How Are Your 2008 Activist Resolutions Going?

At the end of December 2007, I posted about creating activist resolutions for the New Year based on Latoya Peterson's activist resolutions post on Racialicious.

We're half way through 2008, so I thought I'd share how mine are going, and check in on yours. My resolutions were to:

1. Continue reading and learning about why genocide happens, and what I can do to encourage the United States to be a part of the solution.

What I've done:
Read What is the What by Dave Eggers.
Read Darfur Diaries by Aisha Bain, Jen Marlowe and Adam Shapiro.
Watched Darfur Now.
Interviewed Janessa Goldbeck of the Genocide Intervention Network.

Challenge for the rest of 2008:
I'm feeling a bit discouraged about what feels like a lack of progress in the situation. Need to figure out how to get energized to take action around it.

2. Interview more activists/visionaries of color for the Big Vision Podcast.

What I've done:
I've done so-so with this so far. This year I've interviewed Christina Arnold of Prevent Human Trafficking, Cristi Hegranes of the Press Institute for Women in the Developing World, Kavita Ramdas of the Global Fund for Women, Anisha Desai of the Women of Color Resource Center, Janessa Goldbeck of Genocide Intervention Network, and Ari Derfel of Save Your Trash.

Challenge for rest of 2008:
I only have 6 more interviews for 2008. I do one per month. I would like to do 3 interviews with activists/visionaries of color who are having fun and doing good. Feel free to send me suggestions.

3. Carry at least one cloth shopping bag with me at all times.

What I've done:
This has been easy. I take my Envirosax most places with me.

Challenge for 2008:
I've gotten paper bags a few times because otherwise we don't have anything to put our recycling in (ironic). Any suggestions for an alternative container to put your paper recycling in? I don't think you can just throw all of your individual papers/newspapers/magazines into the recycling bin they pick up, can you? Seems kinda messy.

4. Write to the woman I am sponsoring through Women for Women International, each month.

What I've done:
Written her a letter each month.

Challenge for rest of 2008
She hasn't written back. When you sign up to be a Women for Women International sponsor, they make it clear that some of the women are experiencing circumstances that make it difficult for them to write. I totally understand that, but it is getting harder to get motivated each month when I'm writing into the void.

5. Donate 5 % of my income.

What I've done:
Donated 3%

Challenge for rest of 2008:
Step it up to 5%

6. Have more fun while doing good.

What I've done:
Started doing yoga again (I'm a certified instructor and used to do it every day for years). Made some changes in my work life to give me more space for creative projects and down time.

Challenge for rest of 2008:
As I've let go of some things, I've noticed that the space fills up again with new opportunities. Gotta be particular about what I say yes to.

How are your 2008 Activist Resolutions going? Here are what some people wrote in the comments of the original post on Have Fun * Do Good and BlogHer that they were going to do :

Green LA Girl said she would pack her own chopsticks.

Cooper of An Unforgivable Hell on Earth said she would continue supporting two women through Women for Women International, volunteer at a women's shelter, start grad school to study public policy and interntional relations, continue her blog about Darfur, and participate in local activism around Darfur.

Michael of All Day Buffet said he would like to, "inspire more young people that wouldn't normally act to do something that changes the world!"

Amy of Shaping Youth wrote, "I hereby 'resolve' to mobilize youth by activating core caring in various forms of content creation. We'll help empower kids in upbeat, social/media forms of fun, to make a difference in communities online and off."

Ryan of Riches for Good wrote, "My resolution isn't specific to 2008, but I made it this year: My goal is to help at least 1 million people out of extreme poverty, or $1-per-day poverty, during my lifetime."

Photo by me.

new year
resolution
2008
activist

July 2: Last Day to Register for BlogHer

Just a quick post to say that today at 6 PM Pacific Time is the last day to register for the BlogHer Conference. They are selling out. If you've been waiting to sign up, don't delay.

I'll be facilitating a Birds of a Feather session for Green, Social Change & NPO/NGO bloggers on Friday, July 18th from 10:30-11:45 AM.

Let me know if you'll be there in the comments of this post, by email (britt AT brittbravo.com), or Twitter (@bbravo).


blogher
women
blog
nonprofit
green
social change

You Could Win $10,000 for Your Do-Good Business Idea

Which do you think is a better idea?

a. Children's book depicting breastfeeding babies and toddlers

b. Elmidae: An eco-friendly intellectual clothing line

c. Girl Talk: Read to Achieve

d. Go Localing.com: Help support local business by listing user-generated local favorite things to do, see and eat

e. Meaningful Education in Africa for the Average Child: Lead Now Fellows

f. organic fairtrade troglodyte dolls

g. PatronOfTheArts: Save the Arts (Sponsor a Filmmaker or Artist Program)

h. Project Epiphany: Transformative Astronomy Education Inspiring Science Achievement

They are 8 finalists (all women) in the running to win $10,000 this month from Ideablob.com. Ideablob.com is a site that allows entrepreneurs and small business owners to share their ideas and get advice. Each month the Ideablob.com community votes for the ideas they like the best. The idea with the most votes wins $10,000.

As of this writing, PatronOfTheArts is in the lead with Girl Talk in a close second place. Tanya of the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog would like the children's book depicting breastfeeding babies and toddlers to win. She writes:

"La Leche League leaders in Washington state are proposing to use the prize money to get a children's book published which depicts breastfeeding babies and toddlers. One of the mothers behind this effort was told that some publishers will not allow depictions of breastfeeding, male nipples, or even cow udders in children's books! Proceeds from book sales would benefit the Seattle LLL toddler group."

You can read about past winners on the Ideablob site.

Ideablob.com also has guest advisors. Here's what Jeff Cornwall of The Entrepreneurial Mind wrote about someone's idea for "The Hummus House,"

"There is a reason that bankers run screaming from restaurants -- they have high failure rates.

That being said, it always amazes me how well certain niche restaurants can do in the market. Before launching this concept, make sure that the market is big enough and passionate enough to support this very specific niche.

