The Absolutely Easiest Way to Give - iGive

I can't imagine any easier way for an everyday person to give than iGive.  It takes about two minutes to sign-up for iGive and once you do, whenever you shop at a participating retailer a percent of what you spend is donated to the nonprofit of your choice. 

I have been trying this out for the last month and have been so impressed with how many retailers participate.  Once you register, the moment you go to a participating retailer's page you will automatically see they are a participant, in fact, you can even tell when you do a google search on any retailer.

What this means is as you go about your normal shopping with retailers like Nordstrom, Gap, Nike, Patagonia, Shutterly, Hotels.com and hundreds more, a percent of what you spend goes directly to the cause you care about. 

I designated Direct Relief International, but there are hundreds to choice from and you can even designate a non-profit not listed.  All you have to do is spend the two minutes to register.  Ok, so right now, start the year off right and spend the two minutes and shop away.


P.S.  I also tried out another similar site, Good Search, which I only found annoying.  The sign up process imploded and now I get way too many emails promoting their partners and special deals to me.

Holiday Volunteering with Kids

The kids are out for two weeks and I am wondering how I am going to get them to do anything that doesn't involve a technological device or isn't fighting with their siblings.  This is a great time to take advantage of some easy ways to be philanthropic with your family that doesn't involve any more shopping.

Baking - not only can you bake cookies and have a stand to sell them to raise money for a cause your child supports, but what about bringing a plate of holiday cookies you make with your kids to your favorite non-profit to say thank you to the staff who work so hard all year long.


Unity Shoppe - the great thing about spending time volunteering at Unity Shoppe is little kids can do it, too.  They have projects sorting cans goods or stocking the shelves.  Above is a photo taken of my kids with some friends doing this a few years ago.  You can see how young my little one is.


Card Making - have your kids make general holiday or new year cards and deliver them to a retirement community, transition house, etc.  You can also always make cards for Dream Foundation who is always in need of a supply home made cards.  They have a specific size they like and a few words of well wishes they prefer not be used, like "get well soon," so give them a quick call before starting.


Music playing - have your child practice the piano or violin by going to a retirement community and having them play for the guests.


Reading/Coloring - have your kids go by Storyteller to read a holiday story to the kids or bring some coloring pages with holiday images your kids can color with the kids.

Cooking - this is a little more daring, but one family told me they assemble homemade burritos and then pass them out to homeless people, especially down by "the work wall" area.

If you have any ideas of your own, I'd love to hear them!

Giving and Holiday Shopping

It's that time of year, so how can I not publish a list of ways to integrate causes into your holiday shopping. 

KIVA gift cards which can be printed in under 5 mins have been my go to gift this past year.  I also have ordered from the 12 Small Things website.  I'm always happy to hear of anything I missed or sites you particularly like.

This page is available any time of year on my blog under the "Giving for Gifts" tab at the top.

Happy Shopping!

_______________________________________________________________________________

Gift Cards for Charity 
from Washington Post
I like the idea of a charitable gift card because the recipient gets to shop for where the donation actually goes.  The article mentions two good sites that they feel offer well vetted options:

Global Giving
Tis Best


Nicholas Kristoff's Suggestions 
from New York Times
Any suggestions from this well known international aid journalist are bound to be worthy


Causecast
This site tells you what you can get for what dollar amount.  For instance, $14.00 buys you school supplies for a former child slave in Ghana or $25.00 for immunizations for a child in Haiti.  Also, includes lots of options in the U.S.


Change.org
I like how this charity gift giving guide is organized by the recipient's area of interest.



KIVA
I have wanted to give a microloan as a gift for years and have yet to do it.  This is the year!  I like this gift for two reasons.  One, the recipient gets to shop for the loan they want to give.  Secondly, when the loan is paid back, your recipient gets to loan the money again, and again.

Note:  In another post on this blog there are several negative articles regarding microfinancing, but I am standing behind it's value when done ethically and with integrity.


 12 Small Things
To purchase physical gifts from fair trade/socially responsible vendors check out this site.  It was suggested by a friend of mine who is hired by foreign governments to increase the business of fair trade items to benefit their local communities. 

Global Goods Partner 

My friend, mentioned above, was also hired by this company to do trainings with women in some of the countries this site supports.

Trade As One
I liked this site because it gives you background on the communities benefiting from your purchase. It not only has a selection of nice gifts, but also alternatives to items you buy for yourself probably not fair trade, like soccer balls.

Nest 

A beautiful site and is a nonprofit organization that empowers female artists and artisans around the world. Using a unique combination of interest-free microfinance loans, mentoring from established designers, as well as a market in which to sell their crafts, Nest helps its loan recipients create successful small businesses.

Global Exchange Fair Trade
You can google "fair trade gifts" and get numerous suggested.  This was one that looked particular good.

Should Philanthropies Operate Like Businesses?

On Monday the Wall Street Journal published a special section on Philanthropy.  The cover story was Should Philanthropies Operate Like Businesses?  One article argued "yes" while the other argued "no."  Both articles left me dissatisfied. 

Bronfman and Solomon, authors of "The Art of Giving: Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan," argue that, like business investors, donors should expect specific goals and measurable outcomes from the non-profits they support.  I completely agree this is smart business, but they fail to comment on many other critical aspects of what is smart business leaving the reader to think that having a plan, collecting data, measuring results, and striving to improve is all it takes to be a well run business.

Edwards, author of "Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World," argues "social change is.. messy, unpredictable, politicized and subject to conflicts of interest and interpretation."  Business oriented philanthropy threatens "the capacity to do whatever it takes to reach your goal and the freedom to use it creatively."  In business terms, he is saying non-profits need to be able to innovate.  He is actually supporting what is also smart business.

