In class this week, we worked on creating a definition for social change.  In creating a definition, it reminded me of terms like globalization or sustainability that are ambiguous and mean so many different things depending on who is using the term.  We eventually decided Social Change is:

·         Meaningful differences in the life of people

·         Has to be replicated

·         Participants have to have an investment in it

·         Sustainable: can eventually sustain itself

·         Achieves a critical mass

·         Addresses the root problem or cause and not just the symptoms.

As I was thinking about the reading and class discussion, the show Secret Millionaire popped into my mind.  You remember that show, where self-made millionaires were challenged to live undercover for a week in some of the poorest cities and then made decisions to financially reward “unsung community heroes”.  The millionaires, in some way, act as civic entrepreneurs - walking the streets, living the life and truly getting to know community members without the added label of being potential donors.   The millionaires spend time discovering what Stephen Goldsmith calls discovering the missing ingredient using civic discovery, system discovery, personal discovery and predictive discovery*.  Civic Discovery seeks to understand the assets the community can bring to addressing their own issues.  System Discovery investigates actually relationships of those within the community and potential “barriers of entry”.  Personal Discovery focuses on the people, the individuals in order to hear and see their personal stories and observations in order to better understand them and not just the problem.  Predictive Discovery is the data driven side that connects what has been visually seen to quantitative data in order to have a holistic view.*

In my opinion, each of these was present in the millionaire’s attempt to understand how to best donate their funds.  In particularly, millionaire Dani Johnson stood out to me.  She spent time with Love Kitchen, Joy of Music, and Special Spaces and helped bring awareness to the solutions each of the organizations was attempting to bring to their hometown.  While on The View talking about her experiences, Whoopi Goldberg commented Secret Millionaire provided people with money an opportunity to meet with organizations and hear their true needs without them adjusting to the donor’s desires.

 Does Secret Millionaire meet our definition of a social change agency?  The show in and of itself is media outlet to highlight what others are doing to make a transformative difference in their own communities.  In reality, it is also not so much about the donor, but the people, the organizations that are agents of social change.  They are making meaningful differences in the life of people and addressing root problems. The participants are actively participating. 

Secret Millionaire and Goldsmith’s Innovation as Catalytic Ingredient challenges us to think about the “missing ingredients” in understanding address the real issues.  Civic discovery, system discovery, personal discovery and predictive discovery* each help connect the dots in order to insure you are addressing not just symptoms.

*Goldsmith, S. (2010). The power of social innovation: How civic entrepreneurs ignite community networks for good. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.