* We need a cultural shift with respect to violence now, and we all have a role to play. Advocating for gun control laws is certainly a big piece of it.  Having more awareness, scientific understanding, and resources for mental health is another huge component. Rethinking the role of and messaging from media in times of violence is integral. Changing the way we discuss violence in our families and communities is still another. A tragedy like what happened in Newtown, CT could have happened anywhere. As Americans [As teachers, As parents, As children, As someone who lives in CT, As a first responder…you name the connection] we all feel hurt and betrayed by it. But this isn’t about Adam Lanza; this is not an isolated case of ‘crazy’. It’s a bigger problem of a culture of violence in a society where violence is a viable option, and our collective inability to guide smart decision-making within that society. And, unfortunately, this problem won’t be solved by the government, or by nonprofits, or by families raising kids differently. In fact, it might not ever be ‘solved’; that’s a scary thought. That’s why we must do what’s in our power to shift this culture over time from all fronts; only then will we have a chance of seeing the needle move. *The shooter, Adam Lanza, does not appear on most lists of victims. He is a victim though (and also guilty, no doubt) of a society that in whatever way contributed to this rampage. I mourn him, too, despite hating with all of my soul what he did.
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We need a cultural shift with respect to violence now, and we all have a role to play.

Advocating for gun control laws is certainly a big piece of it.  Having more awareness, scientific understanding, and resources for mental health is another huge component. Rethinking the role of and messaging from media in times of violence is integral. Changing the way we discuss violence in our families and communities is still another.

A tragedy like what happened in Newtown, CT could have happened anywhere. As Americans [As teachers, As parents, As children, As someone who lives in CT, As a first responder…you name the connection] we all feel hurt and betrayed by it. But this isn’t about Adam Lanza; this is not an isolated case of ‘crazy’. It’s a bigger problem of a culture of violence in a society where violence is a viable option, and our collective inability to guide smart decision-making within that society. And, unfortunately, this problem won’t be solved by the government, or by nonprofits, or by families raising kids differently. In fact, it might not ever be ‘solved’; that’s a scary thought. That’s why we must do what’s in our power to shift this culture over time from all fronts; only then will we have a chance of seeing the needle move.

*The shooter, Adam Lanza, does not appear on most lists of victims. He is a victim though (and also guilty, no doubt) of a society that in whatever way contributed to this rampage. I mourn him, too, despite hating with all of my soul what he did.

For staff members to feel empowered, they need to believe that management communicates a clear direction for the future, that they are working in alignment with the CEO and board, that the foundation cares about them, and that their performance reviews are fair and helpful.

One of the key findings in the recently released study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy: Employee Empowerment: The Key to Foundation Staff Satisfaction.

As always, CEP put together a thoughtful report that is well-researched and helpful for guiding best practices in the foundation world.

It’s #GivingTuesday. I challenge you to give half of what you spent shopping this week.

It’s #GivingTuesday, the icing on the cake to #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday; it’s the day that we give en masse because really, all this spending and spending on material items is fine, but it’s better if paired with giving back.

But where to give? I asked some people their ideas, which I am excited to share with you along with a few of my favorites.

  • From Jess in Los Angeles, CA, there’s Campfire USA, an organization that emphasizes leadership and service with youth. Fun fact: their motto is “WoHeLo,” an acronym for Work, Health, Love, which embodies the welcoming and supportive camp spirit.
  • From both Daniel and Kent (independently!) in Queens, NY, there’s Child’s Play a nonprofit that donates video games to children’s hospitals. Says Kent, “While I cannot cure a single disease or injury, by donating to this charity I know that I can, at the very least, make some children happy, and forget about pain and needles and examinations and boredom, if just for a little bit.”
  • From Jenni in Boston, MA, there’s a service learning immersion trip to Nicaragua in January 2013 for Boston College undergraduate students that you can donate to here. Jenni also makes jewelry and donates 15% of profits from those with pink beads to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
  • From Amber in Washington, DC, there’s Mobilize.org, an organization that empowers and invests in Millennials.
  • From Brady* in Brooklyn, NY, there’s Natural Resources Defense Council, which works to protect wildlife and wild places and to ensure a healthy environment for all life on earth, and the Innocence Project, a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people.
  • From Jess in Norwich, CT, there’s Jane Doe Inc, which is the Mass. Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. 
  • From Davin in Santa Monica, CA, there’s Innovations for Poverty Action, which uses research techniques to develop and test solutions to real-world problems faced by developing countries.
  • From Carolan in Boston, MA, there’s Last Hope K9, an animal rescue organization.
  • From Doug in Washington, DC, there’s Congressional Chorus, which provides musical education to youth in the DC area.
  • From Margaret in Brooklyn, NY, there’s Our Time, which helps kids who stutter to gain confidence while exploring artistic expression.