The real hero of the section is an interview with Tierney, author of "The Donor Guarantee Trap," who discusses the importance of overhead for non-profits.  "Without the necessary investments in overhead, without a doubt the organization underperforms."  Investing in the sustainability of the people and organization administrating programs is also smart business.  We know VC firms will patiently delay the short term ability for a start up to be profitable in order to invest more in infrastructure resulting in greater gains later.


TAKEAWAY:

Non-profits should operate more like businesses and I like donors wanting clear goals and measurable outcomes, but if we want long term gains, we cannot just fund program after program.  We must also embrace other smart business practices like investing in innovation and infrastructure.


For another look at the need to invest in the sustainability of the people running our vital community programs, please see my earlier post on Courage to Lead

Just Don't Get Paralyzed

If I take a break from reading about social issues, it's overwhelming trying to get started again.   So many issues, so many causes.  It's paralyzingly.   But, sometimes the distance away gives me perspective.  I noticed something interesting once I get started again. 

Articles about issues alone make me feel hopeless and weigh me down with despair. 

Articles about solutions that solve root problems give me hope and energizes me to do more.


This is why I love the New York Times online article FIXES.  Fixes explores creative initiatives to solve major social problems.

The most recent article is on impact sourcing.  The idea is to make it attractive for companies to outsource business processes to people in the developing world who come from impoverished or remote communities.  Outsourcing is a $100 billion dollar industry, but costs have risen and companies are looking for less expensive alternatives.

"There is no shortage of work to be done. The world runs on data and each day it needs to be updated. Shopping companies need to revise business locations; voice transcriptions need to be corrected; videos need to be captioned; photos need to be tagged; government archives need to be entered into databases; receipts and mortgage applications need to be scanned and verified."


Two social enterprise companies providing impact sourcing, Digital Divided Data and Samasource are successfully employing workers in "microwork," with just a computer and internet connection, across Haiti, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Uganda and South Africa ― some of them living in refugee camps .  Their clients include Facebook, Google and LinkedIn.

Work is at the core of human dignity.  These two companies have found a creative solution for providing an on-ramp to the global economic superhighway for the world's most impoverished, restoring dignity and hope.  Personally, these two companies fire me up and inspire me to believe the solutions are out there.



TAKEWAY #1:

Know which social issues articles motivate you and which don't.  Read the ones that inspire you and don't feel badly about the rest.

For me, articles about inventive programs that create a market based solution get me inspired.  You might find a different type of article inspires you.  Just don't get paralyzed.

THRIVE - Cradle to Career Initiative's New Executive Director

Inspired by Geoffrey Canada's "Whatever it Takes" approach which led to the nationally recognized Harlem Children's Zone, a few key foundation and community leaders in town quietly came together to begin making major investments in finding out what would it take to successfully implement a cradle to career strategy in Santa Barbara County.

With the help of Lois Mitchell, Orfalea Foundations President, I did an earlier post discussing what is Cradle to Career.  In this post I mentioned that existing efforts underway weave school districts, non-profit agencies, service providers, government, business, families, higher ed, and other public-private partners into a supportive safety net focused on strengthening families, neighborhoods and students ability to succeed.

The efforts of the initial foundations and community leader's aren't so quiet anymore.  In fact, the initiative continues to grow, has a new name called THRIVE, and a new impressive Executive Director, Anita Perez Ferguson who you can read about in Noozhawk.

The other week, I was part of an education event which brought together the boards from Storyteller, THRIVE, CALM, and First 5 to talk about collaboration.  Anita introduced herself and the keynote speaker.  What really blew me away about this event, wasn't actually the very noteworthy keynote speaker, but the clear resolve among these agencies to successful collaborate for the betterment of our community.

It was clear that Anita Perez Ferguson will be a key driver of this success and continues to make me proud to live in a community that very possibly is within striking distance of “making sure that all the kids in (Santa Barbara County) are going to be able to achieve academically and compete economically.”

Nobel Peace Prize Award to Two Liberain Women

 

 The New York Times reported that the Noble Peace Prize was award to three women last week, two of whom are Liberian.  The first is current President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (pictured left) who is Africa's first and only female head of state and is up for re-election this very week.

The second is Leymah Gbowee (pictured right), who spoke just last week at UCSB.  President Sirleaf's efforts these last six years to rebuild a country that destroyed every part of its infrastructure during 20 years of civil war is impressive.  However, it is Leymah's story  of courage that really inspires me.  

Leymah was a victim of the war and trapped in an abusive marriage as a young mother.  Rather than suffer helplessly, she helped to mobilized the Liberation Mass Action for Peace which grew to include hundreds of Muslim and Christian women who peacefully protested the constant state of civil war.

After months of unsuccessful peace talks between the various violent warlords, this group is credited with ending the war by literally blocking the doors of the peace talks so no one or nothing could get in or out until a settlement was reached.  The support of this group is also credited with Sirleaf's subsequent election.

TAKEAWAY#1:

It is Leymah's story that inspires hope in me that progress can be made and that we are not on what often seems like a never ending journey for peace in far off lands that we mostly just read about and don't know how to support.  Maybe our belief in people like Leymah will travel the universe and somehow find it's way to another courageous sole.

In fact, PBS is broadcasting a special on Women, War and Peace featuring Leymah and other courageous women.  The series starts tonight and broadcasts Tuesday nights until November 8th. 

TAKEAWAY #2:

Maybe Leymah's story will inspire us to take action closer to home for something we beleive in, big or small, that until now we felt was a loosing battle.


You can see the story of the Liberation Mass Action for Peace in the documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" and you can read Leymah's story in her book, "Mighty Be Our Powers."

The Absolute Easiest Way to Support Your Public Library

I am a huge fan of the public library.  I firmly believe that access to knowledge is central to a free and civil society and deeply value the role libraries play in disseminating this knowledge. You can support them with two mouse clicks.