You need to find a location that has enough people passionate enough about hummus -- sorry that ain't me -- so that you can sustain enough traffic to make this concept work.

Know that any niche restaurant may end up being a fad. Keep your debt low and your lease short-term so if the passion for hummus passes, you can ease out of the business with little residual financial burden."

Although Ideblob is sponsored by Advanta (a small business credit card company), their presence on the site is light. As Susan Gunelius writes on her Women and Business blog,

"I think this is a great idea, and I’m happy that Advanta isn’t burying the usefulness of the site in ads and marketing messages."

Sooooo, what are you waiting for? The voting for June's prize ends soon, but then you have 31 days in July to rally votes around your do-good idea!


entrepreneur
business
idea

Nonprofit Blogging Burning Questions and Answers

I originally wrote this post for the NetSquared Blog.

Earlier in the month I taught a Nonprofit Blogging 101 workshop at the 2008 Making Media Connections Conference. At the beginning of the session, I asked folks what their burning questions were. Below are their questions, and my quick answers. What questions and answers would you add?

1. How do we decide if our organization should have a blog?

Answer these questions:

1. What is the goal you want to achieve?
2. Who is your target audience?
3. What are the communication tools you could use to achieve that goal?

If a blog is one of the tools you think would meet your goal, ask yourself:

4. How often do you want to post on your blog, and when?
5. What are the topics you want your blog to cover?
6. What platform will you use? Who will set it up?
7. How much time, staff and money do you have to put into setting up your blog, writing your blog, answering comments, reading other blogs, and leaving comments on other blogs?

Once you've answered those questions you'll have a better idea if a blog is the tool for you, and if you have the time, money and staff to make it work over the long run.

2. How do you make the case to your Executive Director that your organization should have a blog?

Do the steps in question #1. Present your ED with the goal a blog will achieve, how you will measure its impact, who will set it up, who will write and maintain it, how much time it will take, and how much it will cost.

Talk to other nonprofits whose blogs you respect. Ask them for success stories that you can share with your boss.

3. Should your organization's blog have editorial guidelines?

In general, a blog is a different communication tool than say, a newsletter. Should it have correct spelling and grammar? Yes. Should the content be appropriate to your audience? Yes. But blogs are all about authenticity, transparency and the voice of a real person. Don't stifle blogs' most precious qualities.

4. How do you handle a blog with multiple voices?

Provide rss feeds to the whole blog, and to individual bloggers' feeds so readers have a choice of how they want to subscribe. Provide formatting guidlelines for a clean, unified look. If there is cross-over in expertise, make it a practice for writers to check in before posting to make sure they aren't writing about the same thing. You may also want to make a posting schedule so that you have at least one post a day, and everyone doesn't post at once.

5. Who in the organization should blog?

Whoever is excited to do it, but please, no interns. The interns can be contributing bloggers, but they shouldn't be the lead blogger. I've seen way to many nonprofit blogs with tons of posts between June-August, and then the intern leaves and it's a ghost town.

6. How do you encourage comments?

• Make it easy to comment. You will definitely get more commenters if they don't have to create a login and password on your site to participate, at least in the beginning.
* Title the post with an open-ended question.
• Be controversial.
* Ask for comments.
• Answer comments that people leave.
• Comment on other people's blogs.

7. How do you deal with issues of fear and control?

Blogphobia often manifests itself in a fear of comments. Here's the thing:

1. You can moderate comments.
2. If someone writes something bad about your organization, I'll betcha that they are saying it to other people, and that other people may have the same feelings. Wouldn't you rather address the complaint out in the open, where everyone can read your response, instead of having talk about you behind your back?
3. Everyone wants comments, but not bad comments. You don't get to choose what the comments are about.

8. How can you use a blog to fundraise and mobilize people to action?

Content and trust. People will read your organization's blog because they want to know about your organizations' news, news related to your cause, and your opinions as thought leaders in your field. Once you have a base of established readers who are interested in what you have to say, and who trust you because you are being authentic, transparent, and real, they'll be more likely to say yes when you ask for their money, or time.

One of the most popular tools for raising money on blogs are fundraising widgets like ChipIn, Network for Good and Global Giving.

9. How do you increase traffic?

• Write interesting, relevant, useful content.
  Post regularly
  Link to other blogs
  Comment on other blogs
  Participate in blog carnivals
  Let folks in your social networks know when you've written a post that might be of interest to them
  Write about thing related to current news and events that people might be searching for
  Use titles that you think people might be searching for (i.e. How to Start a Nonprofit Blog)
  Tag your posts in del.icio.us, ma.gnolia, etc.

10. What are the ethics of blogging?

There isn't one code of ethics that all bloggers follow. Here are three examples:
Rebecca Blood's Weblog Ethics
Cyberjournalist's A Blogger's Code of Ethics
Groundswell's Blogging Policy Examples

11. How do you reach out to other bloggers to write about your organization?

I wrote about this a while ago: 10 Tips for Asking Bloggers to Write About Your Cause.

12. With the number of blogs increasing each day, how do you compete?

• By creating content that is of interest to your supporters, and to people who care about your issue, even if they aren't an active supporter (yet) of your organization.
• Following the steps in #9 to increase traffic.
• Advertising your blog in your email signature, e-newsletter, printed newsletter, annual report, social networks, business cards, etc.
• Figuring out what niche information need your blog can fill. I often think of all of the boxes of toothpaste that there are to choose from at the drugstore. Look how many kinds of toothpaste Crest has. Why do you pick one over the other? Many times you choose the one that meets your specific needs. What is the niche of information that your organization can provide that no one else can?

Phew. That's the end of the list. What are some of your burning nonprofit blog questions? How would you add to the answers above?

blog
blogging
nonprofit

Big Paycheck or Service? Is There a Middle Way?

The New York Times recently published an article, Big Paycheck or Service? Students are Put to Test, about graduates who go into school with high ideals for changing the world, but come out working for big business. (Hat tip to Echoing Green for the link).

According to the article, Harvard professor, Howard Gardner, is teaching “reflection” seminars at Harvard, Amherst and Colby, "which he hopes will push undergraduates to think more deeply about the connection between their educations and aspirations."

