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The Environment Agency has stepped in to rescue 'distressed' fish from York Stream in Maidenhead.
Yesterday the agency were informed that fish in the river were 'dead and distressed', and a fishery officer attended the site immediately.
They found 100 dead fish in the river, with a further 3,000 in distress.
The problem has been caused by low river flows and a high water temperature in the river.
The Environment Agency fisheries and biodiversity team leader, Jenni Balmer, says there is 'no evidence' of pollution.
She added: "Three teams of officers have been on site since seven this morning carrying out a fish rescue while temperatures are lower, this will give the vulnerable fish the best chance of survival. 10,000 fish including, chub, perch and roach, have already been relocated downstream to the Thames.
"Thousands more are expected to be relocated during the day as part of the fish rescue operation."
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Police have discovered what they believe to be the body of 83-year-old Beatrice Stafford.
A 26-year-old man from Maidenhead who died after being hit by a car on the A404 on Sunday morning has been named locally as Carl Walker.


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If you're looking for similar to Crayon Shin-chan, you might like these titles. All recommendations are made by Anime-Planet users like you!
Humanity, beware! The nefarious alien race of wrestlers known as DMP have crash landed on Earth atop a giant fist, and only one boy has the power to stop them: Kid Muscle! Son of the legendary King Muscle, Kid is said to have the power of Ultimate Muscle; and thus, he is chosen to lead the new generation of wrestlers to victory over the DMP. However, back on Muscle Planet, Kid has no intentions of fighting; he's lazy, immature, and more likely to pass gas in the face of an enemy than fight. Attempting to escape from these duties, Kid uses the power of his farts to blast away, yet accidentally finds himself on his way to Earth anyways. There, he meets his father's old trainer named Meat – a man who is hell bent on turning Kid into a super wrestler. Can Kid and the other wrestlers use their skills to defeat the DMP?
1 votes
I agree
A light hearted comedy based on the about the daily life of a "normal" Japanese family. The Tachibana family consists of a housewife mom, a salary-man dad, and teenager Mikan and Yuzuhiko.
1 votes
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subset: commoncrawl


text: so I was installing the wikepedia dump by uploading it with iphonebrowser. about 6/7 of the way through I decided to look into this folder I hadn't noticed before which was in my ipods root section. but then the words showing what was being uploaded dissapeared, even when I click back into root. however, the little loading bar that signifies an upload is still showing, som I'm wondering if I just messed up the upload or is it still going? and I tested wikepedia.app after that happened and with my ipod still plugged in, and it works. but I tested it with the word car, would accidentally cancelling the upload cause me to not have all the infomation in the dump?


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About very_ugly_girl : Just Ugly, I sell my body(not my ugly face) for money.
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How depressing, no badges acquired at all. :/
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Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends all around the globe! I hope you are enjoying your day now with your family and friends. There are so many things to be thankful of especially for the life and the good health we have. I am so thankful that I am recovering now and thanks God for almost healing me fully.
I went for a doctor's check-up today and so far I am happy about the result. After that appointment, I decided to go to the city center to find some personal items. I am actually looking for sports bra and indeed up passing-by in the Christmas markets in Regensburg, located just the center of the old city.
While walking around the market, I heard some Christmas songs playing somewhere. I was a bit surprised because I don't usually hear it often so early like this. It brings happiness to me hearing such songs especially about Christmas. I am trying to remember the title of the song but I can't for now. Oh well, I might need a finale songwriter so I can always have it. Any idea what is this? Simply click the link.
I wish everyone in advance Happy Holidays! Please remember its true meaning! Take care folks!
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Heard Some Christmas Songs at the Christmas Market in Regensburg
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends all around the globe! I hope you are enjoying your day now with your family and friends. There are so many things to be thankful of especially for the life and the good health we have. I am so thankful that I am recovering now and thanks God for almost healing me fully.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Planning and Saving for the Next Holiday with Groupon Coupons
I have been compensated for this post with either a sample product and/or payment. All opinions are mine.
Happy Halloween! How things going on out there folks? I hope you are having a good start of November. I know, some might be slowly getting excited for the holiday season and so do I. For now, I keep on hoping and praying for my full healing and recovery to start hitting the road again...so please help me God! Oh well, not really! I have to go back to work first to earn some money to book for my next holiday.
