Resource Center

As I step down as Executive Director of the Leading Change Network to support the building of democracy in Serbia, I wanted to share with you how we approached the building of our community.
This summer marks two years since we started to lay the foundations for the relaunch of the Leading Change Network.
As we were doing it, we were spending time reflecting on what we do, how we do it, and understanding what has worked and what didn’t
Let’s go back to 2017: Donald Trump was the newly elected US President. Democracy was under threat everywhere, and authoritarianism was on the rise.
All over the world, people from our global community were standing up and taking leadership.
Many were reaching out to each other asking for tools, support, coaching and training to make their work more impactful. But as the challenges before us intensified, organisers everywhere were seeking more support, learning and community.
Some of our most active community leaders, including Marshall Ganz, came together and concluded that with greater leadership, structure and resources LCN could play a role.
The stage was set for the relaunch of the Leading Change Network.

Like any good organiser, we began by identifying the leadership to do this work.
Our Board identified a leadership team of Nisreen Haj Ahmad and myself to develop a strategy and identify the resources from across our community to relaunch.
We did a listening drive with our community, created a vision and strategy for relaunch and went on to build an Advisory Committee of organizers who became our listening board and source of support in the difficult work of practicing leadership. We also got Kanoko Kamata to step up and do amazing work in creating a library of LCN resources.

It took some time, challenge and effort to bring together the minimum resources we needed for relaunch. In the process, Nisreen decided to focus on her work in the Middle East, and I continued to work with our community on the relaunch. By August 2018, we had successfully gathered the minimum resources we needed, allowing us to recruit two new members of the team.

From our listening campaign, organisers told us they were looking for a space to come together, learn together and work together. With limited resources we decided to focus on building LCN’s Community of Practice first.
In December 2018 we relaunched with an inspiring global gathering with 350 people from 24 countries registered, including 12 people involved in the leadership, with one plenary, four breakout sessions, and 1:1 meetings across the event. This showed us there was an appetite for community.

This was just the beginning.

In the first few months of our relaunch we focused on three things:

1. Building our membership base. For the first time ever membership in LCN was defined. We wanted to bound it, and ensure that there is a strong core of practitioners of our pedagogy before we expand further. In the beginning, we needed to make sure people knew we relaunched after all. We recruited the majority of our members (both individual and organizational) through personal relationships. Two years on, we see new members join each day;
2. Identifying & recruiting leadership. We did this through relational work with our community, where we invited them to join us in this mission. Over several months our leadership team held over 80 1:1 meetings;
3. Creating learning spaces for our community. Our capacity for learning and solidarity was enhanced by our diversity: from the Stand up for Teachers campaign coached by Nisreen and her team in Jordan, to the Nicaragua campaign for democratic human rights coached by Jake and Daiana, to We the People-MI building multi-racial, working-class community organizing infrastructure in Michigan led by Art and many others.

It is the creative organizing of the people on the ground that brings life to LCN. It was critical for us that we built a community led by these leaders on the ground. Through our 1:1s we were identifying leaders, needs and resources.
We supported those who had made the commitment to join us in this mission from our 1:1s, to start contributing by:

• Providing written contributions about their work to share with the wider community;
• Supporting them to share their knowledge and skills in learning events;
• Organizing Meetups locally, including in Boston and Europe;
• Supporting leaders to launch interest based groups, like our Workers Movement or geographic based groups like the Latin America Group.

Like any campaign, we were constantly listening to our people to figure out how we could shape LCN, taking an approach of always identifying opportunities to enable new leaders, getting feedback from the community and trying new things.
Six months in, we designed a new Community of Practice program, that included our new How To series and Innovation Hub, as well as a new podcast Faces of Change, to tell the stories of leaders on the ground.
We launched a zero budget coaching and support program, and are working on a new curriculum to teach online organizing and train the trainer courses that are widely accessible to everyone.

