Looking for a Spark...No, not like that!

Submitted by David B. Crowley on Mon, 06/25/2012 - 3:23pm

We were looking for a spark to start this final week of our fiscal year, to help us raise the final $6,300 we need to get to our goal of $30,000 for our 10th Anniversary Leadership Fund. The lightning that struck by our office, setting a power line on fire, wasn’t exactly what we had in mind. Can you help provide the spark we really need?

Sparks of inspiration may fly frequently, but it takes leadership and relationships to convert a spark into sustained action. A cold winter night in Dorchester prompted Jaquan to mention to the other SCI Dorchester Youth Council teens that it was supposed to a very cold winter. They started talking about how in this economy people were struggling to meet basic needs. Trained to act on problems they see, the council quickly devised plans for a coat drive. Guided by the AmeriCorps member who mentored them, the Council developed an action plan that resulted in 600 winter coats being given out a few weeks later. One recipient, who clearly didn’t have enough clothing to stay warm, said simply, “This coat drive is a godsend”.
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9 Tips for Putting Social Capital Into Action

Submitted by David B. Crowley on Fri, 06/22/2012 - 5:06am

Over 80 Massachusetts philanthropists gathered this week at Brandeis Unversity to explore the topic "Social Captial in Action", the theme of this year's Associated Grantmakers of Massachusetts annual meeting. Needless to say, I was pleased that the local funding community is focusing on this topic. I was happy to have a chance to moderate a panel following Tom Sander's excellent keynote presentation on the subject. Tom is the Executive Director of the Saguaro Seminar for Civic Engagement. He got everyone up to speed on some of the basic social capital definitions and trends, then focused on implications for funders. Tom also previewed some disturbing new data suggesting a widening "opportunty gap" among social classes in America. (This live blog of a recent talk by Robert Putnam provides more information on this research.) After hearing Tom's talk, we were all ready to think about ways we might build social capital and address the problems he framed.Read more

10 Year Results and Stories

Submitted by David B. Crowley on Thu, 06/14/2012 - 8:04am

Wow, it's hard to believe it's been over two months since our 10th Anniversary Social Capitalist Luncheon! One of the great things about it was the chance to gather stories and data from our ten years of community building. Like any big event, getting ready for it was a very busy period; yet it also afforded a nice opportunity to reflect on where we've been and what we've accomplished. I'd intended to post shortly afterward about some of the results we shared with our Luncheon guests...better late than never! Here's a summary of what we've done over the past ten years, by the numbers:Read more

Social Media Team Launch Meeting

Submitted by Miriam Bernstein on Tue, 06/05/2012 - 2:58pm

Calling all social media mavens!

 

SCI is trying to take its social media to another level through volunteers willing to utilize their social media networks and amplify our messages reach.

 

Join us at our Social Media Team Launch Meeting to brainstorm and plan how to create an effective team. We hope that a number of people joining the brainstorming session will be interested in serving on the team; but attending the meeting does not mean you are committing to signing up for the role. So feel free to come share your ideas and learn more about our plans for the social media team!

 

When:  Friday, June 15, 2012 at 12:00pm-1:00pm

Where: Boys & Girls Club of Woburn (Library), 1 Charles Gardner Lane Woburn, MA 01801 

Lunch will be provided!

 

RSVP:  http://sciteam.eventbrite.com/

If you are unable to attend in person you can follow along and contribute on Twitter #sciteam

8 Community Building Lessons from the Farm

Submitted by David B. Crowley on Sat, 05/26/2012 - 5:36am

Want to learn some good tips for engaging volunteers and building community at your organization? Perhaps you should spend a morning at a local farm like I did yesterday! We wanted to get better acquainted with Nina and Archie McIntyre after Nina had come to one of our events awhile back. They offered to show us around Wright-Locke Farm (which I'll call "the farm" throughout this post) in nearby Winchester, MA, where they are passionate volunteer leaders. We suspected that there might be practical ways SCI might be able to connect with the farm around volunteer opportunities and some projects we are doing related to healthy food and community building.Read more