I was browsing the travel blog of an online friend awhile ago and it urges me to travel again. Yes, I have to admit, I always have itchy feet and when travel bug strikes, I need to go out somewhere even just for a day trip. I can't wait to plan for next adventures and I am thankful to an online site for giving great discounts on travels. I am actually talking about Groupon Coupons here!
How wonderful it is when you are planning and at the same time saving some bucks for your next holiday. A cheap traveler like me would surely love it. Thanks also to OneTravel for the many great deals and offers. Imagine saving money when booking for flights, accommodation, car rentals and travel-related offers!
Traveling has never been so cheap and convenient like before. Thanks to the many promos and deals online especially the Home Away coupons from Groupon. You can also find travel ideas from Home Away or how about making money with them! Their great deals on vacation rental help you save money thru coupon codes, promo codes, and discounts for properties.
Before the end of the year, I am ready to plan and book my vacation for 2017. Of course, Groupon is the best place to browse! How about you?
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Live Music and Performances in Any Festivals
It is such a lovely day today. The sun shines like diamond outside. Oh, I guess it is some lyrics of a song. I am just trying to cheer-up myself since I am not really feeling good. I have been sick since almost a week now and can't really do anything heavy. I am thankful that there is laptop and internet where I can check stuffs or chat with friends to ease me a bit.
There are a lot of festivals going on in Europe especially in the nearby places. Sad to say, I cannot go anywhere due to my situation. I already missed a lot of events and festivals. More on that, I miss listening to the live bands and all live performances especially those that involves playing musical instruments. A wonderful guitar to hear like gretsch rancher , the sounds of cymbals, the beat of the drums and the blowing of the trumpets, for me those are just wonderful!
I hope and pray to be backed to my normal health, fit and strong again to do my daily duties and maybe to have fun out there in a festival.
Have a wonderful day folks! Stay safe!!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Groupons Things to Do in Seattle
Traveling is always my favorite topic! Since I was bitten by this travel bug called wanderlust, it never stops anymore. I miss those years when I travel full time and I hope I win millions of lottery to continue to finance my travel. Sad to say, I have to go back to work again to save money to cure my sickness. Having been to many countries and I would say 46 so far for now and to 4 continents, this travel virus still continue to attack me all the time.
This is also the reason why I just booked my next trip and just received my travel confirmation! I am feeling great now despite not feeling good.
Back to the main topic about visiting Seattle, Washington. I have been to this city exactly four years ago. Wow, time flies so fast! Thanks to facebook for sharing travels and memories from the past. There are still a lot of things that I need to experience in this beautiful city. I am thankful for Groupon Things To Do for sharing a lot of travel tips about Seattle. They also sell discounted tickets for shows and entertainment, sporting events, movie tickets, museums' entrances and more.
I miss a lot of things in Seattle. What can you do when you only have limited time during your visit? Hopefully in my second visit, I can see and experience more of the city. I will surely check Groupon for travel deals and other offers. I already know that this site offers big discounts and savings for a cheap traveler like me.
If you are a shopper and at the same time a traveler like me, let's us check together Groupon. For sure, we will be happy of the great deals and discounts they offer!
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Missing the Fun and Shopping in San Francisco, California
Travels and Memories! It is great to travel back in the past by looking at the photographs I took during my previous travels. There are so many places I wish to go back again. Since time and finances are not available at the this time, it is not possible to do some travels as expensive as that. Besides I just came back two months ago from a long vacation in Asia. What I can do now are just day trips or weekend travels.
Yes, I miss the fun I had with my friends and siblings in the United States. It has been four years now since may last visit in that continent. I also miss the many shows and entertainments there. I know one of these days, I will visit USA again.
I would love to go to palm desert california. I know it is a wonderful place to shop for musical instruments. It is a perfect shop to window shop for music gadgets especially to all my friends who love to play such things. They have various choices from guitars, pianos, organs, trumpets, drums and more. If you are looking for any musical instruments, visit their shop or website for more information.