Aimée Baker of The Refutation Process writes in her post, Public Service and the Graduate, that the expense of college, and the debt it creates, is what causes students to choose careers that pay big bucks. Only when the prices change will students' choices change.

Nathaniel of do good well thinks that a lot of what influences students' career choices has to do with what "seems possible," and that nonprofits need to do more to make students aware of what opportunities are available to them. His "question of the week" is, Do colleges and society need to incentivize public service and nonprofit work after college?

I'm wondering, is there is a medium ground between the big paycheck and service?

Whenever people make choices about the work they do, there are three variables that they balance: time, money and passion. At different times in our lives, putting more energy into one of these variables than the others may be our priority, but emphasizing one at the complete expense of the others usually doesn't bring happiness.

Seems to me that students need to be taught how to prioritize and balance time, money and passion. Students who are planning on entering high paying careers need to learn how to make their businesses sustainable, and how to give back to their community through philanthropy or volunteerism. Students who are attracted to lower paying careers in service need to learn the importance of taking care of themselves (including financially), as well as others.

In some ways, it isn't what work you do that matters, it's how you do it. If you work for a company whose values you don't agree with to pay the bills, do you try to set up a company fundraiser, buy organic and fair trade goods, or volunteer for a nonprofit on the weekend? If you work for a low paying nonprofit, do you make sure to not overwork, ask for a raise when appropriate, and have a long-term plan for how you're going to save for the future?

Finally, whether you work for the big paycheck or for service, are you kind to other people? What you do definitely impacts the world, but who you are while you are doing it does too.

Flickr photo credit: . . . Middle . . . uploaded by mistress_f.


career
money
nonprofit
college
student

Today is World Refugee Day: Give Refugees a Hand

Today, June 20th, is World Refugee Day, a day to raise awareness about refugees' rights, and to honor their experiences.

Yesterday's Huffington Post article, 500,000 Iraqis Refugees in 2007, reported that, "A half-million Iraqis fled their embattled country in 2007, the third consecutive year more Iraqis were displaced than any other nationality . . ."

That's a statistic you don't often see in the news.

According to the UN Dispatch, "last year, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees assisted the highest-ever number of refugees and displaced in the organization's history. Today, there is a total of 11.4 million refugees outside their countries, as well as 26 million others displaced internally by conflict or persecution at the end of 2007." The Dispatch also reports that the reason for the increase is the war in Iraq.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) has a number of ways that you can get involved:

* Donate to UNCHR ($80 provides 20 wool blankets)
* Raise money with the Give Refugees a Hand Facebook application. A sponsor of UNCHR will donate $.10 for every person who adds the application, and if you upload a photo of your, "protecting hands" (like I did to the left), an additional $1.00 will be donated on your behalf.
*Become a fan of their Facebook page.
* Follow their Twitter feed.
* Watch and pass on a PSA by Angelina Jolie, who has been a UNCHR Goodwill Ambassador since 2001, on YouTube.

Amnesty International has a World Refugee Day Tool Kit that you can download, and provides recommendations for small events that you can organize at your home like a letter writing meeting, or a film screening of Chasing Freedom, Darfur Diaries, or Well-Founded Fear.

Finally, World Refugee Day is also a day of celebration. Check out the photo of Rwandese dancers performing on World Refugee Day in the International Rescue Committee's post, Kenya: Rains can't dampen World Refugee Day. You can also find a list of World Refugee Day activities happening all over the world on the Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog


unhcr
refugee
World Refugee Day

Do-Good Gifts for Dad

If you have a do-good Dad like mine, it can be a challenge to find a Father's Day gift he'll truly enjoy.

Here are a few ideas:

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a great round-up of do-good Father's Day gifts like "adopting" endangered animals through the World Wildlife Fund, and donating items like boats, building tools, and tents to a person in need through Oxfam.

The Charity Navigator blog suggests giving one of their Good Cards that allows your dad to give to the charity of his choice.

Grist has lots of of green ideas including an organic beer brewing kit, a power-saving Smart Strip, and Eco Golf Balls.

It's the Little Thinks reminds us in her post, Carbon Free Dad's Day, that the greenest gifts are the ones you don't buy, "being green is about being frugal too. The less you buy, the less ends up in the garbage heaps." Her list has some lovely ideas like making a locally grown meal, going on a bike ride together, and most importantly, "LOVE him. Show him you love him, that is the best gift."

How are you celebrating Father's Day with your Dad?

Photo of my Dad and I taken by Nu Ho.

Father's Day
gift
green
nonprofit
donation

Experimentation: Key to Happy Nonprofit Tech Adoption, and Life?

"Tools come and go, but a strategy based on experimentation sustains."--Beth Kanter

Although I've known Beth Kanter for a long time, and we write for BlogHer and NetSquared together, I've never heard her present until today when she gave the keynote at the 2008 Making Media Connections Conference. The biggest takeaway I got from her talk, and a recurring theme to my conversations with organizations at the conference who are successfully adopting social web tools, is experimentation.

When asked how she stays ahead of the curve on the latest tools, and figures out how to use them effectively, Beth answered:

• Make time to learn something new each day.
• Decide what you want to learn.
• Try it.
• Figure out what you don't know.
• Find someone who knows what you don't know.
• Learn what they teach you.
• Share your knowledge with someone else.
• Repeat
  

The steps are simple and may seem like common sense, but how many organizations do you know that ask their staff to take the first 30 minutes of their day to learn something new, whether it has to do with technology, fundraising, program development, management or accounting?

Imagine the kinds of innovation that would emerge if the entire staff was continually and intentionally learning and experimenting?

Ultimately, isn't it a great strategy for life? To make time each day to learn something new?

What do you want to learn and experiment with doing?

This post was originally written for the NetSquared Blog
Flickr photo credit: Test Tube Flowers by Casey Yancey.