In two years, with only three part time staff members (1.25 full time equivalent) and less than $400k, the following was achieved (see below for visual infographic!):

• 350 members in 45 countries
• 23 member organizations (including Color of Change USA, Move On, Friends of the Earth Netherlands and many others.);
• 6,000 subscribers;
• Seven permanent member groups (including Data Learning, Europe, Latin America, Australia, Strategy, Africa and Workers Movement groups;
• A coaching team of 6, with 50 coaching session held;
• 50 learning events, with over 2,900 people attending! Including our recent COVID series that engaged 600 people in 69 countries;
• 6 on the ground trainings implemented directly by LCN team in Lithuania, Armenia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong and USA with over 400 new people being introduced to organizing, and 5 new coaches in Russian language developed;
• Curriculum for 6 weeks online training in organizing developed;
• Curriculum for 6 weeks online training for trainers developed;

And that is only what is visible — of course building an organization isn’t possible without working on governance, strong legal and compliance support, and impactful fundraising.
In the last month we have been expanding the leadership snowflake with the launch of three volunteer teams that will support learning development, communications and data management.
As leadership development is at the center of our work, we’ve also spent time identifying new ways to move our people up the leadership ladder, and support their further growth.
Together, as a community we have built a beautiful leadership snowflake
We have come so far, and learned so much. Some of our key learnings from this time include:

1. Start with “who are your people?”: this might have been the most difficult question we needed to answer, and the decision we needed to make early on. We needed to decide where do we start, who is our constituency, and how do we bound it in a way that we can create a strong foundation, without being exclusive. We decided to focus on the people who have already been familiar with LCN pedagogy, and have been practicing and/or teaching it;
2. Stay focused and keep the work in the center: after defining who our people are, we looked into what their problems were, and we shaped our programs and activities to engage our people in addressing those needs. This has also been challenging. So many times we were challenged to move our focus to work that was very important too, but that would derail us from focusing on our people. We managed to resist this tension believing that staying focused on a defined scope of work will build a strong foundation that will allow further scaling up and engaging in different projects at a later point;
3. Experiment, learn and adapt: building an organization from scratch requires vision, creativity, courage, and readiness to fail. We approached it as a playground, we wanted to create an organization that we would like to be part of, events that we would like to attend, and a community that we would care about. We adopted an approach that allowed us to imagine, test, evaluate, and learn from. What I honestly believe was critical is that we were able to “kill our darlings” and eliminate what didn’t work well, after which we would experiment with new ideas again, and again.

Now, this has been a team effort. I want to particularly acknowledge James Sleep, Rawan Zeine, Sachiko Osawa and Kai Mateo who were pulling this work together, and helped create space for engagement of leaders in our network, without whom this work would not be possible.
I also want to acknowledge the many leaders across our community who helped make this possible, including Art Reyes III, Jake Waxman, Predrag Stojicic, Lara Ayoub, Kathryn Perera, Elizabeth McKenna, Benjamin Naimark Rowse, Joy Cushman, Nisreen Haj Ahmad, Kanoko Kamata, Abel Cano, Benedict Huggoson, Sarah El Raheb, Jeff Rouset, Mais Irqsusi, Roohi Rustum, Kate O’Gorman, Dan Grandone, Anita Krishnan, Dusan Stojicic, Vanessa Rule, Cindy Hall Koure, Sue Zackman, Alyssa Constant, Julia Johansen, Rebecca Henderson, Ian Simmons, Jennifer McCrea, Marshall Ganz, and many, many others.

Now in 2020 we find our world facing more critical challenges than 2017, like a global pandemic and communities rising up to demand racial justice everywhere.
Our mission and work has never been so important, but our work in the last two years has built a foundation that should support our global community as it fights for a better and fairer world.
I encourage you to join the Leading Change Network as our community embarks on this journey together.
Now I feel that LCN has a solid foundation, and with new leadership it will achieve the impact and scale it is set for.
I am excited to be taking my work back to Serbia, where I’ll be working with 100 grassroots organizations to develop their capacity to organize for change. I’ll also continue to support activists and movements around the world, including as a Freedom Fellows mentor.
It has been an honour and privilege to work with you to relaunch and build this community to where it is today.

Ana Babovic, June 2020

Brief about Ana Babović

Ana Babović is a Serbian civic leader and organizational development expert known for her pioneering work in community organizing, women’s empowerment, and democratic leadership in Southeast Europe. As the founder and executive director of Rezon, she has trained and mentored hundreds of civic actors and grassroots leaders, helping shape the future of civic engagement in the Balkans.