For now, I would love to share this photo I took during that mini cruise in San Francisco, California! Enjoy your day folks! Take care!
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Experience Festivals and Entertainment in Europe
This is one of the things I love in Europe. Wherever you go, there are always festivals going on even on winter, fall, spring or summer season. Most of all during summer season, there are more events and festivities you can witness anywhere you are in Europe. Whether you will just visit a city like Madrid, Berlin, Budapest, Vienna, Paris and more, there are always street performers you can find everywhere. You will also see them playing all sorts of musical instruments from superkick drums to guitars, violin, trumpets and what else? Name it and these street performers have it all. I can't wait to travel and see them again performing live on the street. One more thing, I can't wait to visit any festivals this summer to experience these musicians who are playing musical gadgets and instruments.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Missing the Live Performance During That Cruise Trip
Hello beautiful people out there! How's life going on? Hope all is great! I am doing good so far and getting very excited for the next travels. Luggage are partially packed and I will be finalizing everything this weekend. There is no such great vacation when you are visiting your home country. In over a week from now, the long awaited vacation is about to commence.
|The stage where the shows are perform by various entertainers during my cruise trip in Greece last year.
This week, I was watching this travel documentation about luxury cruise ships. I have been to some cruise holidays in the past and I love it very much. I hope I will experience it again.
There are so many things I love on a cruise holiday. One of it are the various live entertainments every night and also during the day. During that cruise trip in Greece last year, there were so many talented musicians who keep the boat rolling with their wonderful music. Many of them played various musical instruments like Applause Guitars, piano, drums and what else? I believed many of them play different instruments.
That is why cruise holidays are never boring because of these talented performers and entertainers from dancers to singers, acrobats and many more. Be sure to experience it once in your life! Cheers!
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Fun Night at the Volksfest or Festival
Hello folks! I am back here now! I hope you are enjoying the rest of the month of April. I just started the fun by going to a festival near the area. It started yesterday and will last until this coming Sunday. Volksfest, also known a people's festival or fair is very common in Germany. With the start of the spring season, various festivals are slowly starting everywhere.
One thing I love about going to the festival is especially listening to the live bands who played various music. I wish, I am like them who are experts in playing any musical instruments. Sad to say, I am not. You can also taste various delicacies both local and international. Most of all, you can enjoy the carnival rides.
Since playing musical instruments is not for me, I rather browse online and window shop for a cousin who loves playing any musical instruments. Since guitar center's my wish list is waiting for me, I rather sign-off now and start browsing their site.
I hope, I can go back to the festival this coming weekend. Last night was simply full of fun and laughter! Cheers!


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Rates in USD (taxes & fees included), shown as:
Nightly Average
US$439 Avg. price/night
Pantheon Villas
Prophetes Elias Hill Imerovigli, Imerovigli, Thira 84700, Greece
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Pantheon Villas Hotel Details
Check-in: 2 PM
Check-out: noon
Putting you within a 10-minute drive of Archaeological Museum and Museum of Prehistoric Thira, Pantheon Villas features an airport shuttle (available 24 hours) and a rooftop terrace. Guests can indulge in massages or mani/pedis, and international cuisine is served at The Restaurant AtPantheon, which is open for dinner. 3 outdoor pools and a poolside bar are other highlights at this romantic property, and villas offer up nice touches like espresso makers and bathrobes.
Prophetes Elias Hill Imerovigli Imerovigli, Thira 84700, Greece


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20-year acupuncture and Doctor of Oriental Medicine practice collecting $299,552.00. Owner take home pay before taxes $183,396.00. Great location. Beautiful facility. Solid-stable numbers. Current owner retiring. Absolute perfect "turn-key" for next health care provider to step in and continue to grow the legacy. Pix available. Financing available O.A.C.
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23 Aug 2007
Naxos Now on MusicGiants; PentaTone to Come
Raphaela Papadakis seems to like 'playing with fire'. After her acclaimed performance as the put-upon maid, Anna, in Independent Opera's production of Šimon Voseček's Beidermann and the Arsonists at Sadler's Wells last year, she is currently rehearsing for the premiere this week of And London Burned, a new opera by Matt Rogers which has been commissioned by Temple Music Foundation to commemorate the 350th anniversary of The Great Fire of London.
