Resolutions: checking in and checking out (reprisal)

Here’s how this went last year.

And now, checking in on those resolutions made for 2012:

Do awesome photo projects

Started the Brooklyn Bathroom Blog and have been going on fun photo outings. Also bartered grantwriting help with a photography lesson. Definitely giving space for photography exploration, though I’d like to enjoy what I do in physical form instead of just digital, too. 

Maintain strong connections with important friends and family

Very much so! I was proud of doing a better job than ever making space for people I wanted to spend more time with and spending that time in what I felt were meaningful ways. CARRY FORWARD the goal to continue this!

Continue to explore professional and personal growth opportunities

Did a lot of informational interviewing (aka chatting with people who do cool things about what they do), so that was exciting. Big victory too was developing and teaching four courses at the Brooklyn Brainery that have been successful as professional classes and also for me personally. I went to a few workshops and conferences to build professional skill sets, and jumped on various consulting opportunities that came my way. Oh, and I think getting a blogger profile with Huffington Post is a positive thing!

Function better in unplanned, last-minute scenarios or blips in plans

Yes. I like that this was a goal, and I think I overall executed. I got a bit less crazy when people were late, and went with the flow more in general. Accountability buddy Sam was a key part of this, and I hope to keep that partnership in place in the coming year. 

Make this blog or another writing venture something more public, as long as I keep enjoy doing it

See two bullets up. Also, I think more people read this blog than I think, because people randomly mention a post that stood out to them in conversations. Also, on the point of “as long as I keep enjoy doing it,” I am 1) aware that this was not an example of good editing and 2) still very much enjoying writing, and have realized that I love it because I can write in the exact style I’d like and about the exact content that strikes me. For now at least, this is the primary type of writing that excites me. I will CARRY FORWARD a more polished version of this goal!

Wear makeup a little bit more, but never spend more than 120 seconds on it.

Fail. And fine with it. Though I have taken more time to put together ‘a look’, which accomplishes a similar thing.

Take more improv classes, and continue to formulate what I want to do with it as it relates to longterm goals

I took Level 3 at Magnet and was also on a team this Fall. I continued to guest on PreRecorded.com as it worked with my schedule. I think the aspects of improv that are most appealing to me are groupwork, listening skills, creativity, and sincere fun. I’d love to integrate improv that truly embodies each of those elements into my life this year. Also, I took a storytelling class this year, which was profoundly impactful both because of the people I met and the power of the craft. I want to grow stronger roots in that this year. 

Become a member of a nonprofit board

Sadly, no. Silver lining #1: wouldn’t have had the fair amount of energy to give to it this year. I’m currently on my last planned year of co-chairing Young Friends of Tufts Advancement, which will hopefully free up some time for board membership. Silver lining #2: I spent a lot of time thinking about what my ideal role on a board would be, and what sort of organization that would work best at. CARRY FORWARD!

Cook more in cost effective, healthy, and fun ways

Embarrassed to say no. I think I didn’t accomplish it because I had no real driver and truly didn’t make the time for it. Chalk it up to city living?

Work on building a sustainable skillshare of some sort among friends

Didn’t end up doing, but mostly because of the wonderful community I found at the Brainery.

Get Anderson Cooper to come for dinner

Let’s just leave this one alone.

2012 was a good year. There were other successes on non-explicitly stated goals, Obama got re-elected, home feels even more like home, and I am overall quite simply excited to be doing everything I’m doing with the people I’m surrounded by. 
Onward to the new year! Here are some 2013 goals:
  • Maintain strong connections with important friends and family
  • Explore and activate professional and personal growth opportunities
  • Continue writing, publicly and privately, with enjoyment and while pushing limits of what I think I can do
  • Be more vulnerable
  • Seek out improv and storytelling opportunities that capitalize on personal creativity and fun, or that allow for meaningful group work
  • Send more snail mail to friends
  • Become a member of a nonprofit board
  • Travel at least once for me (and not just for four incredible weddings)
  • Read books in time that is otherwise wasted online
  • Exercise regularly while pushing myself a little bit harder
  • Learn to fix a bike if something simple goes wrong

Cheers! Happy New Year!

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.

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!

Bret and Jemaine of Flight of the Conchords fame have worked with kids to create a song, “Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That),” completely to benefit Cure Kids in New Zealand. I was just going to post the song here, but I actually really enjoyed watching their whole process, which includes some fun references, tangents, and brilliant fundraising ideas from kids. Purchase the song on iTunes today.

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
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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.

This is one of those (rare) times when I wish I lived in DC. Fingers crossed that this smart new bar makes its way to NYC soon!

World Series of Poker // $$$$$$ (for good)

David Einhorn, the president of Greenlight Capital and a generous philanthropist, finished in 3rd place at the World Series of Poker yesterday and plans to donate his winnings ($4.35million!) to City Year. 

It’s always great to see (high quality) nonprofits supported such a sincere and unexpected public forum. Way to go, David and City Year! 

Cool game, cool community building, cool report. Thumbs up.

The Knight Foundation recently released an awesome report on their grant to Macon, Georgia for a social game designed by Area/Code to build community through local currency. These are a bunch of my favorite things. (Games! Philanthropy! Sociology! Money!) You really must read more about it, because I can’t embed any here and it’s too good not to look. I leave you with a teaser screenshot:

75% of 20-35 year olds donated to charitable causes in 2011

Remember the Millennial Donor and Engagement survey? Well, the results are in, and there’s a lot to be celebrated and learned! Here’s the full survey results along with some pretty neat infographics, and here’s an article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy breaking the (good) news. Below is a teaser of some of the learnings.

The two groups, the twin engines of wealth-creation in our time, both donate substantially. But these rich are different from Fortune 500 CEOs. Hedge-fund and tech-sector donors aren’t content to write checks for established programs, says Bruce Flessner, a principal at Bentz Whaley Flessner, which advises non-profits on how to score grants. Rather, the hedgies and techies look for non-profits that are as inventive as they are. “They give to change the world.’ Flessner says.

from Giving It Away: Hegies vs. Techs

My brother shared this article with me about philanthropic giving trends with folks working in hedge funds and technology. Yesterday, we enjoyed a conversation on different ways to invest and impact a community, and I’m glad to see this conversation happening more frequently in different sectors and in the media. While approaches may be different, the idea of improving the world by reinvesting resources we earn is shared across the board.

Give it a read and feel free to share your thoughts.

Source: cnbc.com

How to Write a Grant Proposal, Take 2

I’m teaching again after a successful first run and tweaking topics here and there. So, sign up and/or share with your networks! Last time the class sold out quickly, so don’t wait!

[Editor’s Note: As of April 23, the class has filled up. Put your name on the waitlist though to find out first the next time it’s offered or if any spots open up!]

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