tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166472692011-07-07T18:23:28.034-07:00Truth, beauty, compassion and dinner in San Francisco.rachelnoreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-49791529442765513952010-04-28T12:19:00.000-07:002010-04-28T12:24:43.069-07:00

I'm on the development committee of a social services organization with a budget under $5 million. We're talking about testing the waters of mobile giving. Here's what I advised:In addition to our first criteria--is the price right?--there are a few more worth considering.For background on mobile giving, MobileActive gets a big gold star from me. They're the NTEN of mobile for good, basically.

rachelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-44571012832448402802010-04-28T10:54:00.000-07:002010-04-28T10:58:22.640-07:00

Should we be cutting slacktivists some slack? Kristin Ivie presents a compelling case on Social Citizens:Ory (Okolloh, Ushahidi founder) says that there is a growing sentiment in Africa that youth are wasting too much time using technology for fun, time that could be better spent using the same technology for advocacy, human rights monitoring and development. But she says she doesn’t see that as

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-59116935290894406362010-04-20T17:35:00.000-07:002010-04-20T17:42:29.482-07:00

A NGO asked for help on how to integrate streaming third-party content (Twitter stream) and burbs/buttons (for Facebook.) My response: I'm delighted to learn that you're looking for ways to integrate your social media presence into your homepage. Is your goal to connect your different points of online presence on your homepage? Here are examples of different ways to use social media buttons on

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-67753133288992945592010-04-19T11:46:00.000-07:002010-04-19T11:48:35.636-07:00

My strongest recommendation for starting out in social media is to find an online conversation that you're passionate about (either personal or professional--as long as you're passionate about it!) In response to @afine's great question I posted this comment:I usually listen for a while at a dinner party, or in a new meeting before speaking--that's what I do online too. If you're used to jumping

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-78938350364126601262009-10-15T13:17:00.000-07:002009-10-15T14:13:11.448-07:00

As nonprofits, what are our responsibilities to our communities? Screw that. As humans, what are our responsibilities to our communities? If we're creating online platforms, what values are we hard coding in to them? How can nonprofits create change online? Can your theory of change be hard coded into what your social benefit organization builds? Where is your community online?I do think that

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-43066598731765773402009-10-09T10:27:00.000-07:002009-10-15T13:14:35.204-07:00

Last week at the Online Community Summit, a presenter shared a somewhat garbled Robert Sutton quote that intrigued me. What I heard was "A successful prize gets people to do what they want to do anyway." What I took away was that successful prize gives permission to act.I was interested enough that I tracked down the actual Robert Sutton quote: “a successful prize gets people to do what they

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-67830082183918449982009-08-28T11:14:00.000-07:002009-08-28T11:16:58.989-07:00

In response to thoughtful Lucy Berhnold's new buzzword taxonomy I left a long comment:I'm wary of rigid taxonomies, and hopeful that this actually isn't the next trend.While taxonomies may help drive Open APIs like Civic Actions--and indeed underlie many piles of information-- what's much more interesting to me is the idea that shared language allows for 1. understanding and 2. remixing. "Shared

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-54263713161102257892008-03-19T15:17:00.000-07:002008-03-26T15:35:58.881-07:00

[Image via friend Daniel Terdiman, News.com...read his whole awesome article.]On United Flight 1184, spread couchily across 35 G and H, the Rockies are reflected in my quite reflective screen. It’s usually only me layered over whatever doc I’m working on, but this morning it’s all wing and mountains. Working looking at my constant reflection is hard on my eyes, and completely odd. Nothing

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-33386293175658622632008-02-25T16:03:00.000-08:002008-02-26T14:26:38.377-08:00

Smitten by a smart blog post today, on a lesson I'll likely be learning for the rest of my life. Ask for help when you need it, and give it as much as you can.A rash of friends have been getting their hearts broken lately, and I'm finally healing from the most exhausting work I've ever done. Expressing gratitude has helped lots...even my birthday invites were included thank you notes. If I

rachelnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1171404249001631342007-02-13T13:37:00.000-08:002007-02-13T14:05:41.303-08:00

