Archive for the 'otherblogs' CategoryPage 2 of 2

New post on SSIR

Published
by
amysampleward
on April 3, 2008
in otherblogs
. 0 Comments

I have a new post up on the Stanford Social Innovation Review opinion blog!  I have been thinking a lot about the NTC session I blogged about before, regarding techies moving up into leadership roles in their organizations.  Here is an excerpt:

The discussion made me think about user-generated content and the two-way flow of information that comes with adopting new social media components.  This is usually one of the biggest sources of fear for organizations just beginning on the road to web 2.0. But isn’t the openness to letting go of control of the message and specific content similar to the opening of leadership opportunities for staff? (And shouldn’t it be that neither creates fear in the organization and its leadership team?)

You can read the rest on the SSIR blog here!

Social Innovation Review’s newest blogger: Me!

Published
by
amysampleward
on March 17, 2008
in otherblogs
. 3 Comments

The Stanford Social Innovation Review has a corps of bloggers that post ideas, conversations, and thoughts on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. It is a wonderful place to listen to great thinking, read through the comments, or become part of the conversation. I have been following their bloggers for a while now, and am now part of their ranks! The first post is already up, in which I more clearly express the ideas blogged about the other day of the technology gap and leadership gap could work themselves out together.

You can read the blog here!

Happy Birthday, Beth!

Published
by
amysampleward
on January 11, 2008
in fundraising and otherblogs
. 1 Comment

Beth KanterToday is Beth’s birthday; congratulations on another great year! If you aren’t yet, you should be reading her blog because she offers terrific advice, asks important questions, and ignites great conversations about nonprofits successfully using social media.

For the past month, I have been part of a team of bloggers supporting the Sharing Foundation in America’s Giving Challenge. For Beth’s birthday present, I donated $10 each for my husband and I to the Sharing Foundation via this widget.

America's Giving Challenge - Give now!I hope that you can give Beth the same birthday present (she has been asking for $10 donations all week!) today and in doing so help us get $50,000 for the Sharing Foundation!

Happy Birthday, Beth! Give $10 to the Sharing Foundation for her here!

Creating Community: Thanks, Beth!

Published
by
amysampleward
on January 2, 2008
in community and otherblogs
. 3 Comments

Beth Kanter has honored me with her Bloggers Who Create Community Award! Thanks, Beth!

Beth said: “Amy Sample Ward is writes about nonprofits, technology, and social media. She’s based on Portland. She’s well-known in her local community of nonprofits and the one on her blog! I appreciate her thoughtful writing and community spirit!”

This award is perfect to showcase one of my 2008 resolutions: To create even more community online! It will be a fun adventure and learning experience and I hope to have all of you (and more!) along for the ride.

What are your resolutions about technology with/for/about nonprofits or nonprofit work?

America’s Giving Challenge: Importance of discussion

Published
by
amysampleward
on December 23, 2007
in fundraising and otherblogs
. 2 Comments

I received an email from Beth Kanter about my decision to join her in championing the cause for the Sharing Foundation, which helps children in Cambodia receive the education and support they need. Beth asked:

What is the workflow for an effective cause ..? Suppose your
organization wanted to work with an intern to manage the cause with you. What’s on the to do list? How should the staff person manage the intern?

My initial response was two fold:

1. Build discussion

This is achieved by creating posts and questions on the Cause page so that when people click through from a blog or an invitation to join the cause, they are able to see people engaged and learn more immediately, without having to do the research themselves if they are unfamiliar with the organization. Identifying the most active participants in the cause and asking them to post a question, or better yet, asking them to respond to a question posted by the intern would be a good first step to getting conversations started on the Cause page.

2. Link to discussion

This is simply a matter of finding blogs and websites posting about and inviting others to the Cause, then putting links to them on the Cause page and thanking them for their shared support. This cross referencing will add to the information/education on the organization and therefore more people supporting it, while at the same time creating an opportunity for more participants in the conversation.

What do you think? Is conversation, the opportunity to ask or see other’s questions and answers about the work of an organization, something that positively influences your participation and support?

Also, today is Earl Kanter’s (86th) birthday and Beth is encouraging all of us to donate $10 to our Sharing Foundation cause to celebrate. You can join the Cause now, too!

America’s Giving Challenge: Early reflections

Published
by
amysampleward
on December 21, 2007
in fundraising and otherblogs
. 2 Comments

The Case Foundation, Parade Magazine and Facebook Causes have joined forces for America’s Giving Challenge which has been talked about quite a bit by terrific cause champions like Beth Kanter, Soha El-Borno at Wild Apricot, Britt Bravo, and Allison Fine. Participating in the challenge means you could win $50,000 for your favorite nonprofit. Posting a charity badge on your blog or website or facebook profile, joining a facebook cause, and recruiting others to join and donate are all part of the process.

I am supporting the Sharing Foundation and Beth’s work to get $50,000 donated to them. I have a badge in my facebook profile and have encouraged/invited others to do the same. I have joined a cause and also invited others to it.

I could have chosen a different group and selected the badge and cause that corresponded to it, blogged about that cause and told stories of that organization’s work. I chose to support the Sharing Foundation, though, and support Beth’s work in outreach for its cause. Why?

Because when I thought about starting my giving challenge, I couldn’t decide who I would pick! There are so many organization all over the world that I love and support. Whenever I think about making small contributions of money, time, skills, effort, etc. in my life, I always think “together we can make a difference.” To me, this means that if my contribution is going to go the farthest, I will want to be sure that I have many others fighting with me. I decided, then, to team up with Beth for the Sharing Foundation (you should check them out, they are terrific!) and experiment, learn, and enjoying making a difference together.

Will you join us to make a difference? Here are some terrific calls to action from Beth:

  • If you are on Facebook, join the Sharing Foundation’s cause and recruit your friends.
  • Not sure if you want to join the Facebook cause? Watch this video
  • Be ready to celebrate [Beth's] birthday on January 11th with the minimum donation. This is a great way to let her know that you appreciate the blog as well as the work of the Sharing Foundation.
  • Not on Facebook? You can contribute through the widget that Michele Martin set up and is championing. (You can add the widget to your blog, facebook, website, etc!)
  • Are you a blogger? Please sign up to help me! You’ll find the information here

Not just “grant” making

Published
by
amysampleward
on November 29, 2007
in otherblogs
. 0 Comments

Sean Stannard-Stockton at Tactical Philanthropy has been hosting a One Post Challenge this month, encouraging contributions to the blog from others in the philanthropic community. I wrote a post called Not Just “Grant” Making

As the holiday season is now in full swing and many organizations are launching online donation campaigns, I have been thinking more and more about how closely my personal views of “giving” have formed my professional ones.

I don’t think that our responsibility is to just dole out the cash—we have a whole lot more to offer!

Click here to read more and comment at Tactical Philanthropy!