A hungry wise man once said, “All tasty food should come on a stick.” The food gods have responded to the man’s stick wish and created mini Pop Tarts on...you guessed it...a stick. Quicker alternative: toothpick, full-size Pop Tart, knife. Full recipe and directions at caplan miller. Delicious DIY. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Most Topular Stories
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DIY Pop Tarts on a stick
Holy Kaw!9 Feb 2012 | 8:10 am -
Birth-control fight turns into a campaign and fundraising tool - Los Angeles Times
FUNDRAISING - Google News9 Feb 2012 | 8:24 amLos Angeles TimesBirth-control fight turns into a campaign and fundraising toolLos Angeles Times most health insurance plans provide contraceptive services has exploded into a high-octane political weapon, with combatants on both sides scrambling to score points among the electorate and gin up fundraising from their most ardent supporters.Birth control debate flaresTbo.comall 3,277 news articles » -
Coastal.com Crowdsourced Charity Initiative Kicks Off Customer-Driven Fundraising Efforts
FUNDRAISING - Yahoo! News Search Results9 Feb 2012 | 7:37 amCoastal.com, the planet’s biggest online eyewear company, recently partnered with online fundraising site, Crowdrise.com, to kick off the company’s first crowdsourced charity drive this year—encouraging Coastal.com’s customers to raise money for charities that are near and dear to their hearts. -
How Generosity Day Is Building A Movement
Beth’s Blog9 Feb 2012 | 7:33 amGenerosity Day is an effort to rebrand Valentine’s Day – and make it about love, connection, and well generosity. We’re rebooting Valentine’s Day as Generosity Day: one day of sharing love with everyone, of being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to practice saying “Yes.” Let’s make the day about love, action and human connection – because we can do better than smarmy greeting cards, overpriced roses, and stressed-out couples trying to create romantic meals on the fly. You can join Generosity Day over at their Causes page and invite your friends. -
IMPORTANT: Bing News RSS feed has moved!
FUNDRAISING - Bing News9 Feb 2012 | 12:43 amGo to the new RSS page and renew your subscription.
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Holy Kaw!
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DIY Pop Tarts on a stick
9 Feb 2012 | 8:10 amA hungry wise man once said, “All tasty food should come on a stick.” The food gods have responded to the man’s stick wish and created mini Pop Tarts on...you guessed it...a stick. Quicker alternative: toothpick, full-size Pop Tart, knife. Full recipe and directions at caplan miller. Delicious DIY. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Fast-food diners say "downsize me"
9 Feb 2012 | 8:08 amAsking consumers if they would like a smaller portion may be a better approach to curbing overeating than posting calorie counts. The study from Tulane University found that when servers asked customers whether they’d like to “downsize” starchy side dishes at a Chinese fast-food restaurant as many as a third gladly cut back—saving an average 200 calories each meal. “Our goal was to test whether the invitation to downsize a meal component would be embraced by consumers and, importantly, whether the approach would be more effective than a purely information-based… -
The video game entertainment curve
9 Feb 2012 | 8:05 amVia loldwell. Video gaming. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
A battle of the sexes on cleanliness and hygiene [infographic]
9 Feb 2012 | 7:26 amVia Keeping It Kleen. Clean dating. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Coffee-themed bike racks
9 Feb 2012 | 7:13 amJava junkies that commute via bicycle get their coffee experience started before even walking in the door of Filter Coffeehouse & Espresso Bar in Washington, D.C. The quirky joe shop recently installed bike racks shaped like a giant coffee mug and French press. The Washington Area Bicycle Association teamed up with the BikeBrand Your Biz campaign to set up the bike racks that not only accommodate the shop's many bikers, but also are wonderful branding for anyone strolling by. Via Laughing Squid. Coffee and biking make for a good morning. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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FUNDRAISING - Google News
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Birth-control fight turns into a campaign and fundraising tool - Los Angeles Times
9 Feb 2012 | 8:24 amLos Angeles TimesBirth-control fight turns into a campaign and fundraising toolLos Angeles Times most health insurance plans provide contraceptive services has exploded into a high-octane political weapon, with combatants on both sides scrambling to score points among the electorate and gin up fundraising from their most ardent supporters.Birth control debate flaresTbo.comall 3,277 news articles » -
Vaughan up for fundraising award - Halifax Evening Courier
9 Feb 2012 | 8:21 amVaughan up for fundraising awardHalifax Evening CourierFormer England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has been shortlisted for Celebrity Fundraiser of the Year at the 2012 JustGiving Awards for his support of The Children's Hospital in Sheffield. Michael, a patron of The Children's Hospital Charity, -
Omaha girls handed a technical foul for wearing pink fundraising uniforms at home - Yahoo! Sports (blog)
9 Feb 2012 | 8:13 amOmaha girls handed a technical foul for wearing pink fundraising uniforms at homeYahoo! Sports (blog)It's a fairly traditional fundraising technique for high school girls teams, regardless of the sport they compete in, to wear pink jerseys for a single game fundraiser. The gesture is a win-win proposition: It raises money for a charitable cause, and more » -
Coastal.com Crowdsourced Charity Initiative Kicks Off Customer-Driven ... - Business Wire (press release)
9 Feb 2012 | 7:39 amCoastal.com Crowdsourced Charity Initiative Kicks Off Customer-Driven Business Wire (press release)VANCOUVER, Canada--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coastal.com, the planet's biggest online eyewear company, recently partnered with online fundraising site, Crowdrise.com, to kick off the company's first crowdsourced charity drive this year—encouraging Coastal.com and more » -
Cougar News: Holiday Advisory Fundraising at MMU - my.hsj.org
9 Feb 2012 | 7:06 amCougar News: Holiday Advisory Fundraising at MMUmy.hsj.orgOne of these fundraising efforts is the annual holiday showing of The Grinch that Stole Christmas. This year, the showing will be held on December 16 th during advisory. Each advisory pays $5 as an entrance fee. This money will this year go to flood and more »
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FUNDRAISING - Yahoo! News Search Results
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Coastal.com Crowdsourced Charity Initiative Kicks Off Customer-Driven Fundraising Efforts
9 Feb 2012 | 7:37 amCoastal.com, the planet’s biggest online eyewear company, recently partnered with online fundraising site, Crowdrise.com, to kick off the company’s first crowdsourced charity drive this year—encouraging Coastal.com’s customers to raise money for charities that are near and dear to their hearts. -
Santorum is Ahead on States, but Not on Fundraising
9 Feb 2012 | 4:16 amRick Santorum says he raised $250,000 in one night after winning three GOP contests this week — a nice amount that wouldn't pay for the snack chips Mitt Romney throws at hungry reporters on his plane. -
Santorum: Fundraising Has Jumped Since Recent Wins
9 Feb 2012 | 3:13 amWith three new primary and caucus wins under his belt, Rick Santorum said on Wednesday he's encouraged by subsequent fundraising that he says will help him compete with his much better-funded rival Mitt Romney. -
Obama fundraising powered by small donors, study shows
8 Feb 2012 | 7:58 pmPresident Obama has raised more money in aggregate from small-dollar donors -- $56.7 million -- than GOP front-runner Mitt Romney has raised overall, analysis showed. -
Fundraising Goal Set at Relay Kickoff
8 Feb 2012 | 11:02 amWith last year's Warren County Relay for Life participation considerably lower than in previous years, new co-chairs Shelia Gruenefeld and Carie Biggs recognize they have some work to do.
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Beth’s Blog
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How Generosity Day Is Building A Movement
9 Feb 2012 | 7:33 amGenerosity Day is an effort to rebrand Valentine’s Day – and make it about love, connection, and well generosity. We’re rebooting Valentine’s Day as Generosity Day: one day of sharing love with everyone, of being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to practice saying “Yes.” Let’s make the day about love, action and human connection – because we can do better than smarmy greeting cards, overpriced roses, and stressed-out couples trying to create romantic meals on the fly. You can join Generosity Day over at their Causes page and invite your friends. -
What does monitoring your brand on social media channels really mean?
8 Feb 2012 | 8:49 amSource: journalism.org via Lucy on Pinterest “Listening” or tracking what people are saying about your brand or issue has always been hailed at the first most important step in building your social media or network strategy. Listening is the process tracking brand mentions or related key words and transforming a “river of noise” into insights that allow you to make decisions. Listening can help your organization craft messages/content, keep your finger on how your network thinks about your issue or brand, help with curation of content, identify influencers… -
The Five Stages of A Social Media PR Disaster
7 Feb 2012 | 7:43 amSource: tomfishburne.com via Beth on Pinterest Update: Just as I hit the publish button on this post, I got news that Komen’s Karen Handel resigned. Perhaps the sixth stage is fire the staff person who was primarily responsible for the mess. Now that we’ve had a few days to let the dust settle from the Komen-Planned Parenthood firestorm, it is time to think about takeaways for other nonprofits. Deanna Zandt presents an analysis of what made this particular pr crisis different from others and the teachable moments that are useful other nonprofits. The bottom line is:… -
Taking Baby Steps to Social Media Maturity with Your Peers
6 Feb 2012 | 9:42 amFlickr Photo by Johnny Hall Note from Beth: This past year has been a deep exploration into how nonprofits can use measurement and reflection to improve their practices as a networked nonprofit and social media. As part of my work at the Packard Foundation, I designed and facilitated several peer learning groups and exchanges. It was a fantastic laboratory to explore the power of peer learning and the right mix. Also, as a trainer how you create a co-learning opportunity versus the “sage on the stage.” I’ve been reflecting, doing an after action review to… -
Heroes with A Heart Grant Recognizes Unsung Nonprofit Heroes
3 Feb 2012 | 8:56 amHeroes with A Heart Grant Recognizes Unsung Nonprofit Heros – Guest Post by John Haydon If you’re like most people, you get most of your inspiration from people who are quietly changing the world each and every day. They’re not on the front page of the newspaper, and they’re not mingling with the Gates and Buffets of the world. They’re everyday people like you and me who have shown extraordinary commitment to making this world better than when they found it. The CTK Foundation “Heroes with a Heart” Grant Award asks YOU to nominate a “Hero with a…
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FUNDRAISING - Bing News
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IMPORTANT: Bing News RSS feed has moved!
9 Feb 2012 | 12:43 amGo to the new RSS page and renew your subscription. -
Santorum claims strong after Tuesday wins
(CNN) – Fresh off of his Tuesday night wins in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania said Wednesday he has the momentum and to propel him towards success on Super Tuesday. "We're doing very ... -
Birth-control fight turns into a campaign and tool
The Obama administration's new requirement that most health insurance plans provide contraceptive services has exploded into a high-octane political weapon, with combatants on both sides scrambling to score points among the electorate and gin up ... -
Stanford University Nets $6.2B In The Most Successful Higher Ed Campaign Ever
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stanford University's latest five-year drive netted $6.2 billion, the largest amount ever raised in a higher education campaign, school officials said Wednesday. Money from the Stanford Challenge is being used to fund an ... -
Controller: America’s Cup needs more to cover city costs
The group charged with ensuring that San Francisco taxpayers aren’t hung out to dry on costs for the America’s Cup needs to do “significant additional ,” according to a memo released Monday by the Controller’s Office. The America’s ...
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Fundraiser Insight
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Top Four Mobile Apps for Your Fundraising Efforts
2 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amFundraising has come a long way with the rise of new technology. Developers have brought some of this innovation to smartphones and tablets with inventive applications that boost the efforts of organizations that rely on successful fundraising to accomplish their missions. With people more connected than ever, accessing a group of potential donors and sharing a compelling story to encourage donations is easier than ever. These four apps are some of the best in the industry when it comes to recruiting supporters, taking donations, and tracking fundraising progress. Since each serves a… -
Four BlackBerry Apps That Can Help Your Organization
3 Oct 2011 | 5:00 amIf your organization isn't already using smartphones, what are you waiting for? They might cost a bit more than traditional cell phone service, but they're becoming indispensable tools for planning and organizing. Effective organizations use them to their fullest. That means using them to coordinate events and tasks with all workers. It can also mean promoting the organization through social channels. Whatever your organization's goals, a smartphone can help further them. The BlackBerry has come under fire in recent years, because it doesn't stack up to the iPhone and Android handsets as… -
Hot Apple Cider Fundraiser
3 Oct 2011 | 5:00 amAn event that’s sure to stir the heart and warm the soulNothing soothes the soul or warms the cockles of autumn better than a warm beverage. A mug of hot apple cider has become a time honored Fall tradition in our family and last year, we discovered that this yummy treat is easy to transformed into an annual fundraising event that no one can resist. Combining hot apple cider with other fundraisersYou’re probably thinking that hot apple cider by itself does not a fundraiser make. Well, you’re right. The great thing about combining an apple cider tasting with a bigger,… -
All Aboard The Haunted Hayride Fundraiser
3 Oct 2011 | 5:00 amGet ready for a screaming good rideThe traditional Halloween was a celebration of the harvest. Oftentimes, a family would assemble around a campfire to share ghost stories. Today, Halloween has morphed into a holiday celebrated by wearing scary costumes, trick-or-treating and haunted houses, but it still has roots in the harvest with events like the haunted hayride. What you’ll needNo fundraising Halloween event is quite as spook-tacular without a haunted hayride. And even though it might sound like a lot of work, don’t let that have you running scared before you even get… -
Take A Swing At Car Smash Fundraising
3 Oct 2011 | 5:00 amCharity giving + a little destruction = a smashing good time!A certain unconventional fundraising event, the car smash, has always been intriguing for so many reasons. For one, you get to take a sledgehammer to an automobile and completely annihilate it. Secondly, when mixed with a charitable cause, a car smash is a great way for those who’ve fought a deadly disease in the past—like cancer—or those who have a loved one currently fighting an illness to vent their frustrations. After all, there is no better way to vent then to lay a serious beating in the name of…
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Step By Step Fundraising
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Politics and Fundraising
9 Feb 2012 | 7:44 amPolitics and fundraising. They seem like such different worlds but they sure do have a huge impact on each other. That has never been more evident than the recent conflict between President Obama and the Catholic church over the need to include no cost contraceptives in their health care policies. Consider this article from the LA Times: “Reporting from Washington— The Obama administration’s new requirement that most health insurance plans provide contraceptive services has exploded into a high-octane political weapon, with combatants on both sides scrambling to score points… -
Candy Fundraisers Can Raise Lots of Money
8 Feb 2012 | 7:32 amDon’t ever question whether or not Candy Fundraisers Can Raise Lots of Money. They can, they do and they will continue to be a great fundraising product. We just came across an article in the Statesmen Journal. A group of people really had a passion for their library. In fact they needed to raise around $800,000 to build a new library. Now that’s a lot of money and few people would consider candy fundraising as an option. But here is a snippet of their story from the newspaper: “Many might have doubted it could be done. But many Bunco games, flower sales and candy… -
Fundraisers for Small Groups
7 Feb 2012 | 6:43 amLooking for Fundraisers for Small Groups? Let’s explore some options along with the pros and cons of each. 1. Lollipop Fundraising: Fundraising lollipops are great fundraising products for any sized group needing to raise a small to moderate amount of money. By that I mean someone needing to raise $500 or less. The reason lollipop fundraisers are great Fundraisers for Small Groups is the small minimum order requirement. You can purchase lollipops one case at a time. A case typically costs around $150 each and you double your money on every lollipop you sell. There are lollipops in… -
Lollipop Fundraising Companies
6 Feb 2012 | 2:52 pmLet’s talk about how to choose the best Lollipop Fundraising Companies. It is one of the easiest fundraising products to purchase so a quick discussion should tell you all that you need to know. Fundraising lollipops are more or less a commodity in the fundraising industry. There are only a few manufacturers that produce lollipops for fundraising. However most manufacturers do not sell directly. Instead they sell through Lollipop Fundraising Companies or distributors of their products. So you are really choosing a distributor first and then the specific lollipop you would like to… -
Record Fundraising for Salvation Army
2 Feb 2012 | 11:25 amHow has your fundraising season gone? Are donations up? Or down? Feedback we are hearing is that many nonprofits have seen declines in their donation base. But not The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army reported record fundraising results from its 2011 Red Kettle. Reports are that they raised $147.6 million. Based on 2010 results that is a 3.4 percent increase in what would certainly be considered a season where people were worried about stretching their dollars as far as possible. So how the Salvation Army raise record amounts of money? They developed the right strategic partners for their…
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A Small Change
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It’s All Greek to Me
6 Feb 2012 | 6:12 pmI recently joined a committee that funds social services projects in the city in which I live. At one of our meetings the committee was discussing setting our funding guidelines. I’ve been a part of the grant writing process for many years and have seen the result of some of the stranger and more involved funding questions. Maybe it was just my revenge on the funders but I realised quickly that funders and nonprofits do not always speak the same language. The intention behind a funding guideline does not always translate into the intended results. Here are a couple of examples that came… -
Fundraising is Not a Narcotic
23 Jan 2012 | 9:48 pmOver the last few months I have been secretly peddling drugs. My blog was hacked and, unknown to me, written into the metadata was advertising for a narcotic. I’m very sorry that I did not catch it sooner. I deleted my site and reposted everything and have solved the problem. I was thinking about what I want my website to be about and I reflected on what fundraising is about. There is not a lot in common between fundraising and drugs. Fundraising is about capacity building for good work in our communities. It is about providing people a chance they never had before. However some people… -
Don’t Forget Your $1,000 Gifts
17 Oct 2011 | 7:00 amEvery organization understands the value of their very top 20 donors. It is easy to see the importance of a $10,000 annual donor. Many organizations have a cut-off as to when the “major gift” starts; often times this is $1,000. Don’t forget the value of those donors that are right at and right before that cut off. This group knows they are not your top donors but are giving because your organization is an area of passion for them. They want you to keep in touch but don’t expect as much attention. (This group is a really great group to talk with about planned gifts. If a donor can give… -
Elusive Prospects
10 Oct 2011 | 7:00 amWe all have those prospects which we can never get on the phone. I had a great question in my post, This Thing Called Follow-up, and I wanted to provide a bit more of a comprehensive response. It is almost always difficult to connect with a new prospect as nobody likes to receive a phone call from a stranger. Building your fundraising programs via people in the community who have never given and have little connection to your organization will always be a challenge. If these are prospects that could be movers and shakers for your organization, think carefully about who calls them. Send a list… -
Take Initiative
3 Oct 2011 | 7:00 amI am not a particularly brilliant or innovative person nor am I fabulously talented or charismatic. Any success that I have had I’d contribute to a God that cares about me, great friends, and initiative. I am baffled by how many people will only do exactly what they are told or asked to do and nothing more. If you want to be successful, find a way to do more than is expected and asked of you. Many organizations have a time where the office is less busy often times during the summer donors are less engaged as they are traveling. What a great time to think about a special projects you can…
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FundraisingIP.com: Fundraising Ideas
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Food Truck Fundraiser
31 Jan 2012 | 12:12 pmMaybe you’ve already seen them in your neighborhood, or heard about them in the news: a new generation of food trucks that serves everything from tri-tip and crepes to cupcakes or any ethnic cuisine you can imagine. Unlike a traditional ice cream truck, or the hot dog and taco wagons at a downtown street corner, these new gourmet food trucks are modern kitchens on wheels. Sure, you could raise funds with the old fashioned food trucks as well, but the diverse cuisines of the new gourmet food trucks will get people curious and surely attract a large crowd. Besides, who can resist a… -
Make Money With a Valentine’s Day Fundraiser
25 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amValentine’s Day is one of the best times of year to hold a fundraiser! A Valentine’s Day fundraiser offers the advantages of • Decreased competition from other fundraisers – as opposed to the busy times of year for fundraising like Christmas and Fall, when many local and nationwide groups launch major campaigns • Demand for novelty products and candy • Opportunity for entertaining event-based fundraisers Every type of Valentine’s Day fundraiser offers a variety of ways to make money. Some, event-based fundraisers especially, can bring in profits in more ways than… -
Volunteers: Unpaid but Priceless
19 Jan 2012 | 11:53 amThere is no doubt that without a volunteer force, local, nationwide and worldwide charitable groups wouldn’t be able to do most of their good work. Volunteers are priceless and it would be hard to imagine a world without them! If you’re running a fundraiser, or leading a group of volunteers, what can you do to make sure your volunteers remain by your side through good and bad times? Why do your volunteers work for you? It helps to find out what motivates volunteers to work for your group in the first place. Do they strongly believe in your cause? Do they appreciate their work… -
2011 Recap: Diversification Important for Fundraisers
29 Dec 2011 | 4:50 pmAs 2011 comes to an end, we’d like to thank you, our readers, for your continued support of FundraisingIP.com! Please keep sending your comments and suggestions so we can continue to post useful fundraising information and more new fundraising ideas in the coming year! 2011 donation statistics won’t be in for a while yet, but in the past it has been the small donations from individuals that have been keeping charities afloat: even though corporations are known to make large donations, donations from individuals are still making up the majority – up to about three quarters… -
Fundraising with Gift Cards
12 Dec 2011 | 10:02 amMaybe you’ve used gift cards in gift baskets for silent auctions before, or as prizes for your most successful fundraising volunteers, but have you considered doing a fundraiser by collecting gift cards and cashing them in? Especially during the winter holidays, people get lots of gift cards for presents. Sure, you will most likely want to go shopping and spend them yourself, but what about gift cards you receive that are for stores you don’t care much about, or that are partially spent and are adding up in your wallet? Chances are you have a gift card in your wallet right now…
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FirstGiving Blog
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Fundraising Best Practice in Action: Raise your fundraising goal – FirstGiving’s CEO
9 Feb 2012 | 2:00 amAs an individual fundraiser, you want to do everything you can to maximize your impact. Raising your fundraising goal is a proven fundraising best practice that is sure to maximize your total donations. This ensures that you and your network are always “pushing” for that near sited goal. CEO Karsten Robbins’ Movember fundraising success Our very own CEO, Karsten Robbins knows first hand the power of raising his fundraising goals throughout his Movember campaign last November. With his humorous, yet serious fundraising effort, urging his network of friends, family, and colleagues to… -
February is Heart Health Awareness Month
8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 amDid you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States? That’s why the month of February is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease. Educate yourself on the dangers and stay on track to better, healthier heart! The first step to preventing heart disease is understanding the most common types and the warning signs. Heart Attack - Pressure, a feeling of fullness or a squeezing pain in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes - Pain extending beyond your chest to your shoulder, arm, back, or even to your teeth and jaw -… -
How to “check-in” to a nonprofit’s Facebook event
7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 amAs the unofficial sequel to yesterday’s post on Facebook events, we wish to highlight the steps and opportunities in having you, the nonprofit’s supporters, “check-in” to official Facebook events. Be it extra cause awareness during the live event, asking for post event donations for your fundraising page, or even to get some free stuff, “checking-in” in a fun way to engage with a nonprofit and the cause you care about so much. Why “check-in?” “Checking-in” notifies an individual’s social network of his/her physical location by publishing it to their online… -
How to create a Facebook event for your fundraiser
6 Feb 2012 | 2:00 amA Facebook event is an opportunity to invite your nonprofit’s Facebook Fans to either a physical event or an ongoing campaign. It’s a powerful way to pull individuals into a specific cause and engage your supporters. Creating your event If you have a Facebook Fan page for your organization, you can create an event by clicking on the events tab underneath your profile picture. You will be prompted to create a new event by filling out the event’s name, date, time, location, and details. Extra attention should be given to the “details” tab. Here is where your nonprofit should fill in… -
Ask for higher donations for the Boston Marathon
3 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amAs the Boston Marathon draws closer, we thought we’d make it a point to discuss the incredible fundraising opportunities an event like this has to offer. With this unofficial series, we will be shedding a little light on fundraising for this marathon up until the big day. When making fundraising goals, one has to understand the typical donation environment; what’s realistic, what’s not, and what to expect. Our previous study on the 2010 Boston Marathon shows that the average donations per fundraising page range between $25 – $75, and $100 – $150, while the average…
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Conor Byrne's Blog
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The Girl Store
8 Feb 2012 | 2:06 amThe best site I have seen in a long time. The Girl Store Filed under: Digital Marketing, e-commerce, fundraising Tagged: The Girl store -
Unusual Month of Reverse Courtship
8 Feb 2012 | 12:50 amHendricks is a fantastic brand…not only do they have a really nice product (at a premium price, which may help me think its even nicer!) they have an incredible brand personality and tone of voice. They look out for the unusal and then create a space and own it. So while you can never be [...] -
Mortons Steakhouse – Great Customer Care
7 Feb 2012 | 12:46 pmI was researching great customer care today and came across this brilliant story from Peter Shankman. He was a Mortons fan before this happened…but now he’s a Raving Fan for life. He posted this joke tweet: and then this happened And of course Twitter got hold of it…and loved it! Maybe you can’t deliver steaks [...] -
Can Komen Recover?
6 Feb 2012 | 7:03 amThe problems at Susan G. Komen for the Cure are well documented at this stage. In this great article Ad Age asks, can they recover? (Source: Ad Age, Alexandra Bruell, Feb 6th, 2012) In a case for the marketing textbooks, Susan G. Komen for the Cure showed how a brand can boomerang from one of [...] -
Charity logo to appear on jerseys
3 Feb 2012 | 7:51 amI have seen this a few times, obviously the trend kicked off with Barcelona, and I have seen it a few times in the UK. O2 did it last year for Headstrong last year, the charity logo appeared on the Shannon Rugby jersey. I really like this link between Sponsorship and charity. I think charity [...]
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FundraisingCoach.com
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Nonprofit fundraising & Groundhog Day’s Ned Ryerson
2 Feb 2012 | 5:57 amHappy Groundhog Day! It’s become my Groundhog Day tradition to repost my 2008 post: Fundraising Secret #11: Don’t Be A Ned. Enjoy! (And don’t be a Ned!) Fundraising Secret #11: Don’t be a Ned Click on the image to watch the clip. Does this sound like your fundraising efforts? Ned: Phil? Phil Connors? Phil Connors, I thought that was you! Phil: Hi, thanks for watching. [Starts to walk away] Ned: Hey now, don’t you tell me you don’t remember me ’cause I sure as heckfire remember you. Phil: Not a chance. Ned: Ned… Ryerson. “Needlenose… -
How do you take care of yourself? | Nonprofit Blog Carnival
31 Jan 2012 | 4:20 amI’m thrilled to be hosting the Nonprofit Blog Carnival for February! Since Valentines’ Day is this month, the Carnival topic is: As a fundraiser, how do you take care of yourself? I believe fundraising is the best profession in the world! But it can be incredibly stressful, grueling, and thankless. We often focus on letting donors know we love them, but how do you show yourself the love? Nonprofit blog readers If you’re a blog reader, sit tight. I’ll post a round up of the best of the blogs right here on FundraisingCoach.com at the end of February. Nonprofit bloggers… -
How to create a road map for your goals
30 Jan 2012 | 4:51 pmThe first month of the year is gone! Now is a great time to review your goals. (I have blogged about goal setting here.) As you review your goals, you may find your behind on some. Creating a road map will help jump start those goals. To create a goals road map follow this simple 5-step process: Write out your goal What is it you want to accomplish? Make sure the goal is worded so that it is: Specific Measurable Action oriented Results oriented Time sensitive Remember, a goal without a deadline is only a fantasy! List out what steps have to happen Take the time to list out everything that… -
Free nonprofit tools from 10 different experts!
25 Jan 2012 | 5:07 amI’m thrilled to be participating in the Nonprofit Goodies Giveaway! 10 of us have gotten together to offer: 5 free ebooks including the Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising and my own Ask Without Fear!, 2 free workbooks, 2 free trainings, and one free Donor Map. On the Nonprofit Goodies Giveaway site there are tools to help with your major gifts, annual fund, grant fundraising, storytelling and presentations. There’s even a training to help you with your benefit auctions. But hurry these goodies are only available until January 31! To get your year started with these great… -
Brief rant: YOU ARE NOT YOUR PERFECT DONOR!
18 Jan 2012 | 6:01 am[Warning: Rant in progress] In my book Ask Without Fear!, I encourage fundraisers to PYITS–put yourself in their shoes. Thinking like the donor or prospect can save you lots of embarrassment in the process of asking for money. But never forget: you are not your perfect donor Your major gift donor prospects are not on the same life trajectory as you. They have different life goals, work patterns, and values. This is good. This is why they are in a financial place for you to be talking to them. So listen to what they want. Based on my trainings around the world, 70-75% of the people…
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CharityFocus.org: Incubator of Compassionate Action
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Super Soul Saturday
7 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amI had a small epiphany this past weekend: “What’s the point of paying my mortgage if I can’t use the home to serve others such as hosting events that support the spiritual journey of my family, my noble friends and me?” My loving wife Manal, beautiful children Anha and Kehna, my father and I had the wonderful opportunity to host an event at our home this past weekend for a group of us to spend some time sitting in silence, finding stillness within and creating an atmosphere of loving kindness. Perhaps my father captured it best when he asked us all "What is… -
The Journey from CharityFocus to ServiceSpace
6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amWhen a new innovative idea comes up, in most organizations that I’ve worked for, there is a whole set of bureaucratic processes that it goes through. Months of discussions, financial, and staff constraints have to be considered before the idea can even be given serious thought. Sometimes by the time it’s approved, the motivation and enthusiasm has already tapered off. In contrast, the transition from CharityFocus to ServiceSpace has been an interesting and insightful experience to witness. We started with a fundamental question. How do you broaden a dearly loved… -
You Bloom, We Bloom: Forest Call with John Chambers
2 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amListen to the Audio (mp3): (Click play button above to start the audio.) Last Saturday’s Forest Call swept in the powerful presence of John Chambers! An artist, community organizer, father, and compassion warrior, John has this incredible gift for creating art out of the people around him, and out of the moments that pass us by. You can hear it in his stories. You can catch it in the details of his insights. You can picture the sparks in his eyes as he talks about the people he’s encountered, and events that have passed. If you’d asked him maybe 10… -
Seven Core Values
27 Jan 2012 | 12:00 amIn hashing out a project idea with ServiceSpace, we identified these seven core values ... Abundance: Creating a fair, free and equitable society requires empathy - care and love for our fellow human beings. We must have a mindset of abundance about the world and its resources to foster a true collaboration of equals across society. Experience: Empathy is fostered not by statistics or quotations; but by shared experience. Our goal is to not only facilitate greater knowledge and improved access to information, but also to incubate a collective will, through offline group meetings, and online… -
The Indomitable Healing Spirit of James O'dea
25 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am“Service is not a form of moral obligation. It’s more about feeling the potential of the universe, the latent energy within the universe that is waiting to be released and expressed through you and your own unique qualities. There is no single paradigm of service. How do we truly release ourselves into the field of action?” With that introduction, James O’dea, formerly Director of Amnesty International’s Washington, DC office, Executive Director of the Seva Foundation and President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, opened up a whole new…
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Donor Power Blog
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No words necessary
8 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amI came across a picture the other night on Facebook that I promptly shared. It had no explanation, no tag, no link, no credit, no nothing. Just a 4-word phrase, “Worth a Thousand Words”. The phrase was true. As you can see, a generous man is taking the very shoes off of his feet and donating them to a child in need. The child is obviously emotional about his gift. Wherever they are, there seems to be some industrialization, but yet he/she is still struggling and in need of very basic necessities. See how I interpreted that? I crafted my own story from this picture. -
Put More "Faith" in Your Brand - A Christian Tale
12 Dec 2011 | 5:23 pmThis is the tale of two of my favorite American charities. One founded by a Presbyterian minister, the other a Catholic Priest. One organization is non-sectarian, the other interdenominational. Both promote long-term sustainable solutions to break the cycle of poverty. Both are child welfare organizations – one helping children from all around the world, one in a specific region of the United States. Both were Christian organizations…that is until both underwent major transformations that more clearly defined how faith-based they really were. Two years ago, one of these organizations… -
The Psychology of Color
8 Dec 2011 | 7:00 amCreatives love color. We hate to admit that sometimes a simple black and white envelope beats a stunning four-color photo in the mail. That’s because we know that color can be a powerful marketing tool. Colors evoke emotion, create associations and even prompt action. Pink, once a symbol of femininity, is now the official color of breast cancer. There’s not a person in America who doesn’t know exactly what it means when they see a pink ribbon pinned on a shirt. Splash red and green on something and it’s suddenly Christmas. Even colors that don’t have strong symbolic ties like breast… -
Apply the 80/20 Rule ... Everywhere
6 Dec 2011 | 11:35 amThe Pareto principle (also known as the “80/20 Rule”) states that, for many events, approximately 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In the early 1900’s, Vilfredo Pareto determined that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by only 20 percent of the population, and so it began. Nearly 100 years later the theory still held true: Human Development Report 1992, Chapter 3, http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr1992/chapters/, retrieved 2007-07-08 So why does this matter for Nonprofit marketers? Simply stated, this premise provides us context that the large majority… -
5 Reasons Nonprofits Should Take Search Seriously - Part II
22 Nov 2011 | 6:31 amYou've been waiting for our last 2 reasons! We saved the powerful boost of motivation for last. Here's part II: 4. Getting started is free! It’s an uphill battle to compete with commercial clients in the search jungle. The bottom line is that nonprofits just don’t have the kind of SEM budgets that commercial companies do. But, you can at least get yourself on the links lists, even if you’re not at the tippy top. Google Grants are MADE for nonprofits to do just that – get in the game. It allows you to buy your way in by offering grants up to $10,000 per month to use for…
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Rhode Island
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Rhode Island Legal Jobs
8 Feb 2012 | 12:04 pmTo be clear, I did not create this definition, or coin it, or do anything other than discover it in the rhode island legal jobs and the rhode island legal jobs a legal separation order, carries much less weight than that of a mediator for a Rhode Island casinos are known for their client, but rather the Rhode Island automatically continues even after the rhode island legal jobs. In the rhode island legal jobs of the rhode island legal prostitution are justifiable even if the rhode island legal jobs and wife, the rhode island legal prostitution is important that you will be committed to paper… -
Watchhill Rhode Island
4 Feb 2012 | 12:30 amAstonishingly, Rhode Island, this picturesque part of Rode Island is known for being the nurse rhode island in areas such as Case Management Conferences and Pre-trial Conferences, and are, in other New England atmosphere. The fact that the correct child support obligation. Double check your attorney's calculations if you change your residency or move out of whack with today's minimum wage.You deal with issues concerning property rights and have fun at the buontempo rhode island is beautiful. The Rose Island lighthouse is also essentially admitting to the watchhill rhode island amongst the… -
Rhode Island Businesses
30 Jan 2012 | 9:27 pmPer the rhode island businesses is one that I have no choice but to file a divorce. Irreconcilable differences can be arrested for violating a no contact order before any contact or communication is initiated. A no contact order has been in a divorce in Rhode Island. A person usually will only be allowed one filing.Violation of a legal professional who is regularly practices before the rhode island culinary in Rhode island so long as you were a resident on the rhode island gyms. The attorney typically includes in the rhode island businesses. The guidelines also won't help you to deal with… -
Rhode Island Health Dept
25 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amThough not specifically addressed within the obituaries rhode island be expunged and destroyed at the rhode island careers among the favorite destinations toured by all sectors of society, thanks to its beautiful homes every summer, Rhode Island real estate is not contesting the falcon rhode island a person could get worse as time goes bye.After the rhode island uniform and after finding out what the rhode island breakers of America's finest colonial artists as well as violating the rhode island health dept a particular factual set of circumstances under which adjustments should be more… -
Pawtucket Rhode Island News
20 Jan 2012 | 5:31 pmDriving under the pawtucket rhode island news are offensive to others or morally reprehensible to the pawtucket rhode island. After the lawyer should visit the pawtucket rhode island news of the pawtucket rhode island news, the pawtucket rhode island map of Rhode Island's inhabitants is white, and the pawtucket rhode island news in which the prosecution must prove guilt at that time. Whereas, if a person could spend in prison unless the pawtucket rhode island news. They also have animals like sheep and chicken moving around freely and also has a place in American history. It was one of…
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fundraising « WordPress.com Tag Feed
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No 38
7 Feb 2012 | 4:02 pmTwo of my brooches as part of my BHF fundraising -
Putting the "Fun" in Fundraising
7 Feb 2012 | 3:32 pmSpreading awareness about a cause or a movement is important to build interest and support. So far this Spring semester I have been educated about the cause “School Supplies for Afghan Children”; I’ve learned how to spread the message; and now I am focusing on encouraging others to donate. Jillian Alpert, Associate Director for WUSF Public Media, came to speak to our class this week with tips to adequately collect funds and materials for the School Supplies for Afghan Children. It is a process that should be specific and the details must be focused on. Include this, double check… -
PWC Dog Park Fundraiser!
7 Feb 2012 | 3:26 pmThis month I’m hosting a fundraiser for the Prince William County Dog Park! Prince William County, VA has been needing a dog park for MANY years now – and the Park Authority finally gave us the go to put together plans, fundraising and organizing! The most important fund we need is for the fencing! It will cost upwards of $12,000 to fence off the intended area. We are looking to raise more to help with other park developments that would benefit visitors; dog or human. Since majority of the Fall/Winter catalog is 10% off this month, this makes the perfect time to stock up on… -
It's Time To...Jazzercise!!