By Mark Berry [The Naxos Blog, 23 August 2007]
MusicGiants–which offers high-quality, WMA-format lossless downloads–is now selling the Naxos catalogue . The online music store will also carry PentaTone, the Dutch-based label distributed by Naxos of America that releases the majority of its recordings as SACDs, as part of its collection of so-called Super HD downloads in 5.1 ("surround") sound. Both Naxos and PentaTone will be available DRM-free.


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Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers (Blu-ray)
Hugh Marlowe,
Joan Taylor &
Donald Curtis
Fred F. Sears &
Fred Jackman, Jr.
Starring: Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor & Donald Curtis Director: Fred F. Sears & Fred Jackman, Jr. Rated:
The terrifying truth about flying saucers!
|List Price:
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|$1.70 (10% Off)
Temporarily Out of Stock: We'll get more as soon as possible
Format: Blu-ray
sku: 3279Y
Brand New
Also released as:
Related products:
- The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (Blu-ray) ~ $16.25
- The Day the Earth Stood Still ~ $5.39
- Day the Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray, Widescreen) ~ $13.37
- Forbidden Planet (Blu-ray) ~ $10.09
- This Island Earth ~ $9.27
Blu-ray Disc Features:
- Rated: PG-13
- Run Time: 1 hours, 21 minutes
- Video: Black & White / Color
- Released: May 12, 2009
- Originally Released: 1956
- Label: Ais
- Note: Feature film in black and white
- Audio commentary
- Remembering Earth Vs. The Flying saucers - featurette
- The Hollywood Blacklist and Bernard Gordon - featurette
- Photo galleries
- Interview with Joan Taylor
- The Colourisation Process - featurette
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen - 1.85
- Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French
- Subtitles - Arabic, English, French, Hindi, Japanese
Performers, Cast and Crew:
|Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor & Donald Curtis
|Larry Blake, Charles E. Evans, Thomas Browne Henry, Grandon Rhodes, Harry Lauter, Morris Ankrum & Joan Taylor
|Directed by
|Fred F. Sears & Fred Jackman, Jr.
|Edited by
|Danny B. Landres
|Screenwriting by
|George Worthing Yates
|Produced by
|Charles H. Schneer
Product Description:
Space scientist Dr. Russell Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and his wife Carol (Joan Taylor) are working on a secret missile project, but every time their rockets are launched, they are intercepted and destroyed by the more advanced technology of mysterious flying saucers hovering near the Earth. The alien race has completely surrounded the planet, giving Earth the sixty days to surrender. The enemy spacecraft appear indestructible, and Marvin sets out to find a weapon that can defeat them. The special effects of stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen are legendary, most notably in the scene in which flying saucers attack the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
- 1.DVD special features: Feature Film In Black and White.
- 2.Audio Commentary.
- 3.Remembering Earth vs. The Flying Saucers - Featurette.
- 4.The Hollywood Blacklist and Bernard Gordon - Featurette.
- 5.Photo Galleries.
- 6.Interview With Joan Taylor.
- 7.The Colourisation Process - Featurette.
Plot Keywords:
Alien Invasions | Aliens | Science-Fiction | Suspense | Thriller
Production Notes:
- Released theatrically in New York City August 1, 1956.
- Additional cast: Tom Browne Henry (Admiral Enright); Larry Blake (Motorcycle Officer); Charles Evans (Dr. Alberts); and Alan Reynolds (Major Kimberly).
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Movie Lovers' Ratings & Reviews:
Customer Rating:
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Product Info
- Sales Rank: 80,808
- Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
- International Shipping: 1 item
To place an order or for customer service, call toll-free 1-800-336-4627 or outside the United States, call 1-610-649-7565
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Se habla Español! Spanish-speaking representatives available, Monday-Friday: 9am-4pm (Eastern Time)
Portions of this page © 2016 Rovi Corporation. For personal non-commercial use only. All rights reserved.
© 2016 OLDIES.com and its affiliates and partner companies. All rights reserved.
© 2016 OLDIES.com and its affiliates and partner companies. All rights reserved.