My personal favorites: LIFT (one stop social service agency empowering community members through employment, public benefits, skill development, taxes, and more), City Harvest (food rescue and distribution in NYC), New York Cares (powerhouse hub of volunteer opportunities in NYC), Artistic Noise (helping juvenile delinquents grow leadership skills and process experiences through art), and Health Horizons (improving health and healthcare in communities in the Dominican Republic).

And, if you don’t know exactly where to give, check out sites like donorschoose.org (thanks Oriana!), onepercentfoundation.org (a favorite of mine), networkforgood.org (the hub of online giving), and of course givingtuesday.org.

*A thought on giving that Brady shared that I completely agree with:

While it’s great that lots of people have given lots of donations for Hurricane Sandy recovery, I’d encourage people to dig a bit deeper and remember the charities that *aren’t* Sandy related. I feel that most people sensibly have a set amount of charity they typically contribute in general, and something like Sandy obviously is a headliner that requires a lot of help. But I think that might actually hurt some of the smaller charities that rely on donations but don’t get a piece of the Sandy stuff….

Happy Giving!

Does your organization want to know more about your younger donors and volunteers?

Yes? You should make your organization a Millennial Research Project partner!

Since 2010, more than 10,000 Millennials have participated in the Millennial Impact Research studies. The Millennial Impact Project is the most comprehensive research on Millennials, covering topics including how they (my generation) connect, involve and support causes. The intent of the research is to understand engagement preferences of the next generation of donors, volunteers and leaders. Building on previous research, the 2013 Millennial Impact Project will provide findings on the specific triggers that motivate Millennials to give, volunteer and lead.  The 2013 research will include two parts:

  • A nationally disseminated online survey to Millennials.
  • Video recorded feedback from Millennials on messaging and collateral – including direct mail & email solicitations, newsletters, social media posts, and nonprofit websites.

The goal is to understand the influence of peer engagement, design, and messaging and to help Millennials act in the moment. The research findings will be released in July 2013 at the next MCON, a virtual and in person conference on Millennial engagement.

Organizations can participate in the Millennial Research Project as a Distribution Partner (help disseminate the 2013 online survey to Millennial constituents) or Content Partner (providing materials like newsletters, solicitations, and volunteer recruitment flyers to directly advance research). Both have benefits, of course!

I care about this research, because our generation, the Millennial generation, is an important constituency that has not always had the best reputation. But, we’re already making impact, and we can make more by better understanding and tapping into our potential. Research works; it makes skills and tools for engagement concrete, and it proves a track record of engagement. The more organizations that participate, the more accurate and helpful the data gathered will be. I don’t want to see just the top tier of engaged organizations, for instance, participate, because the research wouldn’t be representative. With a greater, more diverse, pool of participants, I think our communities and country can really learn something and leverage the Millennial generation for good.

New Website Alert!

Interested in seeding your own nonprofit or do-gooder project, but don’t have a 501c3 status? Or, is your nonprofit interested in broadening its horizons without having the internal capacity or the vision to do so?

Fiscal sponsorship generally entails a nonprofit organization (the “fiscal sponsor”) agreeing to provide administrative services and oversight to, and assume some or all of the legal and financial responsibility for, the activities of groups or individuals engaged in work that relates to the fiscal sponsor’s mission. Sometimes, the project/grant grows into its own entity; other times it becomes a program of the fiscal sponsor.

This has always been a disorganized process. There are certainly tools through the Foundation Center, word of mouth, and otherwise, but I didn’t see a large hub that appears to be the proper connector between ideas and fiscal conduits. Now, there’s fiscalsponsors.org, which has appropriate background and tools for connection from both sides.

If you’re a grantwriter or might want to/need to be one, or if you work for a nonprofit entity, take a look and tune in.

