Whenever the subject of youth and philanthropy arises, I feel like I am in a time warp, listening to Paul Lynde singing “Kids” in Bye Bye Birdie. “What’s the matter with kids today?” In polite conversation, of course, the question sounds more like this: “How do we engage young people in philanthropy?” I admit I … Read more
In last week’s post, I likened Community Engagement to growing my vegetable garden in the front yard of my house. Instead of showing the community only your organization’s well-manicured fait accompli, Community Engagement invites members of your community to become an integral part of the work itself, engaging their hearts, their minds, and their hands … Read more
My black Lab, Hallie, owned our back yard. She would dig. She would run deep grooves into the grass. Garden after garden fell to Hallie’s exploits. Finally, I dug up a plot next to the driveway. And I planted my vegetables in the front yard. That was twenty years ago – two houses ago, a … Read more
This week’s Stop Sign on the Road to Changing the World was about Funding without Competition. Here are some easy ways funders can provide support without forcing their grantees to compete. 1- Fund Everyone: Focus on an end result for the community, and invite all organizations who want to help create that end result to … Read more
If this is the sector that was supposed to change the world, how come the world has not changed? Part 1 of this Stop Sign addressed the first of these related questions: How can we develop a community-wide spirit of cooperation, rather than merely the window dressing of collaboration? And to encourage real cooperation, how … Read more
If competition is stopping us from achieving amazing things for our communities, how can we encourage cooperation? Here are some easy (and cheap!) ways funders can inspire and nurture a community-wide collaborative spirit. 1- Food and Friends: Host a monthly lunch. Invite organizations regardless of specialty – invite arts AND human services AND historic preservation … Read more
If this is the sector that was supposed to change the world, how come the world has not changed? This week’s Stop Sign on the Road to Changing the World is the one we all blame: Money. Or more to the point, not enough money. Or even more to the point, having to compete for … Read more
Every once in a while, we have a consulting lesson smack us in the face. If you’ve been at this work as long as we have, we guarantee there will come a time when you will say aloud, “I knew better than to do that! What did I expect!?” We have had two of those … Read more
The difference in the end result when we prescribe what others should do, vs. inspiring and encouraging them towards their own aspirations – it is so clear to me, and so consistently amazing when it is not clear to those who insist on prescribing what others should do. When we tell someone what to do, … Read more