LIBRARY RESOURCES & BLOG
This area is filled with how-to articles, engaging conversations, and tons of examples of Catalytic Thinking in Action including actual planning sessions. Much to explore and learn from!
Two years ago, as one of Creating the Future’s first efforts at doing anything at all as an organization, we attempted a year-end appeal. Long time friends may recall that we shut down that appeal moments before “the biggest giving days of the year.” * We shut it down because it didn’t feel right. As a … Read more
Last month, Creating the Future finished its 3rd successful scholarship campaign at StartSomeGood.com – a crowdfunding platform that (unlike other more high profile platforms) is entirely focused on funding for social impact / changing the world. As we do with every venture we embark upon, we learn from every crowdfunding campaign we do. Herewith, in … Read more
This has been a year filled with community disaster. Given life on planet earth, one could say that almost any year. Earthquakes and hurricanes, shootings and riots and bombings – whether man-made or natural, from the time of the dinosaurs to today, life’s biggest occurrences are often outside our control. Perhaps the greatest lesson from … Read more
If we want to see communities where people are fully engaged, participating in their own lives and their own futures, what would it look like if that was modeled everywhere – starting with our own organization? This is a question that has been in the making at Creating the Future since the initial decision, before … Read more
The following is a reprint from a post by Hildy, originally penned back in 2003. It remains one of the most reprinted posts in the whole Creating the Future library. And it feels especially important to re-share now, as we approach the madness that is year-end. The Sound a Thank You Makes It was a crazy … Read more
No matter what field you work in, Twitter Chats are one of the most underutilized ways of building community and furthering your cause. I’m not talking about just using Twitter in general. I’m talking about a real time chat that brings people together at a specific time to discuss a specific topic. For the past … Read more
As the board of Creating the Future is becoming more established and is preparing to recruit additional candidates, we are starting to explore the role of orientation in this process. Providing new board members with a formal orientation prepares them to effectively contribute to the board from the very beginning. Orientation also helps existing board … Read more
When it comes to leading social change efforts, perhaps the most powerful and least recognized form of leadership is Leading from the Middle – bringing out the best in others, so that they can realize and step into their own potential to create change. Unlike top-down leadership, Leadership from the Middle is not a function … Read more
What IS Creating the Future? In a post 2 weeks ago, we shared our first effort to explain what this effort is about via infographic. And in the comments at that post – as well as at LinkedIn and Facebook – we got lots of great help in making the infographic more clear, so that … Read more
Are you thinking about building a program or project aimed to create a more healthy, vibrant community? In our experience, the most exciting part of any new effort is engaging people in building the effort together. Whether a group is building a single project / program or a full range of programs, using a fully engaged … Read more