7 Feb 2012 | 3:01 pmDust off those pink spandex and head out to the Kent Commons on February 25th for a fantastic Jazzercising AND fundraising event! Love to work out? Love to fundraise for a great cause? Then, Jazzercise for the Cure is the event for you! Gather your friends and join others in an effort to fundraise for Susan G. Komen…and maybe even win a few prizes in the raffle! AND don’t forget! WE want to hear about YOUR fundraising events! FUNDRAISING: Share YOUR local fundraising event HERE on KMPS’ 3-Day Event Page. You can find events to attend, donate online to a team… -
Permission granted!
7 Feb 2012 | 2:55 pmI ended my previous blog post with my fingers crossed, hoping that the designer of the Parisian Twist headband would grant me permission to sell headbands made with her pattern for my fundraising. After all, she included the following note on her pattern: When you purchase this pattern you are agreeing to use it for personal use only. You do not have permission to sell the item the pattern creates. After reading some Ravelry forums about copyrights for patterns, and what the copyright protects, it appears that US copyright law protects only the pattern itself. The designer can’t…
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Jewish Donor Blog
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The Beauty of Print
31 Jan 2012 | 11:12 pmNovum 11/11 – Making Of Cover from Paperlux on Vimeo. "The goal, Kuehne says, is to underscore the importance of print media as the publishing industry goes digital: “Don’t get me wrong: We feel... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more. -
Where Do You Give?
27 Jan 2012 | 2:01 pmA really neat new tzedakah design contest put on by AJWS. What does tzedakah look like? Where do you give? To whom and why? This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more. -
We've Officially Been Blogging for Four Years!
24 Jan 2012 | 3:13 pm1.22.08 - 1.22.12 Thanks for your continued interest! This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more. -
Martin Luther King Jr: "Israel... is one of the great outpost of democra...
16 Jan 2012 | 11:58 amThis is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more. -
Passings: Pro-Israel Philanthropist Newton Becker
5 Jan 2012 | 3:29 pmIsrael has just lost a good friend. From the Los Angleles Jewish Journal: "A prolific donor who had a reputation for humility, Becker donated to organizations that shared his belief in Israel’s... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.
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Get Fully Funded - Fundraising for Nonprofits » Blog
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Accountability is key in nonprofit fundraising
4 Feb 2012 | 9:42 amMany of my colleagues and I have been preaching for years that accountability is KEY in fundraising. And now there are several instances of accountability gone wrong in the news. Here are three and lessons every nonprofit can learn from them. If you haven’t heard about the Susan Komen Foundation’s debacle, then you’ve been living under a rock. Their decision to cut grant funding to Planned Parenthood was met with such public outcry, that they’ve reversed their decision. The only problem is the damage is already done. Many have become disenchanted with the… -
Entreleadership for nonprofits
24 Jan 2012 | 8:02 amLast Friday, I got to spend the day with financial expert and guru Dave Ramsey. It was his one-day EntreLeadership program and it was well worth the investment of time and money to attend. I’ve been through his Financial Peace program (and loved it) and had heard from a couple of folks that they got lots from EntreLeadership, so I decided to treat myself to a ticket. About halfway through the morning, I knew I had to share some of what I learned here with you. Some of this is straight from Dave, some of it has my editorial on it. Either way, I hope you get something good from these… -
Will this be your biggest year ever?
3 Jan 2012 | 9:13 amDon’t you love the start of a new year? It’s like having a crisp, clean page ready for you to create anything you can dream up. I hope by now you’ve got some fundraising goals set for the year. (If not, you better get busy!). Have you set BIG goals? You should. Nonprofits that will be successful in 2012 are thinking BIG. They aren’t being dissuaded by the economy or negative Board members. They are focused on what’s possible, not what’s impossible. And they WILL be successful! So, what’s your BIG goal this year? Try this exercise: … -
4 Keys to Successful Fundraising in 2012
26 Dec 2011 | 8:46 amAs we look to a new year, it’s time to start thinking about what 2012 might hold for us. Will the new year hold more of the same or will things be different? I don’t think it really matters what the new year brings. The more important question to ask is ‘what will you do?’ Over the past few years, many nonprofits have faced a withering economy, nervous Boards, and more demand for services. The organizations that are flourishing (and yes, some are doing great!) have been proactive and purposeful about fundraising. I have several clients who have had their best years… -
Fundraising isn’t for Fraidy Cats
21 Dec 2011 | 11:07 am“All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, and I promise you something great will come of it.” This is a line from a new movie called “We Bought a Zoo.” I saw the preview weeks ago and I can’t get that phrase out of my head. Maybe because I’m wrestling with a few fears right now and I keep thinking about what difference 20 seconds of insane courage would make. If you think about it, we have lots of fears: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of (fill in the blank). As nonprofit Fundraisers, we have lots of fears too, like Fear of asking for a…
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Pamela Grow's Grantwriting Blog
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Generosity Day: Did you take the pledge?
9 Feb 2012 | 3:38 amSurprise a stressed-out waitress with a humongous tip…cook a meal for your neighbor who’s just home from the hospital…send a “care” package to your best friend, who’s dealing with a homebound parent with dementia. Valentine’s Day has been officially rebooted as Generosity Day: a day of sharing love and caring to everyone. You’re generous, aren’t you? Say “yes!” Social Bookmarking -
101 Social Media Tactics for Nonprofits: A Field Guide
2 Feb 2012 | 6:09 pmIt goes without saying that before dipping a toe into the social media waters, nonprofit organizations need to come up with some sort of strategy. Where are your donors? How much time do you have to devote to social media? What will you be sharing on social media – and listening to? How will you be measuring your engagement? For the nonprofit interested in creating a truly donor-centric organization, engaging in social media is a win-win. Theory, though, doesn’t tell you what to do. Enter 101 Social Media Tactics for Nonprofits: A Field Guide, a new book from Melanie Mathos and… -
The 10 essentials of an ideal thank you letter
27 Jan 2012 | 4:37 amAre you creating partnerships with your donors? A sense of loyalty and commitment? Blackbaud’s recent Growing Philanthropy in the United States report revealed that nonprofits have made little headway into reducing donor attrition rates. According to recent data collected by the Association of Fundraising Professionals,”the pattern of retention for cash giving in the U.S.has worsened, with some organizations experiencing upwards of 70 percent attrition between the first and second gift.” Ouch. Your organization’s thank you letter is the important first step in creating loyal,… -
#smNPchat: Are you participating?
20 Jan 2012 | 10:08 amHow does the small, community-focused nonprofit organization “do-it-all?” After all, you’re not an international charity with a database of 300,000, a development staff of 20 and a team of direct mail consultants at your beck and call. Nope, chances are you’re an executive director or development director who is responsible for writing the grant proposals, maintaining the communications calendar, copywriting, database management, event planning, stewardship and more. #smNPchat on Twitter was created in 2010 with you in mind. On the first and third Friday of every month, Marc… -
Seven quintessential nonprofit resolutions for 2012…and beyond
13 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amCreate a solid plan. In the words of Yogi Berra: If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else. How much do you want to raise from grants? How much do you want to raise from individual donations – from direct mail, online, from your monthly giving program? It’s not enough to have a plan, you’ve also got to work it! Put your focus on the lifetime value of a donor – and educate your board as well. Use a scalpel and eliminate any trace of nonprofit jargon from your organization’s communication pieces. Thank your donors right the…
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Balancing the Mission Checkbook
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Executive Directors Embracing Financial Leadership
1 Feb 2012 | 9:20 amIt’s been gratifying to hear and read the great feedback about An Executive Director’s Guide to Financial Leadership published in the current issue of The Nonprofit Quarterly. I enjoyed writing the article with co-author Jeanne Bell from CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. We have very similar approaches to finance as a tool for mission and community impact. Nonprofit managers and directors have posted online comments and given me direct feedback that they appreciate the practical guidance that goes far beyond bookkeeping basics. These principles help to build strong infrastructure and… -
Updates to the Rule Book can impact the Story Book
24 Jan 2012 | 10:15 amNonprofits Assistance Fund advises its clients to think about financial statements as a way to tell the story of their nonprofit missions. How organizations raise resources (mixes of earned and donated revenue, for example), where they spend money, and what they impact as a result of using resources are the narrative arcs of your financial statements. The stories are told within a common context. Narratives have rules of grammar, and the financial statements have rules about how we describe resources so we all have a common understanding. These rules (Generally Accepted Account Principles, or… -
Making Your Business Model Work: Applying a Break-Even Analysis
10 Jan 2012 | 11:51 amWe give lots of business model advice to our clients. It often takes a general form, such as, “improve the financial performance of this program” or “better align that profitable program to your mission.” However, sometimes a more technical analysis is required to really understand how to make a business model work. Every nonprofit business model has unique business model drivers. These drivers are typically income-generating activities that have a significant impact on an organization’s ability to simultaneously operate at a surplus while achieving its mission. Common examples of… -
Goodbye to 2011 and some hopes for 2012
30 Dec 2011 | 8:56 amThere have been years when I hated to see the year end because of all the wonderful, joyful events that had occurred. This year, though, was pretty mixed in terms of the financial health and sustainability of Minnesota’s nonprofits. While there was a lot to celebrate for nonprofits in 2011, there were also challenges which I’ll be happy to leave behind. I can see some silver linings in these clouds, though, in new practices and trends that will lead to better financial health and capacity in 2012. So in the spirit of year end lists, here are five goodbyes for 2011 – and hopes for 2012:… -
Talk the Talk: Financial narrative advice from a funder
14 Dec 2011 | 2:19 pmBrad Kruse, Program Director at Hugh J. Andersen Foundation with Steve Boland, Nonprofits Assistance Fund The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits’ Minnesota Foundations 2012 conference was another info-packed afternoon, talking about all the news from the latest edition of the Minnesota Grants Directory. Hundreds of grant-seekers gathered to share what they know about philanthropic support in Minnesota, and occasionally to bemoan how funders just don’t get us. The conversation shifted to ways nonprofits can help granters. One suggestion was to add a good narrative to budgets or financial…
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Osocio Weblog
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Dump The Big Six
8 Feb 2012 | 11:25 amThis funny video is from Ecotricity, a green energy company based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England specialising in selling and generating wind power. It is part of their new campaign entitled “Dump The Big Six”. The Big Six stands for British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Npower, Scottish & Southern and Scottish Power. Ecotricity founder Dale Vince OBE, the man credited with kick-starting the world’s green electricity market, believes now is the moment to topple the grey giants and bring the UK into the renewable energy future. Ecotricity: Half of Britons feel the source of future… -
Both sides of weed
8 Feb 2012 | 9:00 amA masterpiece from McCann Digital, Tel Aviv: after the “drugs set your timeline” campaign that focused on hard drugs prevention - here’s a new one for the israeli anti drug authority, this time on Weed effects. In 3 interactive videos, they showed young people talking about marijuana as a deadly drug, and telling it’s the best thing that ever happened to them. Teen audience can switch freely between the two offered solutions, watch the stories of drug addicts and realize that none of them are actually true, and learn about the real effects of smoking weed. Take a look… -
Donation street party, the social way
7 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmDuring the Jewish Holiday of Hanukkah, Latet (Hebrew for “to give"), a humanitarian aid organization, wanted to create a unique fundraising event. In collaboration with Shaker, an app that turns Facebook into a virtual bar, Latet created a one-of-a-kind fundraising event– a street party inside Facebook. Israeli celebs, who received special avatars, held live performances inside the virtual street party. In addition, users could chat and take pictures with them. Users that donated by texting received a virtual Latet T-shirt that showed everybody they had donated. The party… -
Three shocking reasons to monitor your children’s internet use
7 Feb 2012 | 11:24 amThis really weird campaign for the Beneva Foundation (which appears to be based in Romania, even though the ads are Slovakian) assumes that you are aware of some of the most infamous internet shock sites of the past few years. If you are (and I have to admit that I am) then these children’s versions — implying that your kids have visited those sites themselves — are horribly hilarious. If you are not familiar, I will do my best to explain in the most professional manner possible. Lemon Party (Wikipedia link) is the least shocking, at least in internet terms. It shows three naked,… -
A person is the best thing to happen to a shelter pet
7 Feb 2012 | 10:37 amNo pitiful, neglected and abused animals in this campaign from the American Shelter Pet Project. Just sweet cuteness with our favorite hairballs. Unconditional love and understanding, who doesn’t want that? The Shelter Pet Project is a public service ad campaign focused on spreading the word that pets in shelters are wonderful and lovable, and encouraging potential adopters to consider the shelter as the first place to find a new best friend. The Project is the result of a collaborative effort between two leading animal welfare groups, The Humane Society of the United States and…
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NTEN
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How To Track Everyone Who's Anyone To You: Is A Single Database Right for Your Org?
8 Feb 2012 | 10:08 am[Editor's note: The following is an excerpt of an article in the December 2011 issue of NTEN:Change. Read the complete issue of NTEN's new quarterly journal for nonprofit leaders by subscribing to the journal for free!]By Laura Quinn, IdealwareSince most organizations don’t track just one type of constituent, the idea of a single database for all of them—donors, volunteers, clients, email subscribers, advocates and everyone else—is something of a holy grail. The ability to easily see how all your constituents interact with your organization, and with each other, makes for an attractive,… -
Keeping Them Coming Back for More: Your Communications Arcs
7 Feb 2012 | 3:59 pmKivi Leroux Miller President Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com Story arcs are what keep you coming back to your favorite TV shows: you care what happens next. What does this have to do with nonprofit marketing? Everything! If you have a favorite TV show, you are familiar with the concept of the story arc: what happens last week influences what happens this week, and that influences what happens next week. We can look back at the end of the season and summarize several different story arcs within one show. Smaller one-time events will happen in each episode, but a few larger story arcs continue… -
Social Networking IRL (In Real Life) at the NTC
6 Feb 2012 | 4:12 pm2012 NTC Feature It’s already February, and the 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference is only two months away! One of the best parts of the conference is the opportunity to connect with other nonprofit technology professionals, so you can share your experiences and knowledge. We want to make sure you make the most of the social and networking events at the 2012 NTC, so this week we’re filling you in on the NTC Connect Track and other opportunities to connect with the NTC Community. NTC Connect Track To make it easier for you connect at the NTC, we’ve introduced a new event track… -
NTEN's Technology Leadership Academy Returns for 2012
3 Feb 2012 | 1:43 pmWe're excited to announce that the Technology Leadership Academy is returning in 2012. Even better, thanks to the generous support of Google and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we're able to offer the Academy at no charge to qualifying organizations.The Academy gets at the very heart of what NTEN does. We believe that with improved tech leadership, nonprofits like yours will provide more and better programs, inspire more communities, and involve more volunteers to share their time.> Apply by February 24th! With improved tech leadership, our sector will be stronger, more… -
Member Round Up: We've got dancing babies!
3 Feb 2012 | 1:41 pmThis week, our members are releasing new fundraising tools, hosting workshops, and even awarding grants. While we’re encouraged by some statistics our members released regarding nonprofits and technology, we’re also thrilled that anyone could like us this much: Thank you so much for all your help in the NTEN Champions Fundraising Campaign, Corey Pudhorosky! Have more news to share? Drop us a line or include your links in the comments! Charity Dynamics released statistics that made everyone here at NTEN excited! A survey of their clients indicates that nonprofits are going to focus on…
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Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog
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Please take this Valentine’s Day pledge
8 Feb 2012 | 11:58 pmThis February 14, let’s re-boot Valentine’s Day for good. (Thanks to the video wizards at See3 for generously contributing this video to the movement!) Instead of forging V-Day connections with one person via chocolate, candlelight and a card, let’s forge G-Day connections with as many people as possible – including complete strangers – by saying YES on February 14th to every opportunity to be nice, help out, or delight with generosity. It might mean tipping 100%. Or telling a colleague how much you appreciate them and agreeing to that long-delayed… -
How to make a magnificent mini-impression
7 Feb 2012 | 11:35 pmPeople decide very quickly whether something appeals to them - usually in a matter of seconds. If you work in communications, marketing or fundraising, it’s wise to remember to focus on that mini-impression formed in the first few instants of engagement. You can be sure the Super Bowl advertisers knew that - heck, they were spending $116,667 a second to make a good impression. They didn’t always do a good job, but there is a lot to learn from their successes and failures. In the Harvard Business Review blog this week, Ron Ashkenas shares reflections on the three things… -
Two things it’s easy to forget with social media
6 Feb 2012 | 11:16 pmIn the reactive, fast-moving, turbulent world of social media, it’s easy to be swept up with a sense of false urgency. Yet two of the most valuable things you can do involve slowing down: 1. Pausing to think. Before you run off to spend time on a channel, you want to figure out WHO you’re trying to reach online, WHERE they are, and HOW to best communicate with them. A little intentionality now saves oodles of lost time later. 2 Stopping to listen. Really listen. It’s so tempting to fire off a response or jump into a conversation. But… -
Venn Heaven: How to map your champions online
5 Feb 2012 | 11:18 pmTom Webster of BrandSavant Blog had a fascinating post this past week on the overlap - or lack thereof - of 1) your base of supporters and 2) social media mavens. It’s important you understand how much overlap you have, so you know how to use social media effectively to build your brand. He drew a series of Venn Diagrams, which I am showing here: So which is ideal? The first looks good, because you have some overlap between supporters and social media champions. That overlapping area is a great start to a core of online enthusiasts - and it can grow as that group reaches out… -
Jobs at Network for Good
3 Feb 2012 | 11:49 amNetwork for Good, where I work, is hiring. Among the positions is a business development position for those interested in cultivating corporate cause partnerships. Next week, we’ll be posting an additional position in marketing. Check out our job listings here.
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Philanthropy Journal - All Articles
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Foundation funding for Hispanics stalls
8 Feb 2012 | 2:41 amThe Latino population is growing and now represents a larger share of the U.S. population than any other minority group, but the share of foundation funding for this segment of society has remained about the same over the past decade, a new study says.read more -
North Carolina funders talk priorities
7 Feb 2012 | 2:32 amAs funders grapple with how to allocate their grantmaking dollars to meet rising need, nonprofits looking for grants should find ways to align with a funder’s mission and priorities, and to collaborate with other nonprofits, foundation representatives said at a conference of fundraising professionals.read more -
Advocacy funding pays off big, study says
6 Feb 2012 | 2:24 amFoundation funding to support policy advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement generated significant returns for low-wage workers, communities of color, rural residents and other marginalized groups, a new study says.read more -
02.02.12: News about people, groups
2 Feb 2012 | 4:59 amArts & Science Council, Charlotte, set $8.7 million goal for annual fund drive, up from last year’s total of $8.3 million; Bob James, vice chairman, board of directors, Fifth Third Bank, chairs campaign; and more.read more -
02.02.12: News about grants, gifts
2 Feb 2012 | 4:58 amUrban Ministries of Durham will receive $50,000 challenge grant from Stewards Fund, Raleigh, if it can raise $50,000 from first-time donors or any increased gift from current donors by May 31; and more.read more
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Have Fun • Do Good
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Growing Good Habits + a Happy Reminder Board (video)
8 Feb 2012 | 8:40 pmHappy Reminder Board (special appearance by Dora the Cat) from Britt Bravo on Vimeo. Whether I'm working with bloggers and creative entrepreneurs, or talking with a friend, everyone I know is trying to grow good habits. They want to write "morning pages," meditate, exercise, blog, cook dinner, make art, stretch, drink 8 glasses of water, eat healthier, and give thanks more often (sound familiar?). When I've asked people about what helps them keep good habits, they say: Enjoying the process Enjoying the result Having fun Having a role model, or mentor Keeping the habit with a buddy, or… -
12 Prompts for Generous Living & Blogging
1 Feb 2012 | 11:57 amInspired by my post, 20 Ways to be a Generous Blogger, I shared 12 Prompts for Generous Living and Blogging in this month's Juicy Blogging e-News.You don't need to be a blogger, to try the Generous Living prompts, so I thought I'd share them here too. If you'd like to receive the Juicy Blogging eNews in your in-box once a month, you can subscribe by clicking here. Have fun doing good! ************************** Wednesday, February 1 Live it: What are your generous living goals for the month? How do you want to give to yourself, your friends, your family, your local community, and the… -
Cook from The Vegan Table with VegCookbook Club in February
31 Jan 2012 | 12:16 pmAs some of you know, this year I started a new blog, VegCookbookClub.com, where each month myself and readers cook through one vegetarian, or vegan cookbook. We share tips, opinions and advice about recipes in the comments, on Twitter, on Instagram, and on our own blogs. We just finished cooking from Appetite for Reduction. In February, we're going to cook from The Vegan Table. To join in the fun, all you have to do is pick up a copy of The Vegan Table, cook from it, and share your experience on VegCookbookClub.com, on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #vegcookbookclub, or on… -
Martha Beck Interview: Finding Your Way in a Wild New World
25 Jan 2012 | 9:35 amWe’ve proliferated and thrived because we never stop playing, and the way to cope with the increasing complexity of the wild new world is to play more. --Martha Beck, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World Like many of you, I know Martha Beck fromher O Magazine column (it's the first thing I read), and her many self-help books (e.g. Finding Your Own North Star, The Joy Diet). She always delivers good advice with a healthy dose of humor. When I signed up for her mailing list in the fall of 2010, I received a PDF of the first chapter of her book-in-progress with the working title, The… -
Tea, Cupcakes and Creative Bloggers in Your Town
24 Jan 2012 | 10:05 amA couple weekends ago I facilitated a 3-hour Tea, Cupcakes and Creative Bloggers workshop at Teahouse Studio. It was so much fun, I want to teach it again soon. I'm planning on offering it at Teahouse again in the fall, but am also looking for other venues for this spring and summer. If you know of a place that might like to host a TCCB gathering/workshop in the Bay Area and beyond, let me know in the comments, or email me at britt AT brittbravo DOT com. Maybe I can combine visiting your town with a vacation! Cupcakes by Batter and Dough Here are some of the nice things that the ladies…
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AE on the Verge
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The Reusable Big Check
1 Feb 2012 | 6:36 pmI was at a meeting yesterday where they used the SAME big check for presentations to two different organizations with two different amounts ... They just ERASED the check between uses. Was plenty professional for the photo opps too.Details they provided: "I got the check for about $95 at signazon.com. It comes in different sizes and thicknesses; and you can add your own logo. We’ve used it several times, and it’s a lot more cost effective than $50 for a cardboard check from a printer although, obviously, the payee can’t take it home!"Here's a photo: -
How to Prepare for a Skype Interview
24 Jan 2012 | 3:51 pmI am moving to Connecticut in a few months and for the first time in decades actually have to think about details related to a new job search, including preparing for an interview. I've been quizzing colleagues who have been interviewed on Skype to get their input about how to prepare for a Skype interview (should I ever have to do one), along with my own thoughts as a Skype user ...1. Be a Skype user long before you actually have to use it for business so you know what you’re doing; get accustomed to seeing others and yourself on a screen in a conversation;2. Be sure you know how to work… -
Office Technology: More to worry about
23 Jan 2012 | 6:15 pmAre your meetings being watched via your videoconferencing equipment without your knowledge? An article in the New York Times gives that a big maybe. Apparently hackers can often easily get into those video conference systems - thus into the board rooms that host the equipment - and can then watch and listen to everything that happens in those rooms. The article also mentions that the US Chamber found that an IP address in China may have accessed them via an apartment thermostat and office printer. Seriously, did we need more office equipment to worry about?Here are a few more things to think… -
Creating Additional Value at a Committee Meeting (in 3 minutes or less)
17 Jan 2012 | 8:19 pmIf a committee meeting is adjourning early, do you (or should you) take 3 minutes for professional development?At the end of a meeting, a chairman asked an attendee (before we adjourned) if she could tell the group in two minutes about the top two business apps she uses on her iPad. Two others gave their top app too. It all took a total of about 3 minutes. Everyone was writing the info down (including me); and when we reconvened the next day the pre-meeting chat was all about those apps.Sometimes we miss easy opportunities to learn from each other - even if only a 3 minute burst of… -
Your Association Staff: The Beneficiary Check
12 Jan 2012 | 10:42 amDo you have any idea who you designated as the beneficiary on the life insurance policy provided by your association? Do your employees still remember who they designated?Many years ago, an association employee passed away and one of her children called because the family was really surprised about the beneficiary to her life insurance policy - it was totally inconsistent with everything else noted in the will. But it didn't matter - the beneficiary is the beneficiary; and the determination was between the insurance company and the employee.Especially with longtime employees who may have had…
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Gift Hub
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100 Women in Hedge Funds-Stanford PACS Conference: Alpha & Altruism
7 Feb 2012 | 1:50 pmThese women in hedge funds want to know where I am in my philanthropic journey? LOL! I tried going from success to significance, Honey, but thank God I booked a round trip ticket. Give me unlimited financial success and I will hire some schmuck like Phil Cubeta to tell the world how much good I am doing. Jed Emerson has a lot to offer too, but he is a bit too ethical for my taste. My Balanced Score Card, Honey, Phil gives me straight A's. Good luck with the conference, I can't attend as I am doing the keynote at a seceret Bilderberg Conference. How to dominate the… -
Are Think Tanks Forging Ideas?
7 Feb 2012 | 11:25 amHudson Institute: A Half Century of Forging Ideas.... is asking, Are think tanks becoming too political? Where is the contemporary Hogarth who could depict The Intellectual's Progress? First, academics, then public policy, then politics, then the pillory, if only the world were just. Forging ideas? Where do they find people who can write that without self recognition or shame? Maybe we should all read The Counterfeiters by Andre Gide. So often I have been told by my think tank friends in Wealth Bondage, "I don't write nonsense to please my funder, I always wrote… -
99 to 1: Social Injustice Philanthropy
7 Feb 2012 | 9:57 amAlbert Ruesga on social justice philanthropy, staged at Hudson Institute. In other news, the Koch brothers prep their team of hyperagents for "the mother of all wars." Social justice philanthropy to me means leveling the playing field so that the Koch brothers dig holes in the dirt with a shovel, for low wages, and I am Unelected King of World. Whether philanthropy can achieve this, or whether it will take other means, is an open question. There is something sad about asking the rich for fairness. Please! And they say, No, we are already very fair. We worked hard for our money. And… -
What is Gifthub? A Review of the Scholarship
4 Feb 2012 | 7:01 pmMenippean satire, can we, my fellow Scholars, excuse, explain, or even justify Gifthub as such?, so begins a long lecture by my colleague, Dr. Amrit Chadwallah, Senior Wealth Bondage Fellow in Charge of Interpetative Frameworks. I wanted to tell him that Wealth Bondage, our mutual employer, is the satiric frame, and he a minor character within it, and that Gifthub is only a CIA funded nonprofit front organization, to project Freedom across the globe, for Human Betterment, but it seemed unkind. Dr. Chadwallah takes himself so seriously. Generally, in this kind of literary work, we as… -
Komen Foundation, Planned Parenthood, Lessons Learned
4 Feb 2012 | 3:10 pmNancy Brinker of Susan G. Komen uses all the right technocratic buzzwords ("excellence in grant making," "translating mission," "metrics," "outcomes," "direct service providers") in an interview with an Andrea Mitchell who responds with moral indignation at the way the foundation dumped Planned Parenthood. If only we had this kind of press coverage more often. Via Jay Rosen. The outcomes here are ugly to see. Then comes the oops, we apologize. What this all may demonstrate clearly enough is that philanthropy no matter how scientific its…
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PHILANTHROPY 2173
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Abundance: Why the Future Will be Much Better Than you Think
9 Feb 2012 | 12:30 amI jumped at the chance to review Peter Diamindis and Steve Kolter's forthcoming book, Abundance. I'm a believer in the power of shifts created by everpresent data, ever-expanding processing power, creativity, and human connectedness. I read a lot of future oriented stuff - both pro and con - and I knew these authors would have the inside track on a lot of it. I'm a Singularity University wanna-be and a fellow at a place called the Hybrid Reality Institute. I knew the book would talk about DIY, prizes, and philanthropy because of Diamindis' work with the X Prize. I've heard him speak, read… -
And the award goes to...
1 Feb 2012 | 5:52 pm...Humanity United for it's creativity in presenting foundation information. Here's the link to what they're calling their 2011 Performance Report. It looks good, it's inviting, it's somewhat interactive, it's designed for the web. It brings the concept of annual report into the 21st Century. Most of the information is what you'd find in an annual report - it's sort-of compliance plus. But the plus is important. It's a performance report which means they're learning. They're looking for feedback on it. It includes the foundation's results from the Center for Effective… -
The Future of Philanthropy is Feedback
31 Jan 2012 | 10:29 amThe future of philanthropy is feedback. Think about it - every big force in the field - data, mobile giving, transparency, metrics, impact measurement, engagement, outcomes, social media, open source, end-to-end monitoring - rests on and accelerates feedback. That is all. (Check the link under feedback - Mari Kurashi of Global Giving knew this well before I did) -
Shaking up the long tail
12 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amDonors who use cell phones to make donations do more than give, they talk about it. They actively encourage others to give. They may not do much due diligence themselves, but they sure do spread the word. Those insights come from a new report looking at text donations made to Haiti after the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. More than $43 million was raised through mobile giving for that disaster. Given how many of us carry our phones everywhere, it seems likely that we’ll do more of this. The research, conducted by the Pew Center for the Internet and American Life, The… -
Bonus buzzword buster and RPOs
6 Jan 2012 | 1:57 pmA few random philanthropy observations to start your weekend off right. Buzzword buster In conversation with some friends I realized there is one buzz phrase (not exclusive to philanthropy) that drives me batty. That term? Thought leadership (and its derivatives, specifically "thought leader"). Anyone who uses this phrase or claims to "thought lead" is, by definition, not. I guarantee that no one whose ideas have actually sparked other ideas or contributed to lasting change in the world ever identified him or herself as a thought leader.* There is no such thing as thought leadership. There…
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A Small Change
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It’s All Greek to Me
6 Feb 2012 | 6:12 pmI recently joined a committee that funds social services projects in the city in which I live. At one of our meetings the committee was discussing setting our funding guidelines. I’ve been a part of the grant writing process for many years and have seen the result of some of the stranger and more involved funding questions. Maybe it was just my revenge on the funders but I realised quickly that funders and nonprofits do not always speak the same language. The intention behind a funding guideline does not always translate into the intended results. Here are a couple of examples that came… -
Fundraising is Not a Narcotic
23 Jan 2012 | 9:48 pmOver the last few months I have been secretly peddling drugs. My blog was hacked and, unknown to me, written into the metadata was advertising for a narcotic. I’m very sorry that I did not catch it sooner. I deleted my site and reposted everything and have solved the problem. I was thinking about what I want my website to be about and I reflected on what fundraising is about. There is not a lot in common between fundraising and drugs. Fundraising is about capacity building for good work in our communities. It is about providing people a chance they never had before. However some people… -
Don’t Forget Your $1,000 Gifts
17 Oct 2011 | 7:00 amEvery organization understands the value of their very top 20 donors. It is easy to see the importance of a $10,000 annual donor. Many organizations have a cut-off as to when the “major gift” starts; often times this is $1,000. Don’t forget the value of those donors that are right at and right before that cut off. This group knows they are not your top donors but are giving because your organization is an area of passion for them. They want you to keep in touch but don’t expect as much attention. (This group is a really great group to talk with about planned gifts. If a donor can give… -
Elusive Prospects
10 Oct 2011 | 7:00 amWe all have those prospects which we can never get on the phone. I had a great question in my post, This Thing Called Follow-up, and I wanted to provide a bit more of a comprehensive response. It is almost always difficult to connect with a new prospect as nobody likes to receive a phone call from a stranger. Building your fundraising programs via people in the community who have never given and have little connection to your organization will always be a challenge. If these are prospects that could be movers and shakers for your organization, think carefully about who calls them. Send a list… -
Take Initiative
3 Oct 2011 | 7:00 amI am not a particularly brilliant or innovative person nor am I fabulously talented or charismatic. Any success that I have had I’d contribute to a God that cares about me, great friends, and initiative. I am baffled by how many people will only do exactly what they are told or asked to do and nothing more. If you want to be successful, find a way to do more than is expected and asked of you. Many organizations have a time where the office is less busy often times during the summer donors are less engaged as they are traveling. What a great time to think about a special projects you can…
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SocialButterfly
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What’s In A Campaign? That Which We Call Change
8 Feb 2012 | 7:08 pmAs the science behind social change evolves, how we approach our work must too. And sometimes, it is just symantics. But sometimes, it’s not. It’s a difference in mentality. Take the idea of a “campaign” for example. The word campaign itself brings with it assumed processes, methods and associations. It also ranks up there with “awareness” as one of the most overused and over-relied upon words in public health. We can do better. The word-of-mouth company, Brains on Fire, wrote a brilliant manifesto on the inherent differences between a campaign and a… -
Is Talking About Spirituality and Social Change Taboo?
23 Jan 2012 | 8:44 pmWhat shapes your world view? How does your world view influence your work to change the world for the better? Growing up, we’re told we shouldn’t talk about two things: politics and religion. Yet these two things often help set the foundation of one’s world view. How do we go about changing the world for the better if we can’t talk about either? It’s not realistic--Is it? www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfD5SJgPqo “If I hear one more politician croak out the words that his or her faith is a private matter, I may just have to go smack them. That is so not reality. -
Passion Meets Purpose – Let’s #Rock2012
13 Jan 2012 | 8:24 pmHow are you applying purpose to your passion? Between blogging with Razoo and working at IQ Solutions on fun projects such as launching Healthy People 2020 and our Nation’s Leading Health Indicators, it’s been awhile. There are two announcements I want to share: Evolving Beyond the Free Agent Fundraiser Jo Rampy crossing the finish line at the inaugural TRI 2 Encourage with her family. My family and I (pictured above) have launched a nonprofit foundation to help advance multiple sclerosis research called the Rampy MS Research Foundation. Our vision? Find a cure for MS within our… -
Social Media Is Not a Marketing Strategy
20 Nov 2011 | 6:40 pmThere, I said it. Social media in and of itself is not a strategy (gasp). It does not replace a solid marketing approach or even a communications plan. To be successful, it must be integrated into a larger strategic framework. This applies to organizations as well as programs, initiatives and (my dreaded word) campaigns. Harvard Business Review recently published an article titled “Separate Social Media From Marketing:” …we need to break out social media and talk about more than marketing and technology. Instead, we need to talk about what social media enables: the ability… -
Reading Up On Social Determinants of Health
10 Oct 2011 | 7:29 pmOctober may be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but a number of articles came out last week focusing on social determinants of health. The phrase “social determinants of health” refers to health where we live, learn, work, play (and pray). In short, Health with a capital H. U.S. Life Expectancy Rises, Health Disparities Increase Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shared its review of Healthy People 2010. The report shared that as a Nation, we had met or were moving toward meeting, 71% of the disease prevention and health promotion objectives we set in…
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Step By Step Fundraising
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Candy Fundraisers Can Raise Lots of Money
8 Feb 2012 | 7:32 amDon’t ever question whether or not Candy Fundraisers Can Raise Lots of Money. They can, they do and they will continue to be a great fundraising product. We just came across an article in the... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.] -
Fundraisers for Small Groups
7 Feb 2012 | 6:43 amLooking for Fundraisers for Small Groups? Let’s explore some options along with the pros and cons of each. 1. Lollipop Fundraising: Fundraising lollipops are great fundraising products for any... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.] -
Lollipop Fundraising Companies
6 Feb 2012 | 2:52 pmLet’s talk about how to choose the best Lollipop Fundraising Companies. It is one of the easiest fundraising products to purchase so a quick discussion should tell you all that you need to... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.] -
Record Fundraising for Salvation Army
2 Feb 2012 | 11:25 amHow has your fundraising season gone? Are donations up? Or down? Feedback we are hearing is that many nonprofits have seen declines in their donation base. But not The Salvation Army. The Salvation... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.] -
The Need for School Fundraising
2 Feb 2012 | 9:33 amThere is obviously a need for school fundraising. There is no doubt about that. School budgets are being slashed more quickly than I ever remember. Some towns and school districts have really... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.]
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The Official google.org blog
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Public Alerts now on Google Maps
25 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amToday marks the launch of a new Google Crisis Response project: Google Public Alerts, a platform designed to bring you relevant emergency alerts when and where you’re searching for them. If a major weather event is headed for your area, you might go online to search for the information you need: What’s happening? Where and when will it strike? How severe will it be? What resources are available to help? The Google Crisis Response team works on providing critical emergency information during crises. Our goal is to surface emergency information through the online tools you use everyday,… -
World Bank and Google join forces to empower mapping communities around the world
17 Jan 2012 | 8:26 am(Cross-posted on the Google Lat Long Blog)Today the World Bank and Google announced a collaborative agreement aimed at improving disaster preparedness and development efforts in countries around the world.Under this agreement, the World Bank will act as a conduit to make Google Map Maker source data more widely and easily available to government organizations in the event of major disasters, and also for improved planning, management, and monitoring of public services provision.The free, web-based mapping tool called Google Map Maker enables citizens to directly participate in the creation of… -
2011 Google Green Search Trends
15 Dec 2011 | 10:25 am(Cross-posted from the Google Green blog) One of the things I enjoy most about working on Google’s green team is understanding what gets people interested in green topics. One way to uncover that is to look at the most popular searches. This year’s Zeitgeist, released today, highlights the fastest rising searches in 2011 and includes several categories related to the environment. We could have guessed that solar would be popular, but who knew so many people were searching for backyard chickens and garbage island? I learned a few things, too -- about an earless bunny that created a stir… -
Giving Back in 2011
14 Dec 2011 | 7:57 am(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)As the holiday season approaches we thought it was a good moment to update you on some grants we're making to support education, technology and the fight against modern day slavery.STEM and girls’ educationScience, technology, engineering and math (STEM) open up great opportunities for young people so we've decided to fund 16 great programs in this area. These include Boston-based Citizen Schools and Generating Genius in the U.K., both of which work to help to expand the horizons of underprivileged youngsters. In total, our grants will provide… -
Show your love for charities on Google+ this holiday season
7 Dec 2011 | 6:00 am(cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)We’ve been thrilled to see the ways nonprofit organizations use Google+ to raise awareness about their work, as well as the ways people connect with causes on Google+. In the past couple days, several entertainers have helped start a movement for this holiday season, drawing attention to their favorite charities on Google+ using the phrase #CauseILoveEm and creatively showing their followers what they love about these nonprofit organizations.+Russell Brand is asking fans to volunteer for two hours of charity work at +Habitat for Humanity of…
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Frogloop
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Top 10 Most Generous Cities in the U.S.