The Santa Barbara Public Library is a finalist in Verizon’s Check Into Literacy Program—a grant that will give up to $25,000 to support adult literacy services.

They need your vote (and the vote of all YOUR friends) to get the grant! Vote now by clicking on the link below, scrolling to the bottom of page and choosing “Friends of the Santa Barbara Public Library” in the blue box to the right.

Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/VerizonFiOS?sk=app_217164111631555

(voting is on Facebook, but you don't need a Facebook account to vote)

Great Speakers Coming to Town this Sunday

This is a great opportunity to hear from two dynamic women.  Jennah Scott, Liberian Philanthropist Secretariat, organized the events for my Liberia trip last year. Leymah Gbowee, Liberian Human Rights Activist will be speaking at UCSB's Art's and Lectures after the smaller panel discussion.  Hope to see you there.

Back to School Philanthropy

 DonorsChoose.org

With Back to School on our minds, I wanted to share with you this site for helping teachers in high poverty areas with getting the supplies they need.  You can sort projects by region, subject area, urgency, grade, amount needed, etc. 

I am thinking of finding one project in each of my three children's grades and funding a project in each of their favorite subject areas.  The beauty of these type of sites is the donation doesn't need to be a large amount, but by each person realizing their small amount makes a difference, a large amount is suddenly raised.  This is one of my favorite examples of how everyday philanthropy makes a difference.

Where I've Been

I am sure you have been on the edge of your seat wondering why I haven't been posting.  While I realize this probably isn't true, I've been asking myself that very question.  Why haven't I been posting?

Honestly, I just got caught up in the demands of my everyday life as a mother of three school age children who had end of year awards, class parties, half days, middle school dramas, and who have only three hour camp days.  It's gotten the best of me.

I've been feeling guilty that I haven't kept up with my "promise" to keep my blog going by posting on a regular basis.  Have I failed because I didn't keep up with my promise, even if it was a promise to myself?  The purpose of this blog is to inspire philanthropy in our everyday lives no matter how big or small.  I realized part of keeping yourself inspired is to realize it's okay if sometimes your everyday life does not allow for your philanthropic goals,

Just because you didn't do what you thought you were going to do today, don't belittle yourself. Instead, pat yourself on the back for what you have done, look to tomorrow and do what you can the next day or the day after that.  The important thing to remind ourselves is it's not about feeling badly about what we haven't done, but knowing that we can always do something.

So if I post to this blog everyday or every month, to some degree, it doesn't matter.  The point is that at anytime I can chose to take a step toward fulfilling my philanthropic passion.  Think of something philanthropic you want to do, but haven't started, have felt frozen because of the size of the task.  Now, take a step back and think of something smaller, something simpler that you can do tomorrow.

Maybe you have been wanting to take your kids to volunteer reading to the kids at Storyteller, but haven't taken the time to make the arrangements.  Instead, the next time your kids want to watch TV, say sure, and you can make cards for the Dream Foundation while you are watching your favorite show.

Two Great Organizations by Kids

Kids are doing amazing things to help our local and world community.  Here are just two examples:

Hands4Others (H40)

 

This non-profit was started by four teenagers to help provide safe drinking water in poverty stricken areas.   They are well toward their goal of helping more than two million people in 500 villages around the world by 2015 have safe drinking water. 

I saw the founding members speak at the benefit film premiere of "Leave a Message" and was very impressed with these young community members. 

I was haunted by a couple of shocking statistics:

- The world community would be outraged if 20 airplanes carrying 300 people crashed everyday, but yet that is the number of people dying from lack of clean drinking water a day.

- A child dies every 15 seconds from lack of clean drinking water, probably the amount of time you've been reading about H40.  A $10 donation saves one child.



Keiki Paddle 

This is a non-profit my husband and children are involved with.  Although, I support them, I can't take credit for the amazing work done by these fathers and children.  

The Keiki Paddle was started by Dad's who had been participating in the Friendship Paddle for years and wanted a way to allow their children to experience the gift of helping others and to witness firsthand the power of community spirit and support.

Now in it's fourth year, The Keiki Paddle consists of 120+ children between the ages of 7 and 16 that will do a 10 mile relay paddle on Sunday July 24th to provided financial and emotional support for a child with a life threatening illness and a non-profit organization that helps children in Santa Barbara County.

This year's beneficiaries are six year old Ashley Vasquez-Castro, who is fighting Leukemia, and The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara's "I Count Too" Program.

This grassroots event is endearing on many levels:

• It was founded by father's.  
• It shares their passion of the ocean with their children to benefit someone in need
• Although the paddling participants are the kids, it's a father/child event as many Dad's are the support boat captains and boat crew
• It teaches children about philanthropy.  Not only must each child raise a minimum of $100, but there is now a Jr. Advisory Board which helps organize and make decisions about the event.
• It bring together the power and spirit of community. 

To learn more about the Keiki Paddle or to donate to this year's paddle  click here.

The Legacy of Our Manifest Destiny

Close you eyes and imagine poor.

What did you imagine?


What I imagined, did not include the images taken by Aaron Huey at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of the Lakota/Sioux Indians.  In Aaron's moving Tedx video he points out some of the following statistics about the residents of Pine Ridge:

• Umployment rate is 85%
• 30% of homes have no electricity
• 60% of homes have black mold
• 90% of residents live below the federal poverty line
• Tuberculosis is eight times higher than the rest of the nation
• Infant mortality rate is the highest on the continent and three times higher than the rest of the nation.
• School drop out rate is 70%
• 50% of men over 40 has diabetes
• The life expectant of men is the same as Afghanistan and Somalia

click HERE to see Aaron's full gallery of photo's.

From broken land treaties, to prisoners of war, to massacures of women and children, we are all familiar with the grave injustices done to the Native Americans in the quest of for our nation's Manifest Destiny.


