社會創新被視為是解決社會問題的一種想法、產品或過程，然而創新如何擴散與被接受是有別於創新的產生。本研究以「孩子的第一哩路－319 鄉兒童藝術工程」為案例，試圖界定出以一種創新的方式：群眾募資，邀請社會參與資源募集的過程，從而勾勒出社會倡議發展的路徑與模式。台灣319鄉兒童藝術工程活動是一場很有特色的社會創新，公民參與活動。此活動案例獨特之處在於首創結集眾人之力而成，以及特有的組織、設計與治理方式，組合一個兼具著集中與分散結構元素的開放系統。本研究透過既有群眾募資的文獻回顧，以及系統性的分析架構，理解資源提供者的參與動機，並深入解析這個活動五年多來的演變，探討其策略定位以及關鍵影響因子，以期針對如何積極的參與社會體系提供借鏡。研究設計主要採量化資料收集，研究者將以各鄉鎮的人口資料、官網活動紀錄及捐款明細等數據建立資料庫，並從時間以及空間的兩個層面探討速度，持續性，等特質。本計畫除了整理歷時五年已完成的319 活動，同時部份研究成果比較分析後續衍生的368 活動（還在進行中）。提供未來有興趣研究的同儕有一個完整的總觀角度。
This study examines a 5-year movement to explore how the concept of crowd-funding is being applied in making impactful social changes. The empirical context is a grass-root social event called First Mile Kid＇s Smile initiated by a small Taiwanese NPO, the Paper Mill Foundation, from year 2006 to 2011. Not only is this the first collective effort of its kind marked by powerful collaborative dynamics, but also the Kid＇s Smile Initiative is unique in its design of organizing and governance, that could be characterized as an open system combining both elements of a centralized and decentralized structure. To explore what drives and how an innovation in a social sector gets adopted, the researcher looked at the temporal dimension of speed and persistence as well the spatial dimension of concentration. Secondary data such as census data related to the township demographics and also archival records for each township performance will be collected and analyzed.
With a systematic approach, this study portrays how a social innovation has rolled out. The potential contribution of the study is to provide a lesson for organizations in seeking resources from the public and in engaging a social system more creatively.
