The day that Senator Barack Obama became President Barack Obama, he called on Americans to, “embody a spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.” I was there in Washington, shivering in 15 degree weather with to my brand new fiancee when I heard those words. But thankfully I wasn’t the only one listening. At that same moment, everyone in the nation heard the president’s clarion call to service. Intuitively, every American knew that something had to be done, there needed to be some way to inspire public service to be cool again.

About 2000 miles away, the Dean of the College of Public Programs heard the same call and just so happens to have the sphere of influence necessary to answer the president’s challenge in a meaningful way.

Before the week was out, Dean Friedman gathered the leadership of the College and set out to lay the conceptual groundwork for a scholarship program – called The Spirit of Service – where a small group of students, both undergraduate and graduate, would be competitively selected to participate in an interdisciplinary academic symposium geared toward a career in public service.

Enter Sam.

Providing access to higher education? Check. Developing the next generation of leadership? Check. Empowering people, both young and old, to engage in national and community service? Check.

So here I am, on the day of John F. Kennedy’s birthday, in a role largely made possible by a bill signed into law bearing his brother’s name, starting a journey that will bring life to a scholarship program that raises the celebrity of public service and creates pathways to careers for anyone invested in the work of making our communities better places to live, work, and play. I’m a little bit excited.

They are asking questions like, “What financial impact does the sector have on communities?” “Where does it end, and the business or government sector begin?” “What role should the federal government play in the oversight of the sector?” and “Who the heck is Alexis de Tocqueville?”

Point is, we haven’t really gotten to a place where the intellectual chaff has been separated from the wheat and left an agreed upon body of knowledge. For instance, take our name. Instead of the Nonprofit Sector, some prefer Social Sector, some say Citizen Sector, while others go with Independent Sector or Civil Society.

Side bar – if you hyphenate “non-profit” or use the phrase “not-for-profit,” please stop. Thanks.

No doubt, there are well-respected academic luminaries in the field that the rest of us look to for guidance on the big issues of the day. But what Galileo was to astronomy the Nonprofit Sector is still searching for.

All of this academic adolescence boils down to one thing – studying the sector means that I have to read a ton (literally, I’m certain, if I printed all of it out) for class. Books, articles, journals, blog posts, context, subtext, and pretext. It also means that I don’t get to read what I want during the school year. Case in point, check out this post about the book, Team of Rivals. Notice anything odd? Yep, I wrote it in August.

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to a good 10 or 12 weeks to dig into the few books that have nothing to do with the nonprofit/citizen/social/independent sector on my nightstand at the moment:

• Team of Rivals | Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Survivor | Chuck Palahniuk
• Brave New World | Aldous Huxley
• The Rise of the Creative Class | Richard Florida

After that, there are plenty of possibilities – but chief among them are sticking around the Land of Maroon & Gold to pursue a Masters of Public Administration.

Who knows? Maybe in a few years, I’ll get to put some nifty letters after my name: Samuel Richard, MPA.

Hello all! My name is Aaron Stiner. I have the pleasure of serving as a Deserted After Dark guest blogger and I am very excited that Sam has allowed me this honor. Sam and I know each other through a couple of different nonprofit circles. We are both board members for YNPN Phoenix and are both connected to Arizona State University; Sam as a student and employee and me as a Master of Nonprofit Studies (MNpS) Fall 2008 graduate and a new employee at the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation.

In January, I began work as the Program Manager for the brand new Advancing Philanthropy initiative at ASU’s Lodestar Center, which means I am charged with connecting individuals and families to the knowledge, tools and resources which empower and inspire them to unleash their philanthropic investments. I am just beginning to figure out exactly what that means!

Right now, I am in the process of developing the business plan. Thankfully, ASU’s Lodestar Center is full of very smart people who are helping me get started because, as with any new endeavor, I find myself with a lot more questions than answers.

I wonder, for example, what exactly are these services going to be and what kind of “support” do philanthropists need or want? I ask myself, once we develop the programs, how do we talk about what we do in a way that is easily understood and garners support? And, how will we work with other nonprofits and foundations in delivering our services? And, how do we measure our success? The questions just keep on coming…

I’m beginning to feel a little like Guy Noir, from A Prairie Home Companion. Always trying to find the answers to life’s persistent questions, and rarely satisfied – but never because I give up searching. There is lots of stuff that needs figuring out. On top of the endless complexities wrapped up in the field of philanthropy, I am dealing with the ambiguity of a new initiative and the shifting sands of rapidly changing economic times.

Adding to the uncertainty is that I am only four weeks into working at the Lodestar Center and am still learning the ropes. Prior to joining ASU, I worked for six years at Valley of the Sun United Way (VSUW) – first as a workplace campaigner, then running fundraising trainings and finally as a major gift officer. After six years, you feel pretty solid in a place. You know why you are there and can easily explain the impact of the organization. So, as you might imagine, I am still settling into my new digs. It’s a little strange being in a place where I can’t whip off my elevator speech in three minutes flat!

