Monthly Archives: June 2011

The fragility of generosity

Posted on June 30, 2011 by

I was talking to Katya Andresen about our preliminary plans for Generosity Day 2012, and she made a profound observation.  “Generosity” is a fragile thing: it’s impossible to talk about generosity without being vulnerable, impossible to be truly generous without … Continue reading →

Posted in Generosity Day | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Dear nonprofit

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

[Here's the link to yesterday's letter: Dear (potential) donor] Dear nonprofit, Speak up for yourself!  Don’t play the supplicant, tin cup in hand, hoping that some change will fall from that purse (or that pocket).  Your time is precious and … Continue reading →

Posted in philanthropy | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Dear (potential) donor

Posted on June 28, 2011 by

Dear (potential) donor, Please, please, be careful and clear with your intentions, with your time, and with our time.  I know you don’t want any special treatment, and I know you don’t want different rules to apply to you…but they … Continue reading →

Posted in philanthropy | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

We are living in a Thank You Economy

Posted on June 23, 2011 by

I just finished Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, The Thank You Economy, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who’s trying to make sense of what’s going on online right now, anyhow who has questions like: do Twitter and Facebook really mean … Continue reading →

Posted in Connection | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Radical openness and what it means for conferences

Posted on June 22, 2011 by

I had a surreal moment yesterday, while sitting in the audience at The New York Forum with my laptop open.  I had WiFi connectivity, so, out of curiosity, I logged into the live stream of the panel I was attending.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Keith Ferrazzi on trust, vulnerability, and deliberate relationship-building

Posted on June 21, 2011 by

Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back, gave a fascinating talk yesterday at The New York Forum (event livestream is here – the Forum is from June 20-21st, my panel is this afternoon).  It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Generosity | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Secret weapon

Posted on June 17, 2011 by

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to break through all the clutter, to stand out from the mountain of emails in your customers’ inbox, to have your voice be a clarion call above the deluge of Tweets … Continue reading →

Posted in Connection | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

One thing, many things

Posted on June 16, 2011 by

  I was recently talking to a banker I know who shared that he occasionally works from home, but it can be frustrating because, due to security concerns, he is not allowed to print any documents when he’s not in … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Is ______ an impact investor?

Posted on June 15, 2011 by

On Monday I had the chance to speak at the iiSummit on Impact Investing,  organized by Kellogg and the Chicago Booth School.  It is exciting to see the level of interest in impact investing growing everywhere (beyond the obvious hotbeds … Continue reading →

Posted in Impact investing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

I am the decisive element

Posted on June 10, 2011 by

My wife reminded me of this powerful quote from Goethe, via Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project blog.  It’s worth returning to daily. I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness | Tagged , , | 3 Comments