities of network groups.
The more our members feel like a powerful team with the support they need, the more accountable they become to each other, ultimately strengthening the entire campaign. By revisiting these fundamentals together, we reinforce the bonds that make coordinated, high-impact advocacy possible. Join us for upcoming Strategy Sunday sessions to reconnect with these powerful principles!
WashDesk Network Update: International Women's Day Showcases Network Strength
The WashDesk network demonstrated its growing capacity during this year's International Women's Day celebrations, with coordinated activities across all six districts in the Ahafo region. Network members collaboratively planned and executed synchronized water, sanitation, and hygiene messaging tied to the importance of women in improving WASH throughout the communities.
Activities included radio broadcasts in every district, community parades, educational events, and public gatherings that elevated women's voices and celebrated their role in advancing WASH practices. This coordinated effort produced impressive results: thousands of people signed up for ongoing WASH communications, new volunteers stepped forward, and hundreds of community members shared concerns about local WASH issues that will now be processed by district advisory groups.
These successful activities highlight a crucial reality: literacy and behavior change around water and sanitation require consistent, coordinated campaigns that inform, educate, and excite communities. As the network continues to strengthen connections, the collective impact grows exponentially. The International Women's Day activities serve as an important milestone in building network cohesion and demonstrating what's possible when local stakeholders unite around shared goals.