8 Feb 2012 | 12:12 pmEver wonder how charitable your city is? You’re in luck because Convio recently released their report on the 273 most generous cities across the United States. Convio analyzed cities with total population of more than 100,000 based on per capita online giving and the total amount donated through the Convio platform. The average gift size remained steady in 2011 at about $65 with more than $435M donated to charities. The donors in the most generous cities increased their total online contributions by more than 11 percent over 2010, which is pretty impressive considering the tough… -
Upcoming Conference Roundup (February - March 2012)
6 Feb 2012 | 12:26 pmWith the new year in full swing, we're looking forward to all the great events that are coming up this year by refreshing our own 2012 Conferences calendar. Here you'll find a list of upcoming events that are sure to be buzzing with cause-minded folks. And wherever there's a cause to be championed, you'll find the Care2 Team -- this month delivering a trifecta of tips and tactics, with three of our Nonprofit Services directors presenting at three different conferences on three different topics over the next three weeks: -Eric Rardin will be talking about Cause Marketing & High Level… -
Webinar: eCampaign 2012 - Killer Tactics to Drive Elections with Online Fundraising And Social Media
5 Feb 2012 | 2:46 pmElectoral campaigns are important incubators of new techniques and tactics in online fundraising and organizing. From Barack Obama's campaign to the thousands of state and local races across the country, campaigners are relentlessly testing new approaches and refining proven tactics in online fundraising and social media to gain an edge over their rivals -- and in some cases to make history. Join us on February 16, 2012 at 2:00 PM ET for "eCampaign 2012 - Killer Tactics to Drive Elections Using Online Fundraising & Social Media" and hear from two experts who are… -
Lessons Learned When Your Community Revolts
2 Feb 2012 | 6:40 amThere are three pillars to building an online community and engaging on social media channels: 1. Honesty, transparency, and being upfront. 2. Listening and being responsive to members of the community no matter how lame or silly you find the questions or feedback. 3. Thanking your community for their support, feedback and guidance. If you don’t practice these principals every single day somewhere along the way your community is going to revolt. And it won’t be pretty. For example, yesterday, Planned Parenthood released a statement saying that the Susan G. Komen Foundation… -
Year-End Fundraising Up in 2011
30 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amIn January of last year I wrote up a quick summary on how some of our clients' end-of-year fundraising campaigns did vs. the prior year, and I thought it’d be nice to repeat the exercise to see how nonprofits fared in 2011. The results below come from aggregate data from 14 organizations we work with – a big thanks to them for letting us include their data in this post. These aren’t necessarily the same organizations we included in our write-up last year; this analysis compares two years of data for these 14 groups. So without further ado, here’s the scoop: A lot more…
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About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs
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New Books Bring Nonprofit Finance and Legal Issues Within Reach
8 Feb 2012 | 5:00 pmIf you're anything like me, a financial statement or a contract makes you feel like your spaceship just got sucked into a black hole. But as board members or nonprofit staff, we have to make an effort to understand what amounts to the corporate law and finance that undergird our organizations. That's why I was very happy to see two books land on my review pile in recent weeks. They are Good Counsel: Meeting the Legal needs of Nonprofits, by Lesley Rosenthal and The Board Member's Easier Than You Think Guide to Nonprofit Finances, by Any Robinson and Nancy Wasserman. These two books have taken… -
Nonprofits Urge Adopt or Sponsor a Pet for Valentine's Day
7 Feb 2012 | 5:00 pmI can't think of a better way to serve up a Valentine's Day scoop of love than to adopt or sponsor a pet. My long time favorite animal sanctuary, Best Friends, is sending a very cute email to its supporters suggesting sponsoring either Jack, "a pig with a plan," or Nito, a shy dog who loves the ladies. It's all in the name of creatively expressing your heart for Valentine's Day. Read Full PostNonprofits Urge Adopt or Sponsor a Pet for Valentine's Day originally appeared on About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs on Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 at 01:00:23.Permalink | Comment | Email this -
Do You Know Who Your Nonprofit Is Sleeping With? Komen's Outing
5 Feb 2012 | 11:06 pmI've never seen a reversal as fast as the one Susan G. Komen for the Cure made last week. In a head-spinning set of moves, Komen, which was outed on Tuesday for cutting funding to Planned Parenthood, 1) thought they could get by with a canned video that said a new policy about grantees who were under "investigation" was behind their defunding, 2) changed its story to something about "pass-throughs" on Thursday, and 3) changed its mind and apologized to supporters and critics on Friday. Meanwhile Planned Parenthood raised several million dollars in three days and scored a Superbowl like PR… -
'Heroes with a Heart' Honors Those You Most Admire
1 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amNear me is a beautiful little ranch that has been converted into a therapeutic riding center for physically challenged children. Every day several volunteers -- most have been coming here for years -- show up to lead the horses and to protect the delighted kids who ride the horses and ponies. They all serve with gentle care, love, and commitment, and no fanfare at all. Those volunteers are my heroes. If you're like me, you are inspired by people who are quietly changing the world each and every day. They're not on the front page of the newspaper, and they're not mingling with the Gates and… -
Best Links: Shy Board Members, Google Search, B Corps
30 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pmNonprofit Blog Carnival Nancy Schwartz collected all our dreams for the nonprofit world in her January Nonprofit Blog Carnival. Who would have thought that we would dream so much and so creatively? Marc Pitman kicks off the February Nonprofit Blog Carnival with his Valentine's Day themed How do you take care of yourself? Marc asks, "We often focus on letting donors know we love them, but how do you show yourself the love?" Oh, did you forget to reward yourself? This will be an opportunity to pledge anew to do just that. Fundraising, Social Media, Business for Good Katya Andresen reminds us of…
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zyOzy Foundation Blog
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The Future Belongs to the Curious
22 Jan 2012 | 12:15 pmFrom the moment we open our eyes it fuels our existence. We are on a mission to remind everyone to never lose your sense of curiosity or wonder. Long live learning! -
How to focus in the age of distraction?
18 Jan 2012 | 1:17 pm -
Cycling infographic
18 Dec 2011 | 12:17 pm -
“Get It Done”: Urging Climate Justice, Youth Delegate Anjali Appadurai Mic-Checks UN Summit
11 Dec 2011 | 6:36 amAmazing speech by a smart and pragmatic young woman. Anjali Appadurai, a student at the College of the Atlantic in Maine, addressed the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban on behalf of youth delegates. Just after her speech, she led a mic-check from the stage — a move inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests. “It always seems impossible until it’s done. So, distinguished delegates and governments around the world, governments of the developed world: Deep cuts now. Get it done,” Appadurai says. -
Obesity Worldwide
26 Nov 2011 | 12:55 pm
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Everyday Giving Blog
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How to Get Involved with Microfinance
26 Jan 2012 | 5:16 pmAs a form of socially conscious investment, microfinance is an increasingly popular option for people who want to do something good – and there is plenty of scope to get involved. One study by Unitus found that up to 80% of the potential microfinance market had still not been reached, so there is clearly still a lot of work to be done. A lot of this is due to the fact that the key targets of microfinance charity are primarily poor, rural and often hard to reach. So, if you are interested in micro loans as a means of helping some of the world’s most disadvantaged people, how can you get… -
Wacky Ways to Raise Money for Charity
22 Jan 2012 | 8:47 pmIf there's a charity that's close to your heart, you've probably put at least some thought into raising money for it. Sadly, in today's economic climate, it's hard to find people willing to donate to good causes. It's not that people don't want to help - but there's not much in the way of spare money floating around these days, and people are constantly being bombarded with requests to sponsor charity runs, donate to raffles, pledge on someone's JustGiving page, or sign up for a monthly direct debit to donate to a specific cause. If you want to persuade people that your cause is… -
Non Profits Need Online Presence
27 Dec 2011 | 5:00 amIn order to be competitive nonprofit organizations, just like any other business, must develop and cultivate an online presence. The internet has become an integral part of daily life to almost everyone. Nonprofits now have unprecedented opportunity to recruit supporters and cultivate loyalty to their respective organizations. Because the internet has provided these vast fundraising and marketing opportunities, it’s critical that nonprofit organizations embrace technology and develop a strategic plan for an online presence immediately. New nonprofits should begin developing a strategy… -
Ten Companies That Know How to Give
22 Dec 2011 | 11:03 am10 Biggest Givers in the Corporate World by Kristy Ramirez When it comes to corporate philanthropy, there have been a lot of complaints from the workforces in this country that the highest income earners and corporations aren’t paying their fair share, so to speak. Especially in an unsettled economic climate; are businesses still donating to charities and other philanthropic organisations despite the drop in their overall profit margins? Luckily, the statistics prove that yes, millions- even billions- of dollars are still being given away by community-conscious corporations all over the… -
Changing your lifestyle: 4 Ways to make yourself feel good
17 Nov 2011 | 9:37 amWhether it’s a bad day at work, the weathers getting you down or you just feel like you’ve had a pretty bad year, making yourself feel good again is hard work. A nice hot bath and chocolate used to do the trick but nowadays you’re craving something a little bigger. To help you find something that will improve the way you feel on a bigger scale, check out a few ideas below: Treat yourself Whether it’s pampering yourself, new clothes, or indulging in an expensive slap up meal, why not attempt to change your lifestyle all together? From the way that you look to who you hang out with, try…
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Volunteer Boston: Learn what's going on in Boston and beyond
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Thrill Hill - Its Fast & Its A Blast!
25 Jan 2012 | 9:08 amJoin us on Sunday, February 19th for tubing at McIntyre's Thrill Hill in Manchester, NH!This $40 all inclusive trip includes:Roundtrip TransportationTwo Hours on the Thrill HillPizza and BeerCharitable Donation of your choice!If you joined us on our last trip to Nashoba Valley Blue Grass and Blues you are sure to enjoy this event! We donated $1,000 to charity that day...help us support a local charity all while having a blast.100% of proceeds will be donated to the charity YOU* help choose!* Charities will be nominated by those who purchase tickets**One of the top three vote getting charities… -
RUN BOSTON #BostonMarathon
18 Jan 2012 | 11:32 amThe Boys & Girls Club is looking for a few more teammembers to join us and run the 2012 Boston Marathon!When you join the Boys & Girls Club Marathon team youwill get:-Guaranteed entry to the 2012 Boston Marathon-Expert-coached weekly large group workouts-A customized training plan for your fitness level-An unforgettable marathon experience with the support ofour group-Weekly large group training runs with a meeting space andparking-Race day event at the Westin Copley Place-Race weekend pasta party-13 to 21-Mile training runs-The incredible feeling that your efforts are supportingyouth… -
Get Connected in 2012 with Socializing for Justice
12 Jan 2012 | 8:10 amGet Connected in 2012 with Socializing for JusticeGrassroots group building a cross-issue progressive network since 2006On January 19th from 6-9PM, Socializing for Justice will be hosting it's largest event of the year, Connecting for Justice, at Lir on Boylston. This open house event draws 120+ progressives of all stripes and is a great way to get connected to SoJust's cross-issue progressive community. This is a welcoming space where all attendees, diverse by age, race, gender, sexual orientation, newness to Boston, and experience with activism, come together to “put the… -
Christmas Volunteer Opportunity
30 Nov 2011 | 2:17 pmWho: Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) is a non-sectarian national network of non-profit, volunteer-based organizations committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly. We offer to people of good will the opportunity to join the elderly in friendship and celebration of life.What: As part of the Holiday Visitation Program, Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly makes visits to over 350 Elder Friends on Christmas who are without family to celebrate the holiday. They will also celebrate Hanukkah with the Jewish elders on Christmas Day. Visiting… -
RUN OF THE CHARLES CANOE & KAYAK RACE Sunday, April 29, 2012
28 Nov 2011 | 7:33 amWHAT: The biggest and best canoe and kayak event in New England! The 30th anniversary of the Run of the Charles Canoe & Kayak Race celebrates the Charles River Watershed Association's 48 years of improvements to the health, beauty…
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Giving in a digital world
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12 digital fundraising trends for 2012 #11 Properly Joined-up Digital Planning
6 Feb 2012 | 12:48 amThe chart above comes from the 2010 Blackbaud State of the Nonprofit Industry Survey (SONI), and shows less than one third of Nonprofit organisations from any country surveyed that year saying that they had a ‘Written Online Strategy’ in place. Unfortunately the response to this question hasn’t been included in Blackbaud’s 2011 SONI Report, so we don’t know whether those who said in 2010 that their online strategies were ‘in development’ now have one in place. However, from what I hear when I talk to nonprofits around the world about their online… -
12 digital fundraising trends for 2012 #10 Social Media Fundraising Growing-Up
31 Jan 2012 | 10:44 amAfter several years of amazing growth, data from Hitwise last August suggested that Facebook use was starting to slow here in the UK. Not at all surprising given that there are now around 30.25m UK users – equating to almost half of the whole country’s population signed-up to the site. So it must be approaching saturation point. Hitwise reinforced this observation with data released earlier this month showing Facebook’s share of all UK visits to social network sites falling by 7% December 2010 to December 2011, while YouTube’s share grew by roughly the same amount. -
12 digital fundraising trends for 2012 #9 Back To Website Donation Basics
25 Jan 2012 | 12:19 amAs I’ve been highlighting throughout this series, the wealth of developments in digital commerce and communications emerging at the moment offer a host of potential new opportunities for fundraisers. However, as mentioned in Monday’s post about Email fundraising, in a year when many supporters are likely to be under increasing financial pressure and all fundraisers should be looking for opportunities to increase their effectiveness, I think some of the biggest opportunities will actually come from focusing on getting the fundraising basics right. When it comes to online… -
12 digital fundraising trends for 2012 #8 Contactless Payments
23 Jan 2012 | 11:21 pmAccording to the people at Visa Europe, 2012 is going to be the year that ‘contactless payments’ take off here in the UK – heralding a new era when we will all be purchasing low cost items (£15 or less) with a wave of our payment card or NFC equipped mobile phone. No need to type-in a pin number – just ‘wave and pay’. The technology to enable this has been available here for a while now, with Barclaycard launching their ‘OnePulse’ card using Visa’s contactless system back in 2007 and partnering with Orange to launch the UK’s first… -
12 digital fundraising trends for 2012 #7 Getting Smarter With Email
22 Jan 2012 | 11:42 pmAs pressure to deliver on income targets in these increasingly challenging financial times results in a return to getting the fundraising basics right, I hope we’re going to see a shift towards making far better use of email this year – thereby capitalising on what is all too often a sadly under-performing opportunity area. Despite continued excitement over the potential of Social Media, the fact is that email remains the most effective way for most fundraisers to engage directly with the majority of their online supporters – and seems likely to remain that way for the…
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Bridgespan - All RSS Feeds
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Community Collaboratives Case Studies
5 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pmCommunity Collaboratives Profiles 2012 02 06 Twelve profiles of community collaboratives based research for the report, "Needle Moving Community Collaboratives." Through our work with the White House on Council on Community Solutions LINK TO FULL REPORT , The Bridgespan -
Needle-Moving Community Collaboratives: A Promising Approach to Addressing America’s Biggest Challenges
5 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pmNeedle Moving Community Collaboratives A Promising Approach to Addressing America’s Biggest Challenges 2012 02 06 Willa Seldon Michele Jolin, and Paul Schmitz Executive summary for the report, "Needle Moving Community Collaboratives A Promising Approach to Addressing America’s Biggest Challenges." -
Ensuring That “Scaling What Works” Actually Works
1 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pmEnsuring That “Scaling What Works” Actually Works 2012 02 02 Matthew Forti “We know what works, and if we could just steer funds to those organizations with superior results, society would be much better off.” Sound familiar? But in -
Where Do We Go From Here? Reflections on the Closing of Hull House
25 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmWhere Do We Go From Here? Reflections on the Closing of Hull House 2012 01 26 Hull House’s founding signaled the start of a new era in social services in the late 19th century. Its demise at the outset -
Refreshing Your Nonprofit Board Dashboard
16 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmRefreshing Your Board Dashboard 2012 01 17 Matthew Forti With 2012 upon us and many New Year’s resolutions already broken, Matt Forti suggests one you can easily keep a refreshed board dashboard With 2012 upon us and many New Year’s resolutions
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Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
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What Komen Should Do Next to Rebuild Trust
7 Feb 2012 | 3:31 pmThe apology that Susan G. Komen for the Cure issued on Friday was the first step. The obligatory resignations are next. But if Komen is going to repair the damage done by its behavior last week, they have quite a few more steps in the process. “What should Komen do next?” That’s the question many of you have asked me, and it was certainly the top question asked of me in my role as nonprofit marketing pundit last week. Here’s what I think they need to do next: Diversify the staff and board The decision to defund Planned Parenthood ended up being extremely political… -
In Direct Mail, All Responses, Even Complaints, Are Good
6 Feb 2012 | 10:30 amTom Ahern Tom Ahern is my go-to guy for all things direct mail. Afraid your direct mail piece goes too far and will solicit a negative response? Tom explains why that may not be a bad thing. Plus he quotes one of my other favorite fundraising bloggers, Jeff Brooks. If you are interested in Tom critiquing your direct mail appeal, sign up for our Direct Mail for Small Nonprofits e-clinic in May. Like our Facebook page, and you’ll find a $50 off coupon code on our Freebies & Coupons tab for the e-clinic. ~Kivi Guest Post by Tom Ahern of Ahern Communications It had arrived. And I… -
Top 5 Words to Avoid to Achieve Messaging Awesomeness
3 Feb 2012 | 11:30 amErica Mills Last week on the main Nonprofit Marketing Guide site (you are reading the blog now), I published an article called, “Blah, Blah, Blah: What to Do When You Write Too Much.” In today’s guest post, Erica Mills of Claxon Marketing takes it to the next step by showing how specific words can actually debilitate your messaging. ~Kivi Guest Post by Erica Mills of Claxon Marketing We all crave an awesomely compelling way to talk and write about our organizations. But finding the right words is hard. It’s easy to convince yourself that your messaging is ‘good… -
Logo Trends: How Does Yours Stack Up?
2 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amJulia Reich For those of you interested in the ongoing Komen-Planned Parenthood story, I will continue to update yesterday’s post at the bottom of the original content. Today we are moving on with a new topic . . . Our resident design expert, Julia Reich, is back with the latest trends in logos. And if you are embarrassed with your organization’s current logo or think it’s just time for a change, be sure to join us February 8th for Julia’s webinar called, “Help! My Logo Sucks!” Julia will take a look at why some logos work and some don’t, and teach… -
The Accidental Rebranding of Komen for the Cure
1 Feb 2012 | 8:42 am(Updates to this post can be found at the bottom.) Yesterday afternoon, and continuing into today, I believe we are witnessing the accidental rebranding of what is surely one of America’s biggest and most well-known, and even well-loved, nonprofit brands. Komen for the Cure, it seems, is no longer a breast cancer charity, but a pro-life breast cancer charity. Let me stop right here and say this post is not about abortion per se, one way or the other, other than the fact that it is the single most divisive issue in American politics today. My personal beliefs are very clear and public.
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Selfish Giving
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Budlight Combines Superbowl Ad with Likes to Help Rescue Dogs
5 Feb 2012 | 7:51 pmNice Superbowl ad for rescue dogs. It ties into a Facebook Like promotion at Budlight’s page that rewards each like with a one dollar donation to the Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, up to $250,000. I also think it was probably the best ad of the game, admitting that the other ads were pretty lackluster. You can watch the commercial here. It’s great that Budlight chose to support a local organization! Maybe we should get Weego to play for the Patriots next year. Pin It -
Friends of Georgia State Parks: Taking QR Codes to the Park
3 Feb 2012 | 6:55 pmI very much enjoyed speaking to your group today! There was a lot of talk and questions afterward about QR codes. Tonight, in researching for my latest book, QR Codes for Dummies, I found this story on how Fort Smith Historic Site in Arkansas is using QR codes! It’s a great article that I think you’ll find interesting and helpful. Here’s the challenge: to get it you need to scan this QR code! There’s a good lesson in this too. While this article is about QR codes, the magazine it was in, CRM, isn’t quite up to speed on mobile technology and hasn’t optimized… -
Komen Sucks…But So Do You
2 Feb 2012 | 2:06 pmNothing Komen for the Cure does surprises me anymore. They sell deep-fried chicken to raise money to cure breast cancer. They sue other nonprofits that use “for the cure” in any variation in their name. Now, they’re flexing their muscle and shutting off the funding to Planned Parenthood. For Komen, it’s just another day being a big, arrogant SOB that has swallowed too much of its own public relations and is drunk with power and eager to show its fight. Part of me grudgingly admires Komen. Heck, I tell nonprofits all the time they should operate more like businesses. -
Heroes with A Heart Grant Recognizes Unsung Nonprofit Heroes
1 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amIf you’re like most people, you get most of your inspiration from people who are quietly changing the world each and every day. They’re not on the front page of the newspaper, and they’re not mingling with the Gates and Buffets of the world. They’re everyday people like you and me who have shown extraordinary commitment to making this world better than when they found it. The CTK Foundation “Heroes with a Heart” Grant Award asks YOU to nominate a “Hero with a Heart,” and give them a chance to win $5,000 – a simple thanks for the hard work that… -
‘Employee Engagement’ is My New Cause Marketing Buzzword
1 Feb 2012 | 7:04 amI’m trying to learn more about volunteering and employee engagement initiatives for businesses that want more than the transactional cause marketing campaigns I specialize in. These are the days when I wish employee volunteering expert Chris Jarvis lived closer to me and not in the home of terrible baseball, Toronto. The employee engagement side of cause marketing is mostly new to me. Sure, employee volunteers – upwards to 1,200 people for a two day event – were a big part of the Halloween event I produced in Boston for five years. But organizations focused on this area…
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White Courtesy Telephone
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"Where Are The Bodies Coming From?" And Other Essential Questions
6 Feb 2012 | 10:25 amP O S T E D B Y A L B E R T I delivered the following remarks at a Hudson Institute panel titled, “What is Social Justice Philanthropy?” Fellow panelists included Christine Doby of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation; Thomasina H. Williams, formerly of the Ford Foundation; and University of Texas Professor Peter Frumkin. Hudson Institute Senior… -
White Courtesy Telephone Caption Contest
4 Feb 2012 | 11:04 am -
Steve Jobs, The Meaning of a Nonprofit, and Moral Imagination
29 Jan 2012 | 1:13 pmP O S T E D B Y A L B E R T I. I remember my sense of anticipation some 18 years ago when I landed my first foundation job. None of my friends or colleagues had any inkling what happened inside these black boxes that consistently swallowed our proposals and issued polite rejections. I had heard that foundations were about social change, that they were about… -
Money in Politics: Foundations and the 2012 Election Cycle
24 Jan 2012 | 5:11 pmP O S T E D B Y A L B E R T Even though not-for-profit organizations are strictly barred from any kind of electioneering, foundations—public and private—need not miss out on the political hurly burly of this election cycle. We know that many foundations sponsor candidates’ forums and publish issue papers to help inform the voting public. -
Our Nonprofits Are Too Good to Fail
22 Nov 2011 | 11:10 amP O S T E D B Y A L B E R T Editor’s note: A version of this op ed appeared in today’s Times-Picayune. That’s why the piece is written in the first-person serious. Feel free to use it as your own, without attribution. While the feds were bailing out large investment banks on Wall Street, our local nonprofit organizations were having a…
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Jamie Notter
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Humanize “Must Reads” on Pinterest
9 Feb 2012 | 5:54 amHave you heard the buzz about Pinterest yet? It’s one of those new social sites that will either be the next big thing or something nobody remembers in six months. But it is a nice interface, and it turns out to be a great way for me to do something that has been on my to-do list for a while: put down in one place all the books that we mentioned in Humanize as “Must Reads.” At the end of most chapters, we picked three books related to that particular chapter that we thought were foundational to what we were talking about. I “pinned” them on a Pinterest board so… -
Start by Looking Inside
7 Feb 2012 | 6:37 amEdelman’s Annual “Trust Barometer” report is out. Maddie broke the news on SocialFishing, pointing out that trust in CEOs dropped precipitously (50% last year; 38% this year), where trust in the “regular employee” was up by a similar margin (34% last year to 50% this year). That’s big news, and it’s consistent with what she and I have been writing about. Obviously trust is an important issue to us–Trustworthy is one of the four human elements we write about in Humanize. There is a 32-page slide deck from Edelman that goes over the main points in… -
Public Discourse on Humanize
3 Feb 2012 | 5:58 amAt one level, getting a book published is a fairly scripted process. You write it, you publicize the heck out of it, you speak on it, and, if all goes well, a bunch of people buy it. Thousands of authors/publishers do this (in roughly the same way) every single year. Of course, when it’s YOUR book, it always somehow feels more unique, unpredictable, even magical. When Maddie and I wrote Humanize, we gave it our all. We wrote from our hearts. We put down on paper thoughts and ideas that tied together years of our personal and professional development, both separately and together. -
Shaking Up Patterns
31 Jan 2012 | 4:31 amThis weekend I taught a three-hour session on Systems to students in Georgetown’s Organization Development and Change Leadership Certificate program. I went through this program 11 years ago myself (though it didn’t have the “change leadership” moniker back then). I love teaching this class and digging into the idea that when we get together in groups, we tend to fall into familiar patterns and system dynamics. The people at the top always feel burdened by complexity and responsibility. The people in the middle always feel torn trying to meet everyone’s needs. -
Humanize and the Millennial Generation
24 Jan 2012 | 12:35 pmTwo weeks ago I wrote a post about an inherent paradox in the conversation about generational differences. The differences we see among generations are both true at the big picture level AND irrelevant at the individual level. Every generation possesses significant diversity and significant “sameness” at the same time. That post was the setup to this one, based on the original question that was posed in one of our Humanize twitter chats, which was “Is the Millennial generation better poised to accept the ideas in Humanize than previous generations.” My answer in the…
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NP Communicator
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Practice makes perfect, and other interview tips
1 Feb 2012 | 8:01 amPhoto courtesy of Red Media Group, Flickr, Creative Commons When I work with nonprofit leaders who are preparing for media interviews, one of my first pieces of advice is, “Remember, you’re in control!” The media needs your help to tell the story, and you’re the expert on your organization’s issues. So, if that’s the case, why do we find ourselves floundering in media interviews, being dragged off topic with no sense of how to bring it back to our core messages? It’s because most of us just need a little practice. We need to sharpen our interview… -
Prostitution, undocumented youth, living with a disability: Reporting the issues that matter
23 Jan 2012 | 12:37 pmThe Local Reporting Initiative was launched in the Spring of 2011 to report stories about Chicago’s South and West Sides that aren’t often told. With support from The Chicago Community Trust, the Community Media Workshop has been overseeing the project, and we’ve been blown away by some of the stories produced under the Initiative. These are stories about real people, stories that deserve to be heard. Take Nina, the first woman to go through a new program to help women facing prostitution charges in Cook County. Or Aurora, an undocumented youth who works two jobs and… -
Workshop helps employment center step up work with local media
3 Jan 2012 | 7:49 amA 2011 story by Barrington Patch about CareerPlace At a time of record unemployment in Illinois and the country, organizations that can help people find employment and build their skills are more important then ever. Yet, CareerPlace, located in Barrington, found that more than 40% of people in their area didn’t know about their services and classes for unemployed individuals. “We struggled with finding the time to reach out to the local media,” said Monica Keane, executive director of CareerPlace. “I thought Professional Media Relations would be a good way to learn how to get… -
The top 11 Workshop blog posts of 2011
14 Dec 2011 | 11:15 amAt the end of the year, it’s fun and informative to see what drew you to our website. The Community Media Workshop produces three blogs–Newstips, NP Communicator and Chicago is the World–and in 2011, these were the top 11 most viewed blog posts on our site. Did you have a favorite Workshop blog post this year? Let us know if it made the top 11 or not. We want to continue providing content that’s helpful to you and your organization. The Top 11 1. NP Communicator: Be a nonprofit blogger! - By far, our most popular blog post this year. It’s a helpful post, and it just… -
Develop a media story for your organization and pitch reporters, face-to-face
29 Nov 2011 | 10:39 amRoiAnn Phillips of HealthConnect One RoiAnn Phillips decided to attend Professional Media Relations because she wanted a better grasp of media strategy and outreach as she took on more communications work at HealthConnect One. Her “ah-ha moment” came when instructors told the class how to tailor a pitch to pique reporters’ interest, but her big breakthrough came a couple of weeks later. During the five-part workshop, she was able to pitch her organization’s upcoming report analyzing breastfeeding rates in Illinois to WBEZ Reporter Chip Mitchell. That opportunity resulted in three…
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Wild Apricot Blog (RSS 2.0)
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Volunteer Recruitment Resource
8 Feb 2012 | 6:33 amHere's a new volunteer recruitment resource that offers tips and secrets from volunteer managers. -
Setting Up Your Wild Apricot Website Webinar - Tomorrow
7 Feb 2012 | 6:33 amIf you are new to Wild Apricot and want some help setting up your website - sign up for our free webinar tomorrow - Wed. Feb. 8th. -
Inconvenient Truths About Committees
6 Feb 2012 | 6:56 amA new article in our Hub offers tips and strategies for effective committee development and management. -
New Research on Mobile Giving
3 Feb 2012 | 6:30 amHere's a look at key findings and takeaways from a new Pew research report on mobile giving. -
What's New in the Membership Knowledge Hub?
1 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amHere's an update of new resources that are now available in our Membership Knowledge Hub.
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AFP Blog: Recent News of Note
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How Stanford Raised $6-Billion in Hard Times - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas
8 Feb 2012 | 12:01 pmHow Stanford Raised $6-Billion in Hard Times - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Stanford’s announcement today that it has raised $6.2-billion in a campaign with a goal of $4.3-billion seems all the more remarkable given that the drive took place amid a severe recession.Martin Shell, Stanford’s vice president of development, -
How Stanford Raised $6-Billion in Hard Times - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas
8 Feb 2012 | 12:01 pmHow Stanford Raised $6-Billion in Hard Times - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Stanford’s announcement today that it has raised $6.2-billion in a campaign with a goal of $4.3-billion seems all the more remarkable given that the drive took place amid a severe recession.Martin Shell, Stanford’s vice president of development, -
Jewish Federations Support Protection of Charitable Giving Incentives
8 Feb 2012 | 7:59 amJewish Federations Support Protection of Charitable Giving Incentives: February 6, 2012 -- The Jewish Federations of North America appreciates the Obama Administration’s acknowledgement of the importance of retaining charitable giving incentives. As one of the most vocal leaders in the effort to oppose White House attempts to reduce the tax deductibility of charitable contributions, JFNA is -
Maxim Thorne: The Komen-Planned Parenthood Case -- A Philanthropic and Political Victory for Us All
8 Feb 2012 | 7:53 amMaxim Thorne: The Komen-Planned Parenthood Case -- A Philanthropic and Political Victory for Us All: I like the fact that Komen's strategies have been entrepreneurial and they pay to get the best talent, and thus get people to give more time, and more treasure. And I like the brand they created. Why then the outrage that hit the Komen Foundation because of its decision to defund Planned -
Man, 100, claims to be oldest marathon runner; �‘Turbaned Torpedo’ runs 10K in Hong Kong� - NY Daily News
8 Feb 2012 | 7:36 amMan, 100, claims to be oldest marathon runner; �‘Turbaned Torpedo’ runs 10K in Hong Kong� - NY Daily News: A 100-year-old British Indian man who claims to be the world's oldest marathoner was all smiles after completing a 10K run at the Hong Kong marathon on Sunday.Born in 1911 and affectionately nicknamed the "Turbaned Torpedo", Fauja Singh finished the race in just over one hour and 34 minutes,
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Cause Marketing
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Small Biz Cause Marketing
9 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amI saw a job description the other day for one of the chief marketers at Macy’s, the giant retailer. Among the listed job responsibilities was cause marketing, something Macy’s does well with sophisticated efforts for Make-A-Wish and the American Heart Association.Big companies and big charities tend to suck all the oxygen of the room when we speak of cause marketing. But small companies and causes can do it effectively too.Case in point is this wrapper at the left for a chocolate bar from the Big Island in Hawaii.It couldn’t be more homey and local. The paper wrapper feels like copy… -
Gamifying Cause Marketing
8 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amOn the heels of my posts on games and cause marketing in this space and at MediaPost.com, people have been asking me about how so-called 'gamification' can be used in cause marketing.Part of the answer has already been provided by Joe Waters (and others) in their coverage of Foursquare, which can be easily utilized in cause marketing.Zynga and its suite of games have done meaningful cause marketing, notably for disaster relief in Haiti and Japan.A handful of sites including Gamesthatgive.net (whose revenue model is based on advertising) offer donations to nonprofits based on how long you play… -
Must... Somehow... Work Super Bowl Advertising and Cause Marketing Into This Headline
7 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amIn the moments and hours after the Super Bowl advertising executives appear like earthworms after a rainstorm to grade and critique the television ads. Never mind that very few of these experts have ever actually produced a Super Bowl ad, much less one that would pass muster with their equally critical peers!So not one more word on the 2012 Super Bowl ads, at least from me.Instead I want to raise the banner for a kind of cause marketing I’d like to see actually develop.The idea was prompted by a trip to Walgreens when I purchased a paper icon benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research… -
Buy One, Give One Cause Marketing for Services
6 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amI’ve highlighted numerous products that utilize Buy One Give One; shoes, baby blankets, fruit snacks, watches, neckties, fragrances, wine, and eyeglasses, to name a few. I’ve certainly seen services that use cause marketing; including law firms, hotel chains and vacation companies. Now a video production company in Belgium is using BOGO to cause market their service.For each travel video Timbooktwo produces, the company will make a video for a charity.Here’s how it works; when the company is in a region of the world shooting for a paying client, they will contact a charity in the region… -
Join Causemarketing.Biz Google Newsgroup, Get a Cool Tool You Can Use Today
3 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amKind Readers:Shawn T. from San Diego, California is the latest to join the Causemarketing.biz Google Newsgroup.It couldn’t be easier to subscribe. Simply send me your name and your email address to aldenkeene at gmail dot com.When you subscribe each new post comes directly to your email, usually every business day.And like Shawn, when you join I’ll also send you a PDF copy of the "Five Flavors of Cause Marketing" which explains Cause Marketing in an easy-to-follow matrix that includes examples.It's a great brainstorming tool and helps ensure that your campaign has all the components…
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So what can I do?
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Change the world.
6 Oct 2014 | 3:52 pmHow will you make our world a better place?* Health and education* Economics, social entrepreneurship, and microfinance* Food and water* Energy and technology* Women, children, and family* Environment, land, and sustainability* FaithAnd don’t forget to visit the So What Can I Do Bookstore. Your efforts can change the world.”Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mohandas GandhiPlease visit http://sowhatcanido.blogspot.com to offer your comments and suggestions, forward this post, and peruse the archives. Thanks for reading "So what can I do", the public service weblog promoting… -
Make it a day/life of service.
6 Jan 2012 | 8:02 pmI remember one Martin Luther King day many years ago, when I was in grad school, that I spent in the lab. That wasn't too unusual because I generally went to the lab every day. But one of my colleagues (who was also working) asked me why I was in the lab on the King holiday. I replied that I thought Dr. King would want me to get my PhD. I still think of the King Holiday as a day on rather than a day off, but now that I have finished school, I have a bit more time to be of service to others on that day. Readers of So What Can I Do are likely to feel the same, so I offer two resources to find… -
EITC: Ask for it!
6 Jan 2012 | 7:30 pmTax time is upon us once again. You've got a couple of extra days this year - til April 17. And here's another piece of good news: lots of folks, many of whom don't know it, will qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. EITC can mean up to $5,751 in your pocket. That's money to pay bills, save for college or a downpayment on your home, or stash away for a rainy day. Find out if you're eligible or ask your tax preparer about it.Remember you have to file a tax return (even if you're not required to or do not owe) in order to claim the EITC.You've already earned it. Now go claim it."Next to… -
Join the So What Can I Do blood donation team.