TAKEAWAY:
I've been sitting on this post for months wrestling with the takeway. The purpose of this blog is to inspire you to take even the smallest of actions toward making our world a better place, not to depress you, make you feel guilty, or make you feel hopeless.  It is also to educate, as education is the key to a civil society. 

I am compelled by Aaron's TED video and his images because I was shocked at how, as a nation, the legacy we inflicted on the Native Americans over a hundred years ago is still being lived every day by the survivors.  Yet, as a nation, we continue to sweep it under the rug.  This is anything, but a free a civil society.


CALL TO ACTIONS:

This is not a simple issue, but some call to actions include:

1. Contact our government leaders to insist the terms of the original Fort Laramie Treaty are uphelded
2. Contact Hiefer to encourage them to start a project that benefits the Lakota/Sioux people like the project they did for Native Americans in New York.
3. Contact KIVA and encourage them to provide micro loans that benefit Native Americans as they begin to expand into US based projects.  80% of the money made on the reservation leaves the reservation because there isn't enough locally owned businesses to capture the money.
4. Contact Direct Relief International and encourage them to include projects that benefit Native Americans in their Direct Relief US program which provides free medications and supplies for clinics serving low-income and uninsured patients.

Help Your Favorite Nonprofit. Write a Review.

Want to do more to support the nonprofits you love? Write a review on GuideStar.

A great way to help nonprofits you support is to write a review on the organization's GuideStar profile. Reviews not only give the organization valuable feedback on your experience and give credit where it's due, they also can impact an organization's bottom line. Your review could inspire future donors and volunteers to support the organization—it's a fast, effective, and valuable way to take action.

Reviews you write will show up on both GuideStar as well as on GreatNonprofits.

Tips for Volunteering with Kids

As summer approaches, I am republishing the list of ways to volunteer with kids.

1.  Start Small - You are more likely to instill in your child a sense of giving if you can do more smaller acts than one large stressful one.  Both Penny Harvest and Pennies for Peace focus on the simple act of collecting and donating pennies.


2.  Model Giving - If you are involved in a charity help your child understand what you do to help that organization.  If you are on an event committee, bring your child the day of the event to help set up.  Bring them to the organization that benefits from the event.


3. Think of Ideas That Tie into Your Child's Interests - For example:

• If your child likes BMX racing, Legos or dance - have them do a lemonade stand to raise money to go toward helping someone get a camp scholarship for their favorite activity.  It doesn't matter if they raise enough.  It's just getting them to think about the idea that's important.

• If your child likes to read - have them go to a nonprofit pre-school, like Storyteller Children's Center or Main Family Resource Center and have them read to preschoolers.  They can also read for the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic annual record-a-thon.

• If your child likes art - have them bring a simple art project to a non-profit preschool, like Storyteller Children's Center or Main Family Resource Center.  The Dream Foundation is always in need of handmade cards for their cleints.  You can also have your kids make cards for any holiday for the residence of a retirement community or for an organization like Angel's Bearing Gifts.

• If your child likes music - have them perform at a retirement community

• If your child likes sports - have them collect and donate used sports gear or have them enter a race and raise money toward a cause.

• If your child likes math - Have them collect and sell used toys for Kidz for a Cure,  founded by a kid.  You don't need much stuff to participate and your child can work on adding up the purchase tickets from your booth for the main checkout.  You can also give your child a dollar amount and a grocery bag and have them fill it with a certain dollar value of groceries to donate to Unity Shoppe. Make this a monthly ritual. You can volunteer on site at Unity Shoppe sorting food and stocking shelves as well.

•  If your child likes to be active - have them pick fruit for Backyard Bounty

• If you child likes animals -   have them volunteer at B.U.N.S.

 

• If you child likes to bake - have them bake and sell cupcakes for Cupcakes for Cancer.  A cancer surviving teen founded this organization and has been recognized by the Independent as a 2010 local hero. 

• If your family likes international travel - take a tour of Direct Relief International.  You can also arrange to make personal care and dental kits.  When traveling abroad, see if DRI has one of their many partners in that country and see if there are any supplies you can bring with you to donate upon arrival.          

• If your child likes the beach - You can adopt-a-beach via Coastal Clean Up  or just unofficially adopt-a-beach as a family and go and do a beach clean-up day.  You can also contact Heal the Ocean about their Junior Council.     

4.  Give charity as a gift for your child's birthday - this doesn't mean he/she doesn't get other gifts, but make one of their gifts a charity gift card so they chose where to spend the money.  See Global Giving  or Tis Best for examples.  Or, give them a KIVA gift card which they should get to give again and again each time the loan is paid back.


5.  Additional Resources:

All For Good - Website helps you find volunteer opportunities for both children and adults in your town.

77 Creative Ways Kids Can Serve - book by 16 year old Sondra Clark

Ripple Kids  and  KooDooZ  - websites focused on youth volunteerism.

Is the Gates Foundation Taking Advocacy Too Far?

Last week, the New York Times published this article questioning if the Gates Foundation's support of Education Reform has taken advocacy too far.

The article points out:

•  Mr. Gates is creating entirely new advocacy groups. It is bankrolling many of the Washington analysts who interpret education issues for journalists and giving grants to some media organizations.

• Then there are the less well-known advocacy grants to civil rights groups like the Education Equality Project and Education Trust that try to influence policy, to research institutes that study the policies’ effectiveness, and to Education Week and public radio and television stations that cover education policies.

• Over the next five or six years, Mr. Golston said, the foundation expects to pour $3.5 billion more into education, up to 15 percent of it on advocacy.

At one point, these actions are accused of being "Orwellian."  For those of you, like me, that did not read James Orwell's 1984 it refers to "being destructive to the welfare of a free society."

This got me thinking:

DOES GATES' ADVOCACY GO TOO FAR?

The last time I had a class covering advocacy was in high school. Admittily, I'm really a neophyte on this subject, but I am a concerned citizen of our nation.

