#26acts of kindness

I have felt sick since I first heard the news about the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. Sick because I have two young children, sick because I have a husband that is a high school administrator and I worry about his safety everyday, and sick because these tragedies have become common occurances. When these things happen, I usually spend hours watching the news, trying to put together the pieces, and putting myself in the shoes of parents who have suffered an unbearable loss. I couldn’t do it this time, it just hurt too much.

I’m calling for a new response when the worst happens. I’ve seen how we can rise up during tragedies. After the 35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, thusands of people sent in donations to help the families affected put together the pieces. We all felt better because we did our part to help heal the wound but I want us to take it one step further. I want us to also take one small step to prevent the worst from happening again. If every single one of us got out of our media fueled depression and took just one step to prevent the next tragedy from happening and told everyone we connect with what that step was, I think we would be shocked by the impact.

So here are some ideas:

If you would like to make a gift help the families impacted  make a gift to:

Sandy Hook School Support Fund
c/o Newtown Savings Bank
39 Main Street
Newtown CT 06470
To donate online, go to https://newtown.uwwesternct.org

and then send that same amount to an organization that is working to prevent similar tragedies in your community.

If you feel like easy access to guns caused this then make a gift to a gun buy back program or to the Brady Campaign that is working on national gun policy,

If you think that mental health issues are to blame then support a local orgaization that is providing mental health services in your community. A Minnesota example is Crisis Connection, a great national example is the National Alliance for Mental Illness.

Your support doesn’t just have to be financial. Send a card to the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Co, who were the first responders to the crisis and thank them for their incredible bravery during a crisis:

Sandy Hook Vol. Fire and Rescue
18-20 Riverside Rd/Po Box 783
Sandy Hook, CT  06482

and then write a letter thanking your local firefighters a letter thanking them for putting their lives on the line for our community everyday.

Reach out to parents that are struggling with their children’s mental illness, bring them a dinner or just understand how hard it is to be in their shoes.

Then encourage your friends, real and virtual to do the same. After you’ve taken your first step to help our communities heal, update your Twitter or Facebook status with the tag #26acts and the tragedy that your action is in response to this will encourage people that are feeling powerless to remember that wach of us has the power to do something about this.  The only way to get rid of darkness is to shine a light on it, so let’s get shining.

More information about the #26acts movement can be found here.

Please help spread this idea by sharing this post with your network and taking your first action.

So you're on a panel, what are you going to wear?

It is fall conference season and that means many of you will be attending conferences in full force both on the stage and in the audience. If you will be speaking at a conference, remember that your appearance often speaks louder than your words. Here is some advice about how to look your best:

1) What is your role? Are you a program associate or a CEO? Are you representing an established organization or are you with a start up? Knowing your role helps you determine what look you should project.

2) Audience Will there be 10 people in the room or 500. Knowing the audience size helps you pick an outfit that helps you stand out but not overwhelm.

3) Logistics Will you sitting in tall chairs or standing behind a podium. Figuring this out before will ensure that you don’t wear a pencil skirt and have to try to jump into a tall chair or non-matching socks that show as soon as you cross your legs (I’ve seen both, by the way).

4) Colors Find out what the backdrop looks like (ask your friend that’s on the planning committee). Try to make sure that you don’t clash with the colors that they are using.

5) Be comfortable Speaking at a conference is not the time to try new clothes. The last thing you need is shoes pinching or a shirt with buttons that come undone. Wear something that you know feels good and that makes you feel great. Uncomfortable clothes can make you look awkward and people are less likely to listen to what you are saying if you are spending the whole presentation adjusting your collar.

For great advice on professional clothing choices, check out the Corporate Fashionista Blog.

What's Your Platform?

During this election season, there is a lot of talk about political platforms but how much thinking have you done about your own platform to share ideas? Whether you are a program assistant at a community center or the CEO of a foundation, you probably have big ideas about how to solve the problems that you see in the world. If you didn’t, you probably would have picked a different field to work in. The best idea for change in the world doesn’t mean much if no one hears about it, except for you and your cat.

This idea of branding and building a platform for do gooders has been keeping me up at night. My greatest frustration is that all of the great marketing goes to the dumbest ideas, e.g. the marketing muscle that went into Snookie’s book “It’s a Shore Thing” (no link purposefully given because I am trying to save all of our brain cells). Where is that sort of marketing might when it comes to the recent college grad who is building a performance company to use improv to bring public policy ideas to life or the author who is breaking the mold on what a donor looks like or the organization that is building a nation-wide green economy by seeing residents of the inner-city as a solution, not the problem? Since they don’t have million dollar marketing budgets and prime-time commercials, I thought it was time to build a do-it-yourself movement for good idea marketing. I’ve built a branding book of the month club to help all of us spend some extra time building our brand. Not so you can be the next reality tv star but  so your great ideas can get the light of day. Learn more here. 

Are you building the business of you?

 I am looking for social entrepreneurs, nonprofit rockstars, and all around do gooders that are trying to build the reach of their book, speaking career, consulting business or other business enterprise to participate in a 30-45 minute interview by phone. Participants will be rewarded for their generosity of time with a signed copy of "How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar" for themselves and a copy to be donated to the University of their choice.

If you are interested in participating in a call, send me an email (tristaharris at gmail.com) with the subject line: phone interview

In the body of the email please list:

Name

Type of business (speaker, author, etc.)

Number of years you have had this business

Please share this widely with your network.

Playing B-Ball with Obama: 6 Steps to Crossing Anything Off Your Bucket List

I am a big believer in "the bigger the goal, the more likely that you can accomplish it." There is a lot less competition for big, hairy audacious goals, everyone is too focused on achieving the mediocre. I read this amazing post at the Four Hour Work Week blog and it takes the idea of big goals to the next level. From Tim Ferriss:

If you want a lesson in boldness, and to cross things off of your bucket list, there is no better teacher than Ben Nemtin.

His story, and that of the entire Buried Life team, is amazing.

It started with a list of 100 things and a planned two-week roadtrip. Along the way, Ben has somehow managed to play basketball with Obama, throw the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game, delivery a baby (not his), make the biggest roulette spin in Vegas’ history, and much more.

Most recently, they crossed off #19: Write a bestselling book. Their debut, What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?, just hit #1 on The New York Times, which will be announced officially April 15th. To celebrate? They’re sending a copy of the book into space.

It all seems unbelievable, which is exactly why I love this guest post from Ben.

This original content covers his 6 steps for crossing anything off of your personal bucket list. There is a method. Everyone needs a kick in the ass sometimes, and this did it for me. Read the six steps here.