Despite being at VSUW for what seemed an eternity in Gen X years (and loving every minute!), I still remember a lesson instilled in me from day one: a nonprofit is only successful because of the relationships the staff builds with the organization’s stakeholders – volunteers, recipients, businesses and nonprofit partners – and only with their support can we really make a difference. As such, it was a big part of my job to foster relationships with donors – obviously important stakeholders – on behalf of our organization.

There are some key points from that lesson that I find myself returning to in my new position. One, people want others to be successful and are willing to help when asked – either by providing time, money, talent or advice – and the number one reason people don’t help is because they aren’t asked (so you better ask). Two, it’s not about me (and this is important) it’s about the organization. People support an organization because they support the mission and because supporting the mission helps fulfill their own personal motives. Maybe they want help with advancing their own cause, maybe they want recognition, or maybe the mission touches their heart. It could be a number of things, but it’s usually not just because I ask.

It’s about the mission, not about me…hmm, if I were Guy Noir I would be reminding myself that the hot dame just showed up at my door because she needs help, not because she thinks I’m handsome…you get the point.

So, in that gumshoe spirit I am out pounding the pavement, meeting with the philanthropic thought leaders I know and working to connect with those I don’t. In each meeting I hope to twist my uncertainty to advantage by putting all my questions out on the table and asking these leaders what they think would be the best way to support philanthropists in our community. Everyone I meet with has been incredibly generous with their time and ideas, not because of me, but because they believe the mission is worthy.

I hope that by keeping the mission always at the front and center of my conversations I can gain ideas and assistance and achieve our goals: supporting individuals and families in unleashing their philanthropy and making our community healthier and more vibrant. Only with the support of the community can our new initiatives be successful.

Of course, if any of you have ideas, please send them my way at aaron.stiner@asu.edu or via the comments. I hope to see you all again here with occasional updates on our work.

]]> http://www.samuelrichard.org/2009/02/16/guest-post-just-a-regular-guy-noir/feed/ 2 http://www.samuelrichard.org/2009/02/14/happy-birthday-arizona/ http://www.samuelrichard.org/2009/02/14/happy-birthday-arizona/#comments Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:00:00 +0000 Samuel Richard http://www.samuelrichard.org/2009/02/14/happy-birthday-arizona/ From Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion:

February 14th is, among other things, Statehood Day in Arizona. This means that someone, somewhere, will publish the inevitable “greatest Arizonans who ever lived” or “people/events that changed Arizona” lists in newspapers or blogs. The results of these lists are predictable. They nearly always, for instance, include Barry Goldwater. I have nothing against Goldwater’s inclusion, but the late Senator is a little like the Beatles; yeah they were great; yes, things are different because of what they did, but that does not mean that they are not over-rated.

So I am making my own list. This list will not include easy choices like Goldwater, Kino and Poston, names which should already be familiar to most readers. Instead, I take this opportunity to highlight some of the individuals whose names should be familiar, but have instead slipped into relative obscurity despite their role in shaping the Arizona we all know and love.

My standards in making this list are fairly simple. First, the named individual must no longer be alive and must have no institutions, streets, towns, parks, or substantial monuments named for them. Naturally, the individual must have made a lasting, positive contribution to Arizona during their lifetime regardless of the length of their residency in the state. This last one is, of course, highly subjective, and I will have to admit not only to my geographic bias as a Tucsonan but also my political bias as a Democrat. Anyone who has an issue with one of my choices, or someone I did not choose, should feel free to make these views known.

You’ll have to check out his blog for the descriptions of each person, but here is the list:

1. Antonio Siraumea
2. General José Cosme Urrea
3. The Great Western
4. Manuelito
5. Colonel Edward Ephraim Cross
6. Elizabeth Josephine Brawley Hughes
7. Governor Louis Cameron Hughes
8. Wenceslao “Three-Fingered Jack” Loustaunau
9. Father Bonaventure Oblasser, O.F.M.
10. Governor Samuel Pearson “Sam” Goddard Jr.