GoodSearch, the charitable way to search

I love google, but I love having regular actions (searching! shopping! dining out!) support wonderful nonprofits. Once you sign up with GoodSearch, a nonprofit organization of your choice benefits from your everyday actions without you spending any additional time or money. It’s very easy to sign up, and satisfying to see the dollars add up. ASPCA, for instance, has earned more than $46,500! Download the toolbar now!

If you are a nonprofit organization or school that would like to benefit from GoodSearch, that’s easy too! Sign up!

Are You Supporting Health Horizons?

Many of you know my amazing friend Laura, who I met 8 years ago in a pre-orientation program at Tufts University. A doer-and-shaker, Laura co-founded a phenomenal nonprofit called Health Horizons International (HHI), which seeks to build a new vision of primary health care and community health in the Dominican Republic. I’ve seen the programs and followed the organization avidly since its inception. I have a lot of respect for their approach, results, and plan for the future.

Today is Laura’s birthday (happy happy Laura!) and also the last day of her big fundraising push after stepping down from her Executive Director role last month. I hope you will join me in supporting her efforts. Organizations like these take off with selfless leaders but are only sustained through financial support that dually keeps dedicated, skilled leaders employed and passionate and that supports programs that ultimately are low-cost but have certain infrastructural needs. Your gift will have huge impact; feel free to email me if you need to be convinced.

Here’s to a fabulous organization and an even more fabulous friend!

Three rodents with defective visual perception
Three rodents with defective visual perception
Visualize how they perambulate
Visualize how they perambulate
They all perambulated after the agricultural spouse
Who severed their appendages with a kitchen utensil
Have you ever visualized such a spectacle in your existence
As three rodents with defective visual perception?

Flesch Score = 0. This is why Three Blind Mice was written as it was and NOT like this!

by Eric Newton of the Knight Foundation, as shared in Clarity for Charities by Big Duck. Great article.

The good folks at CollegeHumor teamed up with nonprofit Malaria No More for “Malarious” (rhymes with hilarious…get it?), a collection of 24 short, original comedy videos starring more than 30 celebrities and comedians, to raise money for Malaria No More and help treat children in Africa for Malaria. The videos are available for a minimum donation of just $1.  (Just like what Louie C.K. did, but for charity!) Some highlights include Nick Offerman reading a slam poem about bacon, Reggie Watts performing a special Mosquito-related song, and Ellie Kemper trying to criticize cute little puppies.

I donated and am slowly combing through the videos; they’re hilarious and benefit a really important, actionable cause. The trailer posted here is only the tip of the iceberg. Get on board:  http://www.collegehumor.com/malarious

  • 39 Plays
  • Ep. 23: Pranks with Jen Bokoff
Download External Audio

I was a guest on the awesome mischievous exploits + games + chit chat + charity-benefiting podcast Flee The Scene! It was a pranks episode in which we also discuss horrible cat noises, scamming old people, the Penn State racquetball scandal, and inventing a dumb charity. I played True Crime and Unbelievable Laws for LIFT and gosh was it a nail-biter….

I also needed to give something back. I made good on my promise.

Idealist.org Releases Surveys About Employment in the Nonprofit Sector

The Job Seeker Survey and the Organization Survey released last week by Idealist give interesting insights to employment in nonprofits. Some points of particular note:

Nonprofit Jobseekers

  • They are experienced: 30% of job seekers are over the age 50; 26% have more than 11 years of experience in the nonprofit sector.
  • They value opportunities for career development: In fact, this is one of the top reasons job seekers who are currently employed full-time (33%) are looking to leave their current organizations.
  • They are committed in and outside of the office: 83% of job seekers have volunteered, demonstrating an interest in staying and growing in the sector.
  • They want to hear from hiring managers: The number one challenge job seekers face is the lack of communication from employers. In fact, 86% say they never receive any feedback or follow up at all.

Nonprofit Hiring Managers

  • They wear many hats: 84% have responsibilities in at least one other area, most often program management, office/facilities management, and communications.
  • They appreciate attention to detail: Because they have to juggle multiple responsibilities, hiring managers place emphasis on potential employees following instructions in order to move through the hiring process as quickly and efficiently as possible.
  • They also prefer job seekers not call: Also because of their limited time and resources, 40% of hiring managers prefer that you not follow up about your job application status.
  • They value passion: 86% say that understanding their organization’s mission is very important.

Looking forward to combing through!

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