They way I see it,  large oil companies have lobbied government for years in ways that have resulted in environmental and political outcomes that I do not agree with.

• Is this financial power and influence in our government now okay because I peronally agree with what Gates is accomplishing and see it as a ray of hope in changing our education system? 

• Is this a case where two wrongs don't make a right? 

• If the same amount of money was coming from multiple sources, still with the same views, would that make it less scrutinized.  

• At what point is financial support of advocacy okay and at what point is it not okay?

So, I don't have any big takeways this week, except that I wish I could now go back and take that college course on advocacy that I am sure I avoided.

You comments welcome!

Teacher Gifts With Meaning

Here is a reposting from part of my page on Giving Gifts.  Thought it was good timing with the end of the school year approaching. 

KIVA
I have wanted to give a microloan as a gift for years and have yet to do it.  This is the year!  I like this gift for two reasons.  One, the recipient gets to shop for the loan they want to give.  Secondly, when the loan is paid back, your recipient gets to loan the money again, and again.

Note:  In another post on this blog there are several negative articles regarding microfinancing, but I am standing behind it's value when done ethically and with integrity.


 12 Small Things
To purchase physical gifts from fair trade/socially responsible vendors check out this site.  It was suggested by a friend of mine who is hired by foreign governments to increase the business of fair trade items to benefit their local communities. 

Global Goods Partner 

My friend, mentioned above, was also hired by this company to do trainings with women in some of the countries this site supports.

Trade As One
I liked this site because it gives you background on the communities benefiting from your purchase. It not only has a selection of nice gifts, but also alternatives to items you buy for yourself probably not fair trade, like soccer balls.

Nest 

A beautiful site and is a nonprofit organization that empowers female artists and artisans around the world. Using a unique combination of interest-free microfinance loans, mentoring from established designers, as well as a market in which to sell their crafts, Nest helps its loan recipients create successful small businesses.

Global Exchange Fair Trade
You can google "fair trade gifts" and get numerous suggested.  This was one that looked particularly good.

What Makes a Vibrant Community?

Last week I went to an event on the seven aspects of vibrant communities at the Santa Barbara Foundation.  What does vibrant communities mean?  Vibrant communities are places where:

1. ARTS AND CULTURAL EXPRESSION are encouraged and celebrated

2. LIVING & DYING WITH DIGNITY are community values

3. LIFELONG LEARNING is encouraged and available

4. SAFETY is both a community and a personal responsibility

5. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT is considered a duty

6. SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH is cultivated

7. PROTECTION OF OUR ENVIRONMENT and HISTORICAL PLACES is a shared value that benefits human health and our local economies.

This is the briefest of overviews.  More information on defining vibrant communities is available on the Santa Barbara Foundation web page.

So what does this mean to you and me?

Takeway #1:

It takes all kinds of efforts from people like you and me to make our community vibrant.  In fact, the foundation states that the “correct” approach can, and should, emerge from all sectors (nonprofits, faith community, business, informal alliances, families, etc) and from people who hold very different points of view.   

This means that our varied passions all add up to something that is greater than it's parts.  My passion is early childhood education.  My husband's passion is providing support to families with cancer.  I have a friend whose passion is nature and preservation and some of my friends give their time, talent and treasure to the art museum.  No matter what your area of philanthropic passion, your contribution is important in creating a truly vibrant community.

Takeaway #2

This type of vision and leadership always inspires me to help make our community stronger and gives me hope that its possible.  It helps me see the big picture and where my efforts fit in more clearly.

Takeaway #3

I like that this is a framework and leaves room for the “it depends” mentioned in my last post.  It is designed to evolve over time as community issues shift.

I need to give the disclaimer that I am doing a small marketing contract for the Santa Barbara Foundation.  However, my contract does not relate to this post and I have been a follower and admirer of the foundation, as a community member, for several years.

The Real Solution is "It Depends"

Last week I went to see the Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen speak on global poverty.  I thought, "Noble prize economist' and 'global poverty' now this guy is going to have some answers."  I sat there squirming in my seat for 45 minutes waiting for some concrete solutions when he called me on the carpet.  The entire point of his talk was how westerners feel compelled to create a formula for everything and the real solution is "it depends."

Despite my discomfort with his vagueness, the more I thought about it, the more I knew he was right.  Solutions depend on many things:

• getting a child ready for kindergarten depends on the particular set of risks that child faces 
• deciding how to fortify food in developing countries with vital nutrients depends on the food system of each country, 
• how much an organization should spend on overhead depends on the desired outcomes.

I also realized it tied into the takeaway from my last post which was to ask more questions about the challenges the nonprofits you support face.  We expect nonprofits to have created the formula for helping, and especially a formula that involves no overhead, and we are let down when their formula doesn't work perfectly.  Reality is, within their own cause the solution for helping depends on many things.

In fact, there is a yearly meeting in Santa Barbara with local foundations and nonprofits called State of the Sector.  At last year's State of the Sector, facilitator Ken Saxon emphasized that funders wanted to have more straight talk with nonprofits.  His point was, "For every real conversation not being had, there’s a cost... and that means real costs for the people organizations serve – and that’s unacceptable."  Saxon's point was funders honestly wanted to know more about a nonprofit's challenges, not in a punitive way, but as a concerned partner that wants to help find solutions.

You can be that concerned partner that wants to help find solutions.  Most likely you know someone on the board of your favorite nonprofit, maybe you even know the Executive Director.  Call them up and ask them to coffee or the next time you are at a social event with them take the time to ask them meaningful questions.  In order to find real solutions we have to be open to "it depends" and not just settle for some formulaic response.

Processing the Greg Mortenson Controversy

I had other ideas on this week's posts, including ideas sent from some of you.  However, I felt compelled to process my feelings about the Greg Mortenson controversy. 