Several years ago, Jon Strange sent me a link to an article (a link, unfortunately, now dead). The article transcribed an interview of Eduardo Galeano by David Barsamian, since published in Louder than Bombs. Communications between the Jon and I are rare and deep. I take things he sends my way seriously.In it there were two phrases that have stuck with me permanently. I hadn't realized how

rachelnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1167957645609015552007-01-04T16:37:00.000-08:002007-01-04T16:40:45.623-08:00

The first of the 2007 mottoes is in effect.Ask what people need.It's my job to do this and then translate it into an action plan, and execute the plan. It's also the foundation of community organizing, a set of trainings that I refer to often. This year I'll focus extra hard on the important bit of asking and not assuming. Offer help when you see it's needed, and don't forget to always ask, "What

rachelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1167716535279593912007-01-01T20:56:00.000-08:002007-01-01T21:42:15.313-08:00

I'm working through potential mottos for 2007. (While trying simultaneously to distill what 2006's might have been. Or could have been. I'm not considering what it _should_ have been.)My friend Laura (Laura-of-the-hard-jobs, I call her) differentiates between life mottos and annual mottos. I admire this, and she's the inspiration for the mottoization of 2007. I usually think of myself as having

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1163721519155946892006-11-16T15:58:00.000-08:002006-11-16T16:22:57.566-08:00

A guy asks a guy how he likes living in New York:"It's great," he said. "Everybody's insane with loneliness, but that's OK. After a while you realize that's part of the edge."I was hit with a paradox. I wanted to be in New York, I wanted to be "part of the edge", but I didn't want to be "insane with loneliness". Was one necessary in order to have the other? Was it a price worth paying? To this

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1146531347315648782006-05-01T17:24:00.000-07:002006-05-01T17:55:47.343-07:00

Wow. A whirlwind two weeks in Rachelland. This weekend: Finch Mob gatherings in the gallery, the basement/performance space and the tippity tip of the Panhandle. Saw many yummy people: Dicky, Leslie, Scott Polly, Eddie, Rebecca Charlie Pouneh, Travelin, Bex, Marcus. Also on Sautrday, Chicken's puppet benefit. (After a total crash...slept 20 hours Saturday.) And Ladytron Friday. And before that

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1140814432124099272006-02-24T12:45:00.000-08:002006-02-24T12:53:52.133-08:00

I drink strong black tea all day long. My new office is far far from the kitchen, at the distant end of a room lovingly referred to as the bowling alley. Problem.After several weeks of tea-less hell, I remembered my English grandmother's solution: the electric teakettle. Walgreens across the street was out (and icky), thrift stores turned up nothing, and there was little chance of getting me

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1140738994079901622006-02-23T15:45:00.000-08:002006-02-23T15:56:34.090-08:00

I recently joined the emergency tutor list at 826 Valencia. They needed people they can call when tutors flake, I suppose. Or get sick...it is the month of fever. I also requested that they allow me to add them to my I-Have-An-Emergency-Need-to-Tutor list...now I can tutor after school whenever I really really need to help a kid with their homework or I'll d.i.e.Yay!Yesterday afternoon I helped

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1140737396332769312006-02-23T15:12:00.000-08:002006-02-23T16:36:25.316-08:00

I'm excited this week about the CUE Conference coming up in Palm Springs. I've been working with Computer Using Educators since fall, helping with member and corporate relations. It's a California-wide professional membership org for K-20 educators...educators that are gung-ho for technology. At the annual conference, topics range from video editing to podcasting to free classroom resources. A

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1133025380101520242005-11-26T08:59:00.000-08:002006-02-23T16:47:28.070-08:00

After whirlwind of slide-making, Susan Vowell and I presented for two hours on Earned Revenue Strategy at the AICPA gathering of NFP financial executives. I 'met' Susan by phone on Wednesday afternoon, and by Friday at 8am we were killing a room of nonprofit CFOs.In the incoming revenue stream at a nonprofit, earned revenue is distinct from contributed revenue. Earned revenue, essentially, comes

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1131648601950104352005-11-10T10:09:00.000-08:002005-11-10T11:14:16.973-08:00

