Over the recent months, we have been encouraged to meet with people from over 50 different countries – introducing the vision for relaunching IDRN this coming year as a registry focused on improving awareness. That awareness will be multifaceted including:  

• awareness of those responding to a specific crisis event,  
• awareness of various groups’ focuses and personalities as we help those groups find new supporters and volunteers,  
• awareness of the many amazing resources that already exist specifically to help people prepare and respond better, and  
• awareness of best practices that we can celebrate with the hope that others will improve their own efforts after seeing excellent examples. 

An important part of our intentional process is working through personal introductions facilitated by trusted individuals and groups. In other words, IDRN is not “cold calling” anyone as a rule. Of course, there are entire industries built around the “cold call.” But it is our belief that if we take our time and engage those people we know and share our vision, people will subsequently introduce us to others they know will be interested in IDRN. That will enable our quest to improve everyone’s effectiveness by improving everyone’s general awareness across the entire disaster response world. 

Those who study and know what are known as “network effects” and multiplicative “viral” growth also understand that slow growth built on actual relational foundations will eventually capture the heart of the larger relevant network. Slower legitimate relational viral growth may take longer, but this is what makes an actual healthy network. Time will tell. And as the network grows, the value of the network grows exponentially. This value is a function of the network effects phenomenon. 

VIRAL GROWTH INTO AN EVER-INCREASINGLY VALUABLE NETWORK 

Bottom line, we want everyone interested in and supportive of the International Disaster Response Network’s attempt to enhance and magnify the work already being done by others while facilitating new and better collaboration to know we are counting on their help. Each person in IDRN is expected to periodically think about who in their personal network would likely appreciate knowing about IDRN, and then take the time to make that introduction.  

We are not “selling” stuff. This is not a pyramid scheme. You do not have a quota. Even so, the network gets exponentially stronger as we intentionally add those who share our desire to make a positive difference – especially during some of life’s most difficult situations.  

If you are not familiar with “network effects” and “viral growth” dynamics, please check out the video embedded below. Please note that the resources we are referencing are from nfx.com which has no affiliation with IDRN, yet. Maybe… someone in our growing network will introduce us to them at some point. 

 

Click here to check out an earlier posting “BRAVO!” as part of the Executive Director Journal that is related to this topic.