1. Become an informed citizen
2. Be able to read for pleasure
3. Be trained in the rudimentary skills necessary for employment
4. Do well on standardized tests
5. Homogenize society, at least a bit
6. Pasteurize out the dangerous ideas
7. Give kids something to do while parents work
8. Teach future citizens how to conform
9. Teach future consumers how to desire
10. Build a social fabric
11. Create leaders who help us compete on a world stage
12. Generate future scientists who will advance medicine and technology
13. Learn for the sake of learning
14. Help people become interesting and productive
15. Defang the proletariat
16. Establish a floor below which a typical person is unlikely to fall
17. Find and celebrate prodigies, geniuses and the gifted
18. Make sure kids learn to exercise, eat right and avoid common health problems
19. Teach future citizens to obey authority
20. Teach future employees to do the same
21. Increase appreciation for art and culture
22. Teach creativity and problem solving
23. Minimize public spelling mistakes
24. Increase emotional intelligence
25. Decrease crime by teaching civics and ethics
26. Increase understanding of a life well lived

High Fidelity is probably one of my favorite movies. The biggest reasons for this is Rob Gordon’s (played by John Cusak) monologue about creating the perfect mix tape. I searched for half an hour through YouTube to find the clip but no bored 30 year-old living in his mother’s basement has posted it yet, so this (slightly augmented) transcript with have to do:

It became this:

And the new administration has taken notice. Today, Courtney blogged on behalf of New Global Citizens for the USA Service Blog – and it’s pretty fantastic:

The election of President-elect Barack Obama proved to the world a few things: there is value in dreaming big, the energy of a generation can overwhelm all odds, technology is no longer optional in coalescing a movement, and it can be cool to wear your future president on a t-shirt.

There is something momentous happening here.

We are witnessing the power of a new generation and listening to their unmistakable passion. Young people in our nation represent the most technologically connected, ethnically diverse, and wealthiest cohort the world has ever seen. There is only one thing more powerful than that combination: our desire to change the world.

That desire to change the world becomes more tangible every day as we inherit a backyard that has expanded several thousand miles within an increasingly interdependent global community. Never before could a text message from inner city Chicago reach a rural village in northern Uganda in a matter of seconds.

Rob Bell often speaks about Judiasm. The thought is that to better understand Jesus, we should learn a little bit more about the world he grew up in. Makes sense to me. Anyway, we’ll get back to Rob in a little bit.

I flew into Indianapolis on Saturday (got to the airport via the new light rail), but the conference didn’t officially start until Sunday evening- so we had a little time to kill. In the afternoon, we went to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. They house a fantastic collection, but if felt sort of ironic that we traveled halfway across the country to visit a museum full of Western Art. Anyway, after perusing the museum I still found myself with a little free time. The hotel we were staying at was right across the street from the State Government complex, so I walked around and snapped a few shots of Indiana’s gorgeous statehouse.

Downtown Indianapolis is a beautiful and vibrant place, and I’ve been trying to figure out why ever since I got back. I’m not bagging on Indy – it’s just that the numbers don’t fit. The weather is horribly cold and it’s not that big of a city. Despite it all, there wasn’t a boring night – maybe Phoenix could take notes? To be fair, some of the fun-having might have had something to do with there being a thousand (1,000) social change geeks just like me all in one city. Young enough to be optimists, old enough to enjoy adult beverages. Dangerous. Speaking of optimists and adult beverages, let’s move on.

The big kickoff to the Conference was a keynote address by Robert Egger, Founder and CEO of the DC Central Kitchen. From his blog:

I wish I transcribed his remarks, but I was too riveted. After the keynote address, a much less formal Q&A session started in the next room. Understandably, an hour and half talking about the V3 Campaign – and what steps are needed to get a cabinet-level post representing the Nonprofit Sector – makes a guy thirsty, so the conversation moved downstairs to the bar. There, the small group of us that had persevered heard stories about Robert’s past in the nightclub business and the beauty of Washington, DC. We also continued to debate the political viability of the sector and our generation’s desire to get paid what we’re worth. Robert had started speaking that night at 7PM, and we pretty much closed the hotel bar down around midnight. I feel like there might be an invoice in the mail. Wisdom, $60 / hour. Nostalgic stories, $30 / hour.

In any case, after intense conversations I usually fall into a fairly contemplative state of mind, and that night wasn’t any different. Enter Rob Bell. More appropriately, first century Israel. From Rob:

Tracking so far? Good. If you’re thinking, “Sam has gone off the deep end. I know that Robert was one of Oprah’s Real Sexiest Men, but that analogy takes it a step too far” just ask anyone who has had the pleasure of getting to know Robert. His positivity, deep passion for the individual success of everyone he meets, and love for tequila all make Robert’s yoke pretty intriguing. Back to the first century. You’ve found a Rabbi whom you would like to follow. You passed the disciple test (yes, there really was one) and the Rabbi says, “Come, follow me.” Well, go and follow the Rabbi. Again, from Rob Bell:

All this to say that I now know what I want to do when I grow up – and in whose path I’d like to follow. I know that I want to help facilitate the political voice of the Sector. I want to be a dynamic, engaging, and inspiring public speaker. I know that I want to look at institutionalized problems with a creative lens, hoping for lasting solutions. And I know that I always want to be part of the “what’s next” debate. And this was just Day 1…

Cheers,

Sam

“It does not cost anything to write. It does not cost anything to speak. But it will cost you and your generation tons of dough and tons of time if you are quiet.”

Robert Egger