I attended the preview screening for “Black in America 2, Soledad O’Brien Reports”, a CNN four-hour documentary that premieres on July 22 with “Tomorrow’s Leaders” and July 23 with “Today’s Pioneers.”  I encourage you to watch this two-part series as it features extraordinary programs that serve as highly successful and replicable models. While I was inspired by all six, I was particularly touched by an initiative Malaak Compton-Rock started at the Bushwick Brooklyn Salvation Army Community Center called Journey for Change. Thirty children were chosen to participate.  First they served their own community and then had a two-week service trip to a South African township. Read the Journey for Change blog to see what these kids have learned and what they... more

I am not surprised by today’s story in The New York Times about Russians not clamoring to see President Obama as people have in other countries.  While even the U.S. still has to grapple with zenophobia, closed nations with state-controlled media are even more distrustful of “the other.”  My Bubby and Zayde (grandmother and grandfather in Yiddish) escaped the Tsarist pogroms with my then-young uncle Mersh.  More recently, we’ve seen how Chenchens, and Ossetians and Abkhazians have been treated by Russia.  We have a long way to go in our own country, but at least we have the advantages of an open society where we freely can voice dissent.  But I believe whether here or in other nations, ethnic violence is based... more

I gave the Graduation Commencement Speaker at Southern New Hampshire University’s International Program of their Graduate School of Community Economic Development today. The students are practitioners from around the world who already have made significant contributions to development efforts in many nations. With the Masters of Science in International Community Economic Development they received at this degree ceremony, they will leverage their ability to achieve even greater accomplishments. After an excerpt of my remarks, also watch video clips of graduate speeches.  Also post your comments about successful economic development efforts, whether by corporations, governments or NGOs. Keeping with the spirit of international cooperation fostered in this graduate program, rather than choosing a single student to make commencement remarks, a group did a... more

I am honored to be one of those interviewed in the full-length documentary “Barack Obama: People’s President” that also features interviews with other media analysts, scholars, journalists and activists. In this 40-sec video excerpt from the film, I speak about the campaign’s innovative strategy of connecting on-line social networking with off-line community organizing at the local, state and national level. I am a strong advocate for people from all sectors – public and private – to utilize this type of integration to increase their ability to achieve their respective missions. DVD of the film is available at Choices.

We will assess how various types of potential grantors from different sectors look at potential grantees and analyze critical determinants. We explore these perspectives with guest panelists Westina Matthews-Shatteen, Managing Director Merrill Lynch; Jacob Lief, President & co-Founder Ubuntu Education Fund; Elizabeth Sackler, President & CEO Arthur M. Sackler Foundation in the NYU graduate course I created and teach annually.  Watch two- to three-minute video clips of each and if you have interest in seeing more of the discussion contact us. Also, post your comments on the philanthropic perspectives of corporations, foundations, individuals or others.

Development does not take place in a vacuum; it is intertwined inextricably with every aspect of the comprehensive institutional integrity. The whole always is greater than the sum of the parts: leveraged synergy advances specific sub-objectives. We will explore how to create and sustain horizontal and vertical collaboration for integrated organizational leadership. With guest panelists Kofi Boateng, COO of Africa America Institute, Bill Bohnett, Board member of Synergos Institute and Kona Goulet, Devlopment Director of EnlightenNext we explore this topic in the NYU graduate course I created and teach annually. Watch two- to three-minute video clips of each and if you have interest in seeing more of the discussion contact us.

We explore how, regardless of your organization’s size, length of time in existence or level of expertise, you can begin to utilize or expand upon your current use of the myriad web-based options that can increase the effectiveness of your organizational initiatives and help you sustain them. Guest panelists Danny Moldovan, Change.org; Sarah Durham, Big Duck ; and Frankie Cheung, DonorsChoose.org describe various strategies and tools for different needs, depending upon capacity.  Watch two- to three-minute video clips of each and if you have interest in seeing more of the discussion contact us. Also post your comments on how you use the internet to advance your cause-related strategies and initiatives, whether you are with a corporation, a foundation, a government or any other public or private... more

We explore the centrality of distilling, understanding, consistently adhering to and communicating your core mission in every aspect of strategic planning and project implementation. Nadine B. Hack, beCause President, has advised organizations and individuals from different sectors – business, non-profit, government – for over three decades. Regardless of what need or problem they initially ask for assistance in resolving almost always they have a more comprehensive need or larger problem than the specific issue they originally think. Most often, key stakeholders of organizations – regardless of their size, length of time in existence or level of sophisticated expertise – lack a clear jointly-shared grasp of and commitment to their core mission. Then, whenever we do a thorough analysis of drilling deep... more

The purpose of the course I created for and teach annually at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service is to create a framework to conceptualize and subsequently engage in development as an integral component of capacity building. Development conveys the significant scope of strategic planning and creative yet disciplined execution required for effective sustainable results. I designed the course for those who engage in development from any perspective: as a grant maker or seeker – individual, corporate, foundation, NGO or other – at global, national or local levels. My premise is that development is most successful when approached within the synergy of overall institutional organizational coherence. This principle holds true at all times, but is particularly significant during difficult economic times... more