Off the Mat, Into the World's Seva Challenge

Do you want to take the peacefulness you feel after taking a yoga class, and use it to make the world a better place? Off the Mat, Into the World is a 501(c)(3) project of The Engage Network that, "aims to inspire and guide you to find and define your purpose and become active in your local or global community in an effective, sustainable and joyful way."

You can get involved with OTM's work by participating in an OTM workshop, becoming a member of their Ning social network, and taking the 2008 Seva Challenge. The Seva Challenge asks participants to raise $20,000 (or more) by December 31, 2008 for the Cambodian Children’s Fund, and to take a trip with OTM in February 2009 to Cambodia to help CCF with their work. (You can watch a video about CCF's work on PBS.org).

Neil of Neil's Cambodia Challenge is taking the Challenge to fulfill one of his Five Wishes.

Suzanne of Suzanne's Seva Challenge was written up in her local newspaper: Yoga workshop inspires woman to help Cambodian kids.

Kristen of My Seva Challenge had raised $3,300 as of April 1st.

Off the Mat, Into the World is one of The Engage Network's two pilot programs. The second program is What's Your Tree? The Engage Network was created by Julia Butterfly Hill's organization, Circle of Life. You can read more about the Network and both programs in the Spring 2008 issue of Organic Style.

yoga
activism
Cambodia

Fake Plastic Fish + Take Back the Filter

Just a quick shout out for Beth Terry, another Oakland-based blogger, who was nice enough to interview me last month for her blog, Fake Plastic Fish. Thanks, Beth!

Beth has been hard at work on her Take Back the Filter campaign to urge The Clorox Company, which owns Brita in North America, to redesign their filters, and provide a way for them to be recycled in the U.S.

Here are some ways individuals can get involved:

1) Send an e-mail to everyone you know. (Sample e-mail.)

2) If you have a blog, consider writing a post about the campaign. Or install this badge on your sidebar and link it to http://www.takebackthefilter.org.

3) Put up fliers around campus, in grocery stores, and on community bulletin boards:

• Mini flyer (PDF)


• 8-1/2 x 11 flyer (PDF)

4) Mention the campaign in chat rooms and other online forums.

5) Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.

6) Call your local radio station and let them know about the campaign.

7) Publish an announcement in the newsletter of any local groups, or religious organizations to which you belong.

These are actually great tips for anyone who is creating a campaign for a cause they care about. Check out more ways to get involved on the Spread the Word page of Take Back the Filter.

interview
plastic
recycle
filter
Brita

ILoveMountains.org Blogger's Challenge (You Can Help If You Aren't a Blogger Too!)

iLoveMountains.org is a campaign to stop mountaintop removal for coal mining. What is mountaintop removal you ask?

From the iLoveMountains.org web site:

"Mountaintop removal is a relatively new type of coal mining that began in Appalachia in the 1970s as an extension of conventional strip mining techniques. Primarily, mountaintop removal is occurring in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Coal companies in Appalachia are increasingly using this method because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal seams while reducing the number of workers required to a fraction of what conventional methods require."

Some of the effects of mountaintop removal on people can be loss or pollution of drinking water, flooding, living with blasting up to 300 feet from your home 24 hours a day, cracking in wells and foundations, and sludge dams that can leak and contaminate drinking water.

You might be thinking, well, that's sad, but it's kinda far away. There isn't much I can do about it from here. That's why iLoveMountains.org came up with the What's My Connection tool. It allows you to type in your zip code and see how you are connected to mountaintop removal.

For example, when I type in my zip code in Oakland, CA, it tells me, "Your electricity provider, Pacific Gas Electric Co., buys coal from companies engaged in mountaintop removal." Once you've seen your connection, you can sign a pledge to help end mountaintop removal, forward the page onto friends, contact your Congressperson, and contact your power company.

iLoveMountains is asking bloggers (and non-bloggers) to tell folks about all of these tools, and about the mountains that can still be saved by sharing videos about America's Most Endangered Mountains. The 4-minute video above is the story of Daymon Morgan who lives on one of America's Most Endangered Mountains, the Huckleberry Ridge in Kentucky.

Here's how to join the iLoveMountains.org Blogger's Challenge:

1. Go to ilovemountains.org/bloggers-challenge and enter your name, blog URL and email address.
2. Create a personalized "Spread the Word" widget to embed on your blog.
3. Track anyone who "Spreads the Word," or joins the Blogger's Challenge from your web page, or blog on your personal impact map.
4. Read what other bloggers are writing about mountaintop removal on the Blogger's Challenge "White Pages."

As of this writing, 172 bloggers have joined the iLoveMountains.org Blogger's Challenge. Here are posts by a few of them:

Little Green Animals
Life in Small Bites Environment Blog
faithfull on the Daily Kos
STOP Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

mountaintop
removal
coal
blogger
blog
activism
Appalachia

Meet Beth Kanter and I at BlogHer and Making Media Connections

I love how blogging connects you with people who have like-minded interests all over the world, but nothing beats meeting people in person.

For the past two days I've gotten to spend time at the NetSquared Conference with my Co-Editor of BlogHer's Social Change, Nonprofit and NGO section, and fellow NetSquared blogger, Beth Kanter of Beth's Blog.

Seems like there is a group of readers who read both of our BlogHer Blogs, and our personal blogs, so I thought I'd let you know when we'll be at the same place at the same time over the next couple months so we can meet you (:

June 11-12th we will both be speaking at the 2008 Making Media Connections Conference in Chicago. Beth will give a keynote about, "New Media: The Wizard Behind the Curtain," and teaching a session about, "Social Media Game for Nonprofits." I'll be teaching a "Nonprofit Blogging 101," and a "Nonprofit Podcasting 101" session.

We'll also be at the, "Blogging Birds of a Feather Meet-Up: Green/Social Change" on Friday, July 18th at the BlogHer Conference in San Francisco along with BlogHer Green Editor, Green LA Girl.

If you're going to be at either event, let us know!




blogging
conference
Beth Kanter

Changeblogger Facebook Group

After I posted the list of Changebloggers on Friday, Tim Zimmermann of Change/Wire wrote and suggested,

"What about creating a Facebook Changeblogger group which would be open to Changebloggers? It could be a place where we could share info, links, news and tips."