I saw the 60 mins. story Sunday night, read the Outside Online exclusive interview with Greg and am just sitting here heartbroken.  So, I decided to check in with another hero of mine, Kristof to see if he had been writing anything and sure enough he'd written today's column about it.  As expected, Kristof nailed it on so many levels and because I couldn't even begin to capture it as well,  I am posting my favorite parts of his article.

"My inclination is to reserve judgment until we know more, for disorganization may explain more faults than dishonesty."

"He was right about the need for American outreach in the Muslim world. He was right that building schools tends to promote stability more than dropping bombs. He was right about the transformative power of education, especially girls’ education. He was right about the need to listen to local people — yes, over cup after cup after cup of tea — rather than just issue instructions. "

"I worry that scandals like this — or like the disputes about microfinance in India and Bangladesh — will leave Americans disillusioned and cynical. And it’s true that in their struggle to raise money, aid groups sometimes oversell how easy it is to get results. Helping people is more difficult than it seems."

"The furor over Greg’s work breaks my heart. And the greatest loss will be felt not by those of us whose hero is discredited, nor even by Greg himself, but by countless children in Afghanistan who now won’t get an education after all. But let’s not forget that even if all the allegations turn out to be true, Greg has still built more schools and transformed more children’s lives than you or I ever will."

"As we sift the truth of these allegations, let’s not allow this uproar to obscure that larger message of the possibility of change."

TAKEAWAYS:


Don't stop giving, just start asking.

I fear the big loser will be the underserved in the world because people will be scared of giving.  Even if there is a way to prove everything 60 mins said as wrong, and let's face it, some of it is probably true, the damage is done.  Greg inspired people.  He inspired people to be philanthropists regardless of the cause they gave to.  He inspired people to feel they could make a change.

I'm worried people will stop giving out of fear.  There's a gap between the unrealistic expectations we have of nonprofits, the reality of actually implementing help in complicated situations, and the lack of business expertise within nonprofits.

I don't know how to reconcile all of this, but I do know I don't want people to stop giving, but instead start asking more questions so you have a realistic understanding of issues facing the nonprofits you support.  Who knows, by better understanding their challenges, you might find additional ways of supporting them.

Getting Re-inspired

Last week was voting week for the Women's Fund, a collective giving circle.   I have to admit, between having sick kids home 15 school days in February, taking back to back trips in March, doing a marketing contract for a local foundation, fulfilling my volunteer commitments, and just being mom and wife, I was feeling pretty burnt out and stressed out when the ballot came.  I am a group captain which means the arrival of the ballot meant I needed to organize a meeting with my group to review the choices.  This seemed like an impossible feat with everything going on.

Somehow, I manged to throw a date out to my group, clean my house, and put on a pot of coffee.  The first person to arrive was a new group member and someone I have no doubt gets asked by numerous nonprofits for support.  She was barely through my door when she said, "I was so blown away with the level of time and detail that went into creating this ballot.  It's really impressive."  I was starting to feel the chore of the morning slip away and the joy of doing something meaningful creep in.

Once the group got started, another friend, a third year group member and someone I know is a target by numerous nonprofits, said, "I love being a part of this.  It is so much fun and I feel like I get to make such an impact.  It's really great."  Needless to say, we had a fantastic discussion about each project on the ballot.  Each member of the group had varying experiences in the community, offering different perspectives on each project.

As I cleaned up the coffee cups, I was glowing with pride:

- pride in my friends for being so involved in the community,
- pride in the Women's Fund for taking the time to create the ballot,
- pride in the people committed to the organizations on the ballot,
- and yes, pride in myself for providing a forum where people got the rush of deciding how to give away $585,000.


TAKEWAWAY:
Sometimes we are so busy and over committed that our philanthropic actions feel like one more obligation or an item to check off our "to do" list.  It's hard to remember to stop yourself and reflect on the cause and people in need that motivated you to get involved in the first place.  In all the rush, give yourself a moment to reflect on the good you are doing and allow yourself to feel pride in your work.

Kidz for a Cure Event

It's always great to post an event founded by kids.  Below is the flyer for this year's Kidz for a Cure.  I mentioned it as a great way to volunteer with your kids on a earlier post.  You really don't need a lot of stuff to participate and it's a good excuse to clean out your kid's closets.

Take Action Opportunity for Early Childhood Education

Thanks to a reader for sending in the following.  It goes nicely with my recent takeways from my Liberia trip on the need to take more action on influencing our policy makers:

Senator Bob Casey from Pennsylvania has introduced a bill that would reward states for advancing their early learning systems.

S. 470 would provide federal funding to help expand and improve early learning programs in the states. It reflects an understanding of over 50 years of research proving that high-quality early learning programs are very effective at reducing high school drop out rates.

Early support for bills like this can make or break it. The more people who write in, the more Senate co-sponsors the bill will gain and the more likely it is to ultimately come up for a vote.  Click HERE to support this bill.

EVERYDAY Takeaways from Liberia (final trip post)

Going to Liberia, being hosted by the presidential office, and learning about grassroots development projects in small villages is far from EVERYDAY.   However, I still took away lessons that apply to EVERYDAY.


TAKEAWAY #1 - I learned the importance of investing in a civil society.  


The Minister of Investment and Commerce spoke about one of the greatest needs in Liberia is to strengthen its civil society.  A civil society is informed and knowledgeable and will push back on those that challenge to undermine it.  Relating this back to EVERYDAY,  I realized posting blog articles that help us be better informed and more knowledgeable IS action.  Not everything needs an immediate physical action to be valuable to learn about.


TAKEWAY #2 - I learned the importance of government and policy on impacting change. 

In some way I knew this, but I never concretely understood the importance of this.  I've had  a bit of a "laissez a faire" attitude to local, state and national government, but I realize to change issues I care about, I need to care more about what government is doing.


