January 3, 2019

Sophia and The Princess Bride

Once upon a time, there was a young girl (5 years old) named Sophia.

Sophia and her mom were watching the movie The Princess Bride.

In this one scene: Our hero Westley – and his beloved Princess Buttercup – flee through an icky landscape with many icky things chasing and snatching and and … Buttercup is mostly kinda shrieking and fluttering and doing all those icky things attributed to “girls” – that real girls (#LikeAGirl) actually don’t do so much.

Over and over, Westley rescues Buttercup from dasdardly evildoers and gruesome monsters.

Sophia is squealing and cheering as the story progresses. But…

Sophia finally jumps up and actually yells at Princess Buttercup. “Stop waiting for Westley to help you. Quit screaming and fight!”

After the story ends – of course, happily – Sophia invents a new game to play with her mom. But Sophia makes a slight variation.

“Mommy, you play Westley and I’m Buttercup. And don’t rescue me. I can rescue myself!” 

==============

That’s my kind of girl, woman, female…person.

Read this delightful book. Watch this cool movie. Cult status.

Check out William Goldman: American novelist, playwright, screenwriter. (Died 11-16-18.) Some of his other work: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Marathon Man.  A Bridge Too Far. All the President’s Men (Adaptation of the Bernstein/Woodward book). And so much more.

And for the writers out there, here’s what Goldman said…. “Writing is finally about one thing: going into a room alone and doing it. Putting words on paper that have never been there in quite that way before. And although you are physically by yourself, the haunting Demon never leaves you, that Demon being the knowledge of your own terrible limitations, your hopeless inadequacy, the impossibility of ever getting it right. No matter how diamond-bright your ideas are dancing in your brain, on paper they are earthbound.” [William Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade.]

October 1, 2018

Management. Government. Society. Community. LIFE!!!

Some favorite YouTube videos.

I use them in my classes at SMUMN – where I teach in the masters program in Philanthropy and Development.

If I were on staff at an institution (instead of being a consultant) – I’d insist all staff watch these together….And then talk.

HEY! What a great way to start a board meeting…periodically watching something like this and talking about the implications for your clients, your donors, your organization, the community, and on and on and on…

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE MARVELOUS VIDEOS is about the work that you and I do. The work that pretty much any human being does.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE INSIGHTFUL VIDEOS is about life…your life and mine, and the beneficiaries of our work and the volunteers helping in our organizations, serving on boards.

AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE HUMAN AND HUMANE VIDEOS is about our donors.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Watch these. Share these. Explore the implications. Learn. Make change. Do and be better.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Ahmen, “Batman of Social Impact.” Nonprofit leader by day and hip-hop artist by night. His marvelous opening for IFC 2017. I was there. I took the knee with my hand in a fist.[ https://twitter.com/TheResAlliance?lang=en]

#likeagirl “What does it mean to do something like a girl.” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs]

Ash Beckham: We’re all hiding something – coming out of the closet. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSR4xuU07sc]

Brené Brown and vulnerability. [https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability]

“What is Privilege?” The privilege walk is one of the most insightful, saddening things I’ve ever seen or experienced. Better than watching it, you can actually do it. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ]

 

June 11, 2018

One of my favorite “business” books

I believe that conversation is a core business practice. And conversation is different than discussion. Very different!

Theodore Zeldin wrote the most beautiful book about conversation: Conversation – How Talk Can Change Our Lives.

Here are some of my favorite Zeldin statements…direct quotations from his lovely book.

  1. Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits. When minds meet, they don’t just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in new trains of thought. Conversation doesn’t just reshuffle the cards; it creates new cards.
  2. Having one’s ideas challenged and transmuted by verbal intercourse makes one aware how much one owes to others, how much a partner can contribute to one’s intellectual, moral and emotional development, thought one remains a separate, unique person.
  3. Conversation, like families, dies when it is inbred. Or when your guests have had more or less the same experience as yourself.
  4. Conversation has to explore new territory to become an adventure.
November 26, 2016

Men. Women. Female. Male. Glass ceilings. Better lives.

I found this draft in my blog folder. Somehow lost it. Never posted it. Or did I? Hmmmm….. I think not.

Obviously I drafted this before USA election day. Oh well. The articles are still good.

—-Here’s what I wrote and never posted. Title as is. Original blog text below—-

Read the articles below. Then stop telling me you don’t like Hillary.

Pay attention!

Women’s rights = human rights. Human rights = male rights = women’s rights.

What Women Owe Hillary Clinton

When Women Win, Men Win, Too

A Glass Ceiling Now Broken, Is U.S. Ready for a Madam President?