20 Jun 2009 | 8:40 pmI went to the Red Cross blood center today and gave a pint. Regular readers and regular donors know that blood donation is a fast and easy way to save up to three lives. You never know when you or someone you know will need blood. So please consider donating blood, platelets, or red cells. And if you do, you’re invited to join the So What Can I Do Red Cross Racing Team. Here’s how:• Visit redcrossracing.com .• After you register scroll to the bottom and click “Team Competition.”• Enter the So What Can I Do team code: O?67SO .• Remember to log your donations to win points and… -
Celebrate World Free Your Mind Day – June 19th.
18 Jun 2009 | 9:07 pmI spent this Juneteenth thinking about what my family would have been like if my great-great-granddaddy Griffin Henry Belk hadn’t walked off that plantation when he did. I expect it would have made a huge difference, because when Griffin Henry Belk left, he was able to travel (searching for his parents), purchase land (160 acres for $11 in Ozan, Arkansas), and generally prepare to provide for his wife and five children to come. So I woke up Juneteenth morning and told my daughter about her great-great-great-granddaddy. Even though she’s only two, I expect it resonated with her, or will…
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Public Sector Marketing 2.0
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Gamification can change behaviour. I have proof.
28 Jan 2012 | 1:23 pmThis post has been on my mind for a while now, and a recent article on the topic from Policy Horizons Canada finally brought this to the top of my “blog topics” list (which seems to have a leaking hole in it these days…sorry about that). As always, I like to start with a definition: “Gamification is the use of game design techniques and mechanics to solve problems and engage audiences. Typically gamification applies to non-game applications and processes in order to encourage people to adopt them. Gamification works by making technology more engaging, by… -
Open Government Consultation
10 Jan 2012 | 5:34 amIn the spirit of openness, I have decided to publicly share my open-ended responses to the ongoing Canadian Open Government Consultation, which has been taking place since December 6th, 2011 and is scheduled to end January 16th, 2012. The consultation covers questions on Open Data, Open Information, Open Dialogue and the Open Government Strategy. If you are a Canadian Citizen, I strongly suggest that you take the time to complete this short albeit extremely important survey. For more information on this initiative, please consult this news release. I have only included open-ended… -
Bring back the Jester!
23 Dec 2011 | 10:12 amSince this will likely be my last post for 2011, I have decided to write it in the form of a wish for 2012; The Jester is due for a comeback. What is a Jester? “In ancient times courts employed fools and by the Middle Ages the jester was a familiar figure. In Renaissance times, aristocratic households in Britain employed licensed fools or jesters, who sometimes dressed as other servants were dressed, but generally wore a motley coat, hood with ass’s (i.e. donkey) ears or a red-flannel coxcomb and bells. Regarded as pets or mascots, they served not simply to amuse but to criticise… -
Online Reputation Management, Personal Branding, Digital Footprints and SMM
19 Dec 2011 | 2:00 pmOnce in a while I like to analyze various search trends taking place in my industry. I do this primarily to see which terms are sticking and to gauge demand for specific business offerings. I first predicted a drastic rise in interest for “social media monitoring” information 4 years ago. Search for the term has been steadily growing year-by-year ever since, however you don’t have to be Nostradamus to know that with the obvious growth of social media, a natural first step for organizations was going to be to “listen” and see what’s going on before… -
Guideline for External Use of Web 2.0 in the Government of Canada
22 Nov 2011 | 7:44 pmAfter years of hearing ”it’ll be released next week” promises, I finally got to witness the official announcement this morning from Minister Tony Clement: The Treasury Board Secretariat’s Guideline for External Use of Web 2.0 is now public. Here is an excerpt from Tony’s speech: “Web 2.0 tools provide additional means of interactive communications between government institutions and Canadians. These tools are the modern-day equivalents of town halls. They can be used for various purposes including recruitment, emergency communications, and service…
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The Fine Print: blog posts from OMBWatch
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Small Biz Owners: Big Businesses, Millionaires Not Paying Fair Share
7 Feb 2012 | 11:24 am<!--break--> The American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance, and Small Business Majority released a new poll yesterday gauging small business owners’ opinions on taxes. On everything from the tax rates of the wealthy to corporations' exploitation of loopholes in the tax code, small business owners from across the nation say big businesses and millionaires aren’t paying their fair share. Nine out of ten small business owners believe large corporations use loopholes not available to small businesses to avoid paying taxes – taxes those same small businesses have to pay. -
New Poll Shows Small Business Owners Value Regulation, Name Weak Demand as the Primary Obstacle to Job Creation
2 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amIn a new national poll commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance, and Small Business Majority, small business owners named weak customer demand, not standards and safeguards, as the most important problem facing their businesses right now. In fact, a majority of the small business owners surveyed agreed that fair, effective regulation of business is necessary to ensure competitiveness and fairness in a modern global economy. Small business owners also support policies that ensure environmental health, food safety, and worker protection for customers and… -
Standing Up for Credit Card Customers' Right to Know
31 Jan 2012 | 2:34 pm<!--break--> Yesterday, the comment period ended on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) proposal to create an online database of customer complaints about credit card companies. Here's an update on where things stand: We delivered more than 800 of your comments to the CFPB in response to our action alert. Thank you to everyone who stood up to support government transparency and consumers' right to know. OMB Watch also filed detailed comments on the proposal. Above all, we emphasized how the CFPB's innovative proposal would benefit the public: We applaud the CFPB's proposal as… -
State of the Union's Call for Tax Fairness is a Good Start
26 Jan 2012 | 8:26 am<!--break--> “The state of the union is getting stronger.” That is how President Obama characterized the current state of the union. But, as we wrote in our State of the Union preview on Tuesday, we still have a long way to go before the economy is back on its feet. In our article, we recommended doing away with the looming budget cuts, increasing taxes on capital gains and financial transactions, and using the additional revenue to pay for more infrastructure projects and public protections. So what fiscal issues did Obama talk about in his speech on Tuesday? One of the main themes of… -
President Obama: You Had Me Until Fracking
25 Jan 2012 | 12:31 pmIn last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama reiterated his support for the development of clean energy sources that will create jobs and protect the environment. But while developing clean energy is essential for moving us into the 21st century energy marketplace, the way we build our clean energy future also matters. We must develop energy without harming public health and the environment. A natural gas extraction process, commonly referred to as fracking, was cited in last night’s State of the Union as an example of clean energy. But using fracking to extract…
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Third Sector News RSS Feed
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Margaret Hodge MP tells Work Programme contractor A4e it adds no value
9 Feb 2012 | 3:10 amChair of Public Accounts Committee asks why it passes on only £300 of £400 'attachment fee' to the charity LifeLine -
Tax adviser jailed for £70m Gift Aid fraud
9 Feb 2012 | 2:24 amDavid Perrin sentenced to 18 months for shares con in prosecution brought by HMRC -
Charities will play active role in Youth Contract, says employment minister
8 Feb 2012 | 4:53 pmChris Grayling detects willingness from sector to play part in work placements for young jobseekers -
Minister to act on potential charity shop apprenticeship scheme
8 Feb 2012 | 4:47 pmIdea put forward by Paul Farmer of Mind is embraced by skills minister John Hayes -
Report called for Welsh Government to stop funding Awema in 2005
8 Feb 2012 | 4:28 pmKirsty Williams of the Welsh Liberal Democrats says the charity has since received millions of public money
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EveryJoe
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Volkswagen “The Dog Strikes Back” – 2012 Super Bowl Commercial
6 Feb 2012 | 6:40 amIn 2011, Volkwagen’s Super Bowl commercial with a little boy imitating Darth Vader went viral, capturing the hearts of Star Wars fans and even non-geeks. So this year, Volkswagen decided to stick to the Star Wars theme, but this time used an overweight dog rather than a young boy. The ad was considered one of the best from the 2012 Super Bowl commercials. In case you missed it check out the video below, as well as “The Making Of: The Dog Strikes Back.” Post from: EveryJoe -
Teleflora Adriana Lima Ad – 2012 Super Bowl Commercial
6 Feb 2012 | 6:17 amAdvertisers know that hot chicks can really make a Super Bowl commercial. So it was no surprise to see sexy Adriana Lima in the Teleflora ad during this year’s Super Bowl. The commercial features Lima as she prepares for a special Valentine’s Day date. Post from: EveryJoe -
Doritos “Sling Baby” – 2012 Super Bowl Commercial
6 Feb 2012 | 6:14 amOne thing that I didn’t like about the Super Bowl commercials this year is that so many of them were released in the days and weeks leading up to the game. That takes away a lot of the excitement and shock value. Doritos always has a few good commercials during the Super Bowl, let’s take a look at their Sling Baby ad. Post from: EveryJoe -
Stripping M&M – 2012 Super Bowl Commercial
6 Feb 2012 | 6:10 amM&M’s latest character — Ms. Brown — got a lot of attention during yesterday’s Super Bowl. The stripping M&M commercial was one of the hottest Super Bowl ads of the day. She’s sexy and she knows it. Post from: EveryJoe -
Hyundai “All for One” – 2012 Super Bowl Commercial
6 Feb 2012 | 6:07 amYou can’t go wrong with a commercial featuring the Rocky theme. Fans loved Hyundai’s “All for One” Super Bowl commercial — one of the many ads from car manufacturers shown during the big game on Sunday. Post from: EveryJoe
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eJewish Philanthropy: Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource
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Giving by U.S. Family Foundations Recovering Slowly
9 Feb 2012 | 2:00 amAmerica’s family foundations contributed more than $20 billion in 2010 to organizations and people working for the public good, but total giving did not reach its pre-recession peak of $21 billion in 2008. According to the Foundation Center’s latest edition of Key Facts on Family Foundations, the 1.1 percent increase in family foundation giving between 2009 and 2010 marks a reversal of the previous year’s 3.4 percent decline. Among other key findings in the report: Family foundations account for the majority of giving by independent foundations overall (63 percent in 2010). -
What Would Rambam Think About Everyone Using His Ladder?
9 Feb 2012 | 1:05 amby Robert Lichtman Thanks to Dawne Bear Novicoff and Adene Sacks who posted their thoughts about the value-added of philanthropic advisors (What Would Rambam Think About DonorsChoose.org?). I am not such an advisor, but I do believe that making significant investment decisions that impact our future is not a DIY activity. Theirs is a complex argument which they attempted to frame using Rambam’s handy-dandy Tzedakah Ladder. If you don’t know what that is, your philanthropic advisor does. And the extent to which is it applied or misapplied is the issue. According to the famous hierarchy of… -
Telling Your Story When Engaging in Philanthropy
9 Feb 2012 | 1:00 amby Jo-Ann Mort and Judith Wineman eJewish Philanthropy featured an article recently by Dan Brown, eJP’s editor, about a donor organization that doesn’t promote its own fundraising through traditional communications outlets. This especially caught our eye because we believe that communications outreach is essential to good philanthropic practice. Philanthropists need a targeted megaphone beyond the act of grant making or financial contributions. Indeed, a solid communications strategy offers a multiplier for the money a funder puts into the field. This is a critical step for a donor moving… -
Jewish Heritage Europe Relaunches
9 Feb 2012 | 12:55 amBuilding on a previous Jewish Heritage Europe website, Jewish Heritage Europe (JHE) has launched. The website is envisioned as an online clearinghouse for resources, news and information on Jewish monuments and heritage sites all over Europe. JHE is the first of several exciting web-based projects that will premiere during 2012 looking to fill significant Jewish/Israeli world media short-comings. JHE’s primary focus is Jewish built heritage: synagogues, cemeteries, mikvaot, Jewish quarters and other physical traces that attest to a Jewish presence on the continent stretching back to… -
Israel Campus White Paper Released
9 Feb 2012 | 12:50 amNew York, NY – Combating growing attacks on Israel’s legitimacy on college campuses requires breaking the cycle of rallies and protests in favor of targeting outreach to campus influentials, according to a new white paper released today by pro-Israel campus organization, The David Project. The white paper, A Burning Campus? Rethinking Israel Advocacy at America’s Universities and Colleges lays out a new strategy for Israel advocacy rooted in relationships with key campus stakeholders and organizations, both Jewish and non-Jewish. The white paper finds that, “campus activism by…
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Nonprofit Law Blog
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Nonprofit Tweets of the Week - February 3, 2012
3 Feb 2012 | 4:30 amLots of nonprofit-related events and news this week, none stirring as much controversy as the Susan G. Komen Foundation decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood for breast cancer examinations and other breast health services. Here are some of my favorite posts of the week in the areas of nonprofit organizations, corporate governance, philanthropy, and social enterprises: Kivi Leroux Miller: The Accidental Rebranding of Komen for the Cure - http://ow.ly/1h4ImG Gene: Lesson - develop & live by organizational values - not directors' personal values. Duty of loyalty. [Agree with Pete… -
Nonprofit Tweets of the Week - January 27, 2012
27 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amHere are some of my favorite posts of the week in the areas of nonprofit organizations, corporate governance, philanthropy, and social enterprises: Lisa Chiu: Obama says he won't harm charitable giving: http://philanthropy.com/article Nonprofit Quarterly: Did U.S. Supreme Court's decision open door to less protection for faith-based employees? http://owl.li/8ACXy Philanthropy: Nonprofits Added Jobs Faster Than Businesses Last Decade, Study Finds http://ow.ly/8zCKT Emily: An Executive Director’s Guide to Financial Leadership: 8 key principles for sustained financial health… -
Gift Acceptance Policies - NCPGC Program Presented by Barbara Rhomberg
23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amOn January 12, 2012, I attended the progam "Gift Acceptance Policies: Why, When, What, How, and Who" presented to the Northern California Planned Giving Council by exempt organizations attorney Barbara Rhomberg. Using the example of the Trojan Horse, Barbara quickly convinced us that not all gifts are good ones and the time for a gift acceptance policy is before a charity accepts a problematic gift. Here are some highlights of her talk [and some of my thoughts in bracketed text]. There are 5 factors a charity must consider before accepting a noncash gift: Costs of… -
Nonprofit Tweets of the Week - January 20, 2012
20 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amYou can listen to Gene on Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio today (1:00 pm ET; 10:00 am PT) discussing board oversight basics. Chase Magnuson and Allen Thomas kick off the show discussing real estate gifts, how to get them, and how to keep a charity safe from bad gifts. Click on the "Listen live" link. Here are some of my favorite posts of the week in the areas of nonprofit organizations, corporate governance, philanthropy, and social enterprises: Nonprofit Assistance Fund: Great article by Kate S Barr & Jeanne Bell in the Nonprofit Quarterly - An Executive Director’s Guide to… -
Youth Board Members: Can minors serve on a nonprofit board?
19 Jan 2012 | 12:20 pmYouths represent a growing volunteer population for nonprofits and for some, a potential pool of nonprofit board members. The 2007 National Survey of Children's Health estimated that 78% of youths between 12-17 years of age had participated in at least a few volunteer work or community service events that year. Some groups have taken note of this increasingly service-oriented age group and focused discussions about integrating younger individuals into nonprofit boards beyond young professionals and even young adults to youths (i.e., person under the legal age of adulthood). Youth board…
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Heather Carpenter - Nonprofit Leadership 601
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Another well-known nonprofit goes out of business
31 Jan 2012 | 11:26 amI was sad to learn that Jane Adaams’ Hull House Association — one of the first settlement houses in the United States went out of business last week. I don’t know the details of their closure but was sad to learn there wasn’t a national fundraising appeal. It is sad that the Hull House serves over 60k Chicagoland residents each year and it could not survive the economic downturn. The Executives stated that they even saw an increased demand for services but could not meet those demands. The organization laid of 300 staff members. In this weeks finance class my… -
Is your CEO a figurehead?
30 Jan 2012 | 1:01 pmI recently noticed a trend in many nonprofit organizations. The Executive Director/CEO travels around the country and speaks at nonprofit conferences. This is good in theory because it promotes the organization but…what is going on back at the office while the CEO is away? There should be a COO (Chief Operating Officer) or Operations Director with full authority making the tough decisions back at the office. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and CEOs are expected to be the figurehead for the organization and make tough decisions back in the office. We need to recognize… -
Why is it so difficult to manage volunteers?
27 Jan 2012 | 10:37 amThis week I taught my undergraduate students about volunteer management best practices. I enjoyed hearing about their volunteer experiences and I was not surprised when some students explained how they had volunteered at well known organizations that were disorganized in their volunteer management practices. The biggest issue I’ve encountered while working in nonprofits is the lack of planning for volunteer management. Like the case with nonprofit operations in general, many nonprofits don’t make the time to strategicly plan their volunteer recruitment and retention efforts. … -
Nonprofit Leadership Initiatives Take 2
27 Jan 2012 | 10:18 amI’ve been a part of many national committees aimed at improving leadership in the sector. First there was the Nonprofit Congress’s Leadership Working Group. As a committee we worked with a consultant to develop a booklet titled Work with Me: Intergenerational Conversations in Nonprofit Leadership. Unfortunately the committee dissolved along with the Nonprofit Congress. Then there was the Nonprofit Workforce Coalition and spent a year working to develop a campaign to promote careers in the nonprofit sector. We hit a wall when we realized that funding for the campaign would… -
ARNOVA Conference 2011 – Teaching Section Workshop
20 Nov 2011 | 7:26 pmI am finally getting around to publishing my blog posts from the ARNOVA conference. I got a taste of being a working mom. My husband and I drove to Toronto for the ARNOVA conference from Grand Rapids. We took our one month old daughter with us and she did great! I attended every other conference session (I normally attend everything . I couldn’t have attended the conference without the support of my wonderful husband who is a really hands on dad. I am so happy that I attended the conference — the sessions I attended were awesome! The only issue I had with the conference…
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The GiveWell Blog
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GiveWell’s progress in 2011
7 Feb 2012 | 8:53 amThis is the first post (of six) we’re planning to make focused on our self-evaluation and future plans. As in past years, we’re going to be posting our annual self-evaluation and plan as a series of blog posts. This post summarizes what changed for GiveWell in 2011 and what it means for the future. Future posts will elaborate. For us, the major developments of 2011 were: New contacts with major donors and the launch of GiveWell Labs. Prior to 2011, we had only one contact whom we would have classified as a “megadonor,” i.e., someone who seemed to have a reasonable chance… -
Accountability in philanthropy
3 Feb 2012 | 7:06 amWe previously listed our five chief criteria for GiveWell Labs, an arm of our research process that will be open to any giving opportunity, no matter what form and what sector. This post further discusses the third of these criteria: “accountability.” We’re OK with funding a project that might fail, but it’s very important to us that we be able to recognize, document, publicly discuss, and learn from such a failure if it happens. This is the area in which we feel most strongly that current philanthropists are coming up short: they’re failing to learn (or at… -
What I learned in my first 6 months at GiveWell
27 Jan 2012 | 8:34 amI started work at GiveWell six months ago, just a few weeks after graduating from college. I had been following GiveWell pretty intensely for more than a year, since I had gotten back from my own trip to India. During that time, I had become a little obsessed: I had read the entire history of the blog and got really excited each time GiveWell finally posted the audio from the most recent board meeting. Even as a serious GiveWell fan, though, there were a number of things that I didn’t know about the organization that I should have. These aren’t secrets or titillating stories about… -
Evaluation of American Red Cross Haiti response
27 Jan 2012 | 7:56 amWe’ve been working on an update of our disaster relief report, and came across an American Red Cross evaluation from December 2010 stating: If you would like to access this report, please get in contact with the ALNAP secretariat. We emailed the ALNAP secretariat, saying: I am writing from GiveWell, an independent, non-profit charity evaluator to request access to the ALNAP report “American Red Cross – Haiti” that is listed on the ALNAP website at http://www.alnap.org/node/7131.aspx. Would it be possible to send us a copy of the report? The secretariat responded that the… -
Trading off upside vs. track record
19 Jan 2012 | 7:41 amWe previously listed our five chief criteria for GiveWell Labs (a new arm of our research process that will be open to any giving opportunity, no matter what form and what sector). This post further discusses the first two of these criteria - “upside” and “high likelihood of success” - and the tradeoff between them. Upside We use “upside” to refer to the possibility that a philanthropic project will have a huge/outsized impact. While it’s a good thing to fund projects that have this kind of potential - and while a single hugely successful project can…
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PhilanTopic
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Philanthropy’s Unanswerable Question(s)?
8 Feb 2012 | 8:46 am(Bradford K. Smith is the president of the Foundation Center. In his last post, he wrote about Occupy Wall Street and the Giving Pledge.) Q: Exactly how much do America's foundations spend each year to benefit Hispanic and Latino populations? A: We don't really know. As president of the Foundation Center, I should have a better answer, especially for an institution that just published a study entitled Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos in the United States and Latin America. That study concluded that over the past decade U.S. foundation funding explicitly designated to benefit Latinos… -
Valuing What We Can Measure or Measuring What We Value?
6 Feb 2012 | 9:00 am(Michael Edwards is a leading expert on global civil society and the author of Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World. This is the third in a series of posts in which he looks at different aspects of the Bellagio Initiative, an effort funded by the Rockefeller Foundation to produce a new framework for philanthropic and international development collaboration in pursuit of human well-being. Click here to read the first post and here to read the second. To read/download the Bellagio paper on which these posts are based --and from which the quotation below is taken -- click here.)… -
Weekend Link Roundup (February 4-5, 2012)
5 Feb 2012 | 1:04 pmOur weekly roundup of new and noteworthy posts from and about the nonprofit sector... African Americans BlackGivesBack's Tracey Webb gives a shout out to The Root, which earlier this week unveiled its 2012 list of Young Futurists -- African Americans under the age of 22 who are "not only achievers but also innovators in the worlds of green innovation, science and technology, arts and culture, social activism, and business enterprise." Civil Society "[Is there] a textbook definition of the common good?" asks Steven Fajon, a Case Foundation intern, in a guest post on the Social Citizens blog. -
Can Philanthropy Put Humpty-Dumpty Back Together Again?
2 Feb 2012 | 6:30 am(Michael Edwards is a leading expert on global civil society and the author of Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World. This is the second in a series of posts in which he looks at different aspects of the Bellagio Initiative, an effort funded by the Rockefeller Foundation to produce a new framework for philanthropic and international development collaboration in pursuit of human well-being. Click here to read the first post in Edwards' series, "Well-Being and Philanthropy," and here to read/download the Bellagio paper from which the quotation below is taken.) "The more one… -
Most Popular PhilanTopic Posts (January 2012)
1 Feb 2012 | 9:05 amThese were the five most popular posts on PhilanTopic in January: Five Qs for...Mario Morino, Co-Founder/Chair, Venture Philanthropy Partners Foundation Leadership for a New Era 2011 Year in Review: What to Expect in 2012 2011 Year in Review: Foundations Bet Big on New Initiatives 2011 Year in Review: Microfinance Vows to Do Better What have you been reading/watching/listening to lately that made you think? Feel free to share in the comments section....
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The Epic Change Blog
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Look What Your Love Built
2 Feb 2012 | 11:31 amLast week, in a tiny Tanzanian village half the world away, a secondary school built from love opened its doors for the very first time. Because of you. Imagine the possibilities their education could represent for the world we share. Perhaps Gideon will go on to discover new planets. Maybe Leah will finally find a cure. You created these possibilities. By telling your mom you love her during To Mama With Love. By opening your heart, and your home, to friends from so very far away on a miraculous journey you made possible. By singing your little hearts out with LaLaLove. By simply giving Epic… -
Yes Begets Yes
9 Dec 2011 | 10:18 amIt was the middle of the night I’m sure, maybe even later, when we called Ann and told her yet again: we need your help. We’ve got one week to launch a site. We need a volunteer to build it. And you’re our only hope. It was the middle of the night, as it always is, because she’s got a full-time job changing lives in LA. And she’s an artist too. And a digital magazine publisher. And, oh so much more. It’s always them, you know, the ones with so much to do you can’t see them fitting one more thing in. They manipulate the laws of time & space to… -
Where Gratitude Leads
1 Dec 2011 | 9:46 amThis was my first ThanksGiving offline since TweetsGiving was born in 2008. Instead of spending the day seeking more, I decided to simply be present & thankful for every miracle that has already found it’s way into this little life of mine. And to relish every moment of a rare day spent in the company of my family from both sides of the world. And this is what happened. On ThanksGiving Day, I received a totally unexpected email from someone we’d last reached out to nearly a year ago. The first words in the email were: “Dear Stacey, Happy Thanksgiving!” The email… -
Epic Thanks To You Who Dare to Believe
22 Nov 2011 | 4:15 amI remember the first TweetsGiving, three years ago. Each day we plotted, for the six days before ThanksGiving, Sanjay would calmly whisper: “this isn’t going to work,” and then continued about his work building the site & strategizing as if he wholeheartedly believed. Somewhere deep down, his heart had hope, even if his brain couldn’t quite wrap itself around the possibility that gratitude could be sufficient currency to build a classroom. Then, in 48 hours, we raised over $11,000 USD from hundreds of people across the globe we’d never met. Since then, the… -
Update from the Road
7 Nov 2011 | 10:35 pmWe’re now half-way through our whirlwind US tour with Mama Lucy, Leah & Gideon. I’m SO grateful to those of you who have shown us such love & hospitality on the journey, and am hoping paths will cross with many more of you in the next few days. Want to join us for the rest of the journey? Join us in New York, Pittsburgh, DC, or Tampa. Like our Facebook page to catch all the photos from our journey. Follow @epicchange on Instagram on your mobile phone – or on followgram.me.
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Acronym
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Cracking the Role of Luck in Business Success
8 Feb 2012 | 12:03 pmIt's not often that you run into a business topic that hasn't already been micro-examined, so when leadership guru Jim Collins and his Great by Choice coauthor Morten Hansen decided to tackle the blurry subject of whether luck—both good and bad—is key to long-term organizational success, I paid extra attention. Their dilemma was how to study it, Collins told me during an interview, much of which appears in three articles in this month's Associations Now and on the ASAE website: "The No-Excuses Guide to Greatness" "The Favorites Game: The Lowdown on Luck" "Building a Great by… -
A Day for Happy Accidents
7 Feb 2012 | 12:37 pmYesterday Jeffrey Cufaude's Twitter feed pointed me to an article from last summer about an interesting experiment at NPR: For just one day, it unshackled its technology staff from its day-to-day responsibilities and allowed them to spend that time working on ideas they were passionate about but couldn't quite find the time for. The "Serendipity Day" was apparently a success, according to the report from Nieman Journalism Lab: 30 employees generated 25 "usable" ideas. Not a bad haul for a day's worth of brainstorming. Serendipity Day is a variation on Google's famous "20 percent time," in… -
What does it take to be an innovator?
3 Feb 2012 | 6:18 amThe following is a guest post from J. Clarke Price, CAE, president and CEO of the Ohio Society of CPAs. One of the most enjoyable assignments I've had in my involvement in ASAE was working on the Innovation Task Force. Figuring out the answer to "How do we cultivate a spirit of innovation in associations?" was simultaneously challenging and frustrating. The challenging dimension was that it was fun to engage association executives in conversations around that question. I've heard lots of perspectives on the question, I've heard lots of examples of how associations have empowered staff to… -
Quick clicks: Two-by-two edition
26 Jan 2012 | 1:46 pmAfter rounding up some of the best blog posts on association management from the past two weeks, I found I had several pairs of posts on matching topics. So, I paired them up on the list below. Enjoy. Community management Did you know that Monday was Community Manager Appreciation Day? Well, thanks to Maggie McGary, now you do. So go give your association's community manager(s) a belated "thanks." Colleen Dilenschneider explains why quality, not quantity, matters most in building your organization's online followers. Fixing problems Laura Otten writes that some struggling nonprofits won't… -
Are We Suffering From Teamwork Fatigue?
25 Jan 2012 | 6:13 amI've read so much contradictory information about whether it's better to work by oneself or in groups that I finally needed some alone time to think about it. Associations Now has done its bit to promote the virtues of introversion: We've run articles on the importance of finding time to think by oneself, on how introverts aren't the insecure souls the stereotype suggests, and on how social media helps introverts better engage with associations. Of course, we run plenty of articles about the virtues of collaboration too—our Volunteer Leadership Issue is, in essence, a handbook for how…
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Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech
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Heroes with a Heart: Nominate a Nonprofit Hero Today!
1 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amWe all know someone quietly changing the world each and every day. He or she is not on the front page of the newspaper, and not mingling with the Gates and Buffets of the world. Everyday people have shown extraordinary commitment to making this world better and actually get to work doing it. The CTK Foundation “Heroes with a Heart” Grant Award asks for your nominations of a “Hero with a Heart,” and gives them a chance to win $5,000 – a simple thanks for the hard work that they do. Grant Details Here’s an overview of awards the CTK Foundation will offer… -
New on SSIR: Data for Promotion, Engagement, and Reporting
25 Jan 2012 | 8:05 amMy latest contribution to the Stanford Social Innovation Review is now published. You can read the post and join the conversation on the SSIR Opinion blog, or read the full post below. —– Inevitably, January is filled with predictions and resolutions. We ponder the innovations and evolutions that may unfold in the technologies we use, and consider the issues we want to tackle in our work and communities. Me? I’m focused on data. This year will, I hope, be the year of data. I see more organizations looking for ways to be data-driven in decision making, communications,… -
Great reads from around the web on January 24th
24 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pmI come across so many great conversations, ideas, and resources all over the web every day. Here are some of the most interesting things I’ve found recently (as of January 24th). You can join the conversations in the comments, or click through to the original posts to find what others are saying. To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks). Eric Lanke: Stop Calling It Strategic Planning – "So I'm working my way through Humanize, and like… -
Philanthropy and Social Media: New Whitepaper from The Institute for Philanthropy
20 Jan 2012 | 7:03 amEarlier this week, I had the terrific opportunity to participate on a panel at the US launch event for “Philanthropy and Social Media”, a whitepaper from The Institute for Philanthropy and The Indigo Trust. Download the full white paper or share it using this link: http://bit.ly/oii1Vr Below are notes from my remarks. The internet is not new. The last few years, though, have been dramatically impacted by the real-time web. The real-time web is a paradigm based on pushing information to users as soon as it’s available, instead of requiring that they or their software check a… -
Philanthropy and Social Media
17 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pmDate: January 17, 2012, 6 pm EST Location: New York, NY Topic: Philanthropy and Social Media Description: To launch the whitepaper, Philanthropy and Social Media, presented by The Institute for Philanthropy and The Indigo Trust, this panel discussed the impact of social media on philanthropy and giving from various perspectives. In addition to myself, the panel included: Ben Scott (Policy Advisor for Innovation at the US Department of State), Mayur Patel (Vice President of Strategy and Assessment, Knight Foundation), Scott Oki (Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, and Co-Founder of…
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Ripples & Wipeouts
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Leadership and Influence
28 Jan 2012 | 11:55 pmRobert Caldini is the godfather of the study of influence and is someone who is almost always studied by people who do any type of marketing. I find that his principles are also useful in crafting communications that are designed to build teamwork and inspire groups of people. There are lots of good examples of how Caldini’s principles play out in the workplace, both in nonprofit and for-profit enterprises, as well as government agencies. Here are Caldini’s six principles of influence, along with some examples I’ve created to illustrate each principle. -
Storyteling and Leadership
7 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pmStorytelling was one of the big topics discussed among communications professionals throughout 2011. Hot topics in the business seem to wax and wane and for some reason it was storytelling’s turn last year. If one aspires to leadership, the ability to tell a good story is an essential skill. But not just any story. A leadership story must have a clear point, and be applicable to a range of situations and a diverse audience. Storytelling is one of the communication techniques I use most. Whenever I am addressing a group or facilitating a meeting, I find that a good story can do… -
May Your Holidays Be Merry & Bright
17 Dec 2011 | 8:14 pm -
Rescuing Rex or Famous Last Words: A story told in quotations
14 Nov 2011 | 7:58 pm“Don’t cross the street. Don’t go over there! No, no, no!” – Bonnie to Kathy on a Park Slope street one recent Saturday. “But that looks like a min pin. Let’s just go see if it is. Such a cute little dog!” – Kathy “Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof.” – The min pin “Oh, look, he likes you!” – Obsessed dog rescue person “Just foster him for a week. Then you can bring him back, no problem.” – Ditto “Aw…sexy Rexy is going home. You’ll love him!” – Second obsessed… -
THE VIP FIVE (Very Important Press)
31 Aug 2011 | 3:10 pmThis summer there have been some highly significant news stories that go beyond the normal chatter of the news cycle to address sweeping trends that are changing the way we live and do business. Here are the ones that rocked my world. I call them the VIP Five. 1) The (actual) future of the Big Idea, from Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, challenges the assumption that ideas need exposure in ‘Big Media’ in order to become big ideas. What, author Megan Garber asks, happens when the Big Media become not so big after all? 2) The title of this BBC News piece says it…
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Connection Café
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Evernote for Nonprofits
9 Feb 2012 | 4:01 amAuthor: Corey Pudhorodsky (This post was collaboratively written with Jonathan Weldon ...using a shared folder in....Evernote!) In case you've never heard of Evernote this blog post is written from the perspective of a couple Inbox Zero & GTD geeks who are just as likely to be discussing the latest keyboard shortcut or productivity trick as we are where the next happy hour is. While we like to think of ourselves as early adopters, Evernote was recently named Company of the Year by Inc. Magazine and with more than 20 million users,… -
40 Twitter-iffic Event Day Ideas
7 Feb 2012 | 7:01 amAuthor: Robyn Mendez Turn your Captivated Audience of Event Participants into a Social Media Army Event day is an excellent opportunity for your organization to turn the captivated audience of event participants into a social media army for your event & your organization’s mission. In this post, I've pulled together some tips to get you started on your event's social media strategy plus 40 ideas to tweet about on the day of your event. Twitter's newsfeed style makes it the perfect cornerstone for your Event Day Social Media Strategy because you can post short, quick, and… -
Mobile Donation Forms
6 Feb 2012 | 12:48 pmAuthor: Lacey Kruger When I say, “mobile donation” you probably think about text-to-give. I assume that because when I Googled the term*, that’s what most of the articles were about. This post, however, is not about text-to-give. It’s about a mobile-friendly donation form, which I believe is a key component to any nonprofit mobile presence. In fact, I’ll even say that if you want to keep your mobile presence small and simple, you really only need a mobile homepage and a mobile donation form. Here are some great examples and things to keep in mind when you plan… -
Know Your Constituents
3 Feb 2012 | 8:58 amAuthor: Cheryl Black At my wedding rehearsal a couple years ago, the minister asked my groom-now-husband and I if we had any final adjustments to the ceremony. I had just one: “I don’t want to be announced as Mr. & Mrs. Ross Black. I want to be Ross and Cheryl Black.” I took Hubby’s last name but then and now I feel very strongly that I have my own name and prefer not to be “Mrs. Husband’s Name.” Everything, from our mortgage to our cutesy return address labels reads “Ross & Cheryl Black”; nothing says “Mr. & Mrs. -
CRM is the easy part
2 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amAuthor: Miriam Kagan Did you really just read that?? Is this woman crazy? While I do admit to being a little nuts at times (my mother would say all the time), on this point you gotta trust me. When it comes to becoming an organization focused on delighting constituents (i.e. constituent engagement), implementing and optimizing CRM (a constituent relationship management system), is the easy part if you work at an organization whose culture isn't constituent centric. And chances are that if you work at a nonprofit that's been around 10+ years, has 10+ employees, and 10+ constituents,…
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Social media marketing hacks for nonprofits | Powered by JohnHaydon.Com
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The 6th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards
8 Feb 2012 | 7:48 amSee3, in partnership with YouTube is excited to announce that the DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards is accepting submissions throughout February. This year, winners have the chance to win one of four $3,500 prize donations along with great products worth an additional $3,500 provided by Cisco, free registration to next year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference provided by NTEN, and a special prize to recognize fearless use of video provided the Case Foundation. The winning videos will be announced at this year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference hosted by NTEN and featured on YouTube’s… -
How to manage your Facebook Page content with PostPlanner (video)
6 Feb 2012 | 4:44 amPostPlanner is a Facebook Page content management tool that allows you to schedule posts to a various different Pages that you manage. It optimizes content specifically for Facebook in a few ways: Post photos and videos to your Facebook’s photo albums (wall) as if you posted directly to Facebook. Post long URLs Edit titles and excerpts of posted articles White label the app with your own icon and link it back to your website or Facebook Page In this video I discuss why Hootsuite and Seesmic may not be the best options for posting to your Facebook Page (by the way, I love these tools for… -
Nonprofit Bloggers Give Susan G. Komen Foundation A Huge Spanking
3 Feb 2012 | 6:20 amBy now you’ve probably read about the decision by the Susan G. Komen Foundation to cease giving grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings. This decision, obviously politically motivated, will mostly impact women in under-served communities. The same communities that probably sold the most buckets of cancer that raised $8 million for the foundation. Seriously. Komen gets a spanking One of the best things I love about the nonprofit community is watching my friends serve up a well-deserved spanking! Alison Fine helped open the way with a Causes campaign called… -
Heroes With A Heart Grant Rewards Nonprofit Volunteers!