TAKEAWAY #3 - I learned how little it takes to impact someone living in extreme poverty

It is as simple as teaching someone to be an egg farmer at a 50% margin vs. a coal burner at 10% or giving someone a micro loan to build a small business vs. being a petty trader.  EVERYDAY I need to realize small gains make a big impact even if they don't solve everything.


TAKEAWAY #4  - I learned to not assume because someone lives in a village of mud huts with no indoor pluming, electricity, or running water that they don't feel love or happiness.  

My new friend, Moses, on the trip taught me that based on his first hand experience.  EVERYDAY, I need to have faith that kids can feel joy when raised with a loving parent regardless of that parent's economic means.


TAKEAWAY #5 - I learned the difference between aid, sustainable aid, and development.  

In non-emergency situations, aid comes and goes (like providing medicines), sustainable aid provides something that can be on-going once the aid stops (like a water pump), and development creates economic opportunity so people don't need aid or sustainable aid (like working at a fair trade manufacturer).



Finally, I would like to thank The Eleos Foundation for the amazing opportunity to have this experience.  I hope you will check out their website and learn more about their projects to eradicate extreme poverty and about attending their quarterly educational speakers.  They actually hosted my hero, Kristof, last fall and I missed it, but Andy assures me he was every bit as impressive in person.

Liberia Pictures

Here are just a sample of pictures from the trip that relate to some of the projects we learned about. 

Kids hanging on schoolyard fence that cannot afford to attend the school.

School children at the Children Assistance Program

Example of new safe and more efficient coal burning stove

Traditional cooking method

Solar light made from plastic water bottles to light huts

Women who have received micro finance loans to cross boarders an import their own wares, proudly standing before their market shops.

Petty traders at the same market

Above: Egg Farmer's who now make a 50% margin vs. the 10% margin from coal burning.

Below:  Egg farmer's home, typical Liberian village home.

Above: the collection of coal in buddles being brought home to be burnt for four months before it's able to be sold.  

Below:  Coal used for cooking

Above:  local mining villagers welcoming us with a gift of a live chicken. 

Below:  Miners at work.

Workers at the first fair trade manufacturer in Liberia.  The women own 49% of the company, have a health account, and a two to one match for every dollar they save.

Top:  Most of the women from the manufacturer live in the poorest slum in West Africa

Middle and Below:  The women used their first profits from the company to rebuild their school which is located in the middle of the slum. It was just bamboo walls and had been shut down by the government for safety reasons.

Above:  currently used xray machine at one of the nicest medical facilities available in Liberia

Below:  HIV testing area at clinic.

To see more photos check out my Facebook Page (you don't need to be on Facebook to access).

Liberia Day 5

We said good by to the Philanthropy Secretariat and the wonderful staff that thought of everything to make our visit truly exceptional.  We ventured out with the founder of one of Eleos partner companies, Chid Liberty.

One of the problems with the Liberian economy is how little industry there is to employ people.  Chid founded the first fair trade manufacturing company in Liberia called Liberty and Justice.   The women own 49% of the t-shirt manufacturing company.  Liberty and Justice provides them professional and personal training, a health savings account, a one to one match for ever dollar saved, and a bag of rice as incentive for being on time. Many of the women live in West Point, the poorest slum in Liberia which makes it the poorest slum in West Africa. 

With their first dividends the women decided to rebuild the recently condemned bamboo one room school.  We also drove the see the school.  Driving through West Point there is mass chaos and dust everywhere.  There are giant pot holes of water in the center of the dirt road.  We stopped on the side of the road and walked through a labyrinth of falling down tin shed homes.  Wedged among the sheds is a door leading to the recently rebuilt one room school with concrete walls and a tin roof.  Inside were 50 excited school children with bright smiling faces, singing with pride to welcome us.  They happily smiled for the camera and performed song after song for us. These children live in one of the poorest slums in the world and yet are considered elite because their parents can afford this little school!

We spent the last couple of days traveling to a beachside community to let everything we had seen and learn sink in.  I felt like I had been on a wild ride of intense cultural travel combined with a year's worth of global studies crammed into a week.

Next and final Liberia post will tie my trip into the "Everyday" part of my blog title.

Liberia Day 4

I didn't have internet access the last part of the trip so I'll post the last two days today and tomorrow.


We started the day learning about an organization providing basic health care in the hardest to reach places.  Currently there is 1 doctor for every 100,000 people.  They are using a model from other countries where you train local community members in basic health care.  We were moved by the stories of two AIDS patients who were untreated and emaciated.  Today they are treated, thriving, and proud to be community health care workers helping others in their villages.  This program is scalable and is also supported by the government in a private/public partnership.

We went to the largest medical facility in Monrovia (also a DRI partner) and here I learned something that challenged my current understanding of needs.   I've written about the importance of maternal child health (MCH) in prior posts and I am even helping with a DRI fundraiser supporting MCH.  However, when asked about the top three medical needs MCH isn't on the list.  The top three medical priorities are malaria, HIV, and malnutrition.  Why? Because if you solve these three issues you solve the top causes of MCH problems. 

We then visited a mining village.  Of course my first thought was mining is bad as in "blood diamonds" and environment issues.  This organization educates the miners on identification and valuation of the diamonds so they don't get exploited, seeks to provide sanctions for ethical standards, and teaches them how to care for the land where they mine.   When we arrived in the village the villagers welcomed us with a gift of a live chicken and a village dance complete with a dance by the devil.  Andy, the Eleos ED had to hold the chicken the whole visit and it had to come back with us.

Once again, I was struck by the sense of pride and community these villages have.  Their needs are so basic and so little is needed to raise them out of extreme poverty.

Liberia Day 3

Internet problems yesterday so I'm a day off.