Background and Journey

Ana’s involvement in activism began during the early 2000s, in the aftermath of political upheaval and conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Growing up in Serbia during a time of major transition, she became actively involved in youth-led civic initiatives focused on democracy, human rights, and community rebuilding. This early exposure laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to social change.

Her professional trajectory evolved rapidly as she assumed leadership roles in both local and regional organizations. Ana recognized early on that political and social transformation required not only mobilization but also deep investment in leadership training and institutional development. That realization inspired her to found Rezon, a civic organization that focuses on training, mentoring, and supporting emerging leaders in civil society.

Over the years, Ana has worked in partnership with organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), USAID, the European Union, and numerous local NGOs. Her work has focused on democratic participation, community-led campaigns, civic education, and building resilient organizations that can adapt and grow under pressure.

Academically, Ana holds degrees in political science and public administration. She has also completed intensive training in community organizing, public narrative, and leadership development through international institutions, most notably the Harvard Kennedy School. Her academic foundation has supported her in combining theoretical knowledge with practical, on-the-ground organizing methods.

Core Skills and Expertise

Ana’s expertise lies in three interrelated areas: leadership development, civic engagement, and strategic organizational growth.

She is especially skilled in designing leadership pipelines for emerging civic actors and mentoring young professionals who aspire to create social impact. Through Rezon, she has developed modular training programs that equip individuals and organizations with strategic thinking tools, leadership frameworks, and organizing methodologies.

In the field of civic engagement, Ana has contributed to campaigns that promote gender equity, youth political participation, and inclusive policy-making. Her advocacy approach combines data-driven strategies with emotional storytelling and deep community connection—an approach that makes her organizing work both impactful and sustainable.

Ana is also highly regarded for her ability to guide civil society organizations through internal development processes. She advises on leadership structures, decision-making frameworks, and systems that enhance the long-term sustainability of grassroots movements.

Key Achievements

One of Ana’s most significant achievements is the development and institutionalization of Rezon as a training and leadership hub in Serbia. What began as a grassroots initiative has grown into a widely respected civic center that partners with regional and international stakeholders to provide training, mentorship, and strategic support.

Her educational contributions are equally notable. Ana has personally facilitated leadership development programs for over 300 participants from diverse backgrounds—including young political candidates, community activists, NGO leaders, and social entrepreneurs. Her workshops emphasize democratic values, narrative-based organizing, and power-building through relationships.

In terms of advocacy campaigns, Ana has played leadership roles in several successful regional efforts. These include campaigns for increasing women’s political representation, defending civil society space, and promoting participatory urban development. Many of these campaigns have led to measurable changes, such as local policy reforms or increased youth turnout in municipal elections.

Ana is also a sought-after speaker and trainer at international conferences and civic forums. She is regularly invited to share insights on community organizing, civic education, and women’s leadership in post-conflict societies.

Who She Works With

Ana’s work spans a wide spectrum of partners and collaborators. She works closely with youth-led organizations, feminist groups, educational institutions, and local government bodies. Her focus is often on those who are most underrepresented in decision-making—especially young people, women, and rural communities.

Though based in Serbia, Ana’s impact is regional. She has facilitated programs across the Balkans, including in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania. She also works with members of the diaspora and transnational civic groups who engage in activism from abroad.

Vision and Values

At the core of Ana’s work is a belief in inclusive, participatory democracy. She views civic leadership not as a privilege for a few, but as a responsibility and possibility for all. This belief drives her work in ensuring that training, resources, and support are made accessible to individuals from all walks of life—not just traditional power-holders.

She is especially passionate about the power of organized communities to change unjust systems. Whether it’s through storytelling, strategic campaigns, or grassroots governance, Ana sees organizing as a tool to build both individual agency and collective power.

Looking ahead, Ana aims to scale the reach of civic education in Eastern Europe. One of her long-term goals is to see civic leadership and organizing become part of public education systems and public service development. She also hopes to see greater cross-border collaboration among civil society actors in the region.