Today I honor my mother, my sister as a mother, and remember my late and amazing grand mother.  It’s a day to recognize and appreciate all my mother has done for me. For people who know me well, they know that my mother is truly the heart of the inspiration behind what I do with nonprofits.

She started volunteering as a young mother, rocking babies at Children’s Hospital and from there became highly involved in fundraising. Today she is a leading expert on child abuse in Wisconsin – it’s amazing where a love and a volunteer experience can take you. My sister and I were stuffing goodie bags as little kids, licking envelopes, and in the full throws of volunteering for nonprofits before the age of 10.

I became involved with women’s health and ending violence against women because of my mother. She led the way in my activism. I took that passion for causes and learned the business behind it. I wanted to do more to support nonprofits of all kinds in having healthy and thriving organizations.

My mother and father were adamant that I attend graduate school at some point. My choice to get my Masters in Nonprofit Management was directly related to all the years of nonprofit volunteerism, leadership roles, and staffing with nonprofit businesses.

Today, as a consultant, I owe it all to my mother. She is the driving force that connected me to my passion. I not only love my mom, but cannot thank her enough for all she has done to support me and my career.

I love you, mom. Happy Mother’s Day to all those amazing moms out there.

What are stories about mothers that inspire you? Share them here and let your mom know what she means to you.

Guest post from Efrem Bycer.

It’s about the children. It’s about the cause. It’s about the future. That’s why we get involved with nonprofits as volunteers, board members and staff. It’s certainly why I agreed to become the founding Board Chairman of the Congo Leadership Initiative (CLI) over two years ago. As a graduate student bent on making a difference, nothing sounded more gratifying than empowering the next generation of Congolese leaders.

At the end of June, I will complete my term as the CLI’s Board Chairman. Between now and then, we will adopt CLI’s first multi-year strategic plan and accompanying budget, hold multiple fundraisers around the country and prepare to run our third Leadership Development Program (LDP) in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

There’s no doubt about it. We’re a bunch of idealists, and we certainly have made mistakes along the way. Yet, we’ve found a way to navigate the growing pains of being part of a start-up nonprofit to position ourselves for long-term success.

How does a group of twenty-somethings (plus one “seasoned” member) get here after only two years? It takes far more than belief in our mission, which has already seen changes. From the start, we adopted the self-coined mantra of “professional idealism” as a top to bottom approach focusing on:

• Structure. CLI may be a grassroots organization, but we are focused on developing a results-oriented operational structure that promotes teamwork and creativity.   Looking at the board-staff relationship, CLI’s board is not a rubber stamp for our founder, who is a non-voting, ex-officio member of the board. Early on, we took the time to engage the board as a necessary and value-added component of the organization. We acknowledged an effective board lays the foundation for a successful organization and deliberately built the organization around that. Together we’ve strategically brought new people on board with the skills and experience we need to accomplish our goals.

• Shared leadership. Everyone is involved with guiding CLI’s future, and therefore everyone has a stake in it. The scholars are working with our Congolese staff to determine the best way to use the skills they develop during the LDP to lead positive change in their communities. We’ve empowered each board member and strategic adviser to be innovative in their thinking and encourage them to bring those ideas to the board.

• Accountability. We are accountable to our stakeholders both in the Congo and stateside to develop the next generation of Congolese leaders as catalysts for peace and prosperity in their country. We measure performance and impact on the ground and then adjust our curriculum accordingly. All of us are accountable to the organization and each other. We’ve already voted off a board member who did not deliver on their responsibilities (in accordance with our bylaws), which all board members receive in writing prior to joining.

Starting a nonprofit and making it sustainable is an ongoing process, and we still have a long way to go. We have ambitious goals for CLI and for the scholars, but we also understand the only way for our idealism to become reality, CLI must be deliberate and strategic.

After two years, we could be stuck around someone’s kitchen table barely able to organize a small neighborhood fundraiser. Instead, we have expanded the organization to include skilled volunteers, developed an international and multigenerational base of supporters, and, most importantly, empowered Congolese youth to be ethical leaders in their communities. With this foundation to build on, I’m confident CLI is poised for even greater success in the future.

Check out Congo Leadership Initiative on their Facebook Page and on Twitter.