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l election
Nigeria became more divided after 2015 presidential election – former CJN
Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, on Saturday said the 2015 Presidential election further divided the nation, as the election was marked by demarcations along ethnic, regional, partisan and religious lines.
Musdapher, who was CJN between August 2011 and July 2012, also warned that Nigerians were treading a path that threatens the continued peace and unity of the country.
Speaking as guest speaker at a lecture organised to mark the 75th birthday of the father of former Speaker of House […]


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5 out of 5.0, Reviewed Aug 30, 2016
Their support is above and beyond any company I have ever worked with, they truly want you to succeed.
Start small and work closely with the support staff. Their incite can save huge amounts of time.
The product runs a fine line between ease of use and having the power to do anything you could want.
Though email support and online portal are fantastic I prefer phone support and it can be difficult to get through.
Start sooner and devout more recourses to the implementation.
Their support is the best of any product I have ever worked with
5 out of 5.0, Reviewed Aug 11, 2016
We have run a total of 15 large scale global deployments through the tool. These deployments had well over 100 steps, parallel tasks, customer facing communication, and multiple pass-offs. We found the tool to be stable and well designed. BP Logix was open to and delivered enhancement requests. The support provided was excellent. We did not involve IT in our programming needs, instead programmed fully through the UI and Word plugin.
Ensure you have a 100% solid understanding of your process before you start with building the Timelines.
I love the Timeline and could not live without it!
This is very small – I would like to be able to provide a bit more visibility into the overall process to the end users. Today, much of this visibility lives in the admin portal.
Not much . When we first starting programming, we felt their documentation was as complete as we would have liked. That said, they have since addressed this issue and the documentation is now very useful.
Our implementation was very successful. We program this in addition to our "day jobs", so our speed to market is not as fast as we would like.
I love the Timeline and could not live without it. No one else does it as well as these guys.
These guys really care. They have the capability of a big company, but provide the service you would typically receive from a smaller organization. The team understands and remembers your process and get to know you. I can't be more complimentary.
1 of 1 peer(s) found this review helpful.


text:
Prices, promotions, styles and availability may vary by store and online.
Action - Revolver
Action Type - Double Action
Caliber - .38 S&W Special
Barrel Length - 1-7/8"
Weight - .8 Lb.
This lightweight revolver features a shrouded hammer, a ramped front sight with a rear groove, and white synthetic grips. Its grips and metal are in good condition and its bore is in very good condition.


text:
- $6,580,000
- 7 Beds
- 7 Baths
- Questions?
Detached Home for sale in Shaughnessy, Vancouver
One of the best quality character home located in prestigious Shaughnessy location. Beautifully built and designed in 2009. S facing, 11,161.2 sqft lot with 5,440 sqft spacious living area. Grand foyer, high ceiling, extensive use of walnut hardwood floor and granite throughout. 7 generous size bedrooms and den, 6.5 baths, open large gourmet kitchen, top of line appls, entertaining size home theatre, sauna, steam bath, radiant floor heating, A/C, HRV. Close to shopping and transit. School catchment: Shaughnessy Elementary, Eric Hamber Secondary Secondary.
- Taxes Info not provided
- Fronting Info not provided
- Poss. Date Info not provided
- Lot Size Info not provided
- Age 7 years
- Parking Spaces Info not provided
- Basement Info not provided
- Type House
- Style 2 Level
This is an MLS®-listed Detached Home for sale located at in Shaughnessy, Vancouver It's listed for $6,580,000 and has been on the market for 115 days. The house is 5440 square feet and has 7 beds and 7 baths. Estimated monthly mortgage costs are $* per month.
There are no room details available for this property.
- Gas Info not provided
- Sewers Info not provided
- Hydro Info not provided
- Water & Water Supply Info not provided
- Heat Info not provided
- Cable TV Info not provided
- Energy certified Info not provided
- Cert. Level Info not provided
- Green info Info not provided
- CAC: Air Conditioned
- Broker: Royal Pacific Realty Corp.
TheRedPin offers the latest data on schools in your neighbourhood.
What school zone does this home fall under?
What are the school ratings?
