Taking Action

Many of us in America seem to have a mentality of “they” will take care of it. Who is “they” anyway?

“They” often manifests themselves in simple everyday non-actions, such as not picking up trash from the ground because “they” (the City) will sweep it up, or passing a disabled vehicle on the road with a flat tire because “someone else” (AAA) will take care of it - and, besides, I am running late! Let’s be honest; we all have done it. Have we somehow morphed into a people of entitlement and are no longer part of the solution? Have we lost what JFK’s call: “…ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country”? Are we not empowered as individuals to make a difference any longer? Who took that power away anyway?

Yes, Public Service, Employers and Nonprofits alike will continue to be a big part of solving problems in our everyday lives – no doubt about it. But isn’t it really an attitude of non-action that we all need to get honest about? Instead of being an entitled people, waiting for “they” to fix the economy, fix healthcare, fix our dependence on foreign oil, fix the environment, fix human rights issues, fix our “entitlement programs”, etc., ask yourself what can you do?

It is my belief that the very backbone and key to our future is, and always has been entrepreneurship. These entities are created by individuals, just like you and me, who form to proactively make change and take hold of their own destinies; taking action, rather than waiting or even worse, doing nothing. The entrepreneurial spirit, be it economic or social (profit or non-profit), is vital to our growth as a nation and, most importantly, ourselves. Yes, Washington can create an environment to encourage entrepreneurship through tax policy, stimulus plans, monetary policy, etc., but we cannot afford to rely on these alone.

Because of my profession, I am privileged to spend time working with many Nonprofits on their grassroots initiatives such as online fundraising and advocacy, some of which are start-ups. I just had lunch a few weeks ago with a young, bright and highly purpose-driven social entrepreneur who is in midst of launching her first fundraising effort to finance micro-projects in small Villages in Zambia to improve their paralyzing third-world conditions (teaching them how to fish, rather than giving them fish). Sarah Grant, founder and executive director of Color-Me-In! recently returned from a two year assignment in Zambia as part of their Peace Corp commitment. It would have been easy for Sarah to get back to her education or career aspirations after the Peace Corp yet she had unfinished business to attend to. I have to say she, like others I have worked with, inspires me to no end. “They” are committed to leaving this world better than they found it…

I think all of us have the privilege of taking action and making a difference each day, in whatever roles we play in our work in this industry. Care2 members also make a difference in their actions each and every day. We need to support, encourage and continue to be leaders, as this is what will return this great nation to its core values and destiny.

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Comments

[Ryan]

You hit the nail on the head!! If citizens of this country spent the same time taking action as they do arguing about what types of handouts the gov't should give them, we would all be in a better place. I think America has lost touch with its roots; where hard work, perseverance, and most importantly, INITIATIVE generated prosperity for everyone. Today, it's all about the easiest means to an end, which of course many times requires someone else to do it. Let's be honest, there is no "easier" way... but what are we creating for ourselves? Knowledge? Power? Success? It seems all of these things are now also controlled by "them" not YOU. The good things in life just don't feel right if they were done for you... "entitlement" will inevitably bring us down.

[David]

Self-reliance is a cornerstone of America and one that the rise of the social entrepreneur embodies. Another cornerstone of America is it's willingness to help those that are unable to be self-reliant either for a time or for their entire lives. It is the tension between these two lofty goals that fuels the on-going debate over how much help to give, to whom it should be given, and for how long. The self-reliant among us must always strive to do our best in part to be able to live in a country where those who rely upon us can. They are called philanthropists.

[Bob Sands]

Though one point of my post is clearly to challenge all of us as individuals/citizens to step-up and take action, be it as donor, volunteer, advocate, or even social entrepreneur, I want to make sure I acknowledge to this blog’s audience that we also, in our profession, make a difference simply through our everyday work. Many who don’t have the privilege to work in the Nonprofit world are not as fortunate to be easily be able to contribute. They may, however, just might get inspired by simply signing an online petition on Care2 on an issue they are passionate about to their political leader. This may in fact lead into more action.

That said, there is another way we can make a difference through our own organizations, which may be include one or more ways as indicated above, but could be be providing other resources it has at its disposal to support social entrepreneurship. Nonprofit-to-Nonprofit partnering for similar missions is a great example. I was struck, for instance, by a real opportunity that Sarah Grant (referenced above) shared with me after meeting a gentleman who heads a Nonprofit while on a plane on her way for an prospective major gift “ask”. Please note that I am leaving out parts of the letter out to respect privacy.

"Sarah,
Here are my thoughts on how I may be of help, and in some cases how you might be of help to me.

1) We have several Macs, one of which I can gift or loan to you.

2) I can introduce you to someone who worked on the tree planting program in Israel.

3) Similarly, I can introduce you to several people I know who are working on, or funding, philanthropic projects in Africa, Central America or Israel.

4) (ORG) is currently planning a move, likely from the Harvard Sq area to the Kendall Sq area. Either way, it may be convenient for you to have a place you can work in an office where you have interactions with other people rather than at coffee shops or home.

5) We are currently hiring several writers. Given what I have seen of your writing, it is likely that we could provide you with a 1/2 time position that would provide both salary and health insurance. In particular, you could time share a position with (NAME) who is also just starting a 1/2 time position as a writer and program developer in the direction of ecology and greening. Of course this would involve splitting your time and brain space, allowing 20 hours per week for this in return for the salary, benefits and context. On the other hand it would not be brainless work. From my perspective, this would be a great help to our efforts. If you are interested please send your CV and writing samples (business plan) to (NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS) Let her know I referred you.

6) We could also arrange for you to be a student at (ORG). This would enable you to learn more about how we evaluate what social interventions are most effective and to consider the projects you are doing in light of this knowledge. Since you already have a specific plan of action for Colormein, I am not sure you want to do this. Still, it is an option we can discuss. It could be in conjunction with the work in (5). We would likely provide you with a full scholarship for this training.

7) One of the problems you mentioned as an issue for Colormein, monitoring and evaluation, is a pervasive issue in philanthropic work and a topic that has come up in our research. It is possible for us to submit a proposal to a Government agency or foundations to address this issue directly, building on existing work we have done. Such a proposal would likely involve developing a consortium of philanthropic agencies that you would have to be responsible for cultivating. This is an example of a collaborative research program that could provide funding for Colormein. The question would be whether this is something you want to pursue given the other responsibilities involved. Of course, it would be an important contribution but perhaps not one that you are interested in. This is an example of a direction we could develop a joint effort of mutual benefit.

8) The possibility of a direct financial contribution is also still to be discussed.

These ideas are for discussion and might be considered in some sequence. If you have specific ones you would like to consider sooner than later, let me know.

Best,"

Now that is an example of supporting a Social Entrepreneur!!

[Duncan McCrann]

Last weekend Malcolm Gladwell the author of Blink, Tipping Point, and Outliers spoke about the concept of capitalization: the realization of human potential by a person, family, organization, or country. He made the point that so much of human potential goes undeveloped, unrealized. Yet, the opportunity to liberate the capabilities of people is within our collective reach. I work for a charter school organization that takes kids from depressed economic and social circumstances and gets then into college (and through college, as well). Sarah’s work in Zambia via Color Me In gives Zambians a way to sustain themselves, educate their children and improve the environment. All steps to realizing potential. If all Zambians were able to realize their potential as human beings, what would the future of that struggling country be like?