I thought I hated math and statistics. Then I encoutered Anand Desai. I thought I hated business. And then I met Andrew Taylor, and the swell work of Greg Dees. Sometimes, a new wonky-ness catches me by surprise. Thanks to NetSquared, I might finally become a geek too.What Anand, Andrew and Greg all showed me were loving (human!) connections between disciplines/tools that I viewed as soul-less

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1129860130754535162005-10-20T19:01:00.000-07:002005-11-02T15:48:16.323-08:00

Wow. What a busy and rollercoasty time the past few weeks have been. I've been growing my marketing and management consultancy for the good stuff: art, culture, green, sustainable. And it suddenly grew very quickly. My consulting endeavors are paying off, tons to keep me busy and brainy. Business plans and marketing plans and market scans. Copywriting and budgeting and projected P&Ls.Good

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1127347042661514712005-09-21T16:56:00.000-07:002005-09-30T14:32:47.986-07:00

I'm home now, back in San Francisco. I've been back for six days now. Three days of hiding out and reeling. (Thanks to my beloved Dave for letting me hide in his closet, 'cleaning' all day Saturday.) Three days of just reeling.Things I keep thinking about:1. I wish I could have stayed.The kids still needed weeks and weeks of love and tiger masks and being read books and having their stories

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1126740947987116542005-09-14T16:30:00.000-07:002005-09-30T14:33:11.966-07:00

Just as I arrived this morning chessboards were the hot topic. Everyone wanted to play, and the kid with the board was gone. So we started making chessboards. I googled images to figure out the number of squares (8x8), and kids cut out circles for checkers (12 each). We colored like mad. A young brother and sister were almost finished when their older sister arrived to tell them they were moving

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1126709818389282032005-09-14T07:10:00.000-07:002005-09-30T14:34:16.700-07:00

Reliant City is transforming again. Rumor is that the Red Cross will condense refugees down to just the Astrodome by this weekend. We're flexible about setting up shop, and will follow the kids. The main exhibition space is vast: 706,000 sq ft. In SF each wing of Moscone North and South is 442,000 sq ft. Numbers of people living in the Reliant Center seem to have leveled off at about 5,000. The

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1126651816426628522005-09-13T15:42:00.000-07:002005-09-30T14:32:28.280-07:00

Some kids are bussed out to local schools. We've cleared off piles of art stuff, and sharpened pencils are ready for homework help. The first two white refugees I've seen at the center passed by recently. I remain impressed by the kids I've worked with. Everyone has been under eleven. An emergency room doctor in from SoCal mentioned that the kids are fine. It's the teenagers that are walking

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1126640332888855042005-09-13T12:22:00.000-07:002005-09-30T14:34:49.196-07:00

I'm in the main shelter room of the Reliant Center, on the shore of a sea of beds. We're a few dozen chairs, 6 tables, 15 volunteers, and a massive pile of kid crafting supplies. I've spent the morning helping todlers cut tape, and making any costume bit the kids can think of out of construction paper. To date: yellow visor with blue number nine, a princess hat with hot dogs and red beans, green

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1126593105663892442005-09-13T01:25:00.000-07:002005-09-30T14:35:12.826-07:00

One cool thing about residing temporarily in a schwank hotel amongst a displaced population that, I suspect, includes teenagers is fire alarms. O, how the fire alarms get pulled. O, the amusement. O, the outcry for help, for attention. It may well be an emergency here. We can not sleep. The situation is alarming. We should all blink our bleared eyes and wonder.

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16647269.post-1126584924447757522005-09-12T21:15:00.000-07:002005-09-30T14:35:42.086-07:00

I'm new. New to volunteering* with a SF-based nonprofit, 826 Valencia. I'm also newly ensconced in Houston's Hilton Americas, as are an unknown quantity of nattily dressed businessmen, and an also unknown--but greater--quantity of nattily dressed Hurricane Katrina refugees. There may well be more volunteers with other orgs, more our modest crew of a dozen, but I haven't met them yet.Tomorrow I

rachelnoreply@blogger.com0