Dreams, Grit, and Trust: Foundations of a Civic Startup Accelerator
Today’s post is republished from GOOD.is on Nov. 8, written by Ayesha Khanna, president of the Civic Incubator at Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service.
Whenever I’m looking for inspiration or a reminder of the impact a few committed people can make, I go back to the time I spent in India after college. I was part of a small group made up of women from the villages of Dayalpur (outside New Delhi), health professionals from the United Kingdom, village elders, an innovative nonprofit and Mother Teresa’s order of nuns. Together, we worked to improve access to education and build a health center.
It was grueling work. And we challenged a lot of traditional thinking. We acted on the belief that all children deserve access to education, including disabled kids; that everyone should pay and contribute to something no matter how impoverished; that a group of women could not only build a health center, but also a new institution.
Our nonprofit partner understood local politics and was able to secure seed money. The health professionals from the UK had proven methodologies for designing and delivering services. The women from the village were creative and resourceful, enticing businesses to provide cheap, quality materials and bringing their children to be tested and enrolled. The nuns, tough and hardworking, slept at the construction site when we couldn’t afford security and walked miles to secure customers and partners.
We succeeded because we trusted and relied on each other’s strengths. We succeeded through the grit and power of people.
A lot has changed in the past 20 years, but it’s still true that social entrepreneurs often work in isolation without the networks and feedback they need or the tools and access to capital that would best help them.
I wondered if we at Points of Light could change that.
Could we bring entrepreneurs together to share what they know and tap into a broader network of resources and inspiration, building trust and connectivity?
We started with a focus on the dreamers and doers and a quest to find amazing people and built a support system that helps them access investments and resources to grow. Because our challenges know no boundaries, we decided our solutions shouldn’t either. We’re determined to support both for-profit and nonprofit enterprises.
We found a true partner to launch this joint venture in Village Capital, a global social enterprise accelerator that takes its name from village financing, where individuals pool their resources and decide themselves who is most deserving of the money. Not as a gift, but as an investment that will be paid back over and over. Surely, we thought, new, emerging civic ventures in the U.S. need similar kinds of pooled resources.
Accelerators have successfully launched for-profit technology and mobile companies for over a decade. We chose to use that model and had the chance to experience it first hand as participants in the Flashpoint accelerator at Georgia Tech. We also found critical supporters with innovation in their DNA in the PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. and Starbucks Foundation.
The Civic Accelerator we will launch in a few weeks brings me back full circle to India. I am once again working with modest means, against big odds, but with smart, hard-working people who want to change our part of the world. What a gift to be able to help social entrepreneurs launch their dreams to do good—and what fun to build a larger ecosystem to help make it so.
Stay tuned for more information on the 10 ventures we’ll be supporting. And if you’re a dreamer and a doer, apply for a slot in our next program. Find more information online or email us at [email protected].
Change Notes: In good times and bad, demonstrating the best of the American spirit
Friends,
As millions of people along the east coast begin to mourn those who died and assess the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy, I find comfort and reassurance in one thing: Americans have always pulled together after disasters to lend a hand, help our neighbors and rebuild our communities. As Sandy recedes, we will unite in volunteer service once again.
Just a few days ago, three million people gathered across the country on the nation’s largest day of service, Make a Difference Day. They donated food for military families. They cleaned up neighborhoods, parks and schools. They sponsored carnivals for children with special needs and lemonade stands for kids with cancer. In thousands of locations across the country, they did more than they’ve ever done before. (USA Today had a great story and video about a project in Virginia.).
For 22 years, on the fourth Saturday in October, Points of Light and Gannett’s USA WEEKEND have sponsored Make A Difference Day to meet the needs of the most vulnerable among us and demonstrate the best of the American spirit.
This year, in the early days of November, that spirit is needed again. As Hurricane Sandy weakens, our HandsOn Network volunteer action centers in the northeast need your help to clean up, to help those who have lost so much, to rebuild. So many depend on the power of people like you to make a difference.
Trick or Vote is the nation’s largest get out the vote effort … in costume!
So what do you do?
