An interesting book I've just read is The Big Sort by Bill Bishop. The theme of the book is that our increased mobility in the United States has allowed us to live in communities that share our values. As a result, rather than increasing the diversity of neighborhoods, this mobility allows us to settle into communties where people share our world view. 

An example Bishop cites is how in 1970 the percentage of people with college degrees was rather stable, community by community, across the country (8.9% of the population over age 14 had completed 4 or more years of college). By 2000 that had changed dramatically, to the economic advantage of some areas and the disadvantage of others.

An example from our own state are the figures from the 2000 census for Seattle and Aberdeen. In Seattle approximately 47% of the population had achieved a bachelor’s degree or higher while in Aberdeen the figure was just under 12%.

This sorting, as Bishop calls it, leads to very different communities. And those differences are not limited to comparing Seattle and Aberdeen. It also affects the neighborhoods that make up cities such as Seattle or Tacoma.

I recommend the book to nonprofit leaders to stimulate thinking about how their organizations fit into their communities, or in some cases, perhaps fail to fit in their communities.

The Big Sort implies that we need bridges of civic engagement to connect our diverse communities. Are nonprofits one of those bridges? And if so, what does that say about how we see our roles in the sector and the sector as a whole?

If you want to learn more about The Big Sort check the Big Sort web site at www.thebigsort.com.