Foundation Journal

Attended keynote address on blogging by Atlantic journalist Andrew Sullivan at the Non-Profit Technology Conference in Atlanta on April 9. The conference title makes most people think it deals with technology, servers, and computers, but the real buzz of the conference is using new social media tools for fundraising and publicity, in short, how to communicate effectively. Sullivan spoke about his groundbreaking effort at blogging on his "Daily Dish" for atlantic.com, starting in 2000. He shared his experience of posting to the blog twenty times per day, five days per week with a gazillion people following his moves. My first thought was how is the experience of one of the most popular, persistent bloggers relevant to most people starting out or blogging for non-profit organizations. Blogging has seemed to be more self-centered than a reporter's approach, though some of the best blogs clearly transcend these barriers. I'm thinking of two blogs that have shown me th

The conference title makes most people think it deals with technology, servers, and computers, but the real buzz of the conference is using new social media tools for fundraising and publicity. That is, how can technology be used to support decision-making and communications. Some highlights of my conference attendance, include the following : Sessions on "networked non-profits" with authors Beth Kanter and Alison Fine . This session was jam-packed in a mid-size conference room. There was a noticeable amount of excitement around the session with Kanter and Fine -- both are very active in social media and studying organizations. Kanter emphasized that "something fundamental is changing with social media," meaning it facilitates democratic, non-geographic change; social media powers social change. Fine mentioned there is a movement to open up organizations and turn them inside out through social media. They highlighted parts of their upcoming book The Networked

During the agency conference I had the good fortune to share lunch with several people who coordinated food programs within their organizations. The food programs fulfill a range of public needs, like at Southside First Baptist Church on east 50th street, where a mother and daughter worked. Another woman worked for Nova Center. They discussed how the old public school nearby would be a great location for a service organization, but had become dilapidated over time, thus unable to be affordably rehabbed. Another woman with United Services in Independence noted how they partner with a variety of organizations such as Community Services League, Catholic Charities, and St. Mary's to share resources to meet clients' utility assistance needs. Agencies seem to be all about cooperation, not competition, when serving working poor people in their communities.

Harvesters, a 30-year old food bank in Kansas City, is opening a second distribution center in Topeka to better cover its service area in Kansas. The reports of the economy improving are quietly eclipsed by a still increasing demand at food pantries, as well as record highs in food stamp applications , especially in Missouri and Kansas . Several other food banks across the US are expanding the size of their warehouses, but others are expanding new programs to serve specific groups, like providing backpacks full of food over the weekend for school-age children and programs geared toward homeless high school kids.

I was glad to see KKFI 90.1 FM community radio and Heart of America Indian Center will trade support for the upcoming Powwow to celebrate American Indian heritage on May 15-16 at Line Creek  in exchange for radio spots. I see KKFI and HAIC as sister organizations.

Used to be people had to break in to your apartment to get to your gadgets. The first house in college I shared with two roommates was broken into twice in six months, plus the windows in my car were all broken. I think they stole clothes that time since I had no gadgets. At another apartment someone entered the first floor window and took a boombox;  they left in a hurry without taking a 13-inch TV. Now people are walking around with their collection of gadgets -- one of my daughters had a phone stolen from her purse at a friend's party, another daughter an iPod during PE class. Do people even consider it wrong to steal a phone left unattended on a table?