Filed under: Social Commentary

November 24, 2016

Thanksgiving is a U.S. holiday

Thankful for … friends and family and donors and business colleagues and employees and bosses and board members …

Thankful for the nonprofit sector and those willing to fight and risk speaking out and …

I said I wouldn’t talk about the U.S. election anymore. But I just read the single most marvelous summary of how I feel and how so many feel… the single most marvelous call-to-action for those who can take the risk to speak out … And yes, I can and will continue to do so.

Thank you Charles M. Blow. Brilliant and wonderful and deeply sad and galvanizing and kick-ass and…. “No, Trump, We Can’t Just Get Along.” 

Thank you New York Times. For keeping Charles M. Blow with you always.

Filed under: Social Commentary

November 14, 2016

I will stop now…after this last one…

Very good LinkedIn comment from Kevin Feldman about following U.S. law. And being donor centered. I agree.

But I have additional comments. About silence is consent. About public policy and advocacy. About the ethical and moral role of the nonprofit sector.

First read Kevin’s remarks: Do Not Let Your Politics Ruin Your Fundraising. Then scroll down for my response.

Do read Waldemar Nielsen’s monograph “The Third Sector: Keystone of a Caring Society.” See Chapter 1 in my book Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships That Last, 3rd edition, beginning on page 6, “Why does this sector matter?”

And always keep nearby John Gardner’s beautiful monograph, “Building Community,” also discussed in my book Strategic Fund Development.

Check the Independent Sector for the Gardner and Nielsen pieces. I read both of these more than 20 years ago– and they’re still favorites.

Okay. Enough.

 

Filed under: Social Commentary

November 13, 2016

I finally cried yesterday

About the election…About what it says about this country. Oh Papa Georges, je suis si triste. C’est toi qui m’a instruit.

I’ve been listening to Mavis Staples sing We Shall Not Be Moved. And I sing along. And then I listen to Andra Day sing RISE UP and I cry.

I promise that I shall not be moved. And I will continue to rise up.

Equity be with us all.

Filed under: Social Commentary

November 10, 2016

More about the US election

Some people don’t like my social commentary blogs. That’s okay. Don’t read them. I have enough other blog categories [governance/boards, fundraising, nonprofit management, etc. etc. and so forth]. Read those.

But I promised myself years ago that my website would do two things:

  • Provide free resources for the nonprofit sector worldwide. And my Free Download Library and monthly newsletter do that.
  • Second, that I would speak out regarding justice and fundamental human rights. Because silence is consent. And I choose to take the risk to speak out. Those are my social commentary blogs.

Today is Thursday, November 10. The second day after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Here are more articles to stimulate thinking:

Filed under: Social Commentary

September 17, 2016

Thank you Garrison Keilor

Read this amazing piece from Garrison Keilor, in the Washington Post.  My friend Rory Green forwarded this to me. Knowing how angry I would be. Knowing how this would resonate with me. How sad I would be. How sad I am.

Read this. Think about this. Ask yourself about Hillary. Ask yourself about women you don’t know. Ask yourself about the women you do know. And look in the mirror. Only then can you think about Hillary.

Thank you, Mr. Keilor for this marvelous piece. Thank you for seeing and knowing.

“I saw Hillary once working a rope line for more than an hour, a Secret Service man holding her firmly by the hips as she leaned over the rope and reached intothe mass of arms and hands reaching out to her …. Read the rest.

“So it’s no surprise she pushed herself to the point of collapse the other day. What’s odd is the perspective, expressed in several stories…. Read the whole story.

“I’ve never gone fishing with her, which is how you really get to know someone, but I did sit next to her at dinner once…. I was impressed by her smarts, even more by her discipline.

“I don’t have that discipline. Most people don’t…. Read the rest. It’s sooooooo good.

“The woman who does not conceal her own intelligence is a fine American tradition…but none has been subjected to the steady hectoring that Mrs. Clinton has. ….Keilor reminds us to wake up and behave.

“Extremism has poked its head into the mainstream, aided by the Internet….Keep reading!

“Someday historians will get this right and look back at the steady pitter-pat of scandals that turned out to be nothing, nada….READ THIS piece all the way through. And share it.

Thank you Mr. Keilor. This is a keeper. Forever. Thank you. 

Filed under: Social Commentary

August 12, 2016

Our world. Our country. Your nonprofit. And…

Gun violence. Political nonsense. Fascism. Racism. Sexism. Nationalism. Islamophobia. Building walls, even real ones. Shooting Black men and boys. Shooting police. Who is punished?

So what are you doing about all this? What am I doing? What are our nonprofits doing?

Business as usual doesn’t work anymore. Sticking to your knitting is pretty awful.

Transformation is needed. Everywhere. And certainly here in the USA where I live.

Transformation…where love meets social justice

Filed under: Social Commentary

Get non-profit resources in your inbox