Weekend Link Roundup (February 13 - 14, 2010)
February 14, 2010
Our weekly roundup of new and noteworthy posts from and about the nonprofit sector....
Children and Youth
The March issue of City Limits magazine takes an in-depth look at Harlem Children's Zone, Inc., the much-praised organization/movement that some have called the "most innovative poverty-fighting initiative in decades."
Disaster Relief
When it comes to fundraising, not all disasters are equal, writes Future Fundraising blogger Jeff Brooks.
Economy
In the March issue of the Atlantic MonthlyLeadership
In a recent post, Rosetta Thurman wonders why individuals in the nonprofit sector are not asking the tough questions. Writes Thurman:
When I first started out in my nonprofit career, I was constantly praised for implementing all the neat stuff I'd learned in grad school. "This is how you write a grant proposal," I would say to organizations that needed help building their capacity. Not once did I broach a conversation with them about why they were using problematic language. Not once did I question the status quo....
But after a while, I did begin to ask questions. Why do we do what we do the way we do it? Why do we say one thing in the staff meeting and another in the fundraising meeting? Why do we have to kiss so and so politico's ass when they clearly don't give a damn about the people we serve? Why aren't we using our power to compel the community to action? Why are there so many white people in nonprofit leadership positions when so much of our work is serving communities of color?
I learned the answers to these questions and more very quickly. The easy answer? Because that's just the way it is and always will be. The more nuanced one? Because no one wants to rock the boat with their boards, with their "friends" inside the City Council or the White House, with their funders. Especially with their funders. It's much easier to obey....
Philanthropy
After a fundraising appeal issued by Idealist executive director Ami Dar a few weeks ago, Social Velocity blogger Nell Edgington and Louder Than Words president Rich Polt weighed in on the wisdom of Dar's move in a series of posts on the Tactical Philanthropy blog. Edgington's main concern was "how [Idealist is] going to get out of this position after the emergency funds that they are attempting to raise dry up," while Polt compared Dar's appeal to one made by Kjerstin Erickson of FORGE last year and wonders whether we might not be witnessing the beginning of a trend.
Social Entrepreneurship
On the Stanford Social Innovation Review blog, Yoga Bear founder Halle Tecco shares ten "invaluable" resources every social entrepreneur should know about.
Social Media
In honor of Valentine's Day, Social Citizens blogger Kristin Ivie explains how to land a "social-Web savvy, cause-oriented team player."
Technology
The 2010 Technology Entertainment Design conference, better known as TED, kicked off last week. On the Mashable blog, Matt Silverman shares five "insightful" TED Talks about social media, including presentations by Clay Shirky (Here Comes Everybody), Twitter CEO Evan Williams, and marketing guru Seth Godin.
In a related post, Social Entrepreneurship blogger Nathaniel Whittemore shares five "game-changing, mind-bending or generally vital" ideas from participants in the TED Fellows program.
That's it for now. What did we miss? Drop us a line at [email protected].
-- Regina Mahone
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