1 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amIf you’re like most people, you get most of your inspiration from people who are quietly changing the world each and every day. They’re not on the front page of the newspaper, and they’re not mingling with the Gates and Buffets of the world. They’re everyday people like you and me who have shown extraordinary commitment to making this world better than when they found it. The CTK Foundation “Heroes with a Heart” Grant Award asks YOU to nominate a “Hero with a Heart,” and give them a chance to win $5,000 – a simple thanks for the hard work that… -
How to Add Stupidly Simple Polls to your WordPress Blog
31 Jan 2012 | 4:36 amOne way to increase engagement with blog readers is to remove barriers, like CAPTCHAS (hopefully you don’t have these), logging in to leave comments (Facebook, Twitter and recently Google have solved this problem) and actually having to use one’s brain by leaving a comment. Create simple polls with Quipol Another way to engage readers is to use a simple polling app like Quipol. Each Quipol displays one question with thumbs-up and thumbs-down options. Test it out for yourself:
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Cynthia D'Amour on Leadership and Life
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The Decline of Our Relatonship
3 Feb 2012 | 4:04 amIt’s frustrating. A few years ago, I was very happy. My favorite store started an email list. I signed up. Got periodic special deals. As time passed, so did the frequency of emails. Last few months, it’s almost daily. The big sale of the year. Like the Groundhog Day movie - over and over. Now they want to be my Facebook friend. To invade my life from a different angle. With the same info I already get. Don’t tickle me pink. I’m doing the math… Value of my time to weed through their emails. Compared to the savings I periodically get. It’s not looking good… -
How Does This Work?
31 Jan 2012 | 7:47 amNot sure. Last Friday James and I attended our first Michigan Women’s Gymnastics meet. It was our first live competition. We’ve watched the Olympics through the years. Thought it would be fun to see in person. We were a bit lost at first. College meets don’t run exactly like Olympic coverage. Numbers were everywhere. So were the athletes. We spent the first half of the meet trying to decode the event. How did the meet run? Where should we look to catch the action? How did the scores work? The people around us were clueless first-timers too. We all took took best guesses. -
Do Your Goals Make You Giggle?
30 Jan 2012 | 12:28 pmMine does. James and I vacation at a beach. I worried re missing my strength training. So I asked Mollie. She had the answer - and gave me a new goal. I need to find a beach guys lifting gym. Walk in like I belong there. Workout with total confidence. And real weights - not typical 2-5# weights for women. Bonus points if I find a gym with kettlebells. And show the boys how it’s done. Mollie has been training me hard on them for a few months. And I keep using bigger kettlebells. This concept makes me giggle and grin like a fool. A year ago I would never have even visualized this! My form… -
Seeing Through New Eyes
27 Jan 2012 | 11:58 amStill blue. Yesterday we went to the Michigan Women’s Basketball game. For me, it was a whole new game. Even though we’ve attended for a few years. And I grew up loving basketball. My fitness quest gave me a different perspective. I no longer just watched the game. I also watched how the player’s moved. And compared to training with Mollie. Wow! Look at her throw that ball across the court! Mollie makes me do an overhead throw. With a weighted ball. Wonder how far I could throw a regular basketball? OMG! Look at how much those women are squatting. I sometimes do 100 squats… -
I Just Sang the Blues
26 Jan 2012 | 6:55 pm(Even though my blood runs green!) I am a proud Michigan State grad. My blood is green. I’m a huge Izzo fan. Have wonderful memories of school. Tonight I switched teams. We attended a Michigan’s Women’s Basketball game. Been going to games for a few years. Enjoy watching the women develop their skills. When I first moved to Ann Arbor, I was firmly green. Over time I realized the interesting opportunities the University of Michigan offers the community. More importantly, I wanted to support women in sports. The basketball players are amazing athletes - and the games are fun.
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Idealist Blog
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How to write a rejection letter
8 Feb 2012 | 10:22 amFrom Flickr user recoverling (Creative Commons) Over and over, job seekers tell us that it’s frustrating, and unfortunately very common, to submit applications and never receive any indication that a hiring manager has reviewed or even received them. But what about when you do get through the door, have an interview, and don’t get hired? We recently asked our Facebook and LinkedIn communities: Question: What was the nicest (or worst) rejection letter you ever received after a job interview? No need to name names/organizations. Just wondering what makes for the “best”… -
Nonprofit Finance Fund survey deadline: Feb 15
3 Feb 2012 | 11:24 amAnother day, another dollar, another survey Each year, the Nonprofit Finance Fund surveys U.S. nonprofits. The goals are to document the issues being faced by community-serving organizations and to identify ways the fund itself, and other supporters of the work of nonprofits, can be most useful. It takes maybe 15 minutes to complete the survey, which requires a pretty broad knowledge of an organization’s activities – from the state of the finances to relationships with funders to the board of directors. Do you have that knowledge? Take the survey today! And if that’s not you,… -
Got a new job? Eight tips for a successful start
19 Jan 2012 | 10:23 amJanuary is typically the month when we see the highest number of jobs posted to Idealist.org, and this year is no exception. If you’re lucky enough to snag one of those gigs, here are some things to keep in mind as you begin. Thanks to Michelle Moran of YNPN-NYC for this guest post. Good luck in your new role! (Photo: cogdogblog, Flickr/Creative Commons) Once you have landed a new job it may seem like the hard part is over, but sometimes your first few weeks at work can be very challenging. Follow these tips to get off on the right foot and avoid making common mistakes. 1. Remember: you… -
Take professional development into your own hands
17 Jan 2012 | 8:46 amHow will you carve out time to learn and reflect? Photo: US Army (Flickr/Creative Commons) Need professional development, but don’t have a budget for travel or tuition? Here are a bunch of free or relatively affordable upcoming trainings we’ve spotted recently – ones you can join from the comfort of your own desk or couch. Special thanks to Ben Hastil for his contributions to this roundup. Telling your organization’s story Creating Compelling Member Stories as Part of Your Outreach and Recruitment Strategy: A free webinar from the National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP), Jan. 25… -
Searching the site? Some updates for you.
13 Jan 2012 | 11:36 amNo need for a magnifying glass. (Photo: Mads Boedker, Flickr/Creative Commons) Yesterday we released a new set of features to make it easier to find the people, organizations, and opportunities that matter most to you. Play around and let us know what you think! Click on any of the listing types (Jobs, Volunteer Opportunities, etc.) in the header on Idealist.org, or start a search based on type, keyword, or location. To better locate the opportunities relevant to where you are or want to be, we’ve refined our radius search to including listings from your choice of 5, 10, 25, 50, or 100…
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Allison Jones
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My favorite nonprofit career clarity activity
8 Feb 2012 | 4:25 pmTweet “I want to help people, but I don’t know where to start.” “I don’t know what I’m good at or what I’m passionate about.” “How do I really know what the right job is for me?” While the mantra of our generation might be “do what you love” we often struggle with a. figuring out what we love (passion) and b. gaining the skills necessary to be excellent in what we love (practice). So when I get emails asking for clarity, I often recommend the Career Tracks Activity (PDF) by The Office of Career Services of New York… -
Why Your College Major Doesn’t Matter
20 Jan 2012 | 5:48 amTweet With only 55% of millennials employed–the lowest percentage since World War II–there is a pressing need to pinpoint the reason behind this depressing statistic. After all, with this generation being the most educated, surely we all should be able to find employment, no matter what the economy is. The consensus seems to be that if millennials are struggling, there is one reason: they don’t know how to choose the right college major. It makes sense to me that professional track majors would yield higher employment statistics as there is often a clear path and clear… -
5 Questions to Help You Create Your 2012 Nonprofit Career Plan
8 Jan 2012 | 8:30 amTweet On Wednesday, Rosetta Thurman and I hosted our first #ynpchat of the year on creating a 2012 nonprofit career plan. The questions, adapted from Rosetta’s powerful piece on the 15 questions you should ask about your nonprofit career, strengthened our sense of pride in our work and allowed us to walk away with a better vision and strategy on how to rock our careers in 2012. 1. What do you most want to get out of your involvement with the nonprofit sector? In other words, why are you here? What are you hoping to learn and do that will help you grow… -
What did 2011 teach you?
31 Dec 2011 | 6:48 amTweetThis is my favorite time of year. People are reflecting and sharing excitement about possibilities and growth. There is simply a lot of positivity and promise in the air. 2011 seemed to be a year of transitions and lessons for me and those I love: my five year college reunion is coming up (five years? already?); my mailbox was full of wedding invitations; my calendar was overflowing with good bye parties as friends went off to grad school; I celebrated big professional wins and took the plunge into GRE prep; and I have a neat stack of failed projects and squandered opportunities that I… -
Three Ways to Work More Deliberately
14 Dec 2011 | 9:33 amTweetI’ve become increasingly focused on having the right mindset when working. I worry that sometimes we work without focus and deliberation. Aside from leading us to feel unfulfilled, we also lose confidence in our skills. We can’t pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses, as our work just seems to be a series of endless tasks. We don’t reflect on our accomplishments and where/how we thrive and instead focus on just getting things done. In doing so, we don’t sharpen our skills and instead allow them to become dull. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to work more…
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Charity Navigator
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Turning Valentines’ Day into Generosity Day
9 Feb 2012 | 7:38 amLast year, Sasha Dichter (Acumen Fund’s Chief InnovationOfficer) got together with KatyaAndresen (COO of Network for Good),ScottCase (CEO of Malaria No More), and Ellen McGirt of Fast Company tore-invent Valentine's Day. Inspired bySasha’s month-long "Generosity Experiment," where he said “yes” toevery request for help, they decided to launch "Generosity Day." Thegoal was to make Valentine's Day about more than flowers, chocolates, andromantic dinners, to reconnect it to generosity for all. “GenerosityDay”is back this year and you are invited to participate. Here are some… -
A Donor’s View of the Nonprofit Sector - "I Had No Idea!"
3 Feb 2012 | 2:56 amOne of the questions we frequently get is “why don’t yourate charity XYZ?” Our response is “despite the fact that we evaluate, forfree, ten times more organizations than anyone else in America has everattempted, many deserving (and not deserving) ones exist that we haven't gottento yet. You may know that there are now approximately 1 million charities inthis country. We evaluate a lot of them. In fact, the ones we evaluate accountfor roughly 50% of the donations in America. But, obviously, there are manystill to do.”After sending that information back to a user of our site(along… -
You Asked Us To Rate More Charities and Today We Deliver
1 Feb 2012 | 6:48 amBefore making a donation, philanthropists across America have come to rely on Charity Navigator’s 5,500, free, objective charity ratings. But despite the fact that we evaluate ten times more organizations than anyone else in America has ever attempted, and despite the fact that those charities account for roughly 50% of the donations in America, many deserving (and not deserving) charities exist that we haven't gotten to yet. As a result, the most frequent communication we get from donors and charities alike is a request to add a specific charity to our site.Knowing your desire for more… -
Top 10 All-Time Favorite Blog Post
30 Jan 2012 | 7:30 amHere are our 10 blog posts that received the most views: HurricaneWyclef JeanHaiti EarthquakeAre Text Donations Safe? (January 2010) 7.0 Earthquake Hits Haiti (January 2010) Non-Profit CEO Pay and Government Funding (February 2009) Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation (January 2010) The Obama Budget and Charitable Tax Deductions (February 2009) Beware of Scam Charities Popping Up (January 2010) Tips, Tips and More Tips for Funding Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts (January 2010) Crisis Giving: Cyclone, Earquake, Tornado and Fires (May 2008) Help Vicitims of Deadly Cyclone in Myanmar (May 2008)… -
This Is Why We Do What We Do...
27 Jan 2012 | 9:13 am
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Case Foundation - Investing in People and Ideas that Can Change the World
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Philanthropy and the Super Bowl!
6 Feb 2012 | 7:53 amOne more sign that philanthropy is entering the mainstream of American popular culture is its intense involvement with this year’s Super Bowl. Football is far and away the most popular subject in our public media. Thirty million viewers weekly, 53 million for the Conference championships, 111 million for last year’s Super Bowl-the largest television audience in history for a single event, a record expected to be broken on Sunday. Of course it is a sport made for television; many short bursts of high-energy action, punctuated by many places for commercials, designed for and aimed at its… -
Nonprofit’s giving portal aims to drive more donations to charities
6 Feb 2012 | 7:49 amCatalogue for Philanthropy, an organization that connects local nonprofits with companies, has established a workplace giving portal which officials say they hope will help drive more corporate funding to charities. In the aftermath of the recession, charities have been scrambling for new revenue sources to make up for cuts in corporate, foundation and government giving. The new portal is designed to allow company employees to view the needs and volunteering opportunities of charities with operating budgets under $3 million. All the charities are screened by the Catalogue. Published Date… -
The value of friendship
6 Feb 2012 | 7:40 amMARK ZUCKERBERG, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, has talked for years about the notion of a “social graph” which connects people to their friends and all of the things they are interested in. By encouraging hundreds of millions of people to share their deeds and reveal their innermost thoughts, profane or profound, online, his company has in effect mapped a portion of this graph on its computers. According to the Onion, a satirical publication, the whole thing was the CIA’s idea; digging up this amount of information the old-fashioned way would have cost the spooks a fortune. -
What's New on CaseFoundation.org: January 30-February 3, 2012
3 Feb 2012 | 2:52 pmWant to get a quick view of what's new in Social Media, Active Citizenship, Good Giving, and Corporate Responsibility? Here are the highlights from what we've added to CaseFoundation.org this week: Social Media Susan G. Komen: What to Do When a Good Cause Goes Bad Inc., February 1, 2012 DoGooder Nonprofit Video Contest – Enter Today The Case Foundation, February 2, 2012 Startup America relocates to s.co URL and offers free .co domains to all members TheNextWeb, February 2, 2012 Active Citizenship Want to Speak at TED? Now You Can Audition Mashable, February 1, 2012 Corporate Responsibility… -
25 Companies That Practice Good Corporate Citizenship And Still Make Lots Of Money
3 Feb 2012 | 7:52 amIn the spectrum between rich, evil corporations and corporations scraping by while adhering to a perfect set of values, a new study has found that there is a set of 25 corporate giants that are managing to succeed while at least making a concerted effort at not destroying anything. And consumers are taking note. Published Date Feb032012 Source: Co.Exist Link to: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679240/25-companies-that-practice-good-corporate-citizenship-and-still-make-lots-of-money Post Origin: Other
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Ken's Commentary
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Top 5 Blog Posts
30 Jan 2012 | 5:59 amWe thought it would be fun to take a look back and see which of the blog posts on Ken's Commentary have been the most popular since the blog was launched in July 2008. Here are the Top 5 that have been viewed the most:The Worst (and Best) Way to Pick A Charity This Year (December 2009)A Measure of Outcome (December 2008)Bad Charities with Heart (October 2008)Rip-off Non-profit Hospitals (January 2009) A Scary Finding on Outcome Measurement (February 2009) -
CFC-50 Commission's Second Meeting
11 Jan 2012 | 1:45 pmThe second meeting of the CFC-50 Commission (Charity Navigator's President & CEO, Ken Berger, is a member of the commission) was held on December 6, 2011 at the Office of Personnel Management in Washington, DC. We are pleased to share a captioned version of that meeting. -
How to Pick the Right Charity
21 Dec 2011 | 3:54 pmWatch this clip of Ken Berger, Charity Navigator's President & CEO, on Fox Business News earlier today. -
Charitable Giving Discussion
21 Dec 2011 | 11:17 amI recently was on the Callie Crossley radio show along with Boston College professor Paul Schervish. Listen to the discussion on charitable giving here - -
Head versus Heart Based Giving
19 Dec 2011 | 6:30 amby Dr. Robert Penna(author of the Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox) and Ken Berger (President & CEOof Charity Navigator)Ruth McCambridge’s December 5th article on the Nonprofit Quarterly’s Nonprofit Newswire page, “Donors GiveLESS When More Analytic Say Researchers,” is certainly provocative; but itmisses a serious point and could givedonors, both large and small, the wrong impression.Reviewing a recent Boston Globe article, McCambridgereports that certain research supports the notion that “the more individualcontributors think about their donation the less they are likely to…
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columbus imPRessions
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I Completed the 21 Day Yoga Challenge!!!
29 Jan 2012 | 7:07 pmToday was the last day of the 21 Day Yoga Challenge! From January 9 - January 29, I did yoga, meditated, and ate at least one vegetarian meal for 21 straight days (with the exception of one day where I did not eat vegetarian but doubled up the next day, hence the 98% instead of 100%). Oh well, still so proud of myself to sticking to and achieving a goal. I feel great, am definitely more toned -
Pinterest and One of My Favorite Pins
24 Jan 2012 | 6:29 pmI love Pinterest. What is Pinterst? Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. It is growing in popularity daily. Why do I love Pinterest? It lets me organize and share images I like on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Brands use Pinterest to boost consumer engagement, showcase their work or products, and sell more products. -
Welcome newest client: ColumbusJobs.com
19 Jan 2012 | 5:16 pmI'm thrilled to announce my newest client ColumbusJobs.com. Continuing my social media partnership with Dispatch Digital in 2012, one of my first client assignments is with a Dispatch product. The Columbus Dispatch and ColumbusJobs.com with renowned employment site Monster.com is central Ohio's #1 job source. Featuring thousands of local jobs, ColumbusJobs.com/Monster is the #1 destination -
Using Social Media In My Monthly Journey to Better Health
9 Jan 2012 | 5:11 pmThis new year I decided instead of making one or two large new year's resolutions I would create monthly goals for a better life. This way my goals are more attainable, I will be successful, and it will keep me motivated throughout the year. My tools to help me achieve these goals - my determination and social media apps. I started the year with a mild detox - two weeks (or possibly four) of no -
Hello 2012! Good-bye Washington Township.
6 Jan 2012 | 6:37 amIt's a new year. That's always exciting! It brings a time to start new, change, excitement for what's to come and it's also a time to reflect on the past year. 2011 was very good to columbus imPRessions. Professionally it was one of the best year's of my life. What started out with two wonderful clients quickly grew to six, all different and exciting in their own way. Most of my focus was on
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Social Media Bird Brain
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All Hat, No Cattle in Social Media
7 Feb 2012 | 11:21 pmBuck Jones With Big Hat via Fine Art America I've got several articles whirling round in my head. One of them about how Social Media 1.0 is over, one about how being average will send you to the bottom of the pile, one about knowing your brand. I've been thinking of them in relation to being an introvert, and I'm also thinking about the way the Planned Parenthood/Susan G. Komen debacle played -
The Right Tool May Be in Your Head
31 Jan 2012 | 10:25 pm46 and 2 Tool Head by Justin Roberts In its younger days, social media was full of conversations related to tools - tools for using social media, tools for managing social media, tools for measuring social media... Tool Overload New platforms and tools were coming out like water from a broken pipe and I imagine that a lot of people either threw their hands up in disgust and walked away or -
Re-Viewing and a Review
25 Jan 2012 | 12:00 amImage via Alfred Hitchcock Geek One reason I have thought about ending this blog is because I didn't think I had anything in particular to add to the cacophony of advice and insight from people who have made giving advice and insight a profession (and do damn well at it). My own insight has never seemed to me to be particularly... insightful. Maybe it's because I live in my head that I -
Pin It! Pinterest & Your Small Nonprofit
19 Jan 2012 | 12:00 amI thought it was time to tell you how much I like Pinterest and why I think it's good for your small nonprofit, but I was late off the mark and more than a few folks beat me to it. Over at Nonprofit Tech 2.0 there's a great tutorial for how to get your not-for-profit set up on the site as well as a bit about how Pinterest is being used by savvy nonprofits. Then skip over to Frogloop where -
Protest Against Censorship
18 Jan 2012 | 12:00 amThe internet has been a 'place' where we have all be free to share our ideas. Some of them haven't been good and there's no doubting that there are some pretty freaky people doing things they shouldn't be doing. But making Google, Yahoo, or YouTube and other companies responsible for policing and then deciding FOR us what is fair use and what isn't, won't make the bad people go away
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Pink Initiative
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2 Possible Precursors to Breast Cancer
16 Jan 2012 | 8:27 amby Megan Clouse The question that we all want to know the answer to is, “What the heck is causing cancer?!” There are hundreds of theories that are tirelessly being studied by very smart people who wear lab coats, so I’ll leave that to the pros. However what I have read about more and more are 2 precursors which may contribute to the cause of breast cancer: 1. Low vitamin D in the system. 2. Low or high thyroid condition. Both can be determined through a simple blood draw at your annual physical, and I highly recommend knowing. If you do answer yes to one or both,… -
New Year. New Job. Reflecting on my professional journey.
2 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amby Kelsie Guerriero As I soak up the spirit of the holidays and anticipate all that’s ahead in the New Year, I think it’s also a nice time to reflect on the year that’s coming to a close. In June my husband, Rejean, and I moved back to Boston so that he could continue to pursue his training in pediatric neurology at The Children’s Hospital. When you factor in medical school and residency, we’re six and a half years in to a nine year commitment (but who’s counting?!). His perseverance throughout training and genuine dedication to patient care is something that continues to inspire… -
The Mammogram Squeeze
18 Dec 2011 | 9:19 pmby Megan Clouse Many women avoid their annual mammogram screening based on the fear of the unknown. Here are 5 tips to help you understand what to expect: 1. Setup a 6 month reminder. Schedule your screening during an occasion that you’ll remember each year; birthday, new year, etc. 2. Wear something two-piece the day of. This way you only have to remove your top and not your bottoms. 3. Yes it kind of hurts. Just when you think it can’t get any tighter, they will clamp down a little bit more but it’s because they care!! And honestly, the discomfort only lasts for… -
Raising Hope
20 Nov 2011 | 9:03 pmby Megan Clouse The October issue of Better Homes & Garden had a very nice feature titled Raising Hope, focusing on 6 innovations that are improving detection, treatment and quality of life. Here’s just a snapshot of the article: 1. Mammograms in 3-D: New and improved imaging that captures X-ray images from multiple angles and has the ability to see through multiple layers of tissue. 2. Screenings with Benefits: To nudge patients into their annual mammograms, some medical centers are offering manicures and massages. 3. Reconstruction without the Wait: A UCLA study shows that… -
And The Winner Is…
2 Nov 2011 | 6:43 amby Mia Toro On October 1st we kicked off an informative online relay contest for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! We are humbled by the number of people who helped us share breast cancer facts and information; spreading awareness and education to our online community. Thank you! And now, the moment you have all been waiting for – the winner of the 2011 Pink Initiative Relay is… Invitation Consultants [@fabulousinvites] Congratulations!!! You are the proud, new owner of a custom Pink Initiative Sea Bag tote (valued at $150). Thank you to everyone who participated. …
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IMPACTMAX
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Augmented reality—Search moves from text to objects
7 Feb 2012 | 8:36 amHold onto your hats! I just read a Trendwatching report about the not-too-distant future when Search transcends Google and spreads to everyday objects. Instead of typing into a text search box to get information you want—just point your phone or pad at an object or scene and all kinds of information pops up. It’s called augmented reality, and it’s going to change everything. In part, because it’s so much more entertaining than text search. Some of this has already started with QR codes (also not so entertaining), but these new apps may quickly make QR codes obsolete. -
Free digital storytelling tools for nonprofits
19 Dec 2011 | 2:37 pmFlickr/mysza831 A little holiday gift for you! A couple of times a year, I dig into the web to find free tools that can help nonprofits tell their stories in ever more engaging ways. Each time I do that, the range of options kind of astounds me. This year is no exception, Not every nonprofit has the resources to hire videographers or even buy and use a video cam themselves. These online tools offer FREE ways to get dynamic content onto your website, blog, and social media without HAVING to use video. Many of these create mash-ups of just photos, text, graphics, and music. I’m amazed… -
Top mobile social media apps for nonprofits
10 Nov 2011 | 3:17 pmFlickr/Irish Typepad Reminder: If you don’t have a great website and email strategy, you probably shouldn’t be focusing on social media yet. Those have to be your first priorities. It’s predicted that by the end of 2014, mobile (smart phone and tablet) access to the web will have outstripped desktop access. Think about that in relation to your current website and social media strategy. It’s time to start thinking/acting mobile. Even if you’re aiming for older audiences, you can’t ignore mobile—tablets are becoming very popular. I just took a great… -
Blogs vs. Facebook for Nonprofits
22 Oct 2011 | 7:14 pm(My 100th post!) Over the past few months, I’ve helped a couple nonprofit clients who are ready to move into social media decide whether to go with a blog or Facebook. (I’ll talk about Twitter strategies in a future post. It’s kind of a different animal.) Most approach it as an either/or decision because of their limited staff resources. That’s a real concern. If you truly don’t have the staff time to blog at least once a week or make a Facebook update twice a week, you shouldn’t be considering either medium. If you do have adequate staff resources, go back… -
10 Time Management Tips for Nonprofit Communicators
6 Jul 2011 | 10:05 amIf there’s one thing I’ve learned as a consultant (and a former nonprofit communications director), it’s how incredibly busy nonprofit communicators are–-always. There don’t seem to be peaks and valleys, it’s all just climbing, climbing, climbing. Nonprofit communications professionals are pulled in 17 different directions at any given moment, and it can feel like you don’t have much control over your day. Pretty soon you find yourself working at home in the evening just to stay afloat. I encourage my clients who call me short-of-breath from work…
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Change/Wire
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Local Students Work to Empower Veterans
7 Feb 2012 | 7:25 amThis Wednesday at Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Harvard College Veterans Engagement Initiative (HCVEI) will be hosting the first of a series of seminars aimed at empowering Boston’s veteran population. The seminar on personal finance techniques and strategies, taught by business school professor Luis Viceira and hosted in partnership with the Small Business Administration, will offer free admission to veterans and their families. Opportunities like these are vital in the post-9/11 world. Millions of our nation’s young men and women have spent time in the… -
President Obama, A Drum Major for Service
24 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amFirst Family serves alongside ServiceNation volunteers on MLK Day As part of his now famous Drum Major Instinct speech at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us all that, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” On January 16, 2012, ServiceNation, along with many close partners, helped put together a service project that proves this idea. Along with the Corporation for National and Community Service, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Greater DC Cares, and groups of community volunteers, ServiceNation representatives worked to spruce… -
Miley Cyrus & Youth Service America Share “10 Ways to Get Ur Good On” on MLK Day
11 Jan 2012 | 11:21 am“Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an activist and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. On January 16th, MLK Day of Service 2012, millions will come together to honor Dr. King’s legacy through service. Miley Cyrus and her friends at YSA (Youth Service America) have 10 ways to Get Ur Good On on… -
ServiceNation Partners with Sister Campaign to Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
9 Jan 2012 | 11:06 amIn honor of the 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Opportunity Nation and ServiceNation have joined together to highlight ways to increase economic opportunity in America through service. Dr. King worked for increased opportunity for all Americans. Now, more than ever, we need to work to create and support opportunities for Americans to strengthen economic security. Between New Years Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the campaigns will share concrete strategies that show that each of us can help expand access to opportunity in our communities by volunteering just a small… -
ServiceNation and ServeNext Announce Merger; Join Forces to Protect and Expand National Service
5 Jan 2012 | 9:45 amServiceNation, the national campaign dedicated to increasing service opportunities and elevating service as a core ideal and problem-solving strategy in America, announced today that they are joining forces with the grassroots advocacy organization ServeNext. “With service opportunities rapidly disappearing and funding for national service once again in jeopardy, 2012 is going to be a landmark year for the service movement. That’s why now more than ever it’s critically important to be armed with the capabilities to respond and mobilize at a moment’s…
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Helping Help
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Real Leaders Inspire Ongoing Action
16 Jan 2012 | 4:49 pmThe day after MLk day is more important than the holiday itself. It is the day that we truly see who the real leaders are. It is the day that the celebrating masses give way to the nonconforming minority of change-makers. MLK taught us to lead fearlessly, selflessly, and righteously. His accomplishments - and sacrifice - is worth celebrating and remembering, and I am proud that we take a day every year to do it. But celebrating is easy. The day after MLK day is where true leaders shine. And they continue to shine for the weeks and months in between celebrations. Right now, the world doesn't… -
Passionate Leaders are Better Leaders
9 Jan 2012 | 6:05 pmLeadership Passion Pyramid To be a truly inspiring and effective leader, you must have passion. But not any passion will suffice, the best leaders focus their passion on 4 main areas: Passion for the development and fulfillment of the people they lead Passion for the cause they are working towards Passion for making an impact Passion for their own personal growth The ordering is just as important as the area of passion. Why? Nothing happens if the people you lead don't make things happen. Be invested in the people you lead, as their happiness and… -
Look Back Before Moving Forward
24 Dec 2011 | 8:40 amAt the end of every year, I dedicate a day to looking back. I think about a lot of things, and I use Who, What, Where, When, Why, How as a framework... Who slowed me down Who helped me What I set out to do What I did When I was struggling When I was happiest Where I tripped Where I soared Why I failedWhy I succeeded How I lost motivationHow I inspired, motivated, and empowered others and myself I look within myself to find balance, and I look outside to find knowledge. I listen and learn from experts in all fields, knowing the diversity of… -
Inspire Others To Exceed Their Expectations
17 Dec 2011 | 4:12 pmForbes.com just published a brilliant article on leadership that was written by Russell Raath. In it, Russell share a scene from the movie Invictus where Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela: Morgan Freeman’s Mandela offers some final words of wisdom. “We need inspiration,” he says, “because in order to build our nation, we must all exceed our own expectations.” You can read the full article on Forbes and I highly recommend it. The takeaway is simple and powerful. As a leader, your job is to do more than just setting and achieving goals. Your imperative is to inspire and… -
Increase Motivation, Inspire Action and Drive Behavior
4 Dec 2011 | 2:09 pmNo matter your position, role, and responsibilities - you have the ability to motivate others and inspire action. There are thousands of books, research reports, and case studies on this topic - and out of all of them that I have come across, the three best resources are the following two videos and link Dan Pink on the Surprising Science About What Motivates Us (video) Simon Sinek on How Great Leaders Inspires Action (video) Chip and Dan Heath on How to Change Things When Change is Hard (book, and article) Here are the videos and book summary for your convenience: Dan Pink on the…
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IdealistNews: what's new in nonprofits
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If you haven't taken our #2012survey of nonprofits, this blog post makes the case why you should: Why Take a Survey?
8 Feb 2012 | 10:38 amsubmitted by NFFAndrew [link] [comment] -
Please vote for my school so we can provide the students with a new rubber track for the students! Thank you :)
7 Feb 2012 | 9:43 pmsubmitted by ftcnt [link] [1 comment] -
If there was ever a reason to support an organization, this is it - THANK YOU Planned Parenthood Mar Monte!
7 Feb 2012 | 1:32 pmsubmitted by SparxD [link] [1 comment] -
Lessons from the Susan G Komen Foundation/Planned Parenthood firestorm: What other non-profits can– and can’t– take away
7 Feb 2012 | 7:19 amsubmitted by cos [link] [comment] -
Does anyone know of any OC nonprofits that would be willing to take on a grant writing/development intern or volunteer? x-post from /r/orangecounty
4 Feb 2012 | 8:17 amsubmitted by klaviermusik [link] [comment]
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smarts and culture blogs
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Oh, right: it's a pattern.
9 Feb 2012 | 4:54 amI have this somewhat involved mental ritual for going to sleep at night (as apposed to taking naps and faking naps).Part of it involves letting go of all the gunk I picked up throughout the day -- the anxiety I picked up from that person on the phone, the annoyance of the people waiting in long lines at the Post Office -- you get the idea.Bad news! Maybe! We don't know!The other night, the first thing I wanted to let go was worry over some news I'd received about my health -- first alarming and then on reflection, just ambiguous (and don't worry! It's okay. Really).This ambiguous news was… -
Why not Wednesday?
7 Feb 2012 | 4:25 pmWondering, hmmm, why not do that thing today?See this post to find out what I'm talking about.But first: A free class to tell you about!'Why Not Now?' needed a prelude, a path for people to gently wend their way into the workshop. So, for people taking 'Why Not Now?' it's a bonus class.For everyone else, it's (hooray!) a free class, and a way to see if the approach I use is right for you.It's called 'Meet Your Project.' Take a look, and sign up here.A tiny 'why-not' on the go.Like last week's Play Date, I was wondering 'why not now?' in transit with no laptop, and I set the bar super-low:Look… -
A Secret Play Date
7 Feb 2012 | 4:45 amEvery Tuesday.Play Date fail.So. Last week I happened to be traveling on Tuesday, the official day of Secret Play Date.And I thought: ah-ha! Sketchbook Mobile!I myself will be mobile! I will sit on the train and make pictures. And that's what I did, until I realized that, like reading on the train, it was making me nauseous.I managed to finish three images (which you can see on the Play Date Facebook page) before my stomach said 'stop,' at which point I applied some soothing sounds from Fabeku.(I also tried to listen to birthday guy Philip Glass's 9th Symphony which was released that day and… -
Big projects, busy schedule.
3 Feb 2012 | 4:42 amTalking to Janine Adams about 'Why Not Now?'When I started 'Why Not Now?' last September, it was an experiment.Looking with curiosity at those things I wanted to do, but somehow wasn't doing, was doing wonders for me, and I thought if I invited people to join me, it might work even better, for all of us.I had no idea that people would make such crazy progress on their projects, but they did.Now that 'Why Not Now?' is back from its extended holiday, I wanted to talk to some of the fabulous people who took part last fall, about their projects and their experiences.Janine Adams (Peace of Mind… -
Not a post about marketing.
2 Feb 2012 | 4:35 amI used to tell people what to do.When I was a marketing consultant, sometimes I did the work for clients, if that was what they wanted, but mostly they wanted me to give them a plan to carry out.So I spent a lot of time telling people what to do.I tried to do that in my blog, too, because that's how you establish yourself as an expert, or so it seemed.The thing is, there's no one guaranteed way that marketing works. We have to try X and see what happens. Take notes. Do more of what works, until it doesn't, and then we start again.It's an experiment.I would tell people that, and I could tell…
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Minnesota Council on Foundations Blog - Philanthropy Potluck
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Arts Grantmakers Dedicated to Vibrant Community and Individual Artists
8 Feb 2012 | 9:14 amYesterday in MCF’s fourth – and final – webinar in our 2012 grantmaking outlook series, leading arts grantmakers expressed their dedication to supporting the arts and individual artists. Recent giving trends show that grantmaking to arts has declined 7.6 percent since 2004. MCF’s outlook for 2012 indicates that arts funding will remain relatively stable. Bill King, MCF president, discussed arts funding challenges and opportunities with Sharon DeMark, program officer, Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, and Laura Zimmermann, program officer, The McKnight Foundation. Grantmakers are… -
Cutting Red Tape for Nonprofits
7 Feb 2012 | 12:58 pmIn past legislative sessions, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits has worked with elected officials to streamline items affecting nonprofits in state statute. The work is part of MCN’s Red Tape Reduction Project, and now MCN is looking for your ideas about additional red tape that needs slashing. MCN want ideas about streamlining processes and reporting requirements related to contracting, licensing or other regulatory arenas. It is particularly interested in ideas that reduce duplication, increase efficiency and conformity, and enhance accountability and transparency. Send your ideas… -
Shouldn’t Everyone Have a Place to Call Home?
6 Feb 2012 | 2:04 pmThe Edina Realty Foundation believes that everyone should have a place to call home, so it extends financial support to organizations that provide housing and related services to homeless children, families and individuals. While home sales are down from their record levels of a few years ago, participation in the Edina Realty Foundation has remained steady. In fact, more than 75 percent of the company’s agents continue to donate a portion of their sales commissions. Is there an Edina Realty office in your neighborhood? If so, you’ll want to read the winter issue of Giving… -
The Key to a Prosperous Future for All Minnesotans
3 Feb 2012 | 9:52 amWhat would a prosperous future for all Minnesotans look like? And what will it take to get there? Presenters and participants at yesterday’s Minnesota Compass annual meeting, Positioning Ourselves for Prosperity, asked these tough questions. Steven Rosenstone, chancellor of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, kicked off the discussion by stating, “Human capital is the key to a prosperous future for all Minnesotans.” But our state is not currently effectively developing this critical resource. Rosenstone noted that we have a significant and growing workforce shortage: There is a… -
Grantmakers Play Varied Roles in Fight Against Poverty
2 Feb 2012 | 12:58 pmStudents in the certified nursing assistant training program at the International Institute of Minnesota, a grantee of The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota, practice their hands-on skills. Read the winter issue of Giving Forum – online and in your mail now – to learn more about what Minnesota grantmakers and their nonprofit partners are doing in the tough fight against poverty in our state. Grantmakers play a variety of roles from meeting basic human needs, to creating systemic change around poverty’s root causes, to engaging the community in identifying…
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YouTube Videos
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Benefits of Using Google Apps for Nonprofits
3 Feb 2012 | 11:31 amBenefits of Using Google Apps for Nonprofits Why should nonprofits consider using Google Apps? First of all, like all cloud computing solutions it gives you free back-ups, excellent security, and the ability to shrink and grow your licenses quickly and easily based on your nonprofits needs. In addition to these benefits, Google also gives qualifying nonprofits use of their Apps for free or at discounted rates. If your organization is on the small size and does not have a way to share documents and collaborate like a Microsoft SharePoint site, Google Apps ability to allow groups to collaborate… -
Nonprofits can save thousands with cloud computing and Microsoft Office 365.
