This week, in a toss off reply to a tweet from my friend Andrea Snyder, who was suggesting that I was on the road all the time, I jokingly likened myself to Tom Joad, whose book-closing commitment to justice and American ideals remains one of the only moments during my entire 12 years of formal education in which I stopped reading, sat back and let the warm rush of true inspiration heat my blood.

Now, I’m no Tom Joad….but over the last few days, I’ve been thinking….are we, America’s nonprofits, the new Okies?

Underpaid laborers who harvest the sweet fruits of American philanthropy?

Economically beaten down or threatened when we step forward, or try to organize into a more potent force?

Shut down when we speak truth to power?

Getting our “grants/goods” from the store owned by the very companies that create the problems we seek to solve?

Dramatic…sure, and let this be a warning to all those who want to step onto the long road—it is dramatic. You see it everyday….in all those airport bars and shelter basements, backstage green rooms and threadbare pantries, in all those nursing homes and co-op farmer’s markets, in all those recovery centers and rest stops…and it gives you no choice but to really think things through. You HAVE to. You see the people who are left out. You see the lines. You see the great programs that are just squeaking by, one grant away from closing, when they should be thriving. You hear the tales of endless fundraising and backbreaking effort. You smell the sweat and fear–literally. Your pulse races when you hear the idealism of a generation who long to serve but can’t live on the pay. You feel it in every audience. You see it in their eyes and the eyes of those they serve…and it makes you think, HARD, about where WE are, how WE got here, and most importantly, how WE can work together to get OUT.

So…do me a favor today. Join me, if only for a minute, and think about it. Really. Stop and think about your work, my work, OUR work and wonder, if like countless others who eventually figured out the rules and then used them to change the game….whether today–National Philanthropy Day–is gonna be the day when more us of decide to step forward, together, than pretend we can keep doing this the way we have.

 Is it?

 Si, Se Puede.

See you on the road.

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I have been ROARING across America for the past few months and scary as it sounds to say, I have even more gigs lined up in the next few weeks. But I love it. Why? Case in point—my gig yesterday up in Boston.

I was invited to speak at the annual gathering of the members of the Provider’s Council up in Massachusetts, which is led by a really cool cat, colleague and friend…Michael Weekes. Not only is he a dynamic leader locally, he has been a major force nationally (through the National Council of Nonprofits), and we (as in, me and him) were the Co-Conveners of the first Nonprofit Congress back in 2006.

As part of that visit, I stopped by Pine Street Inn, a legendary homeless program, where I met with CEO Lyndia Downie, the staff and clients for a great lunch, prepared by members of the Abundant Table team. Like DCCK, they have a training program as well as a revenue generating business (it brought in almost a MILL last year!!) and I was blown away by the caliber of the cuisine they put out.

(Sidebar—One of the coolest aspects of my journey, in just about every city I visit, I eat breakfast or lunch at the shelter or food program, and then get taken out to dinner at the swankiest shack in town. I LOVE seeing cities from those two different perspectives!!)

Anyway….if you live up there, make sure to give them your business or tell others about them—seriously…programs like Abundant Table (which was honored with the “Innovator of the Year” award at the Provider’s Council gathering) are the FUTURE, in that they allow you to make your philanthropy the way you spend your money everyday.

 While there, I ripped out a little video for your viewing pleasure.

The next morning, I spoke in front of over 1,000 MA based, direct service workers–MY PEEPS—who for lack of a better way of saying this, work eye-to-eye with people everyday. These are the men and women who staff the drug clinics, hospices, foster care centers, homeless shelters, re-entry programs, runaway safe houses, after school programs and they are the professionals who really, truly carry the big bucket for our communities. I was highly honored to speak with them, and to give them big props….as well as push them hard…as they look down the big barrel of a loaded, “the-budget’s-been-shot-to-hell-again” gun.

BUT…what made this gig so amazing—after me, Governor Patrick took the stage. Everyone knew that he was going to be announcing BIG cuts that VERYafternoon, as MA is already back in a  deep fiscal hole, only a few months after balancing the budget via massive cuts. Even though he was going to have to disappoint some, he had enough respect for the sector to stand face to face with them and explain what we was going to do. Now that’s leadership. The line I dug—“When I see a budget, I don’t see numbers—I see you”. This is just the kind of relationship with our elected leaders than we ALL need, and the Provider’s Council deserves big props for developing and earning that respect.

Anyway…a real cool day, with a great team, in a great city. 

 OK…off to San Francisco to give the opening keynote for the Purpose Prize.

I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

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I’d been on the road for a full week, and I had a mountain of material the size of Kilimanjaro that sorely needed my attention….but yesterday I brushed that aside to take a short trip up to Baltimore to talk with staff and Board members of Tuerk House, a 40 year old recovery program tentatively exploring new forms of leadership, revenue generating and communication.

Given the withering effects of the road, and the litany of travel dates that lay before me, I was tempted to try to blow this gig off. In fact, these days I often find myself wrestling with the ramifications of saying “yes” as often as I do. Saying “yes” is a lot like flying out of BWI Airport—I love it when I’m paying for it, and don’t mind it when I drive there, but I fucking HATE it when I have to drive home after a crazed journey. That’s why…every so often, it’s a challenge to NOT consider inflating the value of my diminishing free time to disallow speaking with groups unless they have a big crowd assembled, can afford an honorarium or offer some sort of consulting fee.

But that just ain’t the way this homeboy rolls.

Plus, Ma Egger would no doubt pay me a nocturnal visit and commence to nagging me from the great beyond if I ever assumed such airs.

BUT that’s not why I honored the gig with Tuerk House. You see, I owe them something. I had a debt that had to be repaid.

In fact….if you live in DC, or in a city with a community kitchen, or have graduated from ANY of the numerous training programs that have benefitted from our cumulative work here at DCCK, then you owe them too. Why…because they got Marianne Ali, our amazing Director of Training (pictured below in the center of it all), clean and sober.

Marianne often says that “crack cocaine saved my life”. You see, she was a heroin addict, and a good one at that. If it hadn’t been for crack, which dragged her down like a rock, she might still be out there shooting-up today, or six feet under. But instead, she got clean, went to a fancy culinary school and ultimately got a job here at DCCK, where she has helped develop what is, all false modesty aside, one of the best training programs in the country.

So…I went to Baltimore, to tell an unsuspecting team at Tuerk House, that just ONE of their grads, ONE that NONE of them would likely remember, has helped feed millions, helped hundreds get a job, engaged thousands of volunteers, channeled the energy and skills of countless culinary pros and inspired me and the rest of the DCCK team with her passion, power and skills.

So I asked them to consider how many more Marianne Ali’s they may have created–how many other small ripples they set into motion….and well, I think that inspired them to leave our lucheon together a little more prepared to roll a little bit harder for a little bit longer. I hope it does you too….because if you work at ANY of America’s amazing, hard working, dynamic, innovative, social benefit organizations, then you throw powerful pebbles like Marianne into the proverbial pond every gosh darn day. And together, oh, mybrother and sister–what waves we are making.

OWN THAT. BE PROUD. ROCK ON. NEVER STOP.

And you know what—-that paperwork I was so concerned about. It was right where I had left it a week ago.

No harm done.

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Case in point—today I’m in Ithaca, NY—one of my favorite cities. I’ve been coming here for 15 years…first to speak annually at the Hotel School up at Cornell, but over the years I have hit just about every corner of Tompkins County, and met hundreds of compassionate, hard working citizens who take making this corner of the world better, VERY serious.

I started the day at a gathering of 160 nonprofits to talk about OUR work, OUR future, THEIR state and THIS country. As one of the 36 states that will be electing governors in 2010, I really want to help NY nonprofits get to the point where ANY candidate for office WORKS to earn their votes (like the Labor and Tory parties did just recently with NGO’s in the UK).

On that quest, and over the past few months, I’ve been out to Long Island, up in Albany, over in White Plains and in a few weeks I’ll be back up in Syracuse, pitching UNITY and the V3 Campaign with abandon. BUT…what made this gathering so very exciting was that the audience included the ED of the Chamber of Commerce, a former Mayor and sitting City Council members, which is very rare, and indicates that my faith in the citizens of Ithaca has not been misplaced.

We spent over an hour after my presentation having one of the boldest community dialogues about the future I’ve been engaged in. Mark my words, Man….NY State will be out front in 2010.

But the real highlight of this trip, and a huge honor was being asked to keynote at the awards dinner for Challenge Industries, one of the country’s most amazing organizations. They have a business–Finger Lakes Fresh–that is off the hook, and it’s a premiere example of an “ALL people have a role” social enterprise—PLEASE…it is so very amazing…rather than me yacking, please just check out their website. But don’t stand too close to the screen–they are so hot you might get burned.

Anyway…the award ceremony was really, truly powerful…and I grabbed my new friend Robert, who won a “Perseverance Award” for a quick interview. We’re headed to LA together, so watch out America.

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But the majority of the sector remained focused on the simple day-to-day advocacy of earnest effort–they just worked hard to make their communities whole. Most refrained from advocacy due to the perceived illegality of nonprofits voicing a political preference. Others venture in, but worried that stepping too close to choosing one candidate or party over the other publicly (as singular voters) would lead to their organization being excluded when grants or contracts were doled out by the victor. Many were just poorly led—often by organization or association leaders who were either risk adverse by training or temperament or who grew comfortable over time with the status quo of day to day leadership, quarterly meetings or annual conferences (all of which is, quite frankly, quite normal).

But all that has changed now, as both the Supreme Court and a Federal Court heard arguments or handed down decisions that remove historic regulations that governed how campaigns are financed.

On September 9th, the Supreme Court heard arguments suggesting that corporate limits on political contributions were an infringement of their first amendment rights. (FYI—corporations are viewed under law as having rights similar to the individual, hence the tact that campaign-finance laws infringe upon their rights of free speech.)

Then on Friday, September 18th, a federal court, siding with the nonprofit advocacy group, Emily’s List, removed barriers for similar campaign finance efforts by nonprofits.

This means that now, for better or worse, the Pandora’s Box of Political Engagement is wide open….and with it comes the predictable good news and bad news.

First the bad news.

Those who express grave concern over the unregulated flow of funds from corporate treasuries into political campaigns are correct. There are 36 governor’s races in 2010, and we will soon see a tsunami of money POUR into an already polluted political process. EVERY citizen in America should be concerned over the ability of corporations to influence, or BUY political offices outright.

Which brings me to the good news.

These rulingss all but remove archaic barriers to nonprofits political involvement, and give us virtually unlimited ability to speak truth to power….and we must.

There are few forces that can stand up to the economic power of corporate America….but…and this is one mighty big but….we may have it.

Simplistic (and naive) as it may sound….it is the collective social/economic/moral compass of America’s nonprofit sector. Laugh if you will, but do not underestimate our collective social, political and economic strength. There are 100 million people who work for, volunteer at or contribute to nonprofits in America. If WE can gather around larger issues, just as Boards of Trade have over the last decades, and then act in unity during elections, then we can get candidates to move beyond slogans and force them to fully develop and articulate detailed plans for how they would partner with us to lead communities forward.

New media outlets (that are effective and FREE) allow us to use our VOICES to organize and rally VOTES to our causes. Sure—corporations can flood outlets like Fox or MSNBC with outrageous ads…but NOW, unlike anytime before, we can overtly counter them without fear of loosing our status as nonprofits. In short…our voice can be mightier than their cash. It must.

This is a moment of sudden, immediate evolution. These two legal opinions come out of the blue for most of us, and propel all nonprofits, even those with the most ardent aversion to the political process, into an era in which we have little choice but to become engaged—to fight together to keep the process of choosing our leaders from being hijacked. 

NOW we must work together to rededicate the process of choosing our leaders. We can either submit, and allow by our silence for our work and ideas to be further marginalized, or we can hone our collective compass and help guide our communities to campaigns and candidates who will utilize all our assets for the greater, common good.

Gone now are the days of academic discussions, or studies, or the perceived safety of being a saint on the sidelines. We cannot afford to invest precious time in 10 year plans. A new era is upon us–and it begins today.

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“In you were savvy enough to have invested $1,000 in Microsoft when it went public in 1986, the value of your stock today would be close to $½m.

But what if you had invested the same amount in a high-performing non-profit group; one that could show measurable, financial impact in your community? All you would have been eligible for is a one-off tax deduction.

Think boldly for a moment. Imagine if there was a way to measure and then reward strategic investments in non-profits in the form of an annual and potentially growing tax deduction based on the same rate of return principle as the dividend. Imagine how that would revolutionize the productivity of non-profits, as well as create an incentive for individuals to seek out and support some of the most dynamic social and economic stimulators in their communities. More importantly, since Americans donated $295bn to non-profits in 2006, while businesses spent $1.2bn on cause-related marketing to trumpet their philanthropy, a shift like this might also lead to coverage of the sector with the same level of critical analysis that is afforded traditional businesses.

Imagine how this might challenge the entire notion of “charity” in the US and usher in a bold new era of social and economic innovation.”

Well, today I see that that very option is now being considered in the UK.

They call it a “Social Bond” and it could very well revolutionize the economy…over there…by giving British NGO’s what we ALL lack–access to capital.

WHY not here? When you get down to it, it’s just a matter of policy. THAT’S what the V3 Campaign is all about—educating elected officials or candidates about innovative ideas that take full advantage of what we in America, and we in the vibrant nonprofit sector, have in aces—resources, resolve and an entrepreneurial spirit.

If you think that’s a good idea, then join the V3 Campaign today!!!!

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As an older dude, with tons of time and tenacious accomplishments under my belt, I am asked, more than any other thing, for advice on how to begin to journey-take up the standard-belly up the bar in order to be part of making the world better, stronger, more level and just. I treat it as a real honor when asked, as it suggests that folks  think I’ve got an angle I play…a secret tactic I employ.

I do. I listen.

As such, here’s the VERY first thing I always suggest—un-the-fuck-plug.

I take the subway to work all the time. I travel almost weekly, and then I take purposeful walks thru every city I visit. Whenever and wherever I am out, mixing it up and thinking/plotting/planning…I rely on my ears, my eyes, my nose and my brain to explore every corner of every communities where I’m at—including DC, where I have lived for over 40 years.

I listen. I hear. I probe with my ears. I hear language, words, inflexions, fears, challenges, ideas….and I process them to help me understand the mood of the city—the zeitgeist of the day, in order to better develop and then forward ideas.

Now, as many of you know…I grew up in nightclubs. My first love was for music (the first language) and its ability to transcend age, race, class and countless other barriers. I believe in its transformative powers. I still listen to Minor Threat just about every morning, and groove to Chuck Brown most nights….but I also think music has a time and place.

Too often, I see buses, subways and streets FULL of people all tuned out. Hear me on this—more often than not, those little white chords attached to those groovy little McMP3/McIpods are designed to shut you UP, zone you OUT and tell you, with a glorious beat, to buy more shit that YOU DO NOT NEED.

So…seriously….plug into your community. Listen to it. Learn its cadence. Feel its rhythm. Roll to its groove. Only when you KNOW your community will you truly be able to forward new ideas that people will stand behind.

As my friend Rev. Beecher Hicks says—“If you’re leading, but nobody is following, then you are just taking a walk.”

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