So, I started a Changebloggers Facebook Group so folks have a place to connect, share resources, support each other and arrange online or face-to-face meetups.

It will be fun to see what happens!


changeblogger
blog
blogger
activism

Changebloggers List + Wanna Meetup?

A couple weeks ago I asked you and the Have Fun * Do Good Facebook group for suggestions for Changebloggers, people who are using their blog, podcast or vlog to raise awareness, build community, and/or facilitate readers/listeners/viewers' taking action to make the world a better place.

You all sent in a ton of great suggestions and many of you are interested in meeting up in some way.

Below is a list of your Changeblogger suggestions, plus a few of my own.

In terms of organizing a way for Changebloggers to meet and connect, what do you think the next steps should be? Should it be virtual, or in person? In one place or multiple? A conference or unconference? Lemme know and keep adding to the Changeblogger list in the comments of this post, by emailing me at britt@brittbravo.com, or using the tag, "changeblogger".

Update 5/25/08: Based on an idea by Tim Zimmermann of Change/Wire, I started a Changeblogger Facebook group as a place for folks to connect and organize.

Update 7/14/08 SocialButterfly has created a Changeblogger wiki where you can list your blog, Twitter feed, etc.

*Changebloggers*

All Day Buffet: Full on GOOD
A Million Ideas for Peace
Always Learning
Bag Quest
The Bamboo Project
Barriers, Bridges and Books
Beth's Blog
Blogging on Purpose
Change / Wire
CharityFocus blog
Do-Greater
The Edublogger
EducateDeviate
EcoLocalizer
Epic Change
EquityBlog
evange.LIST
Fake Plastic Fish
Future Leaders in Philanthropy: FLiP
Gaia Community blogs
Geistweg Genocide
GiveIndia
The Giving Hands
Groupings
HumanKindMedia
Idealist blog
Make Something Happen
NTEN blog
Public Sector Marketing 2.0
Pulse and Signal
The Serendipity Factor
SocialButterfly
Social Media for Social Change
So What Can I Do?
Spare Change
TED blog
TED talks (video)
TimeToShine
Tri to End Homeless
Up with Women (they've requested help with improving their blog)
Vampituity
What Gives?

*Changeblogger Lists & Directories*

Best Green Blogs
BlogHer's Blogroll of Social Change and Nonprofit Blogs
Corey Pudhorodsky/501c3Cast's Bloglines
Good.alltop.com
Education.alltop.com
Green.alltop.com
Nonprofit.alltop.com

*Events*
Bloggers Unite (online)
Carnival for Change (online)
We Media Conference (face-to-face)

*Prizes*
Big Carrot's Blogging for a Cause


changeblogger
blog
blogger
blogging
activism
nonprofit

What Can I Do About Genocide? An Interview with Janessa Goldbeck

One of the world's challenges that disturbs me the most is genocide. Perhaps it is because my generation was raised reading The Diary of Anne Frank and watching dozens of movies about the Holocaust. Over and over we were told, someone should have said something. Someone should have done something. If it happens again, you need to do something.

But what can you do about a problem that seems so overwhelming? Can one person really make a difference? On April 15, 2008 I talked with Janessa Goldbeck, the Director of Membership at the Genocide Intervention Network, about what we can all do about genocide.




Below is an edited transcript of our conversation on the Big Vision Podcast.

Janessa Goldbeck: My name is Janessa Goldbeck and I am the Director of Membership at the Genocide Intervention Network. The mission of the Genocide Intervention Network, or GI-Net, is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. Our members envision a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide and mass atrocities.

As part of the anti-genocide moment, we raise both money and political will for civilian protection initiatives around the world. Some of the programs that we have currently running are the Sudan Divestment Task Force, which is leading up the campaign to divest state pensions from companies doing business in Sudan on a recently passed Federal legislation to ban future state contracts.

We also have a student division: STAND, which has more than 850 chapters around the world, and the students in those chapters actively organize and mobilize their communities and schools to pass legislation, to fundraise, and to really make more noise about genocide in Darfur and genocide in general.

As part of the Genocide Intervention Network's general membership, the student division is very vocal piece, and we also have our adult and community members who are out there in the field, in the weeds, organizing their elected officials to do more work on genocide.

Britt Bravo: Why should people care about genocide? If someone asks you, what is my connection? It is all so far away, it doesn't really affect me, it is very sad, but there are a lot of problems that affect me more. How would you answer that? Why is it something that everyone should care about?

JG: I had the opportunity to spend some time in Rwanda when I was in college, and what really struck me about that experience was the willingness and openness of the survivors, who are both victims and perpetrators, to heal their country and to move on. I was really moved by the humanity of the people there. People wanted to ensure that genocide never happened again and they were willing to forgive and try to heal to make that happen.

I thought that if people who have been through that kind of horror can display such depth of human understanding and compassion, when genocide happens in Darfur or anywhere, I feel it is my moral obligation to do everything in my power to stop it. I know it sounds cliché, but as Martin Luther King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

I think from a practical perspective, genocide and instances of mass atrocity really are a threat to people everywhere. Genocide and genocidaires, people who commit genocide, are destabilizing to their country and to the world at large.

If the US acted early on to prevent instances of genocide from occurring, we would save ourselves millions of dollars in relief and peacekeeping equipment. For example, since 2005, the US has allocated over $4 billion in humanitarian and peacekeeping and development assistance to the people of Sudan and Eastern Chad.

Instead of being reactive, we can be proactive, and work to be a government that prevents genocide. It is in our best interest, and in the interest of those who are victims or suffering in places where their states or governments have failed to protect them.

BB: Can you give an example or tell a success story of how an individual, or a small group was able to make a positive impact to prevent, or to work against a genocide that was happening? It is such a large issue and people I think often feel paralysis and overwhelm. If you had some example of how a person or a small group's action could make a difference, that would be great.

JG: I think that change always begins with one or two people getting an idea into their heads and really feeling committed and being able to say, "This is something that we care about and we are going to make a difference, even if it is the smallest difference."

