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My Generosity Experiment
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Monthly Archives: October 2010
Gumption and conviction
Some interview questions to get at the important stuff: “What grounds you?” “What are you best at?” “Tell me about at time you changed someone’s mind.” “At your core, what makes you tick?” “What does generosity mean to you?” Degrees … Continue reading
Right ask, right time, right way
The other day I was lucky enough to sit for an hour with the Acumen Fund Fellows for a talk on networking given by the wonderful, inimitable Sunny Bates. Sunny is a natural connector, full of joy and exuberance, brimming … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Why am I not more…
A long time ago, I decided to take some time off from school to go live in Spain. I dutifully bought a copy of “Spanish in 15 Minutes a Day” and had worked my way through the first chapter when … Continue reading
The big ask
A colleague asked me today, “what different strategies would you use to ask someone for $250,000 as opposed to $50,000?” The first thing to clarify is whether you’re asking the same person for these different amounts of money. Put another … Continue reading
Posted in fundraising
Tagged confidence, fundraising, nonprofits, Raising Capital, storytelling
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The one thing I’d like to know
How can you get a read on an organization, what really makes it tick and if it is functioning well? For example, say you’re considering taking a new job – you want to understand how the place really functions, not … Continue reading
Hot Sun in Kibera
How’s this for an idea: creating a film school in the heart of the Kibera slum. How’s this for a first impression: drive down a narrow dirt alley, pull the parking break, open the iron gate and duck through the … Continue reading
If it’s so obvious, why hasn’t it been done before?
I’m in Kenya this week, with a small group of Acumen Fund Partners to visit our investments here and spend time with our East Africa team. Today we had the chance to visit with David Kuria, the visionary entrepreneur behind … Continue reading
Something new
How do you approach absolutely brand new, hey-I’ve-never-done-this-before-in-my-life situations? If you’re working with someone who HAS done this before, here’s something you might try: “Hey, friend, I’ve never once done this before. I’m excited to learn, I’m ready to jump … Continue reading