$24,675 cash back from commission on this property*
Work with full time, full services expert agents bonused on client satisfaction
Join the many thousands of satisfied TheRedPin customers who bought and sold with us


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|Property type
|Minimum Stay
|2 - 21 nights
Thirsk is just 2 miles from this delightful detached cottage, Sutton Bank, Fountains Abbey and Aysgarth Falls easily reached.. Quietly positioned behind the owner's home, these delightful holiday cottages are situated just 2 miles from the quaint market town of Thirsk, with its 15th-century church, original cinema and renowned racecourse. The cobbled market square hosts a twice weekly market and is surrounded by individual shops, traditional inns and tea rooms. Alf Wight, the well-known vet and author of 'All Creatures Great and Small' lived here and the 'World of James Herriott' visitor centre gives a fascinating insight into the working life of this famous vet, his subsequent books and TV series. Grove House Cottages provide a perfect base from which to explore the wider area too, with the Yorkshire Dales National Park to the west and the North Yorkshire Moors to the east. Places of interest include Sutton Bank and Castle Howard, Fountains Abbey and Aysgarth Falls. Families enjoy hours of fun at Lightwater Valley, the Forbidden Corner and Flamingo Land. The coastal resorts of Scarborough, Whitby and Filey are all easily accessible and regular trains and buses run to the ancient walled city of York, 25 miles. Shop 1/2 mile, pubs and restaurants 1 mile.. One step to entrance. All on ground floor: Living/dining room/kitchen with tiled floors. 2 bedrooms: 1 double, 1 twin. Bathroom with shower over bath and toilet.. Travel cot. Ceramic hob. Electric oven. Shared lawned garden with sitting-out area and furniture. . Both properties: Gas central heating, electricity, bed linen and towels included. High chair. Freeview TV. CD. Microwave. Washing machine. Parking (1 car). No smoking. NB: Unfenced pond in owner's garden, 20 yards.
*Plus compulsory or optional charges based on actual occupancy or consumption. The payment has to be made in the currency offered by the property manager, before use of conversion tool. Payments in other currencies have to be negotiated beforehand with the property manager. The currency conversion tool is provided for your convenience only and is non-binding.


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10 Great Social Innovation Reads: July & Aug 2016
Since I was on vacation in late July and early August, I'm combining the last two months of great reads into one. The summer of 2016 certainly was a dark one. From continuing police violence against black men, to the shootings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, it seemed we were becoming a nation truly divided. And tremendous flooding and devastation in Louisiana that was largely ignored by the media was heartbreaking to watch.
But, there were also moments of hope. From new research showing that donors are increasingly interested in investing in what works; to philanthropic leaders calling for better partnerships among the public, private and nonprofit sectors; to a way to move the conversation away from "overhead," the summer months made for some very interesting reads.
Below are my picks of the 10 best reads in the world of social change in July and August. But let me know in the comments what else I missed while I was out.
If you want a longer list of reads, follow me on Twitter @nedgington. And you can read previous months' 10 Great Reads lists here.
- More police violence against black men and the shootings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge arguably broke the country's heart in July. Ira David Socol traced Americans' growing fear of "the other" over the past few decades and how it has contributed to where we are today. And Pew Research offered some data about how Americans see the Black Lives Matter movement. While Heinz Endowment President Grant Oliphant called for an end to the violence, in an incredibly moving series of blog posts where he wrote: "We are called — by everything our diverse faiths teach us, by everything we believe about ourselves and our country — to come together as one people, whether we bravely wear the blue or have come to fear those who do. We are called by all that is good in our hearts to see ourselves in all the fallen, all the lives lost, all the families grieving, all the communities struggling to make sense of their brokenness. We are better than this violence. Deep down in our souls we know this. We are so, so much better than this." And President Obama gave an incredibly moving speech at the funerals for the Dallas police officers, where he encouraged us all to, "With an open heart…worry less about which side has been wronged, and worry more about joining sides to do right."
- But the Black Lives Matter Movement is not just aimed at addressing police violence, the Movement recently released a K-12 education platform designed to fix "a U.S. public-school system…so broken that college is never an option for many young people of color."