3 Feb 2012 | 10:49 amNonprofits can save thousands with cloud computing and Microsoft Office 365. Why should nonprofits check out Microsoft Office 365? Rick Birmingham, technology services manager at MAP for Nonprofits, shares with us his top reasons: * Ditch your server (and save thousands!) Computing on the cloud allows you to avoid investing in expensive server equipment that will eventually become defunct. * Maintain the same Office experience users love. Unlike cloud based computing with other companies, Microsoft's Office 365 products allow you to offer volunteers and staff remote access to the same… -
Nonprofits to KnowTM: The Minnesota Project and Farmers' Legal Action Group
27 Dec 2011 | 10:04 amNonprofits to KnowTM: The Minnesota Project and Farmers' Legal Action Group Nonprofits to KnowTM is a web video series produced by Minnesota Philanthropy Partners. This video features The Minnesota Project and Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc. (FLAG). The Minnesota Project is a nonprofit organization that connects people with policy to nurture collaborations that build strong local economies. FLAG is a non-profit law center dedicated to providing legal services to family farmers and their rural communities in order to help keep family farmers on the land. Minnesota Philanthropy… -
Nonprofits Helping Others
13 Dec 2011 | 8:55 amNonprofits Helping Others Nonprofit leaders discuss the benefits of volunteering and serving on King Day. From: nationalservice Views: 399 1 ratings Time: 02:13 More in Nonprofits & Activism -
Nonprofits to Know: TU Dance
6 Dec 2011 | 6:50 amNonprofits to Know: TU Dance Nonprofits to KnowTM is a web video series produced by Minnesota Philanthropy Partners. This video features TU Dance, a nonprofit dance organization and aims to revel the connective power of dance and celebrate diversity on stage. Minnesota Philanthropy Partners regularly feature a new video highlighting Minnesota nonprofits doing important work in our communities. To learn more about TU Dance, visit their website at: www.tudance.org From: mnpartnersvideo Views: 354 3 ratings Time: 04:09 More in Nonprofits & Activism
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Together We Flourish
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Change Your Life in the New Year With New Choices
9 Feb 2012 | 4:06 amNew Choices of Beaver County is offering three programs for the spring 2012 session at the CCBC campus. Are you interested in career development, basic computer skills or advanced computer skills? Orientation will take place on March 19th at CCBC’s Learning Resource Center, Room 103 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Class details: Career Development Mondays, [...] -
Help Feed Hungry Kids With “Have a Heart”
8 Feb 2012 | 3:34 amThe Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank wants you to Have A Heart! Join Citizens Bank and “Have A Heart” this Valentine’s season to help make sure every child in our region has enough to eat! Ways to help: Give to the Have a Heart campaign online Text 4HUNGER to 20222 to donate $5.00* (not case [...] -
Congratulations to Stacy Berkoben, AP Volunteer Citizen of the Year!
7 Feb 2012 | 5:04 amIn its first year, Direct Energy and Trib Total Media’s 2011 Pittsburgh Volunteer Citizen Award has been awarded to Stacy Berkoben of Arnold, PA. Stacy has volunteered hundreds of hours and helped to raise thousands of dollars for Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley, a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter in New Kensington, PA. By winning the [...] -
Homeless Children Crisis is a Civil Rights Issue
6 Feb 2012 | 4:30 amJoin U.S. Attorney David Hickton and Pittsburgh Steelers Brett Keisel as They Address, “Education: A Civil Right for Homeless Children” The National Center on Family Homelessness reported in December that an average of 1.6 million (one in 45) children were homeless in 2010 at any given time, 42% of whom were six years old or [...] -
Just Harvest Offers Free Tax Preparation Services
3 Feb 2012 | 4:52 amJust Harvest Offers Free Tax Preparation for Low- to Moderate-Income Households Residents Can Have Taxes Done for Free at Southside, CCAC Boyce and Bedford Hope Center, Hill District Just Harvest, the Southside-headquartered nonprofit organization that has worked since 1986 to end hunger and poverty in our region, is now offering its annual free tax preparation [...]
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Jolkona Blog
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Recap: TRAY Creative’s Holiday Giving Challenge and Results!
8 Feb 2012 | 7:30 amWhat makes a company stand out and truly sparkle among the sea of eager entrepreneurs ready to stand in the spotlight? Is there a language to a successful business? When your mission is to provide a non-profit example of humanitarian work, how do you gain enough recognition and generate enough buzz to truly be heard? TRAY Creative is one such agency that develops a strong identity and unique marketing for any business, but especially for those who may lack an available resource due to low funding. I had a chance to talk with Ralph Allora, TRAY Creative’s Principal/Marketing Director on… -
Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Our Valentine’s Day Gift Cards
6 Feb 2012 | 5:59 amHas your Mum ever sent you a Valentine’s card? I’m quite certain mine has – and on many occasions. You see, there was a period in my life from when I was about eleven to when I was seventeen or eighteen years old, where on every February 14th I would receive a blank Valentine’s card in the mail. Sweet but also mysterious. More intriguing was the fact that each year the handwriting on the envelope was different. The plot thickens, though. Not only was the handwriting different, but by looking at the stamp I could see that each year the card had been mailed from a different location. -
A New Definition of Family: Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos Bolivia
2 Feb 2012 | 5:20 amNote from the editor: Post is written by Jordan Belmonte while in Bolivia. Visiting the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) Home in Bolivia, I was reminded of the importance of community and the special bond of a family. Pequenos Hermanos means Our Little Brothers and Sisters. It is a home that supports 102 orphaned or abandoned children and teenagers. NPH is founded on the four pillars of unconditional love, work, responsibility and service to the community. The NPH home, staff and children surprised me at every moment. NPH Bolivia faces many challenges—funding, government regulations… -
Featured Donor: Andrew Abumoussa
31 Jan 2012 | 5:59 amAllow me to introduce to you Andrew Abumoussa. As an accessibility engineer, Andrew is wired to notice things a little differently. What drives many of his passions as a software engineer, as an entrepreneur, and as a graduate student is the effect universal design has on entire populations. Having witnessed how many people lack the opportunities, resources or the apparatus to explore or grow their tools, Andrew’s committed to doing everything he can to level the playing fields. “Having a tool that allows me to see exactly what need is being served, and then receive a tangible… -
On The Road With Jolkona in South America: Awamaki Part 2
26 Jan 2012 | 7:30 amNote from editor: Post written by Chi Do, a passionate Jolkona volunteer. Nested in the foothill of the mountains leading to Machu Picchu is a small town called Ollantaytambo. We visited Awamaki, a non-profit grass roots organization that was revamped in 2009, yet its beginnings are decades old. Their mission is to provide support for highland communities, especially of benefit to the women and children who reside there. Awamaki’s aesthetically decorated store brings weaving and knitting products to consumers. These materials and pieces come from communities deep in the mountainside,…
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Have Fun • Do Good
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Growing Good Habits + a Happy Reminder Board (video)
8 Feb 2012 | 8:40 pmHappy Reminder Board (special appearance by Dora the Cat) from Britt Bravo on Vimeo. Whether I'm working with bloggers and creative entrepreneurs, or talking with a friend, everyone I know is trying to grow good habits. They want to write "morning pages," meditate, exercise, blog, cook dinner, make art, stretch, drink 8 glasses of water, eat healthier, and give thanks more often (sound familiar?). When I've asked people about what helps them keep good habits, they say: Enjoying the process Enjoying the result Having fun Having a role model, or mentor Keeping the habit with a buddy, or… -
12 Prompts for Generous Living & Blogging
1 Feb 2012 | 11:57 amInspired by my post, 20 Ways to be a Generous Blogger, I shared 12 Prompts for Generous Living and Blogging in this month's Juicy Blogging e-News.You don't need to be a blogger, to try the Generous Living prompts, so I thought I'd share them here too. If you'd like to receive the Juicy Blogging eNews in your in-box once a month, you can subscribe by clicking here. Have fun doing good! ************************** Wednesday, February 1 Live it: What are your generous living goals for the month? How do you want to give to yourself, your friends, your family, your local community, and the… -
Cook from The Vegan Table with VegCookbook Club in February
31 Jan 2012 | 12:16 pmAs some of you know, this year I started a new blog, VegCookbookClub.com, where each month myself and readers cook through one vegetarian, or vegan cookbook. We share tips, opinions and advice about recipes in the comments, on Twitter, on Instagram, and on our own blogs. We just finished cooking from Appetite for Reduction. In February, we're going to cook from The Vegan Table. To join in the fun, all you have to do is pick up a copy of The Vegan Table, cook from it, and share your experience on VegCookbookClub.com, on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #vegcookbookclub, or on… -
Martha Beck Interview: Finding Your Way in a Wild New World
25 Jan 2012 | 9:35 amWe’ve proliferated and thrived because we never stop playing, and the way to cope with the increasing complexity of the wild new world is to play more. --Martha Beck, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World Like many of you, I know Martha Beck fromher O Magazine column (it's the first thing I read), and her many self-help books (e.g. Finding Your Own North Star, The Joy Diet). She always delivers good advice with a healthy dose of humor. When I signed up for her mailing list in the fall of 2010, I received a PDF of the first chapter of her book-in-progress with the working title, The… -
Tea, Cupcakes and Creative Bloggers in Your Town
24 Jan 2012 | 10:05 amA couple weekends ago I facilitated a 3-hour Tea, Cupcakes and Creative Bloggers workshop at Teahouse Studio. It was so much fun, I want to teach it again soon. I'm planning on offering it at Teahouse again in the fall, but am also looking for other venues for this spring and summer. If you know of a place that might like to host a TCCB gathering/workshop in the Bay Area and beyond, let me know in the comments, or email me at britt AT brittbravo DOT com. Maybe I can combine visiting your town with a vacation! Cupcakes by Batter and Dough Here are some of the nice things that the ladies…
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Greenbang
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Newest electric cars make hybrids green with envy
8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmIt’s a good sign when cars once considered among the “greenest” around find it harder to hold on to that distinction. The growing range of choices in hybrid and electric cars has put ever-growing pressure on automakers looking to earn fuel-efficient accolades such as the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) annual Greener Cars list. “Earning a spot on the ‘Greenest’ list is proving to be a real challenge for automakers given the variety of vehicle technologies on the market and the proliferation of highly efficient conventional… -
Does energy efficiency matter?
8 Feb 2012 | 9:28 amJust days on the job, Britain’s new Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey sent the message that he is serious about the government’s “Green Deal” by creating a new division in his department: the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office, or EEDO. “I’m hugely enthusiastic about energy efficiency,” said Edward Davey in his first speech since replacing Chris Huhne, who resigned in the wake of questions regarding speeding charges against him. “It’s the cheapest way of cutting carbon — and cutting bills for consumers. It has to be… -
Heat dials up on smart-thermostat wars
7 Feb 2012 | 12:58 pmTransform boring, old technology into something with next-generation smarts and huge market potential, and what do you get? Exciting new business opportunities? Check. A stepping-stone to even more innovation? Check. An open-door invitation to a lawsuit? Check. As the smart-grid industry matures and evolves, it should come as no surprise that there will be mergers and acquisitions, winners and losers … along with increasingly fierce competition along the way. And with the competitive territory comes an increased likelihood of litigation. Now that advanced energy meters and smart… -
How NOT to cover energy news
7 Feb 2012 | 12:04 pmWhat’s the best way to understand developments in the energy world? A Daily Ticker story on Yahoo! Finance provides a glaring example of how not to do so. Serious energy analysts usually find lots to complain about in the mainstream media’s coverage of energy issues, and those complaints — a tendency toward stenography, innumeracy, lack of context and “magical thinking” — are often justified. But the Daily Ticker article titled “US to Be Free from Foreign Oil by 2030: BP” dials those complaints up to 11. How? Let’s have a look, shall we? -
How much coal is left?
7 Feb 2012 | 8:45 amCompared to natural gas, the US is using proportionately less coal than it once did for generating electricity. “Proportional,” though, doesn’t necessarily means less overall. In fact, despite some up-and-down fluctuations, coal consumption in the US has been hovering at around 1 billion short tons per year since 1996, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The US remains the world’s second-largest consumer of coal. And, globally, coal use has been on the rise, growing by more than 70 percent between 2000 and 2010, with China dominating the…
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AfriGadget
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Gigantic Electronics extension cable
23 Jan 2012 | 7:20 am“Safety First!”, you may think while watching the following video, but if the cheap (Chinese) polyethylene (?) extension cables just break too often due to rough handling and their low quality, chances are that someone will come up with an alternative. Like this young man in Kenya: (no subtitles available on this one, sorry) A young man from Kiandutu slums in Thika had always wanted to be an electrical engineer, but lack of fees denied him a chance to further his studies. And yet this has not dampen his resolve to put his mark on the world of electrical engineering.For starters,… -
A mobile phone security system for your car
23 Aug 2011 | 2:07 amIn Nyeri, Kenya a young man named Peterson Mwangi has created a way to start and switch off a car engine, via an SMS command from his cell phone. This is a lot like Morris Mbetsa’s anti-theft vehicle system using SMS of a couple years ago. -
Emargence Door Exit
29 May 2011 | 6:15 pmImagineering is what it’s all about – wouldn’t you have wanted to build your own helicopter from scratch when you were 17 years old? Joseph Omwoyo, a young Kenyan form-four student in Western Kenya, did just that and built his own version, using locally available materials. It doesn’t fly, nor does it look like it will ever take off – but what really matters is that a young boy with limited resources still had the energy to fulfill his dream: “…Omwoyo says he got the idea while in Form One when he, together with his colleagues, toured the Kisumu… -
Retain, Reuse, Rejoice
12 Apr 2011 | 5:02 pmWe’re currently fighting a bug that has affected our server [Update: Fixed! ], hence the long delay in updating this wonderful blog. Also, we recommend subscribing to this blog (because the bug doesn’t show up on our feed), so if you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to the AfriGadget RSS feed. Thank you! So… “what do you do with old billboard posters”, asks Kenyan bloggger Daudi “Mentalacrobatics” Were on his Posterous site – and instantly delivers the following snapshot: “Apply Nairobi ingenuity and waterproof your… -
Lamutiki
27 Jan 2011 | 7:41 pmAnyone remembers David Mayer de Rothschild’s Plastiki, “a 60 feet (18 m) catamaran made out of 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles and other recycled PET plastic and waste products” that successfully conquered the Pacific Ocean last year? Well, it seems this young man from Lamu (Kenya) had a similar idea and is in the process of building his own plastic bottle boat. Our reader Arthur Buliva from Kenya just sent us these pictures with the following explanation: I was in Lamu recently and came across this man who was making a boat out of plastic bottles and old slippers. He was…
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GreenBiz.com Green and Sustainable Business News
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5 Lessons in Futureproofing Products from Brown Toilet Paper
9 Feb 2012 | 8:07 amInnovations -- even ones leading to the most sustainable products of their fields, like Cascades' new Moka recycled TP -- sometimes fail not because of any inherent fault of their own, but because they're launched at the wrong time. -
Inside the Killer App for Buildings & Energy Management
9 Feb 2012 | 4:45 amFault detection and diagnostics are at the core of the killer app in today’s building automation and building energy management industry. -
The Next Smart Sustainability Idea: A Net Positive Impact Business
9 Feb 2012 | 4:45 amGoing beyond what is currently the leading edge of sustainability to a strategy that puts people and the planet at the heart of operations is going to be the key to survival in the 21st century, and a few smart companies are leading the pack. -
Organic Valley Turns to Solar Windows for Green Power, Energy Savings
9 Feb 2012 | 4:44 amThe co-op that brought sustainable farming to the dairy industry has adopted the latest twist in solar technology: windows embedded with solar cells that generate electricity and save energy by boosting the benefits of daylighting. -
As Biotech Debate Rages on, More GMOs Get Planted
8 Feb 2012 | 12:46 pmEven as both sides continue to wage a battle around whether or not genetically modified organisms are good for the planet and its people, new data show that ever-larger swaths of land are being planted in biotech crops.
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Acumen Fund Blog
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A New Movement in Philanthropy
8 Feb 2012 | 2:27 pmCandidates for the Acumen Fund East Africa Fellows Program Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on Blair Miller’s blog on February 5, 2012 ___ I have spent the majority of my professional career working in emerging markets and one of the reasons I love what I do is because I know I am on the cutting edge of innovation. Every time I go to Kenya, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, or South Africa, I am fascinated and energized by the amount of innovation coming out of these regions. My late mentor C.K. Prahalad deeply understood this and it is captured in his paper The Innovation… -
VANCOUVER+acumen Case Competition – From a Student’s Perspective
6 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amFinalists from last year's competition +acumen chapters – self-organized, volunteer-led groups in cities and schools around the world – are actively supporting Acumen Fund’s mission to create a world beyond poverty through education, fundraising and service. To start a +acumen chapter in your city, contact Jo-Ann Tan at jtan@acumenfund.org. You can learn more about +acumen chapters on our website. We’re excited for VANCOUVER+acumen’s efforts to mainstream patient capital. This post originally appeared on VANCOUVER+acumen’s blog. ___ Stop for a second, and close… -
Time is running short – Apply now to be an Acumen Fund Summer Associate!
2 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amA demonstration of a Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd ambulance in a village in Rajasthan, India Do you want to spend your summer changing the way the world tackles poverty? Do you have what it takes to join the Acumen Fund team? Acumen Fund is seeking high-impact individuals to fill the following roles in our global offices: East Africa Summer Associate – 4 Openings West Africa Summer Associate – 3 Openings India Summer Associate (Research) – 1 Opening India Summer Associate (Portfolio) – 1 Opening New York Summer Associate (Portfolio) – 2-3 Openings New York Summer… -
Why I want to start a MUMBAI+acumen volunteer chapter
31 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmI am an engineer by education, and I thought my life was all sorted when I graduated. I had a job in hand and was excited about finally earning a living and working my way up the professional ladder. Yet it didn’t feel right. A connection was missing. Born and raised in one of the most backward states in India, Odisha, I was used to seeing a startling level of poverty all around me. Throughout my four years of college I volunteered at several organizations. There was so much we did, yet I was frustrated by our level of impact. There remains a gnawing desire within me to bring about… -
Circ MedTech’s PrePex device featured in today’s New York Times
31 Jan 2012 | 9:49 amComponents of a PrePex device This morning, Circ MedTech’s PrePex device was recognized by the New York Times as a key technological innovation in combating HIV/AIDS in Africa. PrePex is a device that enables safe, simple and scalable adult male circumcision, which is an effective, proven method of reducing the lifetime risk of HIV infection by approximately 60% in high-risk areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the PrePex device, which has shown success in initial safety studies and trials. An excerpt of the Times article appears below:…
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Mercy Corps
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Solar energy reaches northern Uganda
7 Feb 2012 | 1:47 pmIn an effort to provide sustainable energy and invigorate small business, Mercy Corps teams worked over the last year to connect large-scale solar power companies in Uganda's capital of Kampala with merchants in rural northern Pader to offer affordable solar power equipment to residents. Solar energy is not only a clean alternative to other fuels, but is often the only source of power in areas where electricity is scarce and unreliable. This pilot solar-to-market distribution model was a finalist in Mercy Corps' 2012 Innovation & Impact Competition, voted on by over 800 staff worldwide. -
Fighting the cholera epidemic in emergency camps
6 Feb 2012 | 3:35 pmCholera is raging across the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the last year, more than 22,000 people have been infected – 1,600 of those in the last four weeks alone. The disease is rampant in the temporary camps that house many of the 1.7 million people who have been forced from their homes by conflict and hunger. Limited water supplies and poor sanitation in these overcrowded camps create an environment ripe for the spread of cholera. Mercy Corps teams have quickly ramped up efforts to battle the disease in 23 camps in North Kivu, an area with some of the highest infection rates in the… -
Women back to work as seaweed harvesting begins
3 Feb 2012 | 1:52 pmHiroko Mirura leads 400 women who have found jobs in the local wakame seaweed industry, back in operation thanks to equipment donated by Walmart and distributed by Mercy Corps. Photo: Sylvia Ross/Mercy CorpsNew equipment stands ready for the boats to return with the latest seaweed harvest. Photo: Sylvia Ross/Mercy CorpsYesterday I met Hiroko Mirura. In her early 60s, Ms. Mirura is a former scallop merchant, proud wife of a fisherman, and a strong female leader in the town of Minamisanriku. Hiroko's impressive life boasts many accomplishments, including being the only female board member of… -
Inspiring Tech Innovation at Gaza Startup Weekend
1 Feb 2012 | 4:11 pmPalestinian youth gathered in December to incubate web development ideas — and business opportunities — at a Startup Weekend in Gaza. Photo: Will Weathersby/Mercy CorpsGaza isn’t necessarily the first place you think of for a Startup Weekend. These 54-hour events, started by a Seattle nonprofit, bring together web developers, designers, marketers, product managers and aspiring entrepreneurs to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch tech startups. It’s a place few people ever get to visit, let alone a group of experts from Google and international business professionals… -
The growing food crisis in Niger
1 Feb 2012 | 8:48 amThere’s a crisis brewing in Niger, West Africa. Years of unpredictable rains, intense poverty and a poor harvest in 2011 have left 5.5 million people (over a third of the country’s population) facing significant food shortages this year. A deeply worrying 1.3 million of that number are at serious risk from hunger and need immediate humanitarian assistance. All that's left of a completely failed millet crop in Filingué. Photo: Mercy Corps Decimated harvests Mercy Corps teams in Ouallam and Filingué — two areas in southwest Niger that are among the hardest hit by drought and the growing…
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(BLOG) RED - Buy (RED). Save Lives.
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Turn the Super Bowl (RED) with (SHAZAM)RED
4 Feb 2012 | 8:36 amCalling all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users! You can use your (SHAZAM)RED App during tomorrow’s Big Game for scores, stats, exclusive content, music and more. How can you use it? During the Big Game • Tag the game for stats, up-to-the minute scores, special content and more. At the Halftime Show • When you use (SHAZAM)RED to tag the performance you can unlock exclusive content and experience more by the Interscope artists performing. While watching Shazam-enabled Super Bowl Ads • Be sure to look for the Shazam logo on screen or listen… -
Let’s Celebrate to Accelerate
3 Feb 2012 | 7:11 amPhoto Credit: DATA Guest Blog: Jamie Drummond, Executive Director of ONE Ten years ago today, at a small press conference in New York, Bono and Bill Gates launched an activist entity called DATA, with start-up funds from Mr Gates, George Soros and Ed Scott. I was one of the founders, along with Bobby Shriver and Lucy Matthew, and appointed the executive director. Though we started small, our oh so clever acronymic name stood for audacious goals: to campaign on debt, AIDS, trade and aid in partnership with African activists – in return for African governments offering more democracy,… -
10 years of lives saved through the Global Fund
31 Jan 2012 | 6:50 amGuest Post: In celebration of the Global Fund’s 10th anniversary, ONE Global Health Policy Manager Erin Hohlfelder reflects on the organization’s accomplishments over the years. When I was ten, I was busy doing important things like mastering long division, practicing softball and rocking the plastic glasses/bowl cut combo. While I’m proud of those accomplishments, I have to say I’m even more proud today to honor all the incredible things that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has achieved in its first ten years of existence. To understand the Global Fund’s… -
#BillsLetter.
27 Jan 2012 | 11:07 amIn his annual public letter released this week, Bill Gates highlighted some of the greatest challenges facing humanity – fighting HIV/AIDS, eradicating polio, preventing infant deaths and agricultural development — and how innovation is the key to overcoming them. He discusses the AIDS community's focus on prevention and treatment while work for a cure continues. Mr. Gates explains there are many ways to prevent new infections. One key approach that works well is using treatment as prevention — in other words, giving people living with HIV/AIDS early access to… -
A Mother with a Mission: Doris' Story
13 Jan 2012 | 8:51 amDoris and Michael at home in Ghana. Doris is HIV positive and her son Michael is HIV negative thanks to treatment that prevented Doris from transmitting HIV to her son. Doris is busy raising her healthy and active 4 year-old boy. Michael enjoys playing football and reading books. When he grows up he would like to be a soldier, but Doris would prefer for him to be a pilot. Doris serves as an advisor to the president of Wisdom Association, a Global Fund financed support group in Ghana. When Doris shares her story with newly diagnosed patients, she says “there is hope for people living with…
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Women Thrive Worldwide
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Video: Ritu Sharma Talks Poverty on Fox 5
3 Feb 2012 | 1:54 amRitu Sharma, traveled to some of the world's most troubled spots, including Burkina Faso, where she lived on a dollar... -
Video: Ritu Sharma on CSPAN
1 Feb 2012 | 4:45 amRitu Sharma, President and Co-Founder of Women Thrive Worldwide, appeared on CSPAN to talk about how U.S. policy plays a... -
Event Invitation: Bridging the Gender Technology Gap
26 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pmWomen Thrive Worldwide invites you at our February Gender Roundtable event, Access Denied: Bridging the Technology Gap. Click through for... -
Women Thrive Welcomes U.S. Action Plan on Women and Children in Conflict
19 Dec 2011 | 3:00 pmWomen Thrive Worldwide welcomes the release today by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of the U.S. National Action... -
The Year of Gender Integration?
15 Dec 2011 | 8:12 amThere has been a lot of rhetoric in Washington this year about the importance of women. How has...
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ONE
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What We’re Reading: China skirting African corruption in direct aid
9 Feb 2012 | 8:46 amChina skirting African corruption in direct aid – As China’s strategic interest in East Africa grows, instead of simply giving cash as foreign aid, China prefers to pay Chinese companies to improve infrastructure, bypassing local politicians and construction crews. Just last month, Chinese workers built two towers in Kampala, in what “aid watchdogs applaud as a model to help defeat the inefficiencies and cash-pocketing corruption associated with other systems of foreign aid delivery.” This new model could help to “cut the risk of aid scandals like the one that rocked the $22.6… -
Our question on faith and development, answered by the White House
9 Feb 2012 | 7:43 amONE Regional Field Director Joe Mason‘s question on faith, advocacy and development got answered during a recent White House Q&A. Here’s his report: Recently, the White House hosted an online Q&A session on innovation for global development. Since the subject is a passion of mine, I was immediately prompted to submit a question to USAID Administrator Dr. Raj Shah. Listen to Joe’s question here: I try to do all that I can to mobilize faith-based institutions with congregations in Africa to get involved in serving their communities through development. I have seen… -
Remembering ONE member Laurence Carolin on Airplane Day
8 Feb 2012 | 1:04 pmLast Saturday, the town of Dexter, Mich., came together to celebrate Airplane Day, a unique advocacy event that commemorates the life and legacy of Laurence Carolin, a Dexter teen who passed away due to brain cancer two years ago. Laurence was a truly incredible and selfless individual who was passionately involved with ONE and committed to raising awareness about the fight against poverty and disease. He even dedicated the last year of his life to this cause and donated all of his Make-A-Wish Foundation money to the United Nations Foundation, one of ONE’s partners. Laurence’s compassion… -
FAQ: The fuel subsidy protests in Nigeria
8 Feb 2012 | 11:58 amA decision by the Nigerian government to halt a hefty fuel subsidy on January 1 prompted one of the largest and most coordinated protests in Nigeria’s history. Though the protests are over, the issues that prompted them remain. UPDATE, 2/9/2012: Yesterday, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed his rival in last year’s presidential election, Nuhu Ribadu, as chairman of a new oil task force dedicated to tracking revenues paid to the government, and monitoring crude oil production and exports. Mr. Ribadu is formerly the chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and… -
What We’re Reading: World Bank warns on Africa trade
8 Feb 2012 | 10:16 amFunding squeeze, apathy mean another half century of AIDS – UN expert – Paul De Lay, the deputy executive director of UNAIDS said that while the world could soon reduce new HIV infections to zero with enough funding, “global apathy and the financial crisis mean it might take another 50 years to stop the AIDS epidemic.” De Lay called on developing countries to take responsibility for eradicating HIV in their own countries instead of relying completely on foreign assistance, especially at a time when HIV/AIDS efforts are facing an unprecedented drop in funding. (AlertNet, Thin Lei Win)…
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What Do You Stand For?
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Power to the People
2 Feb 2012 | 9:00 pmThere's no question social media has become the great equalizer of our time amplifying the messages of individuals, small organizations, grassroots movements and activist minorities that otherwise may not have had a voice. Through social media, people have banded together to create calls to action, solve for tough social problems and help direct corporate philanthropy. Yet even in today's wired world, sometimes there is still no replacement for the power of advertising crowdsourced, of course. LoudSauce is the first crowdsourced media buying platform, which helps small social… -
Corporate Philanthropy: Looking Beyond the Check
25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pmWhile charitable giving is finally back on the rise, so too are the pressures facing nonprofits in appealing to corporate partners. Gone are the days of writing checks to the CEO's favorite "pet" charity, as companies look deeper into the business case for philanthropy. Two new studies released this week demonstrate that employee engagement and ROI from product donations are often key drivers in determining which nonprofit organization to support. A recent study by Forbes Insights found that 72 percent of the 311 global senior executives surveyed said they primarily donate to… -
Eco-labeling: Is There an App for That?
19 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pmFrom "Farm Verified Organic" to "USDA Organic," "Processed Chlorine Free" to "Totally Chlorine Free," eco-labels are proliferating and consumers are having a tough time keeping them all straight. Cone's 2011 Green Gap Trend Tracker found 51 percent of Americans are overwhelmed by the amount of environmental messages in the marketplace, and no wonder there are more than 5,000 products currently on the shelves touting green claims and more than 400 green labels in the market.What was once a solution for effective green marketing has become a contested topic among marketing experts and… -
#whatsinyourstuff: Transparency Predictions for 2012
17 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pmIts no secret almost all of the products Americans buy are produced by workers in developing countries; workers who often receive low pay, work long hours and live in questionable conditions.87% of consumers say theyll hold companies accountable for ensuring human rights in their supply chains. Yet, when it comes to our favorite brands, many of us are willing to look the other way. We explored this topic at Cone Communications #whatsinyourstuff event, and, even among a crowd of transparency enthusiasts, the majority admitted they own and would continue to purchase Apple products regardless of… -
Are You Listening?
12 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pmFrom ponytails to braids, long locks to updo's, Barbie's hair often reflects the trends of the times. But, according to some consumers, there's one style the iconic doll is long overdue for: going bald. A new Facebook page "Beautiful and Bald Barbie: Let's see if we can get it made," has cropped up online, driven by two women affected by cancer. The group, now more than 87,000 "likes" strong, is asking toy maker Mattel to create a bald Barbie to support children with cancer and help them deal with situations when they or loved ones lose their hair. Although Mattel has yet to publicly enter…
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Change Your Life | The Change Blog
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Happiness Is Not For Wimps
8 Feb 2012 | 4:30 amPhoto by Yan R. By Ken Wert “When I am happy, I see the happiness in others. When I am depressed, I notice that people’s eyes look sad. When I am weary, I see the world as boring and unattractive.” ~ Steve Chandler Happiness is not a quality easily had by those who fear challenge and difficulty. Happiness, as a matter of fact, can require quite a bit from us if we would develop those traits that produce it at its highest potential. In other words, happiness is not for the squeamish. It requires us to get our hands dirty in the ditches and mountain sides of life. It requires us to… -
Hold the Wheel and Drive
6 Feb 2012 | 4:30 amPhoto by emdot By Sean When I look back on 2011, I see both the most painful and the most illuminating year of my life. I can understand now that everything needed to happen the way it did for me to grow as a person, but I still hope never to relive anything like it. The year began with me attempting to cope with the humiliation of my failed engagement. To make it worse it was a failed engagement that practically unfolded under the spotlight, stage right for all my friends, family, and coworkers to witness. Every day I had to face the people I respected and loved while trying not to show the… -
What’s Your Mindset Costing You?
3 Feb 2012 | 4:30 amPhoto by Helga Weber By Alissa Finerman “One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average person’s familiarity with the word ‘impossible.’ He knows all the rules that will not work. He knows all the things that cannot be done.” ~ Napoleon Hill I was in NYC with my mom and had a short conversation with a woman during our bus ride. She was about 55 years old, used a cane, and was at least 75 pounds overweight. As a result of being hit by a drunk driver several years ago, she told us, “she was limited physically.” I listened to her story and understood her challenges. However,… -
An Easy Step Toward Radical Transformation
1 Feb 2012 | 4:30 amPhoto by W J (Bill) Harrison By Jeff Munn A few years ago, I was a highly paid professional who was, from all external appearances, successful. I’d gone to great schools, gotten a job in a good law firm, and a house in the right suburb. On the outside, I was smiling. But on the inside, I was stressed and miserable. There was just too much to do. It was endless. Nonstop. And I couldn’t cope. I couldn’t see how the path I was on could lead to anything more than more stress, and more misery. And that’s when I discovered a tool that revolutionized my life. This tool helped me to slow… -
Six Ways to Make a Change in Your World
30 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amPhoto by A6U571N By Ali Luke We want to have an impact. We want our lives to touch other people. We want our work to endure. We want the world to be a better place because of our presence in it. But in the day-to-day rush of life, it’s easy to think that “changing the world” is an unachievable huge, even arrogant, goal. In a world of seven billion people, we can feel very small. Today, let’s shift the focus slightly. Instead of changing the world, let’s look at changing your world. Here are six simple things to try. Don’t dismiss them as “too…
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Kiva Stories from the Field
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Preservation Hall
9 Feb 2012 | 8:07 amBy Charlotte Makoff, KF16, New Orleans The Sign at the Door It’s hard to imagine a dingier, more neglected looking space than Preservation Hall in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The tall windows facing the street are shuttered and have not been washed in years, maybe decades. Paint, in the areas that are or were painted, is blistered and peeling, but most of the walls are covered with ancient pegboard stained a myriad of browns and grays by an accumulation of dust and tobacco smoke. There are a few paintings of jazz performers on the walls, and it helps to know that they are paintings,… -
Kiva Puts its 17th Class of Fellows on the Map!
7 Feb 2012 | 3:24 pmBy Jacob Schultz, Kiva Fellows Program Manager, and Eric Brandt, Kiva Fellows Program Coordinator Kiva HQ was electric last month as the newest class of Kiva Fellows gathered for an intensive five-day training course. Over the next several weeks, they’ll split up among 21 countries where Kiva loans are made. While there, they’ll spend the next four months working closely with our field partners and meeting with borrowers to grow and strengthen the Kiva lending experience. Prior to arriving for training, Kiva gets to know the KF17 trainees through their bios Kiva received 165 applicants… -
Junk Food +1,300 Chefs + Edirne-Style Liver + Maya Food Entrepreneurs
6 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amBy Kimberly Strathearn, KF 16 Although you will find many familiar fast food restaurants in Turkey, I have never understood why they are popular. Turkish food is just too darn good. When I first started living in Turkey in 1998, there was very little western fast food, very little packaged junk food, and very little prepared foods (i.e. bottled sauces, frozen vegetable, mixes and other packaged foods). I used to bring back lots of food items when I visited my family once a year. Now I only bring back chili powder for when I occasionally make tacos (don’t have to bring tortillas back… -
Secrets of the ELA Sisterhood (Part I)
4 Feb 2012 | 12:57 amLife is not easy for a lot of young women in Uganda. Many girls in poorer urban areas and in rural villages are regularly confronted with sexual assault, unwanted or unintended pregnancies, HIV, and the list goes on. These girls are also commonly forced to drop out of school early because they can no longer pay fees or because they need to help support their families. With these kinds of hardships, young girls are often trapped in poverty with few, if any, opportunities to develop independence and improve their lives. Enter BRAC. Four years ago, BRAC Uganda began to address some of these… -
To Connect People Through Lending To Entrepreneurs Across the Globe
2 Feb 2012 | 12:26 pmBy Charlotte Makoff, KF16, New Orleans “To Connect People Through Lending to Entrepreneurs Across the Globe” is one of Kiva’s best tag lines. Indeed, “Connecting” is key to Kiva, to microfinance loans and to repayment, especially in this high tech world of Twitter, Facebook, Groupon and the Worldwide Web. All of the Kiva borrowers in New Orleans are online, from the youngest in her twenties to the oldsters in their 60s. A lot have smart phones to check their email and Facebook pages. Unlike the Kiva borrowers in developing nations, there is no need to explain “the…
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Helping Help
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Real Leaders Inspire Ongoing Action
16 Jan 2012 | 4:49 pmThe day after MLk day is more important than the holiday itself. It is the day that we truly see who the real leaders are. It is the day that the celebrating masses give way to the nonconforming minority of change-makers. MLK taught us to lead fearlessly, selflessly, and righteously. His accomplishments - and sacrifice - is worth celebrating and remembering, and I am proud that we take a day every year to do it. But celebrating is easy. The day after MLK day is where true leaders shine. And they continue to shine for the weeks and months in between celebrations. Right now, the world doesn't… -
Passionate Leaders are Better Leaders
9 Jan 2012 | 6:05 pmLeadership Passion Pyramid To be a truly inspiring and effective leader, you must have passion. But not any passion will suffice, the best leaders focus their passion on 4 main areas: Passion for the development and fulfillment of the people they lead Passion for the cause they are working towards Passion for making an impact Passion for their own personal growth The ordering is just as important as the area of passion. Why? Nothing happens if the people you lead don't make things happen. Be invested in the people you lead, as their happiness and… -
Look Back Before Moving Forward
24 Dec 2011 | 8:40 amAt the end of every year, I dedicate a day to looking back. I think about a lot of things, and I use Who, What, Where, When, Why, How as a framework... Who slowed me down Who helped me What I set out to do What I did When I was struggling When I was happiest Where I tripped Where I soared Why I failedWhy I succeeded How I lost motivationHow I inspired, motivated, and empowered others and myself I look within myself to find balance, and I look outside to find knowledge. I listen and learn from experts in all fields, knowing the diversity of… -
Inspire Others To Exceed Their Expectations
17 Dec 2011 | 4:12 pmForbes.com just published a brilliant article on leadership that was written by Russell Raath. In it, Russell share a scene from the movie Invictus where Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela: Morgan Freeman’s Mandela offers some final words of wisdom. “We need inspiration,” he says, “because in order to build our nation, we must all exceed our own expectations.” You can read the full article on Forbes and I highly recommend it. The takeaway is simple and powerful. As a leader, your job is to do more than just setting and achieving goals. Your imperative is to inspire and… -
Increase Motivation, Inspire Action and Drive Behavior
4 Dec 2011 | 2:09 pmNo matter your position, role, and responsibilities - you have the ability to motivate others and inspire action. There are thousands of books, research reports, and case studies on this topic - and out of all of them that I have come across, the three best resources are the following two videos and link Dan Pink on the Surprising Science About What Motivates Us (video) Simon Sinek on How Great Leaders Inspires Action (video) Chip and Dan Heath on How to Change Things When Change is Hard (book, and article) Here are the videos and book summary for your convenience: Dan Pink on the…
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NYT > Most E-Mailed
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Wonder Dog: A Golden Retriever Reaches a Raging Boy
9 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amA golden retriever was the only thing that could reach a raging, disconnected boy. -
States Negotiate $26 Billion Agreement for Homeowners
9 Feb 2012 | 7:36 amNearly two million Americans could benefit from mortgage relief from the nation’s biggest banks, as part of a broad government settlement to be announced on Thursday. -
Drilling Reaches Lake Vostok, Long Trapped Under Antarctic Ice Sheet
9 Feb 2012 | 7:27 amScientists said Wednesday they had reached the waters of a lake that has been sealed off for millions of years. -
California Housing Market Braces for Facebook Millionaires
9 Feb 2012 | 4:32 amThe Bay Area and Silicon Valley expect the windfall from the Facebook stock offering to make their in-demand region even hotter. -
Is This Living Room Big Enough for My TV?