My friend and colleague, Adam Sterling, was a 21-year-old student at UCLA when he first heard about the genocide in Darfur, and then he was outraged and decided he had to act. So, with a friend, and the help of his parents and teachers and community leaders, he began a campaign to divest the state pension system of California from the worst offending companies doing business in Sudan.

His campaign was successful. Governor Schwarzenegger signed the California State Divestment Bill into law, and from there Adam took the campaign nationally. Now the Sudan Divestment Task Force has divested over two dozen US states, 50 universities, more than 15 cities, and placed Federal restrictions on Sudan linked investments.

There are campaigns going in over a dozen countries, and at least 10 major corporations have ceased operations in Sudan, and significantly changed their behavior in the countries. This all started with one guy in Los Angeles thinking, "I have to do something."

I think that that is a really tangible example of the power of an individual to take something into their own hands and say: this is morally wrong, this is something I have to take action on, and I am going to figure out how.

BB: When did you start working for Genocide Intervention Network because before you were working for STAND, and now they are together . . . how does that work exactly?

JG: STAND is the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network, and both organizations were started by students right around the same time. The Genocide Intervention Network was originally founded by a few students at Swarthmore College, and STAND, which was originally Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, was formed by a group of students at Georgetown University.

Both organizations had a similar mission and vision to build a world in which genocide was not allowed to take place, and where US citizens held their government accountable for taking action to stop it and prevent it. In 2006, the two organizations came together with STAND remaining as the student division, and GI-Net working with adult community members, and going forward from there as one organization.

I came into it when I was a junior at Northwestern University, and I was living in New York at that time. My friend told me about a rally that was happening on the Washington mall. This was in 2006. I have never really been one for rallies, or protests. I don't really like large chanting crowds, but I decided to go.

When I got there, I found out that there was a lobby day. It was being sponsored by the Genocide Intervention Network. I had never lobbied before. I was wearing a pair of torn jeans and I had a suitcase and a skateboard with me, but I went to the lobby day and I got trained on our ask, and what we were going to say, and I ended up leading my delegation.

I'm actually from San Diego, so I was leading a delegation to Senator Feinstein's office. I went in, and I was so nervous my hands were sweating, and everyone else was in suits and ties, and I felt totally casual, and really out of place.

We sat down at the table with Senator Feinstein's foreign policy legislative assistant, and I gave the spiel. My hands were shaking and I was really nervous. And at the end of it he said, "Well this has been great, thank you so much for coming. She's been looking for a way to get involved and we're going to take these asks back and see what we can do."

We followed up a few weeks later and the Senator ended up becoming a major sponsor and a big supporter of the movement. That to me was a sort of light bulb moment where I realized that there actually was power in advocacy, and that individuals like myself, with no real experience, just an interest and a passion to make a change, could actually make a difference.

That's how I got involved initially. That sparked the passion in me and I applied for a position on the STAND leadership team. I first worked as an outreach coordinator for the Great Lakes region, which is six states: Illinois, Ohio, and a bunch of others around there. From there, I moved into the position of National Outreach Coordinator.

STAND at that time was a student-led organization. It was a group of students all over the country working together to coordinate this national movement. We were sort of growing rapidly at the time. After I graduated, I decided that this was work that I really wanted to keep doing so I took a position as one of the two staff people at STAND, and now I'm really excited about working with our adult membership to help build and coordinate a larger, more effective anti-genocide movement amongst our community members and community leaders.

BB: When you were working at STAND, you and the team there helped the organization to expand very quickly in two years to 850 schools. I'm wondering if you can talk about how you did that, what worked, and how some of the things that you did could be replicated by other student groups who may have different causes, but also want to mobilize and create a national network of organizations among students?

JG: I think it may be helpful if I explain how it works. There are a group of 10 students in STAND's managing committee, and those students come together every couple of months in Washington, D.C. to strategize and plan for the future, for the next couple months. They create all the campaigns and all of the materials. Everything having to do with STAND they create and produce themselves.

It began with this group of 10, and then from there expanded, realizing that 10 people couldn't talk to every single school. We "hired" a group of 12 outreach coordinators who then took that on. I think one of the big key things that we learned early on was letting go, releasing some of the control. I think there is a big tendency in a lot of organizations that are doing advocacy work with grassroots to hold on to every little detail, and to ask people to do all of the same actions all the time, and not really listen to what people on the ground are saying or asking for.

One of the fundamental principles behind the way that we organize is that our outreach coordinators are students themselves, and they're often chapter leaders on their campuses. So, when we're creating campaigns, or looking at our strategic priorities, and deciding how we're going to move forward, and how we're going to mobilize the grassroots to do more, a lot of the decisions that we make are influenced by what people on the ground are asking us for.

That's a huge thing, just listening to the grassroots and allowing the grassroots to really be a part of the planning process. Everyone is an expert in his or her own community. People know what will work best in their neighborhood. The mission of STAND and of the Genocide Intervention Network is to give people the tools and information they need to best organize their own communities however they see fit. The ideal world would be one where everyone is in line with the same priorities, but doing their own things that will work best and most effectively in their communities.

Our cause is extremely urgent and extremely motivational, a lot of people wanted to get involved, so part of our expansion was just due to interest. But I think the second key component was bringing in people who did express interest, and giving them a really large chunk of responsibility, and saying, "OK, you want to do something? Here are six states. Mobilize them to pass this legislation."

People who had no organizing experience in the past took it on, and they learned how to do it. And that's really generated this sort of self-perpetuating cycle of people getting involved at really high levels that wouldn't necessarily have otherwise.

BB: I'm very inspired by a lot of the younger people that I've worked with. I have a lot of hope that your generation is going to make the world a better place, and I'm wondering what you think, if you think that your generation comes with special things, or ideas, since you've worked so much with youth.

JG: I think that every generation has the unique opportunity right now to really push for positive change in the way that we deal with mass atrocity and genocide, and just in the way that we conceptualize ourselves as "activists" or "advocates." I think this generation, the younger generation, understands that you don't need millions of people to get things done. You don't need a 100,000 person march on the Mall to make a change.