The Chairman National Investment Commissioner debriefed with us again today with the focus on enterprise.  He talked about how as foreign investors come into Liberia wanting to do business, Liberia does not have the local suppliers to work with the investor so they have to go out of country.  Biggest gap right now is developing suppliers along the whole value chain so foreign companies can use Liberian suppliers. I sat there amazed that I was getting access to hear the perspective of the top government official on investment, his plans, and the tie to potential policy.

We also heard from the head of the Central Bank of Liberia and what they are doing to facilitate micro lending because it is so effective and the demand is so high.

We the heard about the Sirleaf Women's Market which is providing micro loans to women working in the markets and improving market conditions.  Specifically, they are 1) providing facilities with protection from rain or sun and with water, 2) providing literacy rooms to teach the women to read when they aren't selling, 3) proving early childhood care so kids aren't left wandering while they sell, and 4) proving microcredit ($50-100)

We then visited another market that was also using microcredit, but offering larger amounts ($1-5k) so women could import goods directly from nearby countries rather than buying locally from a middle man. Another group helps them with a place to stay and transportation for their goods.  Almost everything is imported here since there's no manufacturing yet.  This group operates in the middle of the busiest market in Liberia.   When we arrived, we were greeted by about 40 women all wearing the most beautiful African dresses and head scarfs.  They were so proud of their progress from petty selling from buckets on their heads to having actual "stores" at the market.  They were pulling me from one store to another to take their picture with their wares.

We then traveled outside the city and along bumpy dirt roads to learn about agriculture.  We visited a farm that is helping the village women raise chickens and farm instead of coal burning.  Coal burning is nasty for the person and has major negative impacts on the land and global warming, but it also only has a 10% profit margin.  The eggs generate a 50% profit margin.  We also visited the hut village where they live.

One of the programs the president has put in place in the Presidents Young Professionals.  These are college grads with a B+ gpa who do a two year mentorship program with one of the senior level cabinet members.  There are a few of them with us every day and they are all very bright and friendly.  Today I rode with Moses.  After the hut village he told me he grew up in a similar village and said how much he loved it and how he loves to go home.  He asked me if we had villages like that where I live because they are so great. Hearing that blew away my western notions of happiness  He also asked me if I had paved roads.  Moses will be getting his master's on scholarship in Ghana next year.

There is a women here from a Nigerian philanthropy.  She said she has fallen in love with Liberia because there is so much impact you can make with relatively little dollars.  It was interesting to hear given her knowledge of the various African countries.

Not sure I'll have anymore Internet access for the rest of the trip, but a sneak preview of Day 4. We visited a mining village and were greeted with a gift of a live chicken which Andy had to hold the whole visit and it had to come back with us.

Liberia Day 2

Another very full and informative day.  The Liberians are hopeful about and inspired to rebuild their country.  The are so glad to not be war torn and to be in the recovery phase despite the long road ahead.

After delayed jet lag and only two hours of sleep, we drove about three hours outside of the city.  We were schedule to make a stop to learn about a clean energy project.  I have to admit, I wasn't very excited and thought we would be in an institutional building learning about abstract concepts related to a power grid.  How naive of me!
Another very full and informative day.  The Liberians are hopeful about and inspired to rebuild their country.  The are so glad to not be war torn and to be in the recovery phase despite the long road ahead.

After delayed jet lag and only two hours of sleep, we drove about three hours outside of the city.  We were schedule to make a stop to learn about a clean energy project.  I have to admit, I wasn't very excited and thought we would be in an institutional building learning about abstract concepts related to a power grid.  How naive of me!

 We stopped in what seemed like a remote village, but was really off of one of the few main roads.  We were greeted by local villagers and gathered under shelter made of sticks and leaves.  We then learned about two efforts to provide better energy to the poor.  The first is solar power technology which is a little light assembled inside of a sawed off water bottle.   Right now they use a dangerous contraption of oil for light. I was actually thrilled to see this because I had posted an article from the NYT on this same technology being used in Kenya.

Next, we learned about coal burning methods that were much more efficient and cleaner than the environmentally negative and inefficient way villagers across Liberian are doing it now and about new more efficient and safer cook stoves.   We are talking about stoves that resemble something like what we consider a beefy camp stove which is  a step up for people here.  Because this village is a large resource of coal, workers are being trained to fabricate the technologies for enterprise.  These new technologies take a change in mind set.  Interestingly, it is the younger mothers who are more willing to make this change even though it's faster and healthier for their family and community.

We then went onto the town of Buchanan.  The road was only paved about 70% of the way and would be considered and shanty town by our standards, but it is the third largest town in the country. Besides taking a wooden boat ride across the river where we had to squat down in the space between the wooden plank seats so we would not tip over, we learned about the current ocean erosion going on due to climate change.   Over 350 houses have fallen into the ocean in the last four years.  This ties into the poor environmental habits of the coal burning just mentioned.

After passing out on the ride home, I rallied for a dinner with Laura from Project Healthy Children (CHP) who is working on methods to fortify food with micronutrients in developing countries.  At a Copenhagen conference with the worlds leading economists, providing micronutirents was one of the top three ways identified as making lasting change in the developing world. Eleos Foundation is currently supporting their work.  It's a long process with many players, but the current Minister of Health is in favor of this project which will help things go faster. This would eventually be sustainable once all the methodology is put in place. Kristof has written about the important work CHP is doing, as well.

What strikes me about all of the projects we have seen is how relatively new they all are.  This is because up until a few years ago there was no infrastructure of any kind.  If successful, each one of these projects can be integrated into this infrastructure as the country develops.  This, combined, with the relatively small size of the country, is what makes Liberia unique and with so much potential.

Finally, I want to clarify that although a large part of this trip, and of the Eleos Foundation, is about creating sustainable and scalable models that benefit the people of Liberia, That doesn't mean there is never a time for aid, it's just not the long term solution.


Tomorrow is market/micro finance day.