- Amid these deepening divides and a growing wealth inequality, Andy Carroll from Exponent Philanthropy argues that philanthropy can no longer be expected to solve everything. Rather, we need partnerships among the public, business and nonprofit sectors to address our growing challenges.
- And then there was the tremendous flooding and devastation in Louisiana. Despite the fact that it was the largest natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the media and philanthropy largely ignored the disaster.
- Curtis Klotz from the Nonprofits Assistance Fund offers a phenomenal graphic to use in changing the conversation from "nonprofit overhead" to "core mission support" at your nonprofit.
- And speaking of how nonprofits use money, FASB (the Financial Accounting Standards Board) just released some significant updates to their standards for nonprofit accounting. The changes impact net asset classes, investment returns, expenses, liquidity and availability of resources, and presentation of operating cash flows. Every nonprofit leader should understand these important changes.
- Founder of Family Independence Initiative, Mauricio Lim Miller argues that just as businesses constantly use technology to understand consumer behavior, nonprofits should tap into technology to "let the people they serve dictate what works best." And Melissa Chadburn might agree with Mauricio's premise that fighting poverty requires a better understanding of the causes of that poverty given her scathing piece, "How Well-Meaning Nonprofits Perpetuate Poverty."
- Penelope Burk's annual fundraising study revealed that more donors are interested in results than ever before. Five years ago, only 16% of donors surveyed gave based on a nonprofit's results vs. a whopping 41% this year. And research from MobileCause shows that Millennials and GenXers are now the vast majority of the U.S. workforce so if you want to reach them as donors you better be online and mobile.
- Ever the trailblazers in foundations interested in building nonprofit capacity, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation unveiled a fabulous new online Knowledge Center with tons of resources for improving nonprofit organizational effectiveness.
- Jim Schaffer questions how "philanthropic" the digital giants Amazon, Facebook and Google actually are. And Lucy Bernholz warns nonprofits of the dangers of trusting Facebook's new fundraising offerings.
Photo Credit: radness.com.au
Forcing Nonprofits and Their Funders to Talk About Real Costs
Something really interesting could emerge out of new federal rules about overtime pay. My hope is these new rules force a better conversation between nonprofits and their funders about the real costs of creating social change.
This coming December new Department of Labor rules will go into effect doubling the salary threshold for guaranteed overtime pay, from about $23,000 to $47,476 so that employees (in any sector) who make less than that threshold will be guaranteed overtime pay whenever they work over 40 hours a week.
This new rule has a potentially enormous impact on nonprofits, which (because of their resource-constrained nature) often underpay and overwork their employees. Many have pointed out what a burden this will place on an already strapped nonprofit sector, which often tries to squeeze ever more productivity out of staffs that are already working well over capacity.
As the National Council of Nonprofits argues, nonprofits receiving government contracts signed prior to this new ruling will be forced to deliver the same services at a higher cost:
"Nonprofits with government grants and contracts at any level of government (local, state, tribal, or federal) will now be put in the position of having to comply with new federal requirements that impose new costs not known when those grants and contracts were signed. Unlike businesses that can raise prices, or governments that can raise taxes or curtail public services, nonprofits with government grants and contracts may find themselves contractually bound to maintain services at increased costs that may not be expressly covered by existing written agreements."
Certainly in the short-term this new overtime rule puts nonprofits in a really difficult position.
But I wonder if in the long-term this new rule could shine a light on the impossible situation in which many funders put nonprofits. With a new ceiling on just how many staff hours a nonprofit can get out of a dollar, I wonder if nonprofit leaders will be forced to stand up and say "Enough is enough!"
Writing in The Atlantic about the potential impact of the overtime rule change on nonprofits, Jonathan Timm seems to think the solution is for nonprofits to simply charge funders more for their services, as he put it:
"If nonprofits truly care about the well-being of their staffs, one easy place to start is simply to write higher salaries into budget proposals. Likewise, government and philanthropic funders could be a lot wiser in how they dole out money: Scarce public-service dollars can impose a state of financial stress on the people who put them to use."
