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News for April 2010

21 April 2010

Knowledge to Policy: Making the Most of Development Research

I am continually impressed with Canada's International Development Research Centre. They do a lot of genuinely meaningful research and they share it broadly. Last year, they put out a fantastic compilation of 23 research projects on development around the world. The resulting publication is entitled Knowledge to Policy: Making the Most of Development Research (cover page, available in various media). The report, available for free in English, French and Spanish, is focused strongly on identifying what works and touches on the areas of poverty monitoring, trade & finance, resource management, water management, health & education reform, networks & innovation, and information & communication technologies. The wrap up chapter on using evaluation for organizational change is worth the time it takes to study the entire thing. Posted: 4/21/10; 6:18:13 PM #

10 Tactics for Turning Information into Action

I have lost count of the number of activists I've met whose basic strategy for social or political change is premised on the notion of "if only they knew the facts". Sadly, facts and opinion have a confusing relationship in people's minds, at best. (I recently read some research that showed that, all other things being equal, hearing that scientists are skeptical about ESP actually increased many people's belief.) Because we care about certain issues, we tend to think that the information about that issue will be transparently motivating. But it's not. The Tactical Technology Collective has put out a website (with videos and training cards) on 10 Tactics for Turning Information into Action. Although they are not going to change human nature, they can sure help us be a little smarter about how we use the information we care about. In summary, the ten tactics are: mobilise people, witness & record, visualize your message, amplify personal stories, just add humor, manage your contacts, use complex data, use collective intelligence, let people ask the questions, and investigate & expose. For each of these there are video stories, case studies, suggestions for use, featured tools, and tips. Posted: 4/21/10; 6:11:33 PM #

Adventures in Email Fundraising

Writing for Idealware, Andrea Berry has profiled two Adventures in Email Fundraising: what she calls the "basic email fundraising" of the White Mountain School in New Hampshire and the "social media extravaganza" of the United Way of Western Connecticut. Although I have my misgivings about the use of case studies, I have to remember that there are plenty of organizations for whom email still plays little or no role in fundraising. It's good to see what people are doing. Posted: 4/21/10; 5:55:55 PM #

20 April 2010

Rockefeller Foundation and New York Times Win Just Awards

After weeks of nominations, the judges of the Just Awards have chosen the two winners for 2009: the Rockefeller Foundation and the New York Times. Beating out several other contenders, The New York Times won the Abominable Press Coverage of the Nonprofit Sector award for the article by Stephanie Strom: "Charities Rise, Costing U.S. Billions in Tax Breaks", and the Rockefeller Foundation won the Narcissism in Philanthropy award for its "overwhelming and relentless" promotion of its president, Judith Rodin. Posted: 4/20/10; 11:49:55 AM #

15 April 2010

Social Networking Strategies and Tactics Seminar on May 26, 2010

Despite the fact that we all know that anecdotes are not data, often all we have to go on when making decisions about new online tools is stories. How in the world do we make decisions about investments in social networking when stories are all we have to go on? The key is to learn to ask the right questions. And the right questions aren't about this tool or that -- they are about your strategies and your stakeholders. That's what our seminar on Social Networking Strategies and Tactics emphasizes. Now that word is spreading about some organizations' disappointment in these tools, you need a solid model for deciding on investments and assessing whether they are actually working. That way, when it comes to knowing how you're doing, you and your organization won't be just telling stories. Posted: 4/15/10; 6:28:46 PM #

13 April 2010

Judge Rules Feds Illegally Wiretapped Islamic Charity

In what the article describes as a rare reversal against government spying, a US court finally Rules Feds Illegally Wiretapped Islamic Charity. I truly believe that charities need to stick together in this. One solid precedent that allows the government to violate our civil liberties and shut down our organizations without cause or due process would be a huge blow against civil society in general. Even if we think they won't come for us, we have to support the ones they do come for. Fortunately, some of us have done that and, in this one case at least (and for now), we have prevailed. Keep an eye on this one. Posted: 4/13/10; 6:11:28 PM #

21 Days for World Hunger

Kenda Swartz Pepper recently finished living for three weeks with the diet of one of the billion people on the planet who go hungry. And blogging about it. I think you should read this: Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: 21 Days for World Hunger. I'm fascinated by the organizing and mobilizing power of practices of public empathy of this sort. I'm even more fascinated by the personal transformations involved. I also think I may want to try it myself some day, maybe with a dozen or more people with whom I could compare notes. Frankly, I would like the ask the heads of any of the leading food conglomerates to be part of it. Posted: 4/13/10; 6:02:24 PM #

Thich Nhat Hanh on Harmonious Community Building

I have long had an interest in the extraordinary sustainability and harmony of monastic communities, particularly contemporary ones that don't rely on coercion or a relationship with the state (or a great lord) for its membership. Unlike large scale cults that may recruit entire families and encourage them to breed, monastic communities rely entirely on bonds of practice and ritual. As we consider the notion of community building in an era dominated by loose ties, I think we may have a lot to learn from such communities. Because my own predilections lean toward the more compassionate and less authoritarian models of community, I decided to read Thich Nhat Hahn's Joyfully Together: The Art of Harmonious Community Building. I highly recommend it. Read it first once all the way through, to get oriented to the ideas. Then read it through with a notebook out and explore specific ways to adapt the ideas to the communities of which you are a part. There are clear and useful practices for small and large communities, for elders and young people, for established leaders and people learning to lead. Posted: 4/13/10; 2:33:40 PM #