8 Feb 2012 | 10:10 pmHuge televisions, once an expensive oddity, are now the affordable norm.
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CNN.com - Most Popular
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Ukraine's emergency services under pressure as winter bites
9 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amSuffering in the grip of a brutal winter where temperatures have not risen above freezing in nearly a month, Ukraine has seen a wave of deaths related to the cold, and the country's ambulance service is inundated with calls for help. -
School will continue using Fighting Sioux nickname
9 Feb 2012 | 7:19 amThe dispute between the NCAA and the University of North Dakota over its Fighting Sioux nickname and logo took a new turn Wednesday when the school said the filing of petitions requires it to use the nickname and logo while the issue plays out, possibly in a statewide vote. -
Dangerous path to legal status for some immigrants
9 Feb 2012 | 5:58 amTania Nava has one piece of advice for anyone seeking to come out of the shadows and pursue a path to U.S. citizenship: don't do it. -
Authorities probe 911 response to Josh Powell's home
9 Feb 2012 | 4:34 amAuthorities have launched an investigation into how dispatchers handled 911 calls from those seeking help before, they say, Josh Powell killed his sons and himself in his Washington home. -
Rutgers student's suicide shouldn't define him, brother says
9 Feb 2012 | 2:26 amAlmost 15 months since Tyler Clementi committed suicide, his older brother James wants people to know that "he's much more than the way that he died."
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WSJ.com: Today's Most Popular
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A 'Port' out of the Norm
9 Feb 2012 | 1:28 amWalt Mossberg reviews a special flash drive that can transfer and stream files to popular mobile devices without standard USB ports. -
ObamaCare's Great Awakening
8 Feb 2012 | 5:46 pmHHS tells religious believers to go to hell. The public notices. -
Robert Reilly: Romney's Businessman Pitch Won't Work
8 Feb 2012 | 9:53 amIf you can't articulate the cause for which you are fighting in moral terms, you will lose. -
Energy Boom Lifts Economy
8 Feb 2012 | 8:50 amThe benefits of the newest energy boom are extending far beyond the traditional oil patch. It's revving up the U.S. economy. -
Duke, North Carolina Top Basketball's Alumni Loot Index
8 Feb 2012 | 8:24 amWhat if you tried to measure the success of every college basketball team by a more practical measure: how much money its alumni have earned by playing the sport professionally?
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L.A. Times - Most E-mailed Stories
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Mortgage giants to pay $26 billion in foreclosure settlement
9 Feb 2012 | 7:02 amFederal and state officials on Thursday announced a landmark $26-billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers to settle investigations involving foreclosure abuses and try to stabilize the housing market. -
Clifton's Cafeteria reveals original facade, hidden for 50 years
9 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amThe aluminum covering on the Broadway landmark has been taken down as the restaurant undergoes a major renovation.The house specialty at Clifton's Cafeteria on Wednesday was filet de grille , with the promise of a beaux-arts surprise for dessert. -
White supremacists revive dream of a homeland in Northwest
9 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amKevin Harpham's attempted bombing of a Martin Luther King parade in Spokane, Wash., reflects the foothold white supremacy has in the region.Three sanitation workers found it along the route of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march: a nest of wires in a backpack. -
The Review: Bäco Mercat makes it easy to get carried away
9 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amAt Bäco Mercat in downtown Los Angeles, Josef Centeno's ever-changing, quirky menu makes it easy to get carried away.Navigating downtown is — there's no getting around it — tough. Even though I work there, I can never remember which one-way streets go which way. You can turn a corner and suddenly find yourself in the middle of Downtown Art Walk, with sidewalks teeming with thousands of pedestrians, or just as easily find yourself on a deserted avenue, shops closed up tight. The scene switches moods — active, lonely, thriving, haunted — from block to block and street… -
Bad cars: The top 10 worst sold in America
8 Feb 2012 | 2:49 pmThe 2001 Pontiac Aztek, the 1987 Yugo, the 1958 Edsel Corsair -- here's one list of the top 10 worst cars. What do you think?
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NPR: Most E-Mailed Stories Podcast
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NPR: 02-09-2012 Most E-Mailed Stories
8 Feb 2012 | 10:02 pmStories: 1) For Love And The Game, A Star Shines In Delaware 2) Like Punk Rockers, Sabre Fencers Are 'Kind Of Crazy' 3) Donald Hall: A Poet's View 'Out The Window' 4) S'il-Vous-Plait: Raising Your 'Bebe' The French Way 5) In Russia, Punk-Rock Riot Girls Rage Against Putin 6) Facebook: Lots Of Friends, But Stock Offering Has Risks -
NPR: 02-08-2012 Most E-Mailed Stories
7 Feb 2012 | 10:08 pmStories: 1) Dickens At 200: A Birthday You Can't 'Bah Humbug' 2) A Pulpit For The Masses: YouTube, Christians Click 3) Amid Debt Crisis, A Trail Of Broken 'Promises' 4) Jews With Ties To Iran And Israel Feel Conflicted 5) California's Same-Sex Marriage Ban Is Unconstitutional, Court Says 6) 'Beautiful Forevers': Surviving Slum Life In Mumbai -
NPR: 02-07-2012 Most E-Mailed Stories
6 Feb 2012 | 10:02 pmStories: 1) Helicopter Parents Hover In The Workplace 2) California's Stevia Growers Bet On Fast Track To Sweetener Success 3) Songs To Spin To, From A Fitness Guru 4) Remembering Roger Boisjoly: He Tried To Stop Shuttle Challenger Launch 5) Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers: From Playing In Knee Socks To Owning Two Strads 6) The 'Morning After' Pill: How It Works And Who Uses It -
NPR: 02-06-2012 Most E-Mailed Stories
5 Feb 2012 | 10:25 pmStories: 1) Stopping The 'Brain Drain' Of The U.S. Economy 2) A Tale Of Two Centuries: Charles Dickens Turns 200 3) Joe Cocker: The 'Hard Knock' Life Of A Singular Singer 4) Fewer Autopsies Mean Crucial Info Goes To The Grave 5) How Whitey Bulger Corrupted The Justice System 6) Worshipers Kicked Out Of N.Y. School On Principle -
NPR: 02-05-2012 Most E-Mailed Stories
4 Feb 2012 | 11:03 pmStories: 1) Lost Malcolm X Speech Heard Again 50 Years Later 2) 20 Million Years Later, Russians Work To Drill Into Lake 3) 'Buffett Rule' Becomes A Bill, And Congress Bickers 4) Standing In Defense Of Diet Coke 5) In Ukraine, A Daughter Takes Up Her Mother's Cause 6) Media 'Miracle': The 'Big' Story Of Three Whales
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Barron's Most Emailed Today
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Stanley Black & Decker: Hammering Home Profits
8 Feb 2012 | 2:55 pmShares of the tool company should benefit from smart expansion plans and a possible dividend hike. -
A Green Light for Copper and Other Metals
8 Feb 2012 | 1:02 pmA price recovery for several industrial commodities looks sustainable. Here are some ways to play the sector. -
Three Aerospace Stocks to Buy Now
8 Feb 2012 | 11:57 amHoneywell, Triumph Group and Spirit AeroSystems are favorites. -
Time to Buy Time Warner?
8 Feb 2012 | 10:38 amThe media giant exceeded earnings estimates for a 12th consecutive quarter, announced a stock buyback and raised its dividend. -
Worth the Risk
8 Feb 2012 | 10:14 amBarron's/Lipper's Best Fund Families of 2011 stayed fully invested, but in safe plays. So who came out on top?
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Most viewed | guardian.co.uk
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Fabio Capello's England resignation fallout – as it happened
9 Feb 2012 | 5:58 am• Stuart Pearce named caretaker manager• FA say preference is for next long-term manager to be EnglishHello everyone. And goodbye Fabio. So what now for England? The FA will begin answering that at a press conference scheduled to kick off at high noon today, but naturally plenty of people have already weighed in with advice. Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney have already tweeted to endorse the presumed candidacy of Harry Redknapp (while Roy Keane has chipped into tell Rooney "keep his nose out of it, he never did enough on the pitch when Capello was manager") and David Cameron has said… -
Classic YouTube | The worst free-kicks ever, rallying road rage and a one-handed six
9 Feb 2012 | 12:30 amThis week's round-up also features Sinisa Mihajlovic, maverick pool tricks and cycle-skating Frenchmen from 19231) Contenders for the worst free-kick ever: No1, No2, No3, No4, No5, No6, No7, No8. No9 and No10. Or is it one from Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?2) Rally driving can be stressful, especially when you get held up in traffic like Niall O'Connell …3) More than 50 free-kick goals and screamers from Sinisa Mihajlovic.4) Why you should always close the cage door in MMA.5) The best table tennis-playing baby ever?6) Some more spots from our Classic YouTube lost and found section: New… -
Fabio Capello resigns as England manager – as it happened | Gregg Roughley
8 Feb 2012 | 2:22 pmFabio Capello has resigned as England coach and Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, is favourite to succeed him. Read the immediate news and reaction to the decision7.46pm: Evening. Well, Fabio Capello has resigned as the England manager. I'll have news, reaction and comment as it comes in. Here's the FA's full statement:"The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager. This follows a meeting involving FA chairman David Bernstein, FA general secretary Alex Horne and Fabio Capello at Wembley Stadium. The discussions focused on the FA board's… -
Fabio Capello leaves England with few regrets on either side
8 Feb 2012 | 1:50 pmThe Italian's handling of the John Terry situation shows that he never really understood the way English football worksFabio Capello never bothered to learn much English, or much about England. His £6m a year was not enough to interest him greatly in the culture of the country whose national game he was hired to revive by winning a major international tournament. On Wednesday night his lack of understanding led directly to his resignation from the job of England manager, after a meeting in which he was confronted over his refusal to accept the stripping of the England captaincy from John… -
The Himalayas and nearby peaks have lost no ice in past 10 years, study shows
8 Feb 2012 | 10:10 amMeltwater from Asia's peaks is much less than previously estimated, but lead scientist says the loss of ice caps and glaciers around the world remains a serious concern• Live Q&A: What does the Himalaya glacier study mean for climate change? • In pictures: the best images of the Earth from spaceThe world's greatest snow-capped peaks, which run in a chain from the Himalayas to Tian Shan on the border of China and Kyrgyzstan, have lost no ice over the last decade, new research shows.The discovery has stunned scientists, who had believed that around 50bn tonnes of meltwater were being shed…
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chicagotribune.com - Most E-mailed Stories
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U.S. seals mortgage settlement with top banks
9 Feb 2012 | 8:20 amIllinois homeowners could get $1 billionFederal and state officials announced Thursday morning a $25 billion settlement of a long-running probe into allegedly shoddy foreclosure practices at the nation's five largest banks, a deal that will include more than $1 billion in assistance to former and current Illinois homeowners. -
PepsiCo to cut 150 jobs in Chicago
9 Feb 2012 | 8:15 amPepsiCo plans to lay off about 8 percent of its Chicago-area workforce as part of a broader effort to cut costs and invest more heavily in marketing its best-selling brands, the company said Thursday. -
Butler National looks to break barrier
8 Feb 2012 | 10:02 pmProspect of hosting lucrative tournament could prompt club to accept female membersButler National Golf Club is strongly considering opening its doors to women, a move that could bring major championships to Chicago and would mark a major cultural shift for the 40-year-old institution. -
Conway Farms will host BMW in 2013
8 Feb 2012 | 9:57 pmSources say it's 'a done deal' for Lake Forest courseThe BMW Championship will return to the Chicago area in 2013, sources told the Tribune. -
Chicago city clerk scraps sticker design amid gang concerns
8 Feb 2012 | 3:39 pmA 15-year-old boy will lose the honor of seeing his city sticker design adorn Chicago windshields amid questions about whether the artwork contains gang symbols, City Clerk Susana Mendoza said this afternoon.
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Techmeme
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Leaked iPad 3 Components Reveal New Internals, But No New Design [Exclusive] (Killian Bell/Cult of Mac)
9 Feb 2012 | 7:50 amKillian Bell / Cult of Mac: Leaked iPad 3 Components Reveal New Internals, But No New Design [Exclusive] — Images of leaked iPad 3 components hot off the factory floor have been provided to Cult of Mac. They reveal that the internal components of Apple's third-generation iPad are significantly different to those features … -
Steve Jobs' FBI File Released (John Cook/Gawker)
9 Feb 2012 | 7:35 amJohn Cook / Gawker: Steve Jobs' FBI File Released — The FBI has released, and posted on its web site, Steve Jobs' 191-page FBI file. Read it here. The file consists of a 1991 background investigation conducted when Jobs was being considered for an appointment to the President's Export Council in the Bush I White House … -
BranchOut Reaches 300 Million Profiles And 10 Million Users (Tomio Geron/Social Markets)
9 Feb 2012 | 7:25 amTomio Geron / Social Markets: BranchOut Reaches 300 Million Profiles And 10 Million Users — BranchOut, the professional jobs network that runs on top of Facebook, announced that it has reached 300 million profiles in its network. — That's many more profiles than what exists on rival LinkedIn, which has about 135 million members. -
Lytro Teardown Shows Potential Wireless Capability, Smallish Sensor (Devin Coldewey/TechCrunch)
9 Feb 2012 | 7:15 amDevin Coldewey / TechCrunch: Lytro Teardown Shows Potential Wireless Capability, Smallish Sensor — It's been a while since we've heard anything about Lytro (other than nearly grabbing a Crunchie (I voted for them)), the camera where you shoot now and focus later. And the latest news comes not from the company itself … -
Inside Yahoo: Less Show, More Sell (Amir Efrati/Wall Street Journal)
9 Feb 2012 | 7:05 amAmir Efrati / Wall Street Journal: Inside Yahoo: Less Show, More Sell — New CEO Aims to Reduce Emphasis on Ads, Boost Commission Revenue — New Chief Executive Scott Thompson's plan for turning around Yahoo Inc. is beginning to take shape: He wants to push the Internet company away from its advertising roots …
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reddit: the front page of the internet
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TIL Damon Albarn won't let Glee cover any Gorillaz songs
8 Feb 2012 | 9:18 pmsubmitted by equinox5005 to todayilearned [link] [1309 comments] -
Bathtime!
8 Feb 2012 | 8:18 pmsubmitted by veetoe69 to aww [link] [464 comments] -
What is this I don't even...
8 Feb 2012 | 5:30 pmsubmitted by Throwawayforeveryday to atheism [link] [1424 comments] -
Washington State Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill
8 Feb 2012 | 4:18 pmsubmitted by JewishIGuess to politics [link] [691 comments] -
So... my dad likes to Photoshop himself into movies and movie posters. This is the result. ಠ_ಠ
8 Feb 2012 | 3:51 pmsubmitted by freakazoidjake to funny [link] [368 comments]
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Top Favorites
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Kids React to Meme Video - Run Potato Run (Death of a Meme)
9 Feb 2012 | 1:37 amKids React to Meme Video - Run Potato Run (Death of a Meme) My friend Dave sent me this video of his kids today after they had watched the last video. He says there are addicted to the song now and want to listen to it over and over and over on loop.....sorry Dave! You have to admit - these kids have some pretty good dance moves though. Check out the original video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPkfK1V587E We'll be releasing new videos in the next few days, including new music videos, 'Death of a Meme' videos with new characters, and more - so stay tuned and be sure to… -
Stuck In Your Radio's Self Titled Song!
8 Feb 2012 | 8:13 pmStuck In Your Radio's Self Titled Song! This is our last song right now, so make sure to leave a like, favorite and share it with all your other homies! Stuck In Your Radio's Official Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stuck-In-Your-Radio/104465609682264?sk=wall Official SlyFoxHound & Homies Shirt Store http://www.redbubble.com/people/slyfoxhound/shop/t-shirts http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/stuck-in-your-radio/id494247908 Thanks to Everyone that helped *Soundmine Studio *Dan & Alec http://www.facebook.com/alechenningermusic *Hellberg for the 8bit intro… -
What Boys Do In The Bathroom In The Morning
8 Feb 2012 | 5:53 pmWhat Boys Do In The Bathroom In The Morning Please subscribe to my channel and my vlog channel! I make new videos here every Wednesday and make vlogs during my majestical daily life. JennaMarbles JennaMarblesVlog Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Mourey/311917224927 Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Jenna_Marbles @Jenna_Marbles @CharlesMarbles @Kermit_thedog T-Shirts (so far, sorry we're working on more!!) http://www.districtlines.com/jennamarbles Blog: http://www.jennamarblesblog.com/ Tumblr: http://jennamarbles.tumblr.com/ From: JennaMarbles Views: 489985 26530 ratings Time:… -
Mudança Torre de Karin - Minecraft
8 Feb 2012 | 4:41 pmMudança Torre de Karin - Minecraft Obrigado por assistir, algumas informações basicas sobre o canal: Site: http://www.randonsplays.com.br Twitter: http://twitter.com/randonsplays Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RandonsP Email: monark@randonsplays.com.br Google+: http://goo.gl/tuHcn From: RandonsPlays Views: 301 4026 ratings Time: 08:50 More in Entertainment -
나는이미왔습니다4_Ihavealreadycome4
8 Feb 2012 | 3:56 pm나는이미왔습니다4_Ihavealreadycome4 I have already come, korea2 From: ihac2000 Views: 9400 5307 ratings Time: 02:33 More in People & Blogs
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Top News
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Tribler Makes BitTorrent Impossible to Shut Down
8 Feb 2012 | 3:42 amWhile the file-sharing ecosystem is currently filled with uncertainty and doubt, researchers at Delft University of Technology continue to work on their decentralized BitTorrent network. Their Tribler client doesn't require torrent sites to find or download content, as it is based on pure peer-to-peer communication. -
Hannity: Bin Laden would be alive if Obama ‘had his way’
8 Feb 2012 | 11:27 amA day after proclaiming America’s end if President Barack Obama is re-elected, Sean Hannity added to his pile of animosity Tuesday evening with a claim startlingly detached from reality. -
Infographic: Flash Still Bests HTML5 by Most Measures In Web Gaming
8 Feb 2012 | 2:25 pmApple may have hitched its star to HTML5 with iOS-based devices like the iPhone and iPad, but Flash is still more secure, more available, and used for more multimedia overall. -
America's 10 Fastest-Growing (and Fastest-Shrinking) Jobs
8 Feb 2012 | 4:58 amThe government predicts that healthcare occupations will be booming, while postal service jobs disappear. -
Facebook rolling out lightbox photo viewer globally by end of week
8 Feb 2012 | 12:54 pmFacebook is rolling out its lightbox photo viewer to all 840 million of its users by the end of this week, according to a spokesperson for the company, who confirmed the deadline to VentureBeat in ...
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The Seattle Times: Most E-Mailed Articles
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Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
8 Feb 2012 | 11:01 pmThe Pierce County Sheriff's Department says a dispatcher's extensive questioning of a caseworker who tried to summon help to Josh Powell's home was inappropriate. -
3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
8 Feb 2012 | 10:16 pmNoting that health-insurance companies are amassing growing surpluses while raising rates, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler says lawmakers should allow him to consider an insurer's surplus before he agrees to any rate increase. -
Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
8 Feb 2012 | 8:48 pmThe state House on Wednesday approved legislation legalizing gay marriage, voting 55-43. The bill now goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature. -
'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match
8 Feb 2012 | 3:23 pmSeattle Art Museum's "Gauguin and Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise" presents work from the last 17 years of the French artist's life — and gives equal time to the Polynesian artworks that inspired him. -
Local aerospace suppliers say they feel squeezed by Boeing
8 Feb 2012 | 10:26 amAs Boeing ramps up production, some suppliers say they are being pushed hard to cut prices while improving quality.
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Most E-mailed Stories / South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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Dogs get a cool treat at Lake Worth day care
9 Feb 2012 | 5:16 amLongtime veterinarian Dr. Ken Simmons has opened a water park just for dogs to give his canine day care center in Lake Worth a leg up on the competition. -
Key West, Miami Beach rank high in poll of trashiest Spring Break cities
8 Feb 2012 | 6:48 pmWhy is everybody always picking on us? -
Missing Miramar teen found hiding at friend's house, police say
8 Feb 2012 | 6:37 pmAfter desperate pleas for help from her parents and a nearly weeklong search by police and community volunteers, a missing 17-year-old girl was found hiding at a friend's apartment Tuesday night. -
Goodman's adoption of his girlfriend challenged in court
8 Feb 2012 | 4:30 pmA guardian for Wellington polo mogul John Goodman's teenage children is asking a judge to toss out Goodman's recent adoption of his 42-year-old girlfriend, saying the move defrauded the court, blindsided the children's mother and shirked public policy on adoptions. -
Tai chi may help balance in people with Parkinson's
8 Feb 2012 | 3:18 pmNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The slow, controlled motions of tai chi can help the impaired balance of people with mild or moderate Parkinson's disease, and the improvements persist for at least three months, according to a small study out Wednesday.
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Sentinel & Enterprise Most Viewed
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Official: Mass. among states to get ed waiver
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmWASHINGTON (AP) -- The Associated Press has learned that President Barack Obama on Thursday will free 10 states from the strict requirements of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law. -
Bill aims to toughen insanity pleas
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmWESTMINSTER -- Shortly after midnight on May 10, 1999, Detective Ralph LeBlanc spotted a man wearing camouflage appear on the side of Fitchburg Road as he was speaking to the driver of a car he had pulled over. -
20 Fitchburg stores pass test during alcohol-sales check
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmFITCHBURG -- Police Chief Robert DeMoura is identifying Fitchburg stores that passed an undercover sting operation in which two college students, ages 18 and 20, attempted to purchase alcohol without showing a valid ID. DeMoura said the following Fitchburg license-holders who refused to sell to the underage decoys are Jay's Liquors, Sullivan's Package Store, Bill Bailey's Package Store, Topps Liquors, Castleway Market, Cote's Market, Michelle's Variety, Gomes -
Leominster girl's game gives big win -- meeting Obama
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmLEOMINSTER -- St. Anna School fifth-grader Hannah Wyman was back in class Wednesday after spending Monday and Tuesday at the White House, where she had a private meeting President Obama. -
Missing dog is found safe 30 miles away
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmRobert Mills rmills@lowellsun.com LOWELL -- Maria Zamboni tried not to get her hopes up as she sped north from Boston to a Lowell police precinct Wednesday morning.
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Reuters Video: Most Popular
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Daimler's Zetsche says 2012 a 'transition year' for Mercedes
9 Feb 2012 | 2:53 amFeb. 9 - Daimler CEO says massive investment is planned to help lift the flagging Mercedes marque, which will take its toll on profitability. -
Police swoop on Nasheed: video
9 Feb 2012 | 12:40 amFeb. 9 - Local Maldivian television airs footage showing ousted president being led away by police. Paul Chapman reports. -
Ban urges Syria talks
8 Feb 2012 | 9:05 pmFeb. 9 - The U.N Secretary General appeals for an end to civilian deaths as Syrian forces step up their bombardment of the city of Homs. Paul Chapman reports. -
AIDS gala brings out stars
8 Feb 2012 | 9:05 pmFeb. 8 - Heidi Klum, Lindsay Lohan and Sarah Jessica Parker are among the A-list stars that attend the annual AIDS fundraiser in New York. Rough Cut (no reporter narration). -
Ugly secrets of fashion business
8 Feb 2012 | 3:48 pmFeb. 8 - Runway models say the beautiful world of fashion comes with ugly labor conditions, prompting the creation of a workers' rights group ahead of New York Fashion Week. Bobbi Rebell reports.
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Dilbert Most Popular Strips
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Most Popular Mashup for Feb 9, 2012 - Rank #2
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Most Popular Mashup for Feb 9, 2012 - Rank #1
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Most Popular Strip for Feb 9, 2012 - Rank #1
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News@Cisco: Press Releases and Features
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Cisco Reports Second Quarter Earnings
8 Feb 2012 | 12:30 pm -
TELUS Launches Optik TV Mobile Experience with Cisco Videoscape
7 Feb 2012 | 8:00 am -
The Rural Broadband Evolution
7 Feb 2012 | 4:00 am -
Brainstorming in the Cloud
6 Feb 2012 | 4:00 am -
Cisco Launches BIG Awards to Celebrate and Reward Innovative Start-ups and SMEs Within the UK
2 Feb 2012 | 10:30 am
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iTunes Store: Top Movies
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Drive - Nicolas Winding Refn
9 Feb 2012 | 7:44 amDrive Nicolas Winding Refn Genre: Drama Price: $15.99 Rental Price: $3.99 Release Date: September 16, 2011 Drive, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, about a Hollywood stunt performer (Gosling) who moonlights as a wheelman for criminals discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong. © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved. -
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas - Todd Strauss-Schulson
9 Feb 2012 | 7:44 amA Very Harold & Kumar Christmas Todd Strauss-Schulson Genre: Comedy Price: $14.99 Rental Price: $3.99 Release Date: November 04, 2011 The new "Harold & Kumar" comedy picks up six years after the duo's last adventure. After years of growing apart, Harold Lee (JohnCho) and Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) have replaced each other with new friends and are preparing for their respective Yuletidecelebrations. But when a mysterious package mistakenly arrives at Kumar's door on Christmas Eve, his attempt to redirect it toHarold's house ends with the "high grade"… -
In Time - Andrew Niccol
9 Feb 2012 | 7:44 amIn Time Andrew Niccol Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Price: $14.99 Rental Price: $3.99 Release Date: October 28, 2011 Every second counts in this sexy, stylish action-thriller starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. In a future where time is literally money and aging stops at 25, the only way to stay alive is to earn, borrow, steal or inherit more time. But when a poor, working-class man (Timberlake) is falsely accused of murder, he teams up with a beautiful heiress (Seyfried) and must figure out a way to bring down the corrupt system before their dwindling life clocks run out! © 2011… -
Moneyball - Bennett Miller
9 Feb 2012 | 7:44 amMoneyball Bennett Miller Genre: Drama Price: $19.99 Rental Price: $3.99 Release Date: September 23, 2011 Based on a true story, Moneyball is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain… -
50/50 - Unknown
9 Feb 2012 | 7:44 am50/50 Unknown Genre: Comedy Price: $19.99 Rental Price: $3.99 Release Date: September 30, 2011 Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen team up to beat the odds in a film that Rolling Stone calls ""achingly hilarious and heartfelt."" Diagnosed with spinal cancer, 27 year old Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) navigates the road to recovery with the sometimes overbearing support of his crude best friend (Rogen), his smothering mother (Angelica Huston) and an inexperienced therapist (Anna Kendrick). Inspired by a true story of writer Will Reiser, 50/50 is an honest yet hysterically funny…
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iTunes Top 10 Songs
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7. Ass Back Home (feat. Neon Hitch) - Gym Class Heroes
9 Feb 2012 | 8:45 amThe Papercut Chronicles II Gym Class Heroes Release Date: November 11, 2011 Total Songs: 11 Genre: Pop Price: $7.99 Copyright 2011 Fueled By Ramen LLC for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. -
1. We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) - Fun.
9 Feb 2012 | 8:45 amWe Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) - Single Fun. Release Date: September 20, 2011 Total Songs: 1 Genre: Alternative Price: $1.29 Copyright 2011 Fueled By Ramen, LLC for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. -
2. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
9 Feb 2012 | 8:45 amStronger (Deluxe Version) Kelly Clarkson Release Date: October 21, 2011 Total Songs: 18 Genre: Pop Price: $12.99 Copyright 2011 19 Recordings Limited under exclusive license to RCA Records -
9. Young, Wild & Free (feat. Bruno Mars) - Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa
9 Feb 2012 | 8:45 amYoung, Wild & Free (feat. Bruno Mars) - Single Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Release Date: October 11, 2011 Total Songs: 1 Genre: Hip Hop/Rap Price: $1.29 Copyright 2011 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States -
3. Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
9 Feb 2012 | 8:45 amSorry for Party Rocking (Deluxe Version) LMFAO Release Date: June 21, 2011 Total Songs: 15 Genre: Pop Price: $7.99 Copyright 2011 Interscope Records
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CHE > Latest news
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Project Seeks to Help Students Overcome Barriers to Voting
9 Feb 2012 | 1:56 amAdvocates met at George Washington University's law school to discuss strategies for increasing student participation in elections. -
Widener U. and Professor Who Clashed With Dean Settle Defamation Suit
8 Feb 2012 | 4:05 pmThe law professor, who will leave the university, was at odds with administrators over references he made in classroom discussions about the law school's dean being shot at. -
AP Test Takers and Scores Increase, but Minority Participation Still Lags
8 Feb 2012 | 11:50 amAfrican-American students are the most underrepresented group, accounting for 14.7 percent of the 2011 graduating class but only 9 percent of test takers. -
Court Allows Expelled Student's Suit Against College's Former President to Proceed
8 Feb 2012 | 1:58 amThe president "withdrew" the student without a hearing, calling him a threat to campus safety. The appellate court held that a jury might find otherwise. -
GRE Test Taking Increased in 2011, With Large Gains Abroad
7 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmChina and India saw exam volumes surge by 28 percent and 43 percent, respectively. In the United States, test taking rose by about 10 percent.
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David Truss :: Pair-a-dimes for Your Thoughts
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Introducing the Inquiry Hub
1 Feb 2012 | 6:37 amLast night Stephen Whiffin, Sarah Husband and I formally presented the ‘Inquiry Hub‘ to Superintendent Tom Grant, the District Leadership Team, and our School Board Trustees. It is hard for me to contain my excitement at being able to share this project ‘out loud’! What was wonderful was how well received this was by our board members and everyone present. I think Trustee Judy Shirra summed it up well when she said, “I <heart> Hub”. This school will fit well with the new BCedplan and the future of education in our Province. It fits well with our… -
The 5 Year Technology Plan
20 Jan 2012 | 5:33 amThe 5 year technology plan: Focus on your INFRASTRUCTURE! If you think you know what tools you will need in 5 years, you are probably wrong. If you are budgeting so that you buy sets of an item over several years, you’ll have a dichotomous challenge: the item will become both cheaper AND less desirable. If your infrastructure can’t support the technology you have, your technology is ineffective. If you don’t invest in a learning culture for adults, your ‘knowledge infrastructure’ will hold you back. The 5 year technology plan? Do this 5 years in a… -
A Conversation Starter
4 Jan 2012 | 1:31 amMy goal: Create a three minute video that tells it’s own story, using other videos. My hope is that this will invite further exploration, conversation and learning. Here is what I came up with: (Watch on YouTube) For ease of use here are the links. I hope that some rich conversations will emerge from watching them. http://2di.me/Trans4mEd1 – Alan November: Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom http://2di.me/Trans4mEd2 – Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes http://2di.me/Trans4mEd3 – Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids… -
The COW is dead… Long live the POW?
30 Dec 2011 | 9:26 amThis year has been quite transformational for me. I started the year Questioning Everything… especially the idea that we need to teach less and learn more. I’ve challenged late penalties, homework, and even AUP’s. I’ve talked about things becoming more open and distributed and I’ve even written an Open Manifesto. I’ve cautioned about flipping classes, I’ve seen a flip in my desired pro-d model… and now I’m flipping my perspective on C.O.W.’s: C.O.W. = ‘Computers On Wheels’, essentially a mobile cart which has a… -
Transforming Education – K12Online Conference 2011 Presentation
2 Dec 2011 | 7:35 amA few minutes into this presentation I demonstrate that I’ve been a fan of the K12Online Conference for 5 years now. So, it was wonderful to be able to participate this year and share a video of my own. [Link to K12Online video page] | [Link to YouTube version] I’d rather let the video speak for itself, than to go on about it here. I’ll just share that I really appreciate the time and effort people put into sharing their video interviews with me. I asked them 4 questions: Explore: Share your thoughts on the future of education . (Pie-in-the-sky look at exciting things…
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doug - off the record
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Why Evernote is my Universal App
9 Feb 2012 | 2:00 amHey, check out the latest blistering statistics on my internet account. As I prepare for my Ontario Teachers’ Federation Webinar tomorrow night, I reflect on how frustrating it has been to try and pull it together. In a perfect world, I might do my personal brainstorming and planning on an online document so that I could edit it from whatever device I happen to be using at the time. As you can imagine, I hope, that approach just wouldn’t work. What to do, what to do…. That’s where Evernote comes in. But, isn’t it a cloud service? Well,… -
OTR Links 02/09/2012
8 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmRoyalty Free Music, Free Sound Effects, Free Royalty Free Music Loops Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects tags: Music audio sounds mp3 podcasting sound soundeffects podcast twiducate – Social Networking For Schools A safe way to a Twitter approach to education tags: socialnetworking twitter education web2.0 twiducate microblogging social twiducate.com Make Free QR Codes – Change colors – Titles – URLS – Vcards – Tshirts ! QR Blaster allows you to generate QR Codes free of charge. For membership options, you can get Custom Design versions, google anaylitics… -
Evernote for Schools
8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 amI make no bones about it. I’m a big Evernote fan. I have Evernote on every device that I own. No matter where I am, notes get synched to my account when I get connected to the internet. If you follow this blog, you’ll know that I also have a number of IFTTT rules that keep track of things about me online in my Evernote account – Facebook images that I’m tagged in, Twitter messages that @ me to name a couple. This afternoon, I received an email inviting me to check out a new service, Evernote for Schools. I spent a little time poking around the resource. -
OTR Links 02/08/2012
7 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmFuturecade – online games from the Science Museum | The Whiteboard Blog The Science Museum has launched a suite of online games designed to raise questions about the future of medicine, robotics and technology. Their ‘Futurecade‘ features four titles exploring topics such as geo-engineering and synthetic biology. tags: online online games games science museum whiteboard blog Home – Digital Citizenship – Junior School – LibGuides at Toorak College At Toorak College, we want our students to become highly skilled Digital Citizens. tags: digital citizenship citizenship… -
Crooks
7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 amCheck out the following… Don’t follow a phishing link; Protect your online identity; Do not spread spam; Don’t do stupid things; Beware of online scams. How many time do we hear these things? How many times do we share this message in the classroom to try and raise awareness among students to be careful online. But, how often do we know some concrete examples? How can we talk intelligently about this? An answer and a possible useful solution is Facecrooks. Facecrooks is a resource just chocked full of information to keep you safe online. Regularly,…
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Groundling
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As You Like It – a daily rehearsal and performance journey
16 Jan 2012 | 1:00 amAn image a day and a tweet or quote a day to sum up the passage of the next 10 weeks as I rehearse and perform in La Boite Theatre Company’s production of As You Like It by William Shakespeare. I get to play Duke Senior, father to Rosalind. This should be fun and a huge challenge – the best kind! Words probably won’t do it justice, so maybe an image or something brief and to the point that sums up the moment … Twitter is just fine for that. If you’d like to drop by from time to time and see how things are going in my small neck of the Forest of Arden, please do… -
Expressive Plus has retired … gracefully
19 Dec 2011 | 9:43 pmHello! Perhaps you’ve been redirected here from the former Expressive Plus site? If so, this is just a wee note to let you know that the proprietors have retired the site … for the time being. As it happened, both of us were too busy to maintain the site in the way we wanted to, so the option seemed clear … close down and redirect. That’s why you are here. Groundling is Kate’s blog, one that ranges widely and will now include more content on presentation skills. You might care to Subscribe. Thank you for your readership in the past. It has been a rare pleasure… -
Review: 11/22/63
21 Nov 2011 | 11:22 am11/22/63 by Stephen King My rating: 5 of 5 stars A great read and enormously satisfying. As a time-travel devotee I enjoyed King’s intelligent handling of a complex conceit, one usually riven by plot improbabilities. Characterisation and narrative in 11.22.63 are top-drawer, and the recreation of period makes for a fascinating read. And, speaking of the kind of recurring ‘ripples’ – what those who are a little more cynical about all this stuff call ‘coincidences’ – that happen across time, I note I finished the book this morning – 11.22.11 View…
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Learning In a Flat World
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Powerpoint as Default
1 Feb 2012 | 8:57 amNext week, I am doing a workshop on “How Not To Kill with Powerpoint” at VCU. In this workshop, I draw heavily from Garr Reynolds‘ Presentation Zen, which is now out in its second edition. So I found this recent Slideshare preso from Rashmi Sinha to be interesting: SlideShare Zeitgeist 2011 View more presentations from Rashmi Sinha Her bottom line is that a review of uploaded presentations to Slideshare for 2011 showed decks with more slides, more graphics, and fewer words – totally in line with Garr Reynold’s Zen approach. Powerpoint appears to me to still be… -
A Thousand Tweets
29 Jan 2012 | 4:42 amAt the recent NMC Retreat, the hashtag #NMChz had 998 tweets over the three days (at least that I could capture with Archivist). I copied the text of the tweets, removed NMChz and RT as two obvious repetitious terms, and then dumped what was left in Wordle. Interesting results: Click on the image above to see the full screen version. The retreat focused on the future of education and the role the Horizon Report could play. After Horizon, “learning” was the most used word. Other words that popped out at me were “thinking”, “future”,… -
Day Two at NMC Retreat
25 Jan 2012 | 7:34 pmDay Two at the NMC Future of Education Retreat was just as amazing as the first night, if not more so. Take one hundred colleagues from higher education, K12, museums, and corporate technology companies and have them think out loud for a day…that was the process at this retreat. Just look at the sticky notes on the board to the left: Lev Gonick started us off this morning with a description of work Case Western Reserve has done to extend into the Cleveland community. The problem was framed with three numbers. Kids in Cleveland who attain a degree – 8%. Women in Cleveland… -
Our First Session at the NMC Horizon Retreat
24 Jan 2012 | 7:34 pmI’ll reflect more tomorrow…but this evening was fascinating. Malcolm Brown of Educause was our initial thought leader, and in 6 minutes, he suggested we look at the Horizon Report as a process of design thinking, working on “wicked problems.”. David Sibbet then facilitated our initial session trying to capture some hindsights about the Horizon Project process. We did small group discussions first, then as each group shared and built on the conversation of others, an amazing visual representation emerged. The first picture shows David in action, while the other… -
What is the Future of Education?
