Since 2007, I’ve been writing on civil society, philanthropy, social enterprise, and public diplomacy in various places around the web. You can read the full collection here.
Blog
Since 2007: Musings on Philanthropy and Public Diplomacy
Pennies for Charity and Copper for Government?
Canada getting rid of the penny has given me some good food for thought over the past few days, particularly since there has been promotion of charities using their ‘drive’ mentality to collect pennies from the public as a fundraising mechanism. The thought of charities competing for all of Canada’s pennies is what gave me the initial chuckle. Some organizations have always used a penny drive to raise money, but others will just see the opportunity for new amounts of money…and alas, we have the Great Canadian Penny...
read morePursuing Legacy
“I hate it when people call themselves “entrepreneurs” when what they’re really trying to do is launch a start-up and then sell or go public, so they can cash in and move on. They’re unwilling to do the work it takes to build a real company, which is the hardest work in the business. That’s how you really make a contribution and add to the legacy of those who went before. You build a company that will still stand for something a generation or two from now.” Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs, p. 569 Say what you want about Steve...
read moreSocial Enterprises Require the Build-to-Keep Crowd, Too.
The lure of technology lies in its dynamism. The development of sleeker hardware and faster software lingers just around the corner, fueling the competitive desire to get to it first. Within the organizations birthed by this drive, the lights are dim, the drive is high, and snacks abound to keep you energized. It’s this type of drive, curiosity and competition that brings some technology entrepreneurs, as investors, to the world of social enterprise. Simply the language we use (“emerging”, “frontier”, and “impact”) lends...
read moreIt’s about nuances, not breakthroughs
Public diplomacy is something I love and I think, something I practice, but not in the way I ever thought I would. Today’s Globe and Mail article on Allan Gotlieb provided a beautiful snapshot of why I enjoy it so much. (Emphasis is my own.) Diplomacy in the digital age means having the knowledge to challenge the infinity of data, Mr. Gotlieb said. It means there is a premium on having a superb knowledge of the country to which the diplomat is posted, and its players. He said foreign policy is all about nuances;...
read moreBeyond Micro-credit: What’s Next?
I had the privilege of helping to open the Calgary Microcredit Conference this past weekend on a panel with Mark Durieux, University of Calgary, and Rupert Scofield, FINCA where we provided our thoughts to answer the day’s question and conference theme: Microcredit and Beyond – The Emerging Wave of Social Business & Social Entrepreneurship. On a Saturday morning, two hundred Calgarians turned out to think through the opportunities that microcredit, and more broadly, microfinance, has provided over the past thirty years, and to deal...
read moreThe Privilege of Doing Good
I winced slightly during the opening session of SOCAP and wondered if I’d wandered into another variation of dealing with white man’s guilt. Phrases like “changed forever”, “southeast Asia”, “compelled to do something”, and “Peace Corps” sounded like the clichés of philanthropy and of international development. I thought, perhaps, that we were here to do something new, with a new perspective, and that we’d traveled beyond some of these sentiments. Like my colleagues who have written their reflections on SOCAP, I gleaned...
read moreIs Canada Immune?
It’s easy to get a bit self-satisfied North of the border – especially, when we look South and think, “at least that’s not us.” The past two days of the market and guidance from world institutions show us that it’s not as rosy as our glasses would like us to see. Good Labs new ‘no-charts’ let me convey this quite simply. It’s addictive fun and my next one might use a photo of Tom...
read moreNine Eleven at Amerika-mura
After a decade of moving between countries, I’m finally in a space with all my “stuff”. The photos and journals that collected at my parents house are now with me. After ten years, I took a look at the words I wrote and images I captured on nine eleven and the days following. From Wednesday, September 12, 2001 (in Japan) In the past two weeks, I have become aware of my “American-ness”. Was I aware before? To a lesser degree maybe. But being “the foreigner” I have to come to accept that term...
read moreHP TouchPad & the craze of “Winning”
At 9:00 p.m. on August 22nd, when I entered the hunt for a HP Touch for $99, I’d already lost. The HP TouchPad frenzy of the past week was sparked by Hewlett Packard’s announcement that they will no longer continue to produce the tablet. It was fanned when they slashed prices to $99 for 16gb and $149gb and set off a world-wide buying frenzy. Even though I knew I was late, I couldn’t help but get swept up by the hunt. (I’m competitive and written here on how ‘extreme couponing’ seems to run in the...
read moreJust Swing: Does golf really have lessons for everything?
My husband is a very good golfer. I played on my high school team. But that was ages ago. Yesterday, at the driving range, in hopes of improving my swing and shots I kept asking my husband for pointers. Should I move my feet? Are my knees bent? Am I moving too much? Usually a very exacting guy, gave me three bits of wisdom that drove me nuts. (Why can’t he just answer my questions?) And they prompted me to consider how they might change the work we do in philanthropy and social enterprise. Keep Your Head Down A golfer...
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