Trick or Vote volunteers will dress up in costume on Halloween and knock on doors in their neighborhoods reminding people to vote. In other places, they’ll make phone calls to deliver the message or collect vote pledges.
This year, on and around Halloween, Trick or Vote events will take place across the country and volunteer monsters will talk to thousands of voters with one simple, nonpartisan message: VOTE.
Check out the F.A.Q. page to learn more about getting involved.
Join Trick or Vote to raise awareness and funds for increased civic engagement — it’s democracy at its spookiest. You can make 2012 be the biggest year yet by signing up to host a Trick or Vote event in your community. Help scare out the vote.
Fall Volunteer Opportunities
Don’t have much time to give back, or want to do something easy and meaningful?
October and November months offer plenty of volunteering opportunities. Now that it’s fall and the weather is changing it’s a great time to clean out your closets and give back to goodwill. Before buying new fall clothes, take some time to give away items you don’t need any more. You have to clean out your closet anyway right, why not give your clothes to a great cause?
Find a
or donation site near you.
Another helpful project to set up is a community clothing swap. A clothing swap is also a great idea for swapping Halloween costumes to reuse them.Help others in your community get ready for the winter weather and get rid of your smaller jackets, mittens, scarves that you no longer use.
Have a great idea you want to implement in your neighborhood? Join in Make a Difference Day on October 27 and register your project on the
to recruit your volunteers. Join in the largest day of service with your community and make a positive difference at the end of the month.
Want to dedicate more time to a cause, and also benefit your fitness?
The weather is so nice out, now is a great time to partake in runs/walks for causes. Make working out more meaningful by raising awareness and funds to support worthwhile causes, such as disease research, children’s programs, military support, and more.
GenerationOn Volunteers for Annual New York Cares Day
Today’s guest post is written by Mark Moravits, director of partnerships and global initiatives at generationOn—the youth service enterprise of Points of Light.
It makes sense that those who make a career out of helping people around the world to be better volunteers would themselves volunteer as often as possible. The staff of generationOn—the youth enterprise of Points of Light—is no exception. We need to keep our skills sharp, and if we’re working with tens of thousands of people to help them be the best and most impactful volunteers possible, doesn’t it make sense for us to grow our skills by doing?
On Saturday, Oct. 13, 6,000 New Yorkers spent their day volunteering in dozens of schools during the annual New York Cares Day. The generationOn team, most of whom are New York-based, joined New York City’s largest volunteer day, spending our day at MS 825 Isaac Newton Middle School for Math & Science in East Harlem.
Volunteering with the team you work with is exciting and beneficial for several reasons, the most evident being that you’re doing something for your community that not might otherwise get done if it weren’t for your time and talent. Our group of 17 painted a large math-themed mural designed by a local artist, catalogued hundreds of books and prepared more than 20 bulletin boards to be re-purposed and refreshed. It is unlikely that the work our team accomplished is something the staff of the school would be able to accomplish given their capacity, and it is likely that the projects we completed are ones that have been on the list for a while.
Furthermore, volunteering as a team catalyzes interaction and interpersonal connections that don’t usually occur within the workplace. You’re away from your phone, most likely not on email and hopefully not talking too much about work. You were in the same small town in Thailand as me? Where did you learn to paint so well? You speak French? When you’re having fun and not hunkered down working on a deadline, you learn things about your peers that you didn’t know. Of course, getting to know your team better is priceless.
Finally, volunteering as a team is a healthy stress reliever. Still irritated at your co-worker for not pulling his or her part on a funding proposal? Unable to sleep worrying about next week’s deadline? Some people might go for a massage, hit the treadmill or even pour a tall glass of wine. All perfectly fine options. But none of them combine stress reduction with doing something nice for someone else. When you’re spending your time and applying your talents to improve your community, watch as your worries take a back seat.
Whether you work in a nonprofit or for-profit capacity, take that step you’ve been wanting to take for some time. Get a team of your co-workers together and find a project after work on a weekday or something that allows you to use your skills on the weekend. Need resources and ideas? Find your local HandsOn Network Volunteer Action Center.
Mark Moravits is responsible for managing generationOn’s numerous national and global nonprofit partnerships, supporting the youth programs of 250 Action Centers of the HandsOn Network and managing generationOn’s ambitious global activation plan in five countries. Mark has helped build, launch and manage large-scale volunteer programs in 20 cities. He is a former third grade teacher and alumnus of Teach for America.
The Story of HandsOn Bogota
Today’s post is written by Marcela Campos, founder of HandsOn Bogota. Marcela is the founding board member of HandsOn Tokyo who is now striving to make a difference in Bogota by establishing HandsOn Bogota, the first HandsOn Action Center in Colombia.
The world is my community. Born in Germany of diplomat Argentine parents, I was raised in the U.S. and Canada, where I was introduced to volunteering at an early age through school and Girl Scouts activities. As a teenager in Argentina, I continued my volunteer work through school and then made sure that my life travels did not stop there. My six-month trip to Asia turned into 11 years in Tokyo, Japan, where I met my Colombian husband and had two daughters. I also met the most amazing group of friends who became the founding board of directors for HandsOn Tokyo.
As an active HandsOn Tokyo board member and executive director, I was fascinated with spreading the word on volunteering at schools, clubs and corporations, recruiting volunteers and planning our annual fundraising gala. I took advantage of every opportunity to raise awareness on the increasing needs in our community, and the ways in which every citizen can put their time, skills and passion to good use as civil acts of kindness.
“There should be a HandsOn office in every city in the world.” I clearly remember thinking this in December 2006 when I learned of the HandsOn Network model. I’ve been doing my best ever since to spread the word.
There are so many ways to get involved and be an active citizen. With HandsOn Tokyo, it was with Special Olympics, Second Harvest food bank, Wakabaryo Children’s Home and Tsukuba School for the blind. I was so happy to bring my husband and daughters along; helping the community through volunteer work became a family affair.
In June 2010, our family decided it was time to leave our beloved Tokyo and settle down in Colombia, offering our daughters a chance to absorb some of their Latin heritage. Of course the HandsOn Tokyo board members were quick to suggest I start up HandsOn Bogota. Settling into our new home has taken a while, and although I was an active volunteer at the Hogar Nueva Granada library, I found myself imagining the impact HandsOn Bogota and promoting civic engagement could have on this community. So, HandsOn Bogota was born.
Civic involvement is a must, and I just can’t wait to demonstrate this with successful programs, attracting one corporate partner after another and getting employees engaged. The corporate sector is fully aware of the need to incorporate employee volunteer programs, but as in many other cities, Bogota does not have a support system for these organizations. I am confident the HandsOn model will provide critical services for companies to coordinate well-managed, impactful EVPs and make a much-needed, significant difference in our local nonprofit partners and the communities they serve.
HandsOn Bogota is just getting off the ground, but initial feedback from all sectors has been overwhelming. If you’re ever in town, email us to get involved.
Today’s guest post is written by KaCey Venning who serves as the manager, Cause Programs of Points of Light. She is excited about encouraging people to become more active in their communities.
Serving on the board of directors for any organization is a scary thing. When I joined my first board, I had the assumption that it would be easy work. There wasn’t much to it… you write a check, attend a few meetings and make a decision or two. I could not have been more wrong.
Making a commitment to provide fiscal, legal and organizational oversight and governance is critical work. It is the type of service that requires training and ongoing education to ensure that all active members of a board are up to date on changing laws and policies. Active members also must be willing to make the hard decisions that ensure the success of the organization even in the face of opposition. Although I was still very much overwhelmed by what I had agreed to, I was even more determined to gain the skills necessary to be an effective and viable member of the board.
I learned of a program sponsored by the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. Its
allowed me to learn what a board is, what they do, what they are responsible for and that there are various types of boards. Serving on a fundraising board is very different from a board that provides governance and oversight. And even more different are individuals who serve on advisory boards. Then you have organizations that have boards that are a hybrid of a few. These are important factors to consider when being recruited to serve on a board of directors. I highly value my experience during the
. It allowed me to be very clear about how to proceed in my board service.
My education was furthered even more this past September when I attended the
Leadership Forum in Chicago. To sit and hear from experts and professionals who have dedicated their professional careers to developing and educating board of directors was an enlightening experience. I sat amongst some of the highest performing board of directors in the nonprofit sector and was able to walk away with a wealth of knowledge. When my next opportunity arises to sit on a board, I know now to also interview them to ensure that they are a high performer and functioning as an effective board that is getting things done.
Between my personal and professional experience with boards, I was thrilled when the opportunity was presented to work with BoardSource. Points of Light and BoardSource know the importance of boards in ensuring that the missions of organizations are realized to their fullest potential. For so many smaller and community-based organizations, the work of their board is sometimes unnoticed on a national scale. That is why I am so excited about the launch of the Board Member of the Month award presented by Points of Light and BoardSource. It is a chance for organizations to applaud and appreciate the work of their board members. I can think of so many deserving board members and I am sure you can as well. Now is your chance to nominate them to become a Board Member of the Month.
Friday Volunteer News Round Up
We are 2 weeks away from Make A Difference Day! Have you been planning your project? Find projects to volunteer with and register your project to recruit volunteers to help you out on the Daytabank. Check out the
! We had a Community Blueprint launch this week in D.C to launch our initiative to help veterans and military families. Learn more about it on our new military initiative website section.
Here are the news from the week:
1)
Save The Children has joined with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Frontline Health Workers Coalition to recognize the REAL people saving lives across the globe. The REAL Awards honor health care workers in the U.S. and around the world, and recognize the life saving work that people perform every day. Often health care heroes are working under extraordinary circumstances with limited training and support, are saving lives and building stronger, healthier communities every day.
Click here to nominate an inspiring health care worker, whether it is your doctor, a family member or a friend. Help salute those health workers who are protecting health and saving lives daily.
NOMINATE someone for a REAL honor. Nominations are open until November 29.
Change Notes: Stepping Up to Support Veterans
Friends,
After serving nearly nine years in the Navy,
Liz Perez
returned to civilian life in San Diego feeling good about a new job and a fresh start. Unfortunately, she faced challenges she never saw coming.
“When you’re in the military, everything you need is on base,” she said. “When I left, I had no support. I didn’t know where to go for things like housing or child care. I didn’t realize how much is taken out of your paycheck. I had a really hard time.”
“If we all work together, we can make sure no veteran has to suffer alone,” said Liz Perez.
For a short time, Perez and her young daughter found themselves homeless and relying on a local food bank to eat. Luckily, a property manager at the San Diego construction firm where she worked helped her find a place to live, and she slowly found the resources she needed to get back on her feet.
Yesterday,
hosted a luncheon at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where Perez joined representatives
ITT Exelis
, the
Corporation for National and Community Service
(home to AmeriCorps), and more than 50 veteran and military service organizations, nonprofits and government agencies to officially launch the
Community Blueprint
– a huge public-private partnership to support the reintegration of returning military service members, veterans and their families.
To advance the Community Blueprint, ITT Exelis CEO and President
David Melcher
announced the company’s five-year, $5 million investment in this Points of Light initiative, as well as a new Exelis employee volunteer program that will add the company’s human resources to the effort.
Bill Basl
, from the Corporation for National and Community Service, swore in 30 new AmeriCorps members – including Perez – who will lend muscle to the Community Blueprint across the country. The group will soon grow to 75 veteran leaders and change agents.
Gen. George W. Casey
, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, gave the keynote address, calling the Community Blueprint “the largest collaborative effort in support of the military community to date.” And it will get bigger. Points of Light’s goal is to expand the Community Blueprint from 20 communities today to 200 by 2014 to help meet the needs of the one million men and women who will return from service abroad in the next five years.
Liz Perez will be there to help. “I want to be able to give veterans the resources I had to find the hard way,” she said.
And we at Points of Light want to do our part to make it easier for hundreds of thousands of veterans to get – and give – help, and for millions of others to pitch in. We hope to create the nation’s largest pipeline of volunteer opportunities focused on meeting the needs of veterans and military families. We intend to harness our nation’s sea of goodwill for our veterans and turn it into action.
You can help. To find out how, visit