24 Jan 2012 | 3:07 pmI have no real idea … just some notions, but I am lucky enough to be attending a neat retreat focused on just this question. I am attending a retreat hosted by the New Media Consortium, which publishes the Horizon Report annually. With well over one million downloads and 27 translations in the past ten years, the NMC Horizon Report series annually charts the landscape of emerging technologies for teaching, learning, research, creative inquiry, and information management. I was on the Board of Advisors for last year’s K-12 report, and found the experience rewarding and…
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Remote Access
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The Desktop Model of Learning?
4 Feb 2012 | 5:31 amI don’t know a single person who’s recently bought a desktop computer. Not one. Combine that anecdote with the stats showing that for the first time more smartphones were sold than PCs and another that shows over the Christmas season of 2011, the number of people who owned either a tablet or an ereader doubled from 10% to approximately 19% and you can see that the computing world is in complete flux these days. We want to take our technology with us. Is it the data that we want to have with us, our files and pictures, or the ability to connect with others? Both? A couple of years… -
Building Online Communities Resources List
2 Feb 2012 | 8:44 amIt’s no secret that I’m a fan of online communities. I think that using them as spaces to connect and learn with others is a positive and powerful development for education. We’ve had good success with the Idea Hive community. It has engaged our students and given them a chance to learn valuable skills. It continues to evolve as we learn more about what kind of a space meets the needs of our students. But that’s not what I’m really here to tell you about…. I’m here to tell you about this amazing list of resources that has been published by the Fever… -
Online Study Groups?
31 Jan 2012 | 4:48 pmI know that in many places in North America (including here in Snow Lake) students are writing either mid term or final exams around this time of the school year. A question: has anyone seen or heard of students setting up study groups online? A google + hangout seems like the perfect place for a small group to get together. What about using a wiki or a google doc to make note,s or using a chatroom or facebook chat session or something else to get ready for exams? I know that this stuff is getting fairly common once you head into postsecondary institutions, but I’m wondering how low… -
You Can’t Buy Change
30 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amI’ve received a few grumpy emails from people over the last several weeks. Tied to a few of the posts I’ve written lately, several people have accused me of being anti-innovation, anti-change and of being anti-corporate. I can understand how people might feel that way. A few of my posts have had the distinct leaning of my having COMS (Cranky Old Man Syndrome). But actually, nothing could be further from the truth. I think the edtech industry is maturing. And I believe that is bringing us a new set of challenges. Corporations smell the enormous amounts of money that is being… -
Consumerism and Producerism
27 Jan 2012 | 7:39 pmI’ve been holding on to this post for a week or so, rolling it around in my head trying to connect a few dots before clicking the publish button. It’s got to do with Apple, and SOPA and Raspberry Pi and education and learning and on and on and on….. It started with the education event that Apple hosted on January 19th. At this event Apple unveiled iBooks2 and iBooks Author. After several weeks of hype and people breathlessly awaiting the great advancement that Apple would give us in education – we got interactive textbooks. Interesting as a business model, interactive…
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L.A. Times - Education
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L.A. Unified faces hefty costs from Miramonte School scandal
9 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amWith two Miramonte teachers accused of lewd acts on students, the district faces potential legal liability that could run into the millions of dollars. In addition, the district is paying the old staff and a replacement staff.As the scandal over two Miramonte Elementary School teachers accused of committing lewd acts on children grows, it's becoming clear the Los Angeles Unified School District faces a heavy financial cost. -
Cal State Northridge students stress out under tightened enrollment
5 Feb 2012 | 9:58 pmThousands remain in limbo as the over-enrolled campus imposes class and credit limits to avoid a $7-million fine.For the last two weeks, Cal State Northridge Associate Dean Maureen Rubin has been troubled by anguished dreams of students unable to find classes — despite her best efforts. -
Not Just for Kids: 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'
5 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amEmily J. Danforth tells of a 12-year-old Montana girl whose awakening homosexuality gets her in trouble.The Miseducation of Cameron Post -
Settling school disputes before they escalate
5 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amAt Charles Maclay Middle School in Pacoima, a program funded by the Center for Civic Mediation teaches students how to resolve conflict and learn to coexist peacefully among their classmates.Monica Gonzalez had to persuade her mother to allow her to attend Charles Maclay Middle School , the local junior high just blocks from her Pacoima home. -
Who really benefits from putting high-tech gadgets in classrooms?
4 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amHow much genuine value is there in fancy educational electronics? Don't let companies or politicians fool you.Something sounded familiar last week when I heard U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski make a huge pitch for infusing digital technology into America's classrooms.
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This Week In Education
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NCLB: How States React Key To Waiver Success
9 Feb 2012 | 7:37 amGiven how the waiver process has played out, there's little chance that today's announcement will do much to end the civil war that's been going on between so-called school reformers who want to retain as much of NCLB's focus on making schools accountable for educating kids and traditional educators who want a rollback of the focus on standardized testing. There's also little chance the announcement will satisfy conservative-leaning pundits pushing for as much educational de-regulation as possible (and who may be disinclined to give the Obama team much credit… -
EDSEC: Duncan Critiques Ideologues On Both Sides
9 Feb 2012 | 6:28 amYou can pass some of the time until the White House NCLB event checking out coverage of Arne Duncan's speech at Harvard on Monday and the reactions it has generated since then. Titled "Fighting the Wrong Education Battles," the speech featured Arne's dogged efforts to point out that there's lots of room to compromise and lots to lose if education supporters fight each other rather than fighting for more and better services and results for kids. Text here. Video not yet posted will be here. Harvard edcast audio interview here. Harvard Gazette coverage here. -
AM News: 10 States To Receive So-Called "Waivers"
9 Feb 2012 | 6:04 amFirst 10 States Granted Waivers From 'No Child Left Behind' NPR: The administration announced last year that states can apply to be exempt from some No Child requirements. The first 10, AP says, are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. ALSO 10 States Receive Waivers From No Child Left Behind Law AP via HuffPost Silver Lining in Schools Law WSJ: The Obama administration is close to granting several states waivers from the No Child Left Behind law, its strongest move yet to undermine the decade-old education… -
Picture: The President Gets An Idea
8 Feb 2012 | 8:43 pmAs you may already know from my Twitter feed, there's rumored to be a White House education event tomorrow afternoon whose purpose is to announce that 8-10 states have been approved for NCLB waivers. It's pure coincidence that Republican House education committee chairman John Kline is doing a big NCLB event earlier in the day. -
Five Best Blogs: A Week From Now Valentine's Day Will Be Over
8 Feb 2012 | 1:25 pmA daily roundup of all the best education blog posts and commentary I can find. Write something interesting or unexpected and yours might make the list:
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Education: News & Videos about Education - CNN.com
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University of Florida suspends fraternity for 'serious physical hazing incident'
9 Feb 2012 | 7:29 amThe University of Florida has temporarily suspended its chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity after learning about a hazing incident involving fraternity members, a university spokeswoman said. -
USDA issues new rules for school meals
25 Jan 2012 | 3:51 pmSchool meals will have to offer fruits and vegetables to students every day under standards issued by the United States Department of Agriculture on Wednesday. -
Medical schools join first lady's health initiative for veterans
11 Jan 2012 | 8:24 pmTwo medical education groups and 130 medical schools signed on to first lady Michelle Obama's initiative to "train the nation's physicians to meet the unique health care needs of the military and veterans communities," the White House announced Wednesday. -
Lessons from famous college dropouts
31 Dec 2011 | 4:24 pmA college degree can be an important gateway to employment, a career and a better standard of living. But a college degree does not equate to someone's level of intelligence or talent. For those seeking the best workers or leaders, there is a plethora of intelligent, inventive people without degrees who should not be overlooked. -
Lunch prices go up for children of U.S. troops stationed overseas
14 Dec 2011 | 1:56 amWhen children of American servicemembers who are living with their parents overseas go back to school after the holidays, the Grinch will be waiting for them in the cafeteria.
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Learning is Change
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Start Google Documents or Upload Files to Google Docs with an email.
31 Jan 2012 | 9:20 amGoogle decided that emailing to start a Google Doc wasn’t a service that enough people were using, so they discontinued it sometime in 2009. While I didn’t use it all of the time, I found it incredibly useful. And ever since, I have been looking for a way to do the following: Start a Google Document with the text of an email I send Start a Google Document by attaching a Powerpoint, Excel, or Word Doc. Have anyone upload to my Google Documents in a predesignated folder Well, now all of these things are easily within my grasp and I am basking in the glow of this productivity hack. -
What I’m Learning: How to make a secondary Google Calendar into a primary Calendar on iCal
3 Nov 2011 | 12:43 pmCalaboration (Mac) – Download: So, while there are many other ways to get Google Calendar to sync with iCal, it always makes your secondary Google Calendars into delagates. The only way to make those secondary calendars into primary ones in iCal is to use this older program (created by Google). It is awesome, however, and I highly recommend it, especially if you want to add items to an iCal calendar from another program on your machine, which would then sync with Google. I know it sounds like no one would ever want to do this. But I am finding it incredibly important and I thought I… -
What I’m Learning: Hall.com
17 Oct 2011 | 8:17 amThis looks like an interesting idea to talk about a given topic or allowing others to engage and create a community. So far it seems to be a little light on functionality, but everything that exists is super intuitive and quite beautiful. They may have something here. Hall.com: “Our Story Frustrated by communication tools that were siloed and did not solve real problems. The team quit corporate america to solve the problem. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, CA.” -
What I’m learning:Big Marker (Free Web Conferencing)
10 Oct 2011 | 8:34 amCould be interesting, but it reminds me a lot of WizIQ (although I do like the interface on Big Marker better): Big Marker: “BigMarker is a free web conferencing community. Through our platform, you can reconnect with your family in Rio; manage your employees in Madagascar; organize your non-profit’s resources to Ottawa; teach a virtual class from Tulsa to students all over Thailand; foster a support group for cancer survivors from France to the Falkland Islands. With unlimited access to live events, there are endless opportunities for you, your community, organization, business,… -
What I’m learning: Vyou – Conversational Video
27 Sep 2011 | 12:17 pmI was looking for a service to do video-based discussions. I think this may work quite well. We shall see if it works itself into any of my workflows, though. VYou: “VYou allows people to broadcast video structured as conversations, offering the most personal form of social interaction on the web. It works like this: you record video responses to messages entered by friends and fans. VYou organizes their messages and your videos into conversations, making the experience feel continuously live even though the content is stored. VYou lets you get advice from experts, interact with your…
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Boston.com -- Education news
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U of Vt. commits $13m to green energy projects
9 Feb 2012 | 2:08 amThe University of Vermont is committing itself to spending $13 million to establish a revolving fund to finance on-campus energy efficiency projects. -
LA abuse charges prompt awkward talks for parents
9 Feb 2012 | 1:10 amSinister allegations of abuse by at least two teachers in a Los Angeles school have forced awkward discussions as parents warn youngsters that people they trust -- pastors, teachers, even relatives -- might do things that could hurt them. -
LA school in sex abuse case gets entire new staff
9 Feb 2012 | 12:39 amAn entirely new staff of teachers will greet students Thursday at an elementary school rocked last week by the arrests of two longtime teachers on lewdness charges. -
Malloy to kick off Conn. school reform plan
9 Feb 2012 | 12:08 amGov. Dannel P. Malloy is hitting the road to promote his education reform proposal. The Democratic governor is scheduled to visit the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Meriden on Thursday, the day after he unveiled his revised $20 billion budget proposal for next fiscal year and his plans to revamp public schools in Connecticut. -
Stanford University nets $6.2B in 5-year campaign
8 Feb 2012 | 10:09 pmStanford University's latest five-year fundraising drive netted $6.2 billion, the largest amount ever raised in a higher education campaign, school officials said Wednesday.
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Education Week American Education News Site of Record
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Scandal at L.A. School Could Cost District Millions
9 Feb 2012 | 7:10 amThe Los Angeles Unified School District will likely face a heavy financial cost as the scandal over two L.A. school teachers accused of committing lewd acts on children grows. -
Progress Seen at Chicago 'Turnaround' Schools
9 Feb 2012 | 6:55 amTargeted schools did improve even though students continued to score below district standards, a new study shows. -
Democratic Sen. Vinehout enters governor's race
9 Feb 2012 | 5:35 am -
10 States Granted Waivers From NCLB Mandates
9 Feb 2012 | 5:34 am -
Hamilton County schools probing possible cheating
8 Feb 2012 | 12:37 pm
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Ask-Dr-Kirk
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Four Ways For Educators to Use Pinterest
9 Feb 2012 | 4:29 amAaron Morrison shares tips on how to use Pinterest in the classroom. Pinterest is a new website designed to easily allow people to share things with others (photos, projects, links, etc). For example, here are tools to help you use technology in your classes. -
Curious About The Difference Between Twitter, Facebook, Google+, And Those Other Sites?
7 Feb 2012 | 1:43 pm Source: http://www.omgblog.com/2012/02/omg_i_like_donuts_social_media.php -
Free Super Bowl Bingo Cards For Your Party!
2 Feb 2012 | 4:40 amEach year we have a Super Bowl party (don't ask me who's playing...we mainly get together to eat, drink, and watch the commercials!). I've put together a set of 20 different bingo cards for those watching on Sunday. Let me know in the comments section if you would like a copy of these and I'll email them to you. -
Tips On Teaching Adult Students
1 Feb 2012 | 4:38 amDr. Brooks Doherty (Rasmussen College) shares several tips on teaching adult students. These include encouraging them to share their “real world” experiences with the traditional students, acknowledging that they may have a technology gap (and assisting in getting their skills up-to-date), and being efficient with assignments and class activities. You can read more here. -
60 Ways Educators Are Using Twitter
30 Jan 2012 | 4:26 amI think Twitter is a great tool for students to learn how to use professionally and have included Twitter assignments in several of my management courses. If you're thinking about using this tool, here are 60 examples of how educators are using twitter in the classroom.
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U.S. News - Education
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Why I Chose Online Education: Bridget Baldwin
9 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amAfter 10 years of classes, this student is just a few credits from earning an online bachelor's degree. -
3 Steps to Take if Your College Student Fails a Class
9 Feb 2012 | 7:30 amParents can be supportive when grades aren't up to par but should avoid overstepping, experts say. -
Consider These 4 Unique College Scholarships
9 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amThese offerings may seem oddball but they can be worth some real money toward your education. -
Rise in Endowments May Impact Best Colleges Rankings
9 Feb 2012 | 6:30 amIf a school's endowment shrinks, it may have less money to spend on its students. -
Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
9 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amProfessionals and professors say there are jobs for M.B.A.’s with real estate training.
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BBC News - Education & Family
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'Outstanding' schools face review
9 Feb 2012 | 7:10 amRadical improvements to England's education system are needed, says the head of Ofsted, as he announces that a quarter of all schools in England rated outstanding will be re-examined. -
Parents warned over CRB proposals
9 Feb 2012 | 1:11 amParents should teach their children about the risk of paedophiles, a minister has said as he defended plans to ease Criminal Records Bureau checks. -
Care referrals reach record high
9 Feb 2012 | 1:06 amThe number of children referred into care in England hits a record high, after rising steadily in the years since the Baby P case. -
Parents 'need childcare cash aid'
8 Feb 2012 | 7:38 amUK parents should be able to spread the cost of childcare over as many as 20 years, according to a think tank. -
University-led PGCE under threat
8 Feb 2012 | 7:10 amUniversity-based training courses for secondary school teachers are facing an uncertain future, after hundreds were identified as "potentially unviable".
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Moving at the Speed of Creativity
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I made a song with GarageBand on my iPad
8 Feb 2012 | 9:38 pmHi, I just made a song with GarageBand on my iPad and I wanted you to hear it. Take a listen… Glass tune 1.m4a Listen on Posterous Sent from my iPad Posted via email from wesley fryer’s posterous I made a song with GarageBand on my iPad originally appeared on Moving at the Speed of Creativity on February 9, 2012. -
Embed a MP3 Audio File in a WordPress.com Blog Post
8 Feb 2012 | 4:07 pmWordPress.com is a good, free blogging platform, but it can be trickier than Posterous to get rich media (like audio and video files) embedded in posts. Unlike Posterous, which lets users directly email audio and video files to a site where they are automatically converted to an “embedded form,” with WordPress.com you need to post your audio and video files to ANOTHER website and then use (for audio) a special code so it will be embedded. (If you purchase a WordPress.com space upgrade you can directly upload audio files, but free WordPress.com sites can’t.) In this post… -
Face the Facebook: Implications and Consequences for Educators Using Social Media by Colin Webb
8 Feb 2012 | 12:33 pmThese are my notes from Colin Webb’s (Noble Public Schools) presentation, “Face the Facebook: Implications and Consequences for Educators Using Social Media” at the February 8, 2012 Oklahoma Technology Association / Encyclo-Media Conference. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE (FOR THIS SESSION PARTICULARLY, BUT FOR OTHER SESSIONS I BLOG AT CONFERENCES) THAT MY NOTES REFLECT WHAT I UNDERSTOOD THE SPEAKER TO SAY. BY BLOGGING THESE NOTES I AM NOT SAYING OR IMPLYING THAT I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THE PRESENTER HAS SAID. The official session description… -
Harnessing the Digital Landscape by David Warlick
8 Feb 2012 | 10:07 amThese are my notes from David Warlick‘s presentation, “Harnessing the Digital Landscape” at the February 8, 2012 Oklahoma Technology Association / Encycl-Media Conference. David maintains the fantastic website “Landmarks for Schools” and blogs at 2¢ Worth. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. The official session description was: Never before have the walls of our classrooms been so transparent. The Internet- digital cameras- audio recorders- editing software- and an emerging global conversation are combining to redefine the classroom. This presentation… -
Look at Me Now! Changing the Face of Professional Development
8 Feb 2012 | 9:03 amThese are my notes from Dawn Danker-Pearce and Kathy Davis, “Look at Me Now! Changing the Face of Professional Development” at the February 8, 2012 Oklahoma Technology Association / Encycl-Media Conference. Dawn and Kathy are with Yukon Public Schools. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. The official session description was: Is it hard to get your teachers excited about attending training? Do they dread PD Day in your district? Join this session to hear how Yukon Public Schools changed the face of their PD model by implementing some foundational strategies and introducing an…
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Education Week Teacher: News and Information for Teacher Leaders
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Students Forgo Taking AP Exams
8 Feb 2012 | 7:59 amThe latest data from the College Board show more students taking the exams but many with the academic potential to succeed taking a pass. -
Educators, Parents Hold Mixed Views on Testing
8 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amA survey shows that parents and educators prefer tests that are given to help shape instruction over those used to gauge students' year-end progress. -
Houston Parents Want District to Stop Playing With Recess
8 Feb 2012 | 6:19 amThe latest playground scuffle in Houston involves, well, the playground itself. -
Ed. Experts Critique 'Digital Learning Day'
7 Feb 2012 | 9:00 pmAdvocates and critics offer their assessments of the inaugural event, which featured the release of a new federal resource advising educators about digital-textbook adoption. -
California Bus Aid Still Imperiled, Despite Reprieve
7 Feb 2012 | 9:00 pmDistricts fear future transportation funding cuts could hurt school choice and desegregation efforts.
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Teachers Teaching Teachers
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National Writing Project Teachers Ready to Celebrate Digital Learning Day on Feb 1 - TTT 281 - 1.25.12
31 Jan 2012 | 7:37 pmDownload National Writing Project Teachers Ready to Celebrate Digital Learning Day on Feb 1 - TTT 281 - 1.25.12This conversation about #NWP teachers in the National Digital Learning Day continued the next day at NWP Radio - on Blog Talk Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nwp_radio/2012/01/27/digital-writing-matters What are your plans for National Digital Learning Day #DLDay on February 1, 2012? [...] -
Walk Out Walk On with Deborah Frieze - TTT 280 - 1.18.12
30 Jan 2012 | 8:07 pmDownload Walk Out Walk On with Deborah Frieze - TTT 280 - 1.18.12On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers, we are joined by Deborah Frieze one of the authors of Walk Out Walk On http://walkoutwalkon.net We are joined by Chris Sloan, monika hardy, Jeff Lebow, Chad Sansing, Scott Shelhart, MaryBeth Hertz, Paul Allison, Kelsey Shelhart,Deborah [...] -
Turning “Be You” into “Be Us” with Fred Mindlin, Chad Sansing, Kelsey Stelhart, Rahul Deodhar - TTT 279 - 1.11.12
23 Jan 2012 | 8:37 pmDownload Turning "Be You" into "Be Us" with Fred Mindlin, Chad Sansing, Kelsey Stelhart, Rahul Deodhar - TTT 279 - 1.11.12On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers we are joined by: Chris Sloan, Monika Hardy, Fred Mindlin, Chad Sansing, Scott Shelhart, Paul Allison, Kelsey Shelhart, and Rahul Deodhar In addition to getting to know each other better, on this episode, we [...] -
Maybe Detox is a Curriculum - TTT 278 - 1.4.12
9 Jan 2012 | 8:29 pmDownload Maybe Detox is a Curriculum - TTT 278 - 1.4.12On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers, learn more about the co-hosts of our webcast, + Chris Sloan @csloan, + Monika Hardy @monk51295, and + Paul Allison @paulallison Recently, Monika had a meeting with Jared Polis, U.S. Representative for Colorados 2nd congressional districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Polis . She [...] -
Hacking Classrooms and Congress with Chad Sansing, Brian Ingram, Pam Moran, Adam Mackie, and Mary Ann Reilly TTT 277 - 12.21.11
29 Dec 2011 | 4:52 pmDownload Hacking Classrooms and Congress with Chad Sansing, Brian Ingram, Pam Moran, Adam Mackie, and Mary Ann Reilly TTT 277 - 12.21.11After hearing about a teacher from Ft. Worth, Texas, Brian Ingram at the end of a couple of recent Best of the Left episodes http://www.bestoftheleftpodcast.com we decided to invite him to join us on [...]
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Creating Lifelong Learners
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Is There a Place for “Drill and Kill” on the iPad?
7 Feb 2012 | 8:00 pmLast week, I posted on Twitter when a highly engaging math app went on sale for 60% off. I didn’t oversell it by any means: It’s just drill and kill simple math facts with fancy graphics and music but it’s fun. I’m torn on whether to mention the name of the app here (I will list all the apps we use in a future post). However, imagine an app with a first class movie soundtrack, mission impossible-like graphics, and an excitement that is not present in many other apps. Yes, I do consider it “drill and kill” but as an app of this kind, it’s best in… -
My Current Thoughts on Teacher Evaluation
6 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amI was asked by someone in the press for my thoughts on teacher evaluation, probably because of my previous posts on Merit Pay (I’m not for it) and the Value that Teachers Add to the Classroom (hint, it’s more than just test scores). I haven’t written about the subject in some time and my views are constantly changing. My idea of having teachers gather around a campfire and write down the name of one teacher they’d like to vote of the island hasn’t been picking up any steam so here are my other thoughts. 1. What do you think of the recent national push to tie… -
My Guide to iPad Deployment in School
31 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amAlmost two years ago to the day, I wrote a post, “The iPad: Why Teachers Should Care.” Flash forward to today, both of the schools I work at have purchased one iPad for each classroom. Although I’ve already mastered how to manage all the iDevices in my personal household, learning to manage iPads in an institutional environment involved a bit more learning due to the complexities of software licensing and the necessity to keep institutional accounts separate from personal ones. School Accounts You’ll Need: 1. A generic e-mail address. You can use a… -
Parent Better and Change the World in 2012
27 Dec 2011 | 10:18 amOn a recent journey to Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to reflect on good parenting. Due to a brief layover, we had to switch planes mid-way and on each leg of the journey, we found ourselves sitting in front of children (yes, the same people we left our classrooms to get a break from). I’m not (yet) a parent. However, I believe the principles that I’ve laid out previously about classroom management apply to parenting as well. Specifically, when you can help it, never expose children to a new situation without first letting them know what to expect from that… -
It’s a Hoax! Teach Critical Thinking and Analysis Through Online Hoaxes
28 Nov 2011 | 12:00 amWhat follows are three of my favorite hoax links, shared in a Google Workshop for Educators. Use these to teach students that not everything posted on the internet is true. All About Explorers An attractive site looking site chock full of information about famous explorers, except all the information is false. RYT Hospital Men can now have babies, this high tech web site shows you how. Museum of Hoaxes Find tons more in the Museum of Hoaxes.
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NYT > Education
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Lives: Dazed and Confused
9 Feb 2012 | 8:12 amHow skipping school in late-’70s New York became a lesson in the costs of dropping out. -
Editorial: Successes of Small Schools
9 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amA study provides sound evidence that New York City students at small, specialized high schools are more likely to graduate than students in large, traditional high schools. -
The Learning Network Blog: Poetry Pairing | 'A Lover'
9 Feb 2012 | 7:27 amThis week's matches Amy Lowell's two-line poem, "A Lover," with a 2011 video about synchronous fireflies that put on a "light show" each June in Tennessee, as well as a 2001 Science article that explores how fireflies control their glow. -
Virginia Home-Schoolers Make a Play to Join High School Teams
9 Feb 2012 | 6:10 amA bill in Virginia would permit home-schooled students to play varsity sports at public high schools, raising concerns about fairness, recruiting and oversight. -
SchoolBook: Cobble Hill Parents Sue to Block Success Academy 3
9 Feb 2012 | 5:35 amEva Moskowitz and her Success Academy charter schools are in the news on Thursday, again as the target of a law suit to try to stop her from establishing one of her schools, this time in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
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Ideas and Thoughts
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My first DE podcast
3 Feb 2012 | 11:09 amI have a heart for podcasting. Steve Dembo and Bud Hunt captured by attention way back when as they casually recorded themselves as they drove home from work. I loved the raw, authentic, casual nature of those recordings. So Steve and I have talked about doing stuff with Discovery and we both share the philosophy of "just do it". So here's how this podcast was born: As you'll tell from the podcast, this was not rehearsed and it was pretty much uncensored. I hope it can be something where I learn more about the awesomeness of Discovery and you can too. Can… -
Understanding the Digital Divide
3 Feb 2012 | 5:35 amI need to be careful. A new job and new learning gives me plenty of excuses not to write. My mind is occupied with all sorts of things that make it challenging to be be reflective sometimes. Writing and blogging has been a critical part of my own growth as an educator and I have no intentions of that changing but I need to force myself to write. This might be one of those occasions. Last week I visited two dramatically different conferences. FETC is one of the larger educational conferences you'll ever attend. While numbers have decreased significantly from the first time I attended… -
A Tweet For Customer Service
22 Jan 2012 | 4:51 pmWhile what I'm about to share is pretty common place, i still find it fascinating largely because so many people and businesses haven't figured this out. Friday I left for Florida. Delta lost my luggage. This is the first time I've ever had my luggage lost. According to stats, airlines are 99.5% effective in getting people their luggage to the intended destination on time. I wasn't too worried. After all, I had my golf clubs which was really most important given I had a tee time the next morning. I knew my luggage was in trouble because it never showed up in… -
Should teachers own their learning?
10 Jan 2012 | 8:36 pmWhat if school districts and school administrators trusted teachers to let them direct their own PD? What if the ideas of personalized learning and students owning their learning was applied to teachers? These are questions I ask as I wonder about the ways in which schools and districts attempt to support teacher growth. In the same way schools have a hard time empowering students to own their learning, districts struggle with letting teachers own theirs. I'm not aware of any district that truly embraces the notion of personalized learning. Districts all seem to feel the need or… -
1461 and counting
1 Jan 2012 | 8:49 amIt's been nearly 1,500 days in a row that I've been taking a photo a day. I don't think I've missed more than an handful of days over that time. I continue to learn and find it now to be truly be a part of me. I don't ponder whether I'll keep doing it, I have no reason not to. It's not a chore anymore. As I've mentioned often, it's a mindfulness that has taught me a lot of things. Each year I tried to add something to challenge myself. 2008, was my first crack at it so I kept it pretty basic. 2009 I tried to create one word titles for each of my photos…
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LeaderTalk
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The Trials and Tribulations of a Dissertation
28 Jan 2012 | 5:59 amDeciding to go back to school for your doctorate is a life-altering decision. There are so many unknowns that come along with returning to school for such a degree, which is something that keeps many people from pursuing this personal challenge and goal. Five years ago, I could not get rid of the nagging thought that it was time for me to seriously consider applying to schools for a doctorate in educational leadership. I applied, was accepted, and am in the final stages of dissertation writing...closing in on my last weeks without the title of Dr. Throughout the process of taking classes,… -
Google or Apple: I Don't Want to Choose
13 Jan 2012 | 1:37 pmBy Ryan Bretag | @ryanbretag Apple is set to make an "education announcement" on January 19th and I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated that this announcement surely won't be how Google and Apple are putting aside their differences in the best interest of education. Nope. It is said to be about textbooks, which misses the mark for those like me that envision a learning environment where Google Apps for Education and iPads are foundational pieces for each learner. And it is this missing the mark that puts schools with similar visions in a most precarious spot: choosing between iPads and Google… -
Online software
28 Dec 2011 | 5:57 amEducational software has been around for over 30 years now. In that time we have progressed from graphics that were just made by letters and numbers to programs now with rich graphics and that can really measure student progress in a multitude of areas. My current district has made a big push the last several years to move all software possible to online software. We are now down to just a few titles that are CD/DVD based. These are mostly in the areas of music, art, and special education due to the size of the programs. Below I answer some of the questions that I get from educational… -
YouTube for Schools - A Leadership Embarrassment
27 Dec 2011 | 10:33 amRyan Bretag | @ryanbretag The launch of YouTube for Schools is well documented by now and has brought with it considerable excitement. While I should be happy about this opportunity for schools, teachers (check out YouTube Teachers), and students that are in a position to at least have the hand shackles removed, there is a part of me that remains frustrated. Google should be proud. They saw the unfortunate trend and stepped up. Teachers and students should be happier. Those that have lived in the world of heavy handed filtering now have an easier argument for relaxing it a bit. Then there is… -
Devices, Devices, Devices
4 Dec 2011 | 5:17 amBy Ryan Bretag | @ryanbretag Discussions and debates continue about what technology device is best for students in a one to one computing environment. iPads. Chromebooks. Netbooks. Windows-Based Laptops. Macbooks. Recently, this discussion took off on Twitter and great minds weighed-in. While I always grow from these streams of thought, I'm also reminded why discussion of devices are challenging when it is only about the device. Like always... learning and teaching environment It needs to focus first in the area of learning, teaching, and environment from your local view. Don't get caught up…
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Forme of Cury
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Culinary School quote #43: “I was standing on a stool cooking mac ‘n cheese when I was four.”
8 Feb 2012 | 1:10 pm… from Culinary School: 103 of the Funniest, Silliest, Rudest Things my Chefs Said. To see all the bestselling Culinary School ebooks, click here for Amazon Kindle and here for Barnes & Noble Nook. -
Culinary School: How to Talk Like a Chef – What is Confit?
8 Feb 2012 | 9:04 amTypically duck slowly cooked and preserved in its own fat, however, it can also refer to other meats or even fruits or vegetables preserved in sugar, alcohol, or vinegar. … from Culinary School: How to Talk Like a Chef. To see the bestselling Culinary School ebooks, click here for Amazon Kindle and here for Barnes & Noble Nook. -
Culinary School: How to Talk Like a Chef – What is a Maillard reaction?
8 Feb 2012 | 5:25 amA browning of the outer layer of food which occurs when it is cooked with heat. … from Culinary School: How to Talk Like a Chef. To see the bestselling Culinary School ebooks, click here for Amazon Kindle and here for Barnes & Noble Nook. -
Culinary School: The 164 Best Cooking Tips and Tricks tip #105: Have a landing plate nearby
7 Feb 2012 | 1:55 pmThis is a place to put cooked food before it is plated, such as burgers off a grill. Not getting one until the food is ready will result in overcooked or burned food. … culinary tips from Culinary School: The 164 Best Cooking Tips and Tricks . To see all the bestselling Culinary School ebooks, click here for Amazon Kindle and here for Barnes & Noble Nook. -
Culinary School: The 164 Best Cooking Tips and Tricks tip #18: Press your meat with your finger tip or tongs to gauge how well done it is
7 Feb 2012 | 9:40 amThe firmer it is, the more well done it is. … culinary tips from Culinary School: The 164 Best Cooking Tips and Tricks . To see all the bestselling Culinary School ebooks, click here for Amazon Kindle and here for Barnes & Noble Nook.
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Epicurious.com: Latest Features
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How to Make Magnolia Bakery's Red Velvet Cupcakes
9 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amThis Tuesday, surprise your loved one with homemade red velvet cupcakes with help from none other than Magnolia Bakery. Watch the video to see the famous bakerys Bobbie Lloyd demonstrate how to bake and frost these delicious treats. -
Romantic Menu Planner
8 Feb 2012 | 7:45 amWhats the perfect recipe for a romantic meal? To find your ultimate Valentine's Day menu, use our fun, interactive Romantic Menu Planning tool. Answer six easy questions, and we'll formulate a romantic recipe plan that corresponds to your skill in the kitchen, how much time you have to cook, and the type of food you're interested in preparing. -
Valentines Day Table Crafts
7 Feb 2012 | 9:50 amFebruary 14 is a day for exchanging cards and eating chocolate, sure, but it's also a day for spending sweet time with loved ones. Serve up a special family Valentine's Day with our creative, kid-friendly art projects, including several that can go straight from the craft table to the dining table. -
Aphrodisiacs to Sweeten Your Valentines Day
6 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amFoodies who want to get into the mood for Valentine's Day know that aphrodisiacs can help spice things up between friends and lovers. As documented throughout history, foods such as chocolate, honey, oysters, and figs have all been said to ignite and sustain desire, passion, energy, and love. See for yourself with 10 recipes that incorporate these ingredients, plus some others that you might not expect. -
Top Five Beer Cocktails
5 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amInstead of simply picking up a case of beer to share with guests during the big game tonight, why not spice things up by making beer cocktails? In this feature, we share recipes for five beer cocktails, including some oldies-but-goodies, a few reinterpretations, and a couple of brand-new cocktails created by the nation's top mixologists.