Ahhhh, if only it were that easy…
But at its core, that is the problem. Nonprofit leaders are wary of calculating and articulating the full costs (including all staff costs) of their programs, and government and philanthropic funders are unaware of and unwilling to pay those full costs. But with growing demands on a nonprofit sector already stretched to the brink, something has to give. Perhaps this new reality will force a conversation about what it really costs to address the social challenges we face, and how we must effectively and adequately support the nonprofit sector we have charged with addressing many of those challenges.
The problem has always been that nonprofit leaders are so committed to the work they do and so empathetic towards their clients that when budgets and staff are tight, those leaders simply work longer and harder and ask their employees to do the same. But with these new rules that can no longer be the case.
Program budgets will have to grow to reflect the real costs of those programs (including all of the countless staff hours previously hidden by free overtime). And funders who want more and more services at lower and lower costs will be forced to reckon with the actual costs of the programs in which they want to invest. These new overtime rules will force the "real costs" conversation that many in the nonprofit sector have been encouraging, where nonprofits calculate and report the full costs (including the actual cost of staff time to deliver the work) of the work that they do.
So instead of being a negative change, perhaps these new overtime rules could actually serve to propel nonprofits and their funders toward calculating, articulating and investing in what it really takes to create social change. Call me an optimist.
Photo Credit: Dave Dugdale
The Role of the Independent Sector: An Interview with Dan Cardinali
In this month's Social Velocity interview I'm talking with Dan Cardinali, the new president and CEO of Independent Sector, a national membership organization that brings together nonprofits, foundations, and corporations to advance the common good.
Prior to leading Independent Sector, Dan was the president of Communities In Schools, the nation's largest dropout prevention organization, with operations in 26 states and the District of Columbia. While there he led efforts to develop and advance an evidence-based model of integrated student service provision and launched a national growth strategy to increase the organization's impact on improving public education. He is a 2007 Annie E. Casey Children and Families Fellow, serves as a trustee for America's Promise, and is on the board of Child Trends. In May 2011 he was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. He is also a member of the Leap Ambassador Community of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders.
You can read interviews with other social change leaders in the Social Velocity interview series here.
Nell: You have just become the new head of Independent Sector (IS). In a diverse and growing nonprofit sector that includes many ecosystem organizations like Independent Sector, what do you think the value proposition is for IS? What is the unique role that IS can and should be playing?
Dan: We were founded by John Gardner who was of the sector and believed deeply in the importance of the sector. It was distinct from government and the for-profit sector and uniquely positioned to support the American project. It played a unique and critical role to sustain American democracy and was also a source of profound community co-creation, rising up to provide really good solutions where there were problems and innovating to help communities evolve and grow, and supporting culture and defending the environment. At a time when civil society is shrinking around the world, the independent sector has an even more important role to play.
As for our capital I, capital S organization's value proposition, we are unique in the country in spanning the sector. We hold the entirety of the grant seeking and grant making organizations and that purview we want to steward very carefully and thoughtfully. We want to be hyper disciplined in a world where there are a number of infrastructure organizations doing really good work, not to duplicate but align and leverage through collaboration. But there are still holes in our estimation in the landscape of what the sector needs. So we are going to remain disciplined in our role as an organization that is sector spanning and national in scope, grounded deeply in community, to determine what we do to add value to the original vision for a more robust social sector.
Nell: Independent Sector can potentially play a unique role because it stands at the intersection between nonprofits and those who fund nonprofits. Is there a bigger role for IS to play in bringing those two sides closer together, breaking down the power dynamic and helping more money to flow to effective organizations? If so what does that look like?
Dan: We are playing a role and part of it is modeling that these are two sides of the same coin – grant seekers can't exist without grant makers and grant makers can't get along without grant seekers. It would be naïve to pretend that those with financial resources don't have an advantage, yet I equally think in the social sector that grant seekers at times abdicate the power that comes with knowing what they know to be effective and owning that. The opportunity exists to partner with grant makers, not just in the transactional sense, but in the co-creation of solutions to ensure that culture flourishes and that the environment is protected and flourishes, and that problems are solved.
In the Threads conversations IS convened with more than 80 partners across the U.S., concerns about the power dynamic were voiced at every stop. In response, IS and member organizations and experts are cooperating to model the best strategies for working together. We need to refocus the relationship on bringing the needed human, financial, and intellectual resