Art that did Good

Greetings!

I want to tell you all about an exhibit that I'm working to develop with the Sonoma County Museum.  My inspiration for it came from a longing to recognize the contribution that a group of teenagers and their mentors at Evolution Art Institute made many years ago when a summer of energy resulted in dozens of struggling nonprofits receiving silk-screened t-shirts which promoted their causes.  It was a small part of a public employment program called CETA, and quite a few of the students pursued careers as artists.  For years, I wore the t-shirt that was made for the agency I ran in Cotati (KAIROS), and I would often see the t-shirts made for the other agencies.  In the history of social activism in Sonoma County, I thought this artistic effort deserved recognition.

But there is no history of the contributions by Sonoma County artists to social activism.  Earlier this year, I mentioned to a fellow board member my interest in getting old colleagues to see if we could dig those t-shirts out of the bottom of their dressers.  I imagined a clothes line full of organizational t-shirts promoting social activism.    My friend mentioned it to the Museum Director, and he contacted me.  It seems that he was also thinking of an exhibit celebrating the history of art in social activism.

Let's set some ground rules.  Artists in Sonoma County have long supported social activism by donating their work to raise operating money at fundraisers.  There's too many of those to include in the exhibit.  How about we narrow the entries to "artistry which motivated us to engage in works of social good"?  I want all of you to think back over Sonoma County's recent history (let's say 50 years), and come up with examples for the exhibit.  Contact me at gfearon@sonic.net or call t 546-5771 if you have ideas for me to pursue.

Gregory Fearon

Parks in the Clouds

Greetings!

My generation of adventure leaders has struggled over the past few years with how to engage the next generation in our work.  While climate change, recycling, and reducing pollution have proven popular, few new younger volunteers have chosen to spend time outdoors in support of our parks, forests, rivers, beaches, and wilderness areas.  We wonder whether harder working lives and fewer hours for leisure have led most to choose online fantasy worlds, and fear the loss of direct connections to nature.

Lately, I've been exploring how some are helping build bridges between the two worlds.

For many years, I have supported and led an organization dedicated to preserving public access to, and protecting the environment of, the California Coast.  The work of Coastwalk California has provided innovative, cloud-based information essential to the use and preservation of one of California's most important natural resources.  Online maps, text, and photos from its most passionate hikers and revelers have engaged a broad range of new users.  Kept up-to-date through a variety of evolving, volunteer -focused coastal defenders, the organization has continued to explore the latest online tools to share knowledge and stimulate participation.

I believe that some recent advances in online data collection and location-based education hold great promise to bring the web closer to our world.  This spring, I participated in several regional and national conferences sponsored by companies and nonprofits devoted to developing stronger ties between technology innovators and those with causes.

Most of the talk centered on new methods to utilize social media platforms with limited budgets and staffing.  One answer being explored was how to help more organizations utilize the energy and creativity of new online volunteers in marketing, fundraising, and promoting new partnerships to promote the organization.  Another specialty area seems to be those whose tools and approaches are aimed at reaching and engaging those with smart phones and other mobile devices.

Like most who attend these conferences, I was looking for solutions to all of our problems in a simple answer.  Coastwalk has enough challenges presently without my introducing yet another new adventure.  To make matters more complex, my work with another nonprofit (Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods) meant I was looking for tools which could be useful in managing a 5,000 acre park we were agreeing to operate from the State Parks Department rather than see it closed.  Find me an online resource, utilizing knowledgeable volunteers, centrally-supervised, which improves our management of the resource, and provides initial interpretive information to online and onsite visitors easily.

Two innovations fall into that category:  Google's suite of new tools for Nonprofits, including  Spreadsheet Mapper; and Canogle.com's Connect Naturally.  Both address the needs my organizations have to better record and display key information about specific site locations in pursuit of protecting the resources while encouraging responsible access.  Both expand our ability to utilize lightly-supervised volunteers, and can assist in the training of dedicated interpreters and naturalist activists.

Google's Innovations
Well-known for encouraging their staff to spend time developing new uses of their resources, it wasn't surprising at all to see their arrival in May at NTEN's national conference with lots of energy focused on assisting nonprofits to utilize the latest versions of Google Earth, Drive, YouTube, Site and Maps.  Clearly, the message they brought to the conference was that they were being encouraged to make it as easy as possible for Google to become a major resource to assist nonprofits in reaching their missions.  Among the presentations they gave was one in which they demonstrated a simplified approach to placing large quantities of text, photos, audio and video into Google Earth and Maps in order to tell the stories of locations.  I believe these tools will assist Coastwalk California to connect users to the California Coastal Trail, and support our efforts to protect and provide access to it.

Canogle's Connect Naturally
Canogle's website services delivers geocontent about park areas and properties to GPS-enabled smart phones.  Their customizable publishing platform allows land stewards to easily publish and update information about specific points of interest, creates customized tours and resource-directed databases, and delivers trail maps and park-related news in real time.  I think Stewards can utilize these tools to help us expand and manage volunteers in Austin Creek Nature Reserve, and bring a new level of interpretive services to visitors.  I'm also thinking that sections of the California Coastal Trail, where either local issues could be highlighted, or routing cautions are important, would make good use of this tool.