In fact, that's almost the opposite of what gets things done now. Now you need a handful of people who are committed to your vision, and you need to believe that you can move the world. I think that we live in a highly individualized niche world now. Last year the Time Person of the Year was "You," the individual.

People have all kinds of modes of expression that just didn't exist a few years ago, and I think it's about harnessing that power of the individual, and using it to bring people together, whether that's through social networking sites or Meetup groups, which is something that young people have really latched onto and hooked into, or whether that's sitting down and saying to yourself, my church, my group, how can I bring what I think will bring positive change to these people and mobilize them. Starting small and growing out from there.

I think this generation gets it and believes change is possible, and that older generations, or generations before, are seeing that and are being inspired by it in ways that are bringing people together across generations that has never really happened before. In D.C., this past Sunday was the Global Day for Darfur. We had an event on the Washington Mall and then marched from the Mall to the White House to deliver a set of asks and a message to President Bush about doing more for Darfur.

It was really cool to see because the march was organized by our student division, STAND, and there were hundreds of students there, but marching with them were grandmothers and parents and little kids. That's not really something that is thought of as a typical march or rally these days. When I think rally, I picture a bunch of young kids with torn jeans, not grandmothers. It is cool to see that happening.

When we were lobbying for federal legislation, a bill called the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, which was signed into law earlier this year, our advocates were students, yes, but also teachers, reverends and rabbis. It's a really interesting cross-generational mix of people who have taken this issue to heart. They see this as a moral cause that they have to advocate for. I think that sort of thing is really inspiring.

BB: This is heavy work that you are doing. How do you keep from getting burned out? How do you keep inspired and keep going?

JG: The people I work with constantly inspire me: from a couple of 22-year-olds writing and passing federal legislation, to seeing students willing to be arrested in front of the White House to send a signal to their government. There is a lot to keep me going, and also knowing that our program, the Genocide Intervention Network, has a civilian protection program in Darfur that actually directly helps protect people on the ground. That knowledge keeps me going.

BB: How could people who are listening, or who read a transcript of this, get involved with GI-Net and STAND's work?

JG: Well, first thing is that part of our mission is to build political will here in the United States to end genocide, so building political will means building a constituency. If you want to make a difference, you should join the anti-genocide movement. If you are a student, you should sign up on standnow.org.

If you are not a student, you should sign up at genocideintervention.net, and everyone can put this number into their cell phone. It is 1-800-GENOCIDE. It is a toll-free number that anyone can call. All you have to do is punch in your zip code, and you will be connected directly to either your local elected officials, or the White House. It is up to you. You will be given talking points and connected directly, and you can give that message yourself.

I call once a week, and it is something that can easily be done. You can be at a dinner party. You can be just getting up in the morning, on your way to work. It's a great number to have in your cell phone, and on hand.

BB: For people who want to become more educated about the issue, are there any books or films that you could recommend?

JG: Absolutely. The first book that I would recommend reading is called, A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide. It is by Samantha Power, and she looks at all of the genocides that have happened in the past century, and looks at the information that world leaders had and the blockades to intervention. Why didn't the U.S. government intervene, say in Rwanda, or in genocides of the past?

What she discovers in her research is that the missing component to action was a lack of political will. In other words, the cost of inaction was less than the cost of action because they didn't know what they were getting into. They wouldn't know if U.S. citizens actually wanted them to intervene, and it's a great case for building this movement, for building this constituency. If you are interested in understanding where our perspective comes from, that is a great book to read.

A documentary that I would recommend; well, there are two. One is called Sand and Sorrow, and it's a film that really goes into depth on the Darfur crisis and the genocide in Darfur. That's a great introduction to the conflict, if you are interested in learning more about that.

The other one that is coming out in May on DVD is called Darfur Now, and it follows six people who are somehow involved in the movement to end the genocide in Darfur. One of them is actually Adam Sterling, the colleague who I spoke about earlier in this interview.

BB: Is there anything else that you didn't get to talk about that you really want listeners to know, either about GI-Net's work, or the most common misconception about genocide, or anything else?

JG: I think that one thing that I would just add on is a little bit of information about our civilian protection program because it is really unique, and I don't think as many people are aware of it. When the Genocide Intervention Network was founded, it was originally called the Genocide Intervention Fund. The concept behind it was that there was this African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur that was severely under-funded, and really didn't have the capacity to fulfill its mandates to protect the people there.

So, these students at Swarthmore decided well, if the U.S. government can't fund it, and if the UN isn't going to fund it, why don't we fund raise among private citizens here in the United States for it? With the help of a lot of experts and connections, they created a program where private citizens here in the United States can contribute to helping fund peacekeeping efforts directly in Sudan.

Right now, we have three programs going. One of the biggest problems in the displaced persons camps in Darfur is a lack of firewood needed for cooking. So, what we've done is we're working with the United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur to set up peacekeeping patrols to go out with women outside of the camps to collect firewood, and the soldiers are there to protect them from raids and attacks. That's one thing.

Another thing is an income-generating project where we provide them with chickens and sewing machines, and they are able to sell those items and have cash necessary to buy firewood in the camp market.

The third thing is working with the United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur to help create training manuals for the soldiers so that they will all be on the same page when they go out on patrol because they are coming from all over the continent. It is the largest hybrid peacekeeping force in history, actually.

These are all ways that people can contribute directly to protecting people on the ground in the camps and if your listeners or readers are interested in learning more they can go to genocideintervention.net/fundraise/cprotection and learn how they can contribute.

**********************************

Some blogs that cover genocide issues:

Darfur: An Unforgivable Hell on Earth
Genocide Intervention Network Blog
Save Darfur
Voices on Genocide Prevention (transcripts of podcast)


genocide
Darfur
activism
students

The Collaboration Prize: $250,000 for Nonprofits That Collaborate, Not Compete

According to Nonprofitist.org's post, How Many International Nonprofits Can You Count? there are 1.4 million nonprofits in the United States. Charity Governance reports that, "For the period from October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007 (fiscal year 2007), the IRS received 85,771 applications for recognition of Section 501(c)(3) status."

