Posted on October 6th, 2011 by Perla Ni
Think about your favorite nonprofit. The one that you’ve volunteered for. Or donated to. Or perhaps you or your kids have participated in their programs. Can you remember how you found it? It’s probably through a friend or a family member who told you about it. Someone who may have said to you “this nonprofit really helps people in need and I have volunteered there.”
Imagine though people who have moved to a new city, or didn’t have the benefit of friends or family who were familiar with local nonprofits – how would they find out about your favorite nonprofit?
Read more on "Share your experience about a nonprofit to help others learn about it" »
Posted on October 6th, 2011 by Craig Newmark
The deal is that I'm part of a whole bunch of nonprofit boards, sometimes full boards, sometimes advisory boards. Many good nonprofits are having a real hard time getting the word out on their good work, even though their board members have extensive social networks, online and offline.
I'd suggest that they enlist all board members (full and advisory) in ongoing engagement with their networks via social media. That is, every board member should be emailed what they should be updating on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, etc. The messages should be carefully expressed, and not too often.
Then, they'd pass those messages on, by retweeting, and by sharing on Facebook, Google Plus, and so on.
Board members might need a little training in social media, and maybe a reminder regarding misinterpretation, but that's all very doable.
This seems pretty obvious, so maybe I'm missing obvious problems, and maybe there are unintended consequences. If not, I need to start annoying some people.
Posted on October 5th, 2011 by Peter Gravett
Over the past century, our nation has witnessed major changes in the roles of women. In politics, women have advanced from not having the right to vote to waging a campaign to become our nation’s President. In Corporate America, those women that were once secretaries have gone on to become CEOs of multinational corporations. In our U.S. Military, women have gone from clerks and nurses to combat pilots and field generals. Roles once only reserved for men are now being done by the proud women who have served and continue to serve in our Armed Forces. As our military has changed and become more diverse, so has our country’s veteran population. Whether enlisted or not, women have always played a role in helping to shape and defend our nation since the revolutionary war.
In California there are 166,700 women veterans, the highest population of any state, many of whom have served in positions that were once reserved for men only. With the changing roles of women in our military, one can expect that the challenges women face would also change. More than ever we are seeing women suffer from post traumatic stress disorders, military sexual trauma and physical disabilities that are directly related to multiple deployments and serving in combat zones. Women who serve in today’s military are experiencing a social disconnect similar to their male counterparts. When returning from combat zones, some women veterans are having difficulty returning to their traditional roles of mothers, wives, daughters and sisters. This is why it is important that we as a country and state take the time to recognize not only the accomplishments of women in our military, but also acknowledge the challenges they face. Read more on "CalVet Women Veterans Conference" »
Posted on October 3rd, 2011 by Craig Newmark
Hey, I just talked with the folks at FedScoop.comabout some really good stuff happening in Washington these days.
This is part of the run up to the Fedtalks 2011 conference where I'll be speaking with a lot of good people. I'll be on stage with Peter Levin, who's the CTO of the Dept of Veterans Affairs, who's gotten a great deal done for vets.
Posted on September 29th, 2011 by James Barrood
Consider Mike Marsan’s career as a U.S. Marine, and think: wouldn’t he make an outstanding entrepreneur?
“After six months learning infantry combat, tactics, weapons, communications, martial arts, and leadership. I was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. We had to be prepared for deployment anywhere on earth within 48 hours, and then sustain ourselves for full combat ops for 30 days before relief. The battalion had just returned from ops in Grenada and Beirut, learning lessons that refocused Marine Corps doctrine on low intensity conflicts. So we had to train for warfare everywhere. That took us from the Army’s special forces jungle operations training center in Panama to Hokkaido, Japan for cross-training in Arctic warfare; from simulated towns for urban warfare to the Mohave Desert. During downtime: inspections, close order drill, and lots of other silly stuff – all meant to teach discipline and attention to detail.”
Read more on "Unleashing a powerful new source of American entrepreneurship: today’s veterans" »