San Mateo Coast

 

This shot was taken in front of the Taco Bell in Pacifica. what a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Gregory

The War Around Us

Greetings!

If you needed any more evidence of the increasing gap between the super-rich and everyone else in America, you just needed to be conscious and listening to the political news over the past few weeks. It has been an exercise in power and political control by those who will gain from the extension of the Bush tax cuts.

And for everyone else? To be told it's just a good thing that some compromise was achieved or else the stockings would be completely empty this Christmas - this is what we should be thankful for?

Let's recount. The latest exercise in power begins when, at the peak of an economic boom, a mostly illegitimate President and Congress decide to lower taxes on the rich to stimulate the economy. The dot.com bust arrives, and so does Bin Laden. Restoring hopes and dreams, the feds lower interest rates, and everyone offers mortgages to anyone who breathes.

The smart money bets it will implode. When it does, they take the banks. The banks get us to bail them out, and fight all efforts to prevent it from happening again. When we demand to limit some paychecks, they decide to just keep the cash in their reserves.

Loans dry up, businesses don't expand, jobs go away, and the Republicans get elected on a pledge to eliminate government and lower the debt. But first, they hold unemployment relief hostage to their desire to extend low taxes for the rich and raise the debt.

Once they take office in January, they'll claim the high debt is the reason why they have to eliminate most government benefit programs, cut state and local subsidies, and slash government employment.

And these Republican initiatives will be cheered on by those who think that less government means more jobs for them. If we just returned to the days when government was not on our backs, we'd all be rich and happy.

If ever there was a war that was won by getting the soldiers on the other side to turn against their leaders, believe that it was better to be governed by the opposition, and voluntarily lay down their arms, it is happening here and now. So thoroughly have the rich convinced Americans that, not only did the tax cuts stimulate lots of new jobs, but that Americans voted Obama into office with only two years to overcome a decade of Republican work. Failing to do so, government is the problem and it should be abolished.

I just can't wait to see what the rich have in store for us next.

Gregory

Important CMS Feature

Greetings!

A key feature I am looking for in content management software (CMS) for Coastwalk is the ability to acquire, store, and utilize information about registrants involved in events hosted by the organization. To engage members and others in dayhikes and multi-day adventures along the California Coast, and to hold fundraising activities in a variety of locations and designs, we need our CMS be able to serve the administrative needs of those events.

Our initial examination of a CMS (NEON by Z2Systems) referred to us by a colleague agency looks good. We have explored its use in a trial period, and are now looking to see if other CMS packages can provide the same capabilities.

Newsletters from NPOs in my Email

Greetings!

Who is using what constituent relationship management software to send me emails? Here are the results from the past two months:

ConstantContact.com
Constant Contact Link
EveryTrail.com
Climate Protection Campaign
UnTours
IWalk Volunteer Center of Sonoma County
Social Advocates for Youth

IContact.com
IContact Link
The-Rep.com
TripFilms.com


Z2systems.com
Z2Systems Link
Sebastopol Community Center

Network for Good - EMailNow
Network for Good Email Now Link
Charitynavigator.com
Greenbelt Alliance

Relevant Tools.com
Relevant Tools Link
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods

Vertical Response
Vertical Response Link
Canal Alliance
Fudge for Supervisor

Convio.com
Convio Link
TechSoup.org
HRC.org – Joe Solmonese Hman Right Campaign,
Preschool California

Patron Mail
Patron Mail
6stplay.com – Sixth Street Playhouse

PHPList
PHP List Link
Gaygames.com

Your Mailing Provider
Your Mailing Provider Link
EcomNets
Center for Creative Land Recycling (cclr.org.

SwiftPages
Swift Pages Link
Old Course Experience

Jane Goodall Insitute – Using CivicCRM (Drupal) – example at Jane Goodall Link - and a description of their work on an activism module - http://drupal.org/project/activism

Using their own Software:
MoveOn.org – Steven Biel, Lenore, Kat, Wes
Democrats.com
IFC.com - Independent Film Channel
CaliforniaOneCare.org – Andrew McGuire
LinkedIn.com
NTEN.org
Environment California.org
League of Conservation Voters
geocaching.com
Classmates.com
Netflix.com
Barakobama.com
NCMUG.org

In addition, I have discovered:

CiviCRM, SalesForce, and SugarCRM. IdealWare has an interesting examination of this type of online communication software at:www.Idealware.org/crm

Online Organizational Communication

Greetings!

Following up on our interest in learning more about what nonprofits are using to communicate with their members and donors, I decided to move in three directions at once (yes, I know that sounds awkward, but it actually brings more to the whole than the sum of the parts):

1. Listen to some webinars and online tutorials detailing the features of online contact management software (CMS).
2. Examine my own email over the past month to determine what has driven the donor and member communications.
3. Investigate the current uses and features of the CMS being used by Coastwalk California (which I'm President of the Board).

I'm also going to build a list of the CMS being used by Sonoma County nonprofits by searching their websites, and querying their IT staff. I'll probably join the email lists of many of them, in order to both learn more about them, explore what software is being used, and find good examples to mentor nonprofits who have expressed an interest in improving their communications. By tomorrow, I hope to be able to have more complete information which can guide me in further research.