Craigslist Boot Camp 2007

Prescott is becoming a full on on-site reporter. If you enjoy the following coverage of the Craigslist Bootcamp, make sure to check out his upcoming post about his experiences at the Clinton Global Initiative Conference. If you can't wait for coverage of CGI, check out onPhilanthropy Pulisher Tom Watson's live blogging over at our sister site: BUZZ.

Fellow FLiP Josh Moore and I have been forming nonprofit ventures. That is why we decided to wake up (way too early) last Saturday morning to attend the Craigslist Foundation Nonprofit Boot Camp at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Craigslist Foundation, whose mission is “helping people help,” has been offering its Nonprofit Boot Camp events across the country, pitched as “a day of knowledge, resources and networking, all focused on how to start and run a vibrant nonprofit.” Josh and I were not sure what to expect, but like most New Yorkers in their twenties, we put our faith in Craigslist.

The tone of the event was set early as a drum line from the Samba School for Social Justice introduced Craigslist Foundation Executive Director Darian Rodriguez Heyman. Heyman enthusiastically advised the crowd to reach out, partner, even steal ideas from each other, and prepare to be overwhelmed with information. And with 50 exhibitors, seven different educational tracks, 20 seminars, and over 1000 people in attendance, the day did have both a collaborative and overwhelming feeling.

Two key components of the event were the Exhibition Hall and the One-on-One coaching. The Exhibition Hall was filled with tables of smiling, pamphlet-carrying representatives from organizations looking to support nonprofits in some capacity, from recruiting volunteers to fiscal management and program evaluation. There were a notable number of web-based or technology-focused exhibitors such as Guidestar.org, VolunteerMatch.org, NYCharities.org, Stanford Scientific Magazine and FITA (Fiscal and Infrastructural Technical Assistance). It was obvious that the nonprofit sector, like the rest of society, is quickly becoming encompassed by technological infrastructure. Partnerships, funding, research, relationships, volunteers…it is all happening online. Welcome to the future.

When I went to sign up for the One-On-One coaching to talk with an expert about nonprofit start-ups, all the time slots were taken and the waiting list was already three pages long. Craigslist Foundation recruited experts to have private, 20-minute sessions with boot camp participants. Areas of expertise included Volunteer Recruitment, Strategic Planning, Fundraising, PR, Marketing and, of course, Technology. Judging by its popularity, this component of the event was a huge, helpful success.

A New Conversation for Change

Your Chief FLiP Will Schneider and I were enticed (easily, I might add, by wine and hors d’ourves) to the New York Public Library last Tuesday.  The occasion?  The first of The Contribute Forum Series’ New Conversations for Change, this one focused on Youth & Philanthropy.  Contribute Magazine Founding Editor-in-Chief and News Division SVP Marcia Stepanek led the panel, whose members dished about the deep impact that millennials are making in the world of do-gooding.  Key takeaways:

• Citizen philanthropy is hot, and Charles Best should know. The DonorsChoose.org founder (and of late, superstar FLiP event speaker) has taken his NYC nonprofit national. DonorsChoose, which uses web auction-matching technology to link specific classroom needs with specific cause resources, is now open to every public school teacher in the country.
• Video games can change the world. Suzanne Seggerman, Co-Founder of Games for Change, believes this.  G4C is working to create games about social issues; Peacemaker, for example, allows the player to enter a documentary-like setup in which s/he works toward resolution of Middle East conflicts.
• Facebook cares about the greater good, says Causes application Co-Founder Joe Green.  Joe, 24, has seen the philanthropic add-on explode to reach more than 2.35 million members in the past six months.
• Millennials are money-savvy and want to work and give responsibly.  That’s why Martin Smith, 24, founded StartingBloc as a University of Chicago undergrad.  This for-profit incubator for social entrepreneurs is creating a network of young leaders committed to a more sustainable economy. Martin has also founded Just Means, a new social media platform for corporate responsibility that provides news, jobs, and networks for people who want to create change. In addition, younger generations are preparing to be part of an unprecedented transfer of wealth; that’s where Sharna Goldseker comes in.  Sharna runs 21/64, a new division of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, where she specializes in the next generation and multi-generational strategic philanthropy.

The bottom line for you, young FLiPs: you’re part of an exciting time in grantmaking and fundraising.  Stay tuned to FLiP this fall for more info about young founders, and for trend analysis of today’s digital, global philanthropic arena.

Meet-A-FLiP: Mysterious M

The author of one of my favorite philanthropy blogs, Mysterious M, devotes her blog to describing her life inside a major independent private foundation. For fundraisers, her blog is a rare opportunity to see how the other half lives. After you write that proposal, where does it go? Who's reading it, and what is there job like?  For the grantmakers, her blog gives you a chance to share some of your key experiences giving money away. M's mantra is, "giving away money ain't easy". You think it's easy? Here are some sample quotes from four different posts:

• Every Program Officer is haunted. By piles. Piles of their files. There are always more files assigned than there is time to read. Proposals, Letters of Intent, Compliance Reports, Final Reports, the works.
• Even though your proposal is 120 pages long, I still read it. The whole thing. Copying a paragraph from part of the proposal and then repeating it later on it not advisable.
• Is there a difference if the funder said "we found that your case for funding was not very strong" as opposed to "we found that your case for funding was weak?" How honest should funders be? What language should be used/avoided?
• Never ever insert clip art all throughout your proposal narrative. It is just annoying.

So, in what has become standard FLiP style, we made contact and begged her to submit to an interview. So, while attempting to avoid any conflicts with her secret identity, please enjoy our latest Meet-A-FLiP, and please check in often with Inside Foundations.

Future Leaders in Philanthropy: What kind of work do you do right now? Where in the country are you?

M: I am currently a Program Associate at a large independent private foundation.  My job tasks consist of all kinds of things, generally speaking I support our Program Teams and Program Officers.  I do get to have a small portfolio of a few grants each docket to make recommendations on, plus all the other PA functions.  “What I do” is very amorphous, basically based on what needs doing.

Geographically, I am not located on one of the coasts.

FLiP: Tell me as much about your background as you're willing to share. I'm especially curious about your education; what was your undergraduate major? Do you have a graduate degree?

Party with a Purpose

With over $430,000 raised for several nonprofits including Ashoka, Oceana, City Year and Generation Engage, GOOD Magazine seems to have had a pretty great year. In celebration of its one year anniversary GOOD Magazine, the magazine for “those who give a damn,” launched a series of parties across the country.

Lucky for me, one of those parties occurred in Washington this past weekend.

Do I Hear 400?

Another sign of the power of FLiPs, our Facebook Group is about to surpass 400 members!

Are you part of the trend? This group is truly one of the only outlets for you to meet other young professionals in philanthropy. Want to meet up with FLiPs in Boston? Post on the group. Want to bring the arts and culture fundraisers together for a drink? Post on the group. Looking for a mentor? Post on the group!

We think the group is getting to be big enough to be a great resource. Let’s take it for a test drive and see what it can do.

September 15, 2007 - Craigslist Nonprofit Bootcamp returns to New York!

Want to learn about the basics of the nonprofit sector, fundraising, technology and social entrepreneurship? Darian Rodriguez Heyman and our good friends at the Craigslist Foundation are back in New York to host a follow up to last year’s smashing success.

Interested in this year’s big event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music? Check out the details here.