That's a lot of nonprofits, many that are doing similar work and competing for funding from foundations and individual donors.

To celebrate, and learn about best practices in nonprofit collaborations, the Lodestar Foundation has launched a $250,000 Collaboration Prize:

"The Collaboration Prize recognizes collaborations among two or more nonprofit organizations that each would otherwise provide the same or similar programs or services and compete for clients, financial resources and staff. The Prize also seeks to build an information base of effective practice models that can be studied and used by academics, nonprofit leaders and grantmakers to inspire and advance their work."

To be eligible to apply, the collaboration must:

"Involve two or more nonprofit organizations that each would otherwise provide the same or similar programs or services and compete for clients, financial resources and staff.

Have a structure that is evidenced by a formal agreement that uses the resources of each party in a more effective way; this agreement could be a memorandum of understanding (MOU), a letter of agreement, a contract, or a merger agreement.

Have begun operation at least 18 months prior to nomination and must have been in existence no longer than eight years prior to the date of nomination."

The nomination process begins June 1, 2008 and closes July 21, 2008.

I hope that one of the results of this award will be a guide and training to help other nonprofits to pool their collective knowledge, skills and resources in successful collaborations.

As the Everyday Giving Blog points out, the authors of Forces for Good, Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant, found that "One of the six practices of high-impact nonprofit organizations is collaboration with other nonprofits."

Why don't more nonprofits collaborate?

Logo from The Collaboration Prize web site.

nonprofit
collaboration
award
philanthropy

29-Day Giving Challenge Takeaway: Compassion is Hardest to Give

On Saturday I completed the 29-Day Giving Challenge that I posted about last month. The process felt like peeling an onion. First I gave away money, then stuff, then advice, and then my giving became more intangible.

I came to realize that, at least for me, the most difficult thing to give away sometimes is compassion for individuals I encounter in every day life. It isn't difficult for me to care and want to help a cause, or an individual entrepreneur on Kiva, or a reader who emails me for advice. What is challenging for me is to be understanding with the friend who is always down and complaining, the client who stalls my work by not replying to emails, or the customer service representative who reads from a script of answers in response to my complaint. I lose my patience, and sometimes I get angry.

Thing is, you can sign petitions, make donations, organize rallies, and spread the word about do-good things all you want, but if you're not being kind to the people around you, are you really a changemaker? . . .

In his 1989 Nobel lecture, the Dalai Lama said,

"Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us."

On Day 26 of the Challenge I came across the Get Service video (above) about empathy. It is totally amateur and cheezy, but it made my blubber. I don't want to spoil it for you by describing it, but let's just say that when someone is getting on my nerves, and I remember to think of it, it helps me.

While out to lunch on my Day 29, I got one of those tea bags with a saying on the tag. It said,

"The finest pleasure is kindness to others--Jean de la Bruyère."

For more information about joining the 29-Day Giving Challenge, go to http://www.29gifts.org, and check out what other bloggers are saying about it:

Monday was Day 29 for BlogHer Editor Green LA Girl, and today is Day 29 for the Chief Family Officer. I'm sure they'll post their reflections in the week ahead.

A Day Late and a Dollar Short and Dream Big! are about halfway done with the Challenge. Says Me, One Frugal Girl, Sarah Salway and Tragic Sandwich just started. PozVibes and Unclutterer are thinking about starting.

giving
challenge

Changebloggers: Using Social Media to Create Social Change

It's time to expand my Changeblogger reading/listening/viewing list.

If you have a favorite blog (or podcast or vlog) that uses its platform to raise awareness, build community and/or facilitate readers/listeners/viewers' taking action to make the world a better place, will you post the blogs/podcasts/vlogs' name and URL in the comments? I'll re-post the list of blogs/podcasts/vlogs you suggest on May 21st.

Also, while having coffee with Chris Naff of HumanKindMedia yesterday, I realized there isn't a conference or meetup, or any kind of get together, that I know of (see update), just for bloggers, podcasters and vloggers whose main focus is to use their blog, podcast or vlog to create social change. Do you know of one? Would you like attend one? Lemme know . . .

Update: The We Media Conference is a gathering of, "companies and individuals committed to harnessing the power of media, communication and human ingenuity for the common good."

Update May 23, 2008: Here is a compiled list of all of your suggestions: Changeblogger List + Wanna Meetup?

blog
social change
activism
net2
podcast
vlog
citizen journalism

Will You Donate Your Economic Stimulus Check?

How will you spend your economic stimulus check?

FinancialAidPodcast suggests paying down your debt, putting it in a savings account, or donating to a charitable organization. They recommend giving to the United Nations World Food Program and America’s Second Harvest.

Trista Harris of New Voices in Philanthropy thinks you should purchase goods and services from a local nonprofit. Harris is remodeling her home and is going to purchase some of the supplies she needs from the Habitat for Humanity surplus store and the ReUse Center.

thejivefather is going to be donating as much of his economic stimulus check as possible to support musicians in need. He suggests donating to the Tipitina's Foundation, The Jazz Foundation of America, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation, Musician's Village, The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, and the New Orleans Musician's Clinic.

In her post, Feministe Feedback: Where Should I Donate?, Jill at Feministe posted a question from a reader who wanted recommendations for places to donate her check to that are, "both pro-woman / feminist and helps the poor." Readers suggested giving to local organizations, food banks, homeless shelters, Heifer International, Building with Books, Global Fund for Women, Planned Parenthood, DonorsChoose, Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Modest Needs, Women for Women International, Camfed, and many more. They also recommended giving a micro-loan to a woman entrepreneur through an organization like Kiva, doing research for organizations on Charity Navigator, and purchasing merchandise from Global Girlfriend,

How will you spend your economic stimulus check?

Flickr Photo Credit: Money uploaded by Jennifer R.

tax
rebate
nonprofit
philanthropy
economic
stimulus