It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.  Robert F. Kennedy – 1966

“Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.” ~ Joel Barker

If you’d like to hear me talk about me, my faith, Intersection Creative Strategies, Laundry Love Santa Ana, 511, baby making, making tough decisions,Seattle, productivity, the will of God, limericks, software, GoDaddy, music, Santa Ana, the interwebz, ROI, Souplantation, community development and a whole host of other fun things check out Darin’s hard hitting interview of me on the Orbiter. Also, against the white backdrop, my hair looks really gray and I need a hair cut.

Most of you know that my company helps non profits and social enterprises develop effective communication strategies.  We also help with the implementation of those strategies.  So I was pretty excited when the organizers of Cultivate 2011 reached out and asked me to be a part of their very unique conference.

Rather than just getting experts to talk up front, they are bringing in a panel after each short talk to discuss implementation and contextualization. This is really a passion of mine and I am excited to help lead those discussions. Many friends and folks I really respect will be either speaking or a part of various panels including Charles Lee and Mark Horvath.

The line up appears to be geared towards the faith based sector but it is being marketed heavily towards the general non profit market as well.  Regardless of which camp you fit into, if you are looking to better communicate, market, fund raise, etc I am quite certain that this will be a rewarding experience.

If you will be there, please let me know so we can be sure to grab a cup of coffee or some tequila.

Related events

• : Cultivate Conference
• Date: Wednesday, May 4th 2011 - Thursday, May 5th 2011
• Time: 8:00am
• City: Cultivate Conference in Huntington Beach
• Venue: First Christian Church
• Address: 1207 Main St, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
• Country: United States
• Admission: $129-$159
• Age restrictions: All Ages
• Notes: I will be joining with some great folks to talk about implementing new communications strategies in non profit and faith based settings.
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

Isaiah 58:6-14 (MSG)

6 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.

7 What I’m interested in seeing you do is:

sharing your food with the hungry,

inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.

8 Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.

9 Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places
“If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,

10 If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

11 I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.

12 You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.

Man oh man. I’ve got a ways to go…

During the holiday season and going into the New Year, many of you will be considering where to make your year end gifts.  Inspired by my friend Dan (who I often think is inside my brain), I thought I would share with you a few organizations I have worked with in one capacity or another, either through my consulting work, or as a volunteer.  I have seen that these organizations have a commitment to excellence, to being good stewards of the resources so generously invested in them and truly make an impact in the lives of those they serve.  In the interest of full disclosure, some of the organizations have paid me at one time or another, but I am not currently under contract with them and all thoughts here come from my observations of them first hand.

Project Hope School Foundation

The foundation supports the school (go figure).  They have a different model than many programs but having had the chance to spend time with the kids, heard from graduates and hang out with the staff, I can say, the model is strong.  Homeless and at risk kids get an education from people who understand the unique struggles that they go through.  Families get support and advice.  They were recently featured in a documentary on kids living in motels that was aired all summer on HBO that I would strongly suggest you take a look at.

Renewing Hearts

With focus on the hurting, abandoned, broken, addicted and an innovative model, this small local (in Orlando, Florida) to rally therapists and other mental health professionals around the country to help just one pro bono or reduced fee client.  They hope to serve as a clearing house to make sure that clients receive top notch care and service providers don’t have to take non stop calls from people looking for free services.  They are in the early planning stages of how this system will be implemented but continue to provide reduced fee and free services at their center in Orlando as well as through a network of other non profits and churches in the region.

Laundry Love Santa Ana

They work with the homeless and at risk community throughout Santa Ana.  They provide laundry services, but more importantly, they provide an fun and friendly environment where those dealing with the crushing emotional toll of poverty can enjoy themselves for a little while and can connect with people from various Orange County businesses, non profits and the faith community.  In doing so they provide many opportunities that arise organically from job offerings to service connections to new found friendships.

Salem Christian Homes

They provide residential care facilities to those with disabilities.  While this is cause generally only supported by families of those affected and government agencies, this organization really impressed me.  The focus on empowering an often written off and forgotten community.  The idea that no matter ones background they should be pushed to reach their full potential.  The level of passion viewed as I worked with the staff.  I was floored by this organization in a way I really was not expecting.  I think that with the right budget invested in the advocacy and awareness side of their organization they can dramatically impact how the world views people who have disabilities.

Give well. Give often.

Giving is good for the soul.  It is good for society.  The organizations here are a great start.  I believe they have a ton of potential and that they operate at a high standard of integrity.  Who are your favorite organizations?  Anyone we should have on radar?

A couple weeks ago I promised to share how I am able to do as much as I do.  I was planning on focusing on productivity and technology, but I wanted to touch briefly on inspiration and motivation because these are the true reasons I pursue solutions to accomplish more.

Vision

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said, “If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”

The importance of vision, direction, purpose, goals, etc.cannot be overstated.   Without a destination, even the most advanced navigation system is just a worthless box.

We have our Family Mission statement and my company has a vision.  I am working on my personal vision as well.

Prioritize

Apple has about ten products and has a market cap the size of many competitors with hundreds of products.

Jesus worked on the Sabbath.  When Jack Wench took over GE he sold or closed every business they had that was not either number one or had a good chance to be within a couple years.

Paul, at the end of his life, recognized he has put it all on the line, there was nothing left.  He did not coast through his “retirement” years.

I try to make all my decisions based on the priorities spelled out in these vision statements.

Learn. A lot.

No one knows everything.  Even if you are the exception to this rule, disruptive changes are happening in nearly every industry on earth right now.

The most prolific and accomplished people in history have always been the Renaissance men (and women of course).   Individuals who dabbled in multiple disciplines, interact in multiple cultural contexts, engage with people even when they do not agree (especially when they don’t agree).

So that’s how I do it.  How do you stay focused?

At Laundry Love Santa Ana on Thursday, there was a woman who said some disparaging things about “the people who started this thing.”  Being one of “those people” I took this a bit personal.  I was a little angry and a little hurt that someone would question my motives or accuse me of being unfair.  Intellectually, I understand that she was not entirely well and that she has a reputation for starting fights for fun, but I still could hear what she was saying (;

Five things happened within 24 hours that made me realize I should not let that situation impact me the way it did…

1. One guy from Civic Center told me a bit of his story, especially as it relates to violence directed towards those experiencing homelessness.  He is a veteran and just got approved for his pension after over a year living on the streets.  He smiled from ear to ear as he described the tiny studio apartment he was moving into the first of the month.  He also told me that it was things like Laundry Love Santa Ana, that made the awful things bearable.
2. Another friend who is homeless shared (to nearly everyone multiple times, he was so excited) that he was into his third month of being clean.  Such a huge accomplishment and such an amazing opportunity to walk with him through this difficult time.
3. A brand new volunteer told me that anytime there is something good happening, there will be opposition to it.  So I guess that means we are on the right track!
4. A volunteer asked me for relationship advice.  This may seem out of place here, but from early on, the thing that I have been most excited about Laundry Love Santa Ana is the intersection point it has become. A community of so many different people from so many different backgrounds.  And as communities grow, people start reaching out to each other.  The fact that this guy felt he could talk to me about his relationship, when we met through Laundry Love, means that something real is happening at the laundromat.
5. I went for a late night diaper run to CVS by my house about two miles from the laundromat.  There was a guy out front asking for money.  I didn’t have any cash on me, but asked if he minded change.  Had some coins in my car. After giving him like 40 cents in pennies I told him about Laundry Love Santa Ana.  His face lit up.  He and his wife appeared to live in their car.  He showed me his trunk with was VERY full of dirty clothes.  He gave me a firm handshake and thanked me.  Not sure he even remembered the change at that point, the thought of someone helping him with laundry was just overwhelming.

I am a slow learner, I am stubborn and I have a short attention span, so learning a lesson takes some clear butt whooping, which evidently I got.  Ever have something slammed in your face so blatantly?

A little over a year ago, at one of the 511 Sunday night gatherings, a group of us decided to try out one of these Laundry Love Projects we had heard about.  Now here it is a year later.  The last year has been an exciting adventure that has genuinely impacted a lot of lives, especially my family’s as we serve in this project.

I would love to invite you out to join the Laundry Love Santa Ana team for the one year anniversary.  It’s going to be a great party as well as another opportunity to connect with the people of Santa Ana.

Check out the Laundry Love Santa Ana website for more details!

Working on a new, still undercover, initiative.  It has the potential to be one of the biggest things I have ever pulled off.  By the same token, it has the potential to be the most colossal failure.

The interesting thing, though, to me, is the ease at which the early stage things are going.  I am crazy.  I have crazy ideas, like, at least, once a week.  Realistically, this one is far crazier than many of the other ones that have never made it past the “google to make sure I didn’t read about it and then think it was my idea because I was up way past my bedtime when I read it” stage, or the “tell my wife I think it would be cool if someone did (insert crazy idea here) and have her tell me I need to focus on the last 4 ideas that she didn’t think were WAY TOO crazy to consider pursuing, prior to even thinking about this one” stage.

So here is my theory.  I think people won’t invest time or resources in something small.  If they think it could be done alone, then they have no reason to get involved.  They wonder why I don’t just make it happen.  They wonder why someone else hasn’t already done it, if it is truly valuable and truly simple.

So lots of (I think) good ideas get cast aside simply because I:

• cannot focus
• do not have much capital
• am fearful of being too far outside the box
• am more and more risk averse
• cannot find partners willing to tackle small side projects

Hmmm.  I guess I need to fix that.

Now, the really big take away is this.  People want to bite off more than they can chew.  They want to be inspired.  They want to tackle audacious problems with never before thought of creative solutions.  They want to go IPO in a year.  They want to stop wars, eradicate hunger and provide water to a continent. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, something paradigm shifting, something dangerous, something beautiful.

Small thinking does not seem to get people on the phone.  But shoot someone a huge audacious vision, prove you have a plan to accomplish that vision and you never know who you might end up on the phone with next week.

What are you working on?  Is it big?  Do you need partners?