Efrem Bycer is the Vice President of Momentum LLC, a nonprofit training and consulting group. He is the founding Board Chairman of the Congo Leadership Initiative and the Vice Chair of YNPN San Diego. Efrem lives in San Diego, CA and is an avid homebrewer and half marathoner.

What is the Technology Summit?

Nonprofit professionals are masters at stretching limited resources to create lasting and meaningful impact across our community. Operating with limited funds creates a need to cut costs in areas that have a large impact on the potential of productivity and effectiveness across staff.

Appropriate technology infrastructure and the confidence in managing that technology has a direct correlation to effectiveness of program, administration, and management.

We want to help you achieve greatness!

This conference calls on all nonprofit professionals in Boulder and Broomfield counties to join us for a day of trainings focused on:

• Trainings in new and existing technologies;
• Training tracks for beginning to advanced practitioners;
• One on one Technology Experts to problem solve individual and unique organizational challenges; and
• Fun networking opportunities.

What trainings are being offered?

• Basics of HTML
• Tricks & Tips for Word and Excel
• How to Make the Most of My Website
• What to Look for in a Stellar Database
• Walk, Crawl, Run to Social Media Success
• Basics of Cloud Computing
• Open Office vs. MS Office vs. Google Office
• Introduction to Google Analytics
• Working Remotely: Introduction to Methods & Software
• Manage your IT Plan
• Google Apps for Collaboration and Program Management

Visit the Technology Summit Agenda site for all details on the sessions including presenters, training times, and descriptions.

But that’s not all…

Boulder Digital Arts is hosting a happy hour and moderated panel discussion about The Power of Video Storytelling for Non-profits.

Nonprofits have been tasked with communicating some of the most important stories of our time– but only a handful actually succeed in engaging the masses. With the explosion of YouTube, mobile devices, KONY2012, and viral videos in general, you may be starting to understand the power of video storytelling, but might not necessarily know know how to do it well. This visual and inspiring panel will help get you started!

Read more and sign up here!

I hope to see you there and want to thank the other sponsors including IBM and Google for making the Technology Summit possible!

I looked around at the San Diego community and learned that there weren’t a lot of resources for young nonprofit professionals in the area to access professional development and network with one another. I needed a project and wanted to use all my experiential and academic skills I had acquired to start a chapter of YNPN in San Diego. I wanted a community of people to support and who would support me.

I began attending AFP San Diego lunches, sitting with other young nonprofit professionals and asking about if they would be interested in something like YNPN. Very few people knew what YNPN was and were immediately interested.

After lots of informal conversations and grassroots planning, we launched our first networking event in San Diego. It was a great success and tons of fun. Social media and word of mouth helped to spread the news that YNPN San Diego was on the scene. The chapter continued to grow as new and enthusiastic volunteers got involved in designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating services offered in the San Diego nonprofit community.

I never planned to stay in the co-founding role forever. I wanted to be dispensable. We would create programs and events that others could lead. They would gain experience in nonprofit leadership of all kinds. I would move on, hopefully proud and excited.

This week, YNPN San Diego had their fourth anniversary. I am so proud that Jaci Feinstein and Mariel Berry have done an incredible job in transitioning YNPN San Diego to make it unique and sustainable. Serving others in the San Diego community. It’s an honor and privilege to be part of a successful, volunteer-led organization.

I miss all those involved with YNPN San Diego, but more importantly I am thrilled to have created an organization that no longer needs me and can swim on it’s own.

Ariella Futral and I have worked together in various capacities over the years, I’m proud to have her share her perspective here about Invisible Children. While we may disagree on certain areas of the issue (see my previous post), they conversation is an important one to have from all sides. Read her updated post from her blog, Vida Nouveau posted on March 11, 2012.

I remember reading gut-wrenching proposals for funding that came across my desk from Ugandan women’s human rights organizations working to end the extreme violence, kidnappings, rape, torture and mass murder perpetuated by Joseph Kony and his army of child soldiers, ‘The Lords Resistance Army.’ They wrote of children kidnapped by Kony, forced to rape and murder their own family members. These children were then forced to take drugs and told that they had invisible shields of armor and were invincible to bullets. They were some of the most gruesome human rights violations I had come across. While the extreme violence was mind-boggling, I was reassured to know that there were many rights organizations on the ground in Uganda and other neighboring African countries that were addressing this issue.

This was nine years ago, 2003 (when Kony was actually in Uganda), but still towards the end of the 26-year timeline of Kony’s violent guerrilla movement which began in the mid 80’s. At the time I was working for an international women’s human rights organization (Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights) providing grants to support the protection and promotion of human rights around the world. We worked closely with activists in Uganda who were creating incredible strategies for addressing the conflict and protecting the local populations from these human rights violations. Two years later, Kony was indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Fast forward to 2012. On Monday March 5, 2012 Invisible Children (IC) launched a 30 minute video entitled ‘Kony 2012’ on YouTube and Vimeo. The video pulls at the heartstrings by introducing the viewer to the murderous Kony, the children he’s victimized, and the change that can happen if we all use their grassroots toolkit to push for US intervention in Uganda to stop Kony.

When I first saw the video, I felt sick to my stomach. I already knew it was spreading like wildfire, and upon viewing was utterly disgusted by the blatant racism and neocolonialism it smacks of. I felt compelled to write about my analysis of the video and the race/conflict implications that it perpetuates.

In the video, Jason Russell, co-founder of IC, introduces us to his ‘friend’ a young African boy named Jacob who is a survivor of Kony’s kidnappings. We hear the ordeals Jacob has endured through the over-sensationalization of Jacob crying in the dark while a white guy from the US (Russell) whispers ‘it’s going to be okay’. We are thus introduced to the self-proclaimed role of the ‘white savior’ exacerbating the idea that white people from the US can fix other nations problems better than they can themselves. It simplifies the very complex issue of war and conflict and in particular disregards the historic link to colonization, control over natural resources, and grassroots work on the ground. I also find Russell’s use of his own son in the film concerning. In one clip he shows the toddler a picture of Kony and tells him that he kills people and is the bad guy and we need to get the bad guy. Daddy, the white guy, will take care of it, seems to be the message it perpetuates.

The New York Times reported that ‘[the video] attracted 50 million viewers and generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations on the first day alone and rocketed across Twitter and Facebook at a pace rarely seen for any video, let alone a half-hour film about rebels in central Africa.’ In fact, Kony 2012 has become the fastest growing Internet video campaign in history, now reaching at least 70 million views, about eight times the population of the country I live in, Sweden.

Sounds good right? I mean when is the last time a human rights issue dominated the  internet on such a global scale. Sadly, to my knowledge, not even the genocide in Darfur garnered this kind of popularity on the web.

Unfortunately, while the video is perhaps the best social network fundraising tool in history, it actually fails the people of Uganda, the ex-child soldiers, and all the survivors of Kony’s terror on multiple levels. For one, it is not how the people of Uganda perceive the situation. It is another white man’s vision of African suffering. The incorrect facts stated in the video are many. One is the statement that Uganda is currently in conflict. Obviously, this doesn’t sit well with Ugandans, as the conflict ended some time ago. Activism driven from abroad is rarely rooted in the actual needs of the people on the ground.

Perhaps even more concerning that the incorrect facts, the evangelical and neocolonial tone, the tight ties IC has with US government officials including anti-gay politicians or the links the video’s agenda has to oil in Uganda, is the blind faith that millions of people have demonstrated upon ‘sharing’ the video on Facebook and #ing it on twitter – urging everyone up to their senators and US President Barack Obama to find Kony and arrest him. And, even more horrific is the blatant proposal of US military intervention in Uganda.

Upon closer examination however, this instant following and motivation is likened to the fervor experienced at an evangelical church. While the video appears secular and doesn’t even mention religion, deeper investigation into who IC aligns themselves with, unveils a direct link.

Alternet reported that Jason Russell, co-founder of “Invisible Children,” while speaking at Liberty University Convocation Discussion in 2011, responded to a question regarding motivating apathetic Christians and others, with the following: “…The trick is to not go out into the world and say, ‘I’m going to baptize you, I’m going to convict you, I have an agenda to win you over.’ ‘Your agenda is to look into the eyes, as Jesus did, and say, ‘who are you? And will you be my friend?’ – Like he did to the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the fisherman.” He goes on to say that “…a lot of people fear Christians… they see us and they go, ‘You want me to sign up for something, you want my money. You want me to believe in your God. And it freaks them out.”
The problems behind Kony 2012 are easy to detect, yet the viewing masses don’t seem to be connecting the dots. I was shocked to see many of my socially responsible friends sharing the video with comments urging people to get involved. I couldn’t’ help but wonder: was this video the largest evangelical sermon the world has seen? My niece who is 13 was engaged in discussion with me about it and I quickly realized the reach this video had. It was already being shared in classrooms. Classrooms! Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Rhianna, Justin Bieber, P Diddy and other celebrities have already given their endorsements – spurring an additional onslaught of interest and support for the IC and their campaign.

Soon after the video went viral, criticism also arose regarding IC’s financial records and their refusal of an external audit. Concern has been raised regarding the little amount of their overall budget that goes to their actual work in Uganda. While my experience working for a non-profit allows me an understanding and empathy regarding the difficulties in communicating overhead costs to donors, IC’s budget is concerning and clearly prioritizes advocacy, travel and movie-making above their actual mission, which only garners around 30%.

The video also fails to mention the many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the ground that have been dealing with the Kony (and ongoing conflict) issue for years; it invisibilizes the African human rights work being done and the strategies Africans have implemented (we funded some great grants towards this work specifically when I worked at Urgent Action Fund). And finally, it pushes the idea that US military intervention is the way to lasting peace and freedom (which in most cases has actually led to increased violence, rape, and displacement i.e. Afghanistan, Iraq and so on). Of course, the mission of ending child slavery, rape, torture, etc. is a great cause and I applaud creativity/marketing used to get people energized and inspired – and in the end to raise money. I just have some fundamental problems with what was presented and the work being done. To me, the video is a scary form of propaganda.

Many Ugandans, from politicians to activists, have raised their concerns about the the video and the message IC is spreading. However, very few people are taking note of their perspective. Is it more appealing for Americans to hear African history told through the lens of the white man? Has IC made a believer out of you, or as they like to call it a ‘friend’?

Where do we go from here? How do we now educate the masses as to the deeper issues of the Kony 2012 video? What does this teach us about social networking, fundraising and social justice? How do we reverse this propaganda?

Why not listen to what Ugandans are saying about it and spread their words? You can start here:

http://rosebellkagumire.com/2012/03/08/kony2012-my-response-to-invisible-childrens-campaign/

Since writing this blog, many articles have been written about the numerous problems with IC and the video. I encourage readers to explore what people are saying. Jason Russell, IC’s co-founder, was also taken into custody when he was found naked on the street, shouting about the devil and masturbating.

Some good articles:

http://vigilantejournalist.com/blog/archives/2929

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/invisible-children-founders-posing-with-guns-an-interview-with-the-photographer/2012/03/08/gIQASX68yR_blog.html

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/jason-russell-san-diego-invisible-children-kony-2012-142970255.html

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/africa/2012/03/14/ugandans-react-anger-kony-video

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The disclaimer is that I have been connected to Invisible Children (IC) and supported their work for many years. At one point I was asked to join their board and did not join because of my lack of available time, not because of any red flags over their financial management. I’ve also researched them for my work on Fundraising and the Next Generation.

When I first learned about the Invisible Children organization years ago my reaction – simply put – was that group was created because three, young, white, privileged men went to Africa and learned a little something new about the world, but knew nothing about how to organize a movement or run a nonprofit business.  How could they think that with some clever marketing and finesse they can solve an enormously complicated problem? Or even succeed in getting attention?

The more I thought about it, the more I thought, “why not?” Being in the right place at the right time with some passion often makes people and their causes succeed. Why not these guys?

In the nonprofit world, we want people to get engaged and make a difference… to care about and give back to the world we live in.  To use the skills and tools that people have to serve their mission.  Why are the founders and the CEO of Invisible Children any different?

I have worked for and with a good number of organizations focused on ending violence against women, including local, domestic, and international.  I have not spent time on the ground like many global activists, but I have listened, observed, and learned about a plethora of perspectives and needs. I am always learning… we all are.

The color of your skin, your gender, your age, your race doesn’t matter to people on the ground who need help. If you are starving, fighting for your life, struggling just to breathe, it doesn’t matter where the help comes from. What matters is that there is help. When the help jeopardizes people further then it’s time to get the hell out and I am not convinced yet that this is the case with Invisible Children.

To that end, I am proud that these young men started a movement, engaged younger generations, and leveraged the tools like social media and youth networks to make a difference. I have to say that I have rarely, if ever, seen organizations tackle an issue with the kind of style and vigor the way IC has.

When people say that the younger generations don’t care, Invisible Children’s work demonstrates that is clearly not the case. Invisible Children has mobilized thousands of children and young adults around a cause the way very few have in the past. For older generations who complain about the lack of involvement from younger generations, I point to the work that IC has done. It’s impressive.

While I don’t agree with every decision that IC has made (and I rarely do for any org), I don’t think that the public flogging should go to the point that it affects the mental health of the individuals involved.  IC has put themselves into the spotlight as a way to better their mission. That is naturally going to come with criticism, but we’ve gone too far.

I would challenge those who are expressing pointed criticism to also share alternatives to supporting IC or their work. What else is out there for people to get behind in a public way to help? Are there organizations taking up the cause in a “better” way? Let’s solve the problem, not just complain about.  It takes all kinds to change the world. Share other organizations with me and the world.

As other activists, nonprofit professionals, and philanthropists how would we feel about being attacked in the way the IC folks have?  Compassion is critical in all aspects of this issue.

It is hypocritical to attack IC for not being sensitive to the culture, needs, and dynamics on the ground. It implies they have a lack of empathy and compassion for the issue. Critics have pushed individuals at IC so far that mental health clearly came into question. Where is the compassion from us as the critics? I thought we were supposed to support each other as activists and disagree, not attack.

I believe there are ways (and a need!) for healthy dialogue about the best practices in international activism, in war zones, even in nonprofit businesses. I’ve learned a lot from groups like Women for Women International, Urgent Action Fund, and others. There are great examples to work from. How can we use these examples to support the intention of the folks at IC?

I have asked my friends and colleagues who disagree (and those who agree!) with me to share their thoughts and opinions; you’ll see posts coming up about their perspectives and I encourage you to comment. I believe this is what will get us to a place of creative solutions and better understanding. I want to enrich the conversation, not shy away from it. We have got to at least try and demonstrate out criticism in a more constructive way and remember that there are real humans on every end of the issue. Let’s teach and learn so we can help solve this horrific problem.

Please leave me your comments, thoughts, and questions so we can help change the world and support others who do. Thank you to IC for providing the platform for this conversation to happen in a very public way. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s really important to talk about the hows, whys, and whos of our work.

About the Nonprofit Coach, Ted Hart’s nonprofit blog talk radio show: He lectures around the world but now is here for you. From the latest in charity news, technology, fundraising and social networking, Ted Hart and his guests help you maneuver through this economic downturn in the charitable sector to greater levels of efficiency and fundraising success.

The first questions to ask instead are:

• Is this nonprofit really needed right now?
• Is there another, existing organization or multiple organizations offering these or similar services?
• Do I have the capital to start a nonprofit business?
• What do I need to know about running a nonprofit that I don’t know?

There are a lot of passionate people out there with the entrepreneurial spirit wanting to affect the world in a positive way – I applaud you! Before you start your organization make sure you have the right resources in place.

Many people consider hiring a legal professional to file their 501c3 documents, but that’s as far as the financial or legal planning goes.   Most people when they start nonprofits don’t have the expertise in fundraising, board development, financial management, operations, marketing, and program development and evaluation – just to name a few.

You’re going to need money to hire consultants, attend trainings, pay for basic supplies. These are things that frequently are forgotten and seem like a luxury. If you were to start a small business, what capital would you need to have to get started?

The truth is that there are people with significant expertise who can save any organization significant time in the short-term and long-term. You’ll want to plan financially to bring those people on.

While your mission might be the greatest cause in the world, there is a business side to running an organization that is often times not seen as sexy, but is crucial in long-term success. Anything is possible and knowing what you don’t know is the first step.

Before starting another nonprofit, investigate the landscape and see what’s already there. Learn about what you need to know. Ask for help and have a financial plan that makes sense so you can serve your mission and your goals effectively.

Hard copies of Fundraising and the Next Generation will be available at the Boulder Book Launch on March 22nd and online in March. You can pre-order your hard copy through Amazon and Wiley.

Many many thanks to everyone who have made this an exciting and successful endeavor in my first publication. I hope that the information included in Fundraising and the Next Generation will help nonprofit missions and fund organizations for many years to come!