Creating the Future!

In this “gift” time of year, I am always overwhelmed by the gifts I am so fortunate to receive all the time. These gifts are given by individuals who give so much, often not even knowing the extent to which they are impacting so many people.

So my gift to you this evening is a short list of some of the people who make my day better. I hope you will bring them all into your life, to brighten your days as well!

First, there is Mark Riffey. Mark is a brilliant business person who has spent many years in both the for-profit and Community Benefit worlds. To give you a sense of how long Mark has been involved in this sector, when we first met Mark, he owned a software company that provided cheap, effective donor tracking software - that ran on DOS!!!

These days Mark focuses on helping businesses grow. If you are a consultant, let Mark’s wisdom into the business side of your consulting practice, and your business will blossom.

However Mark’s wisdom is not just about business. It is about engagement. And that has everything to do with community benefit work.

Now I am the last one to suggest that Community Benefit Organizations should “run more like a business.” But how can you argue with a tweet like this: “What local business in your area is in the most trouble, economy-wise? What can your business do to help them?” This is a guy you want to listen to.

Mark’s blog is great, his email newsletter is great, his tweets are terrific. There is not a time I read Mark’s words that I am not reminded of things I can be doing, right now. And besides all that, his no-nonsense style is just plain fun!

Another gift to so many of us is Beth Kanter. “Beth’s Blog” is certainly known to techies, but for those of us who are not techies, Beth makes things easy to understand. Many techies are in love with the tools; Beth seems to be in love with what those tools can accomplish for Community Benefit Organizations, and ultimately, for our communities.

Here’s just one example, a blog post she titled, “How To Think Like A Nonprofit Social Marketing Genius.”

Even more than her blog, though, I love Beth’s use of Twitter. Her combination of social cause and techie tweets could keep me busy all day. Thank you, Beth, for all I learn from you.

Moving away from the “strictly business” side of things, one of the blogs I read the moment her posts hit my reader is Romina Oliverio’s blog. In Romina, social conscience meets poignant writing meets sharp, inquisitive mind.

Half of Romina’s posts are related to the international work she does through her various professional roles, primarily as Volunteer Manager at NABUUR - a resource that links online volunteers to villages in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Some of the groups and projects she works with are mind-blowing.

The other half of her blog is Romi’s musings, her frustrations, her life - from a trailer for Amelie (oh I do love that movie) and an introduction to great music, to her lamenting the injustice she finds in the world.

I found Romi’s blog by accident - a Google alert I have set for one word or another. And I confess it is the only time, in all the time I have been checking my Google alerts, that I not only read the post it linked me to, but stayed there for hours, reading everything she had posted in her relatively new blog. One reason I kept clicking and reading is clearly her writing, which is great. Her voice is another reason, though, and her heart another. I consider Romina’s blog a treat, a joyful grab bag where I never know what I will find when I put my hand in to pick out a prize. (Not to mention my gratitude for the great advice she gave Dimitri and me re: where to visit in her hometown of Toronto,)

Lastly, there is one other blog I read the moment a post hits my reader, because something about it connects and resonates. And that is Jeane Vogel’s blog about the impact of art on life, and the impact of life on art.

I have shared Jeane’s work here before (yes, that is one of her pieces at the top of this post).  And I confess I am in love with almost every piece she has ever done. I always feel I am falling into her pieces, like they are somehow enveloping me.

But it is Jeane’s words that make me want to sing and shout and explore the real essence and value of art. Her words are the fierce proclamation that art is power. I happen to agree with her on that - a lot.

And so, from the practical to the sublime, those are my gifts to you on this evening after spending a day wrapping and packing client gifts.

These gifts do have one small string attached. And that is that you share your own favorites with all of us. Which blogs and tweets make you sit up and take notice? Which make you sing and want to explore? Which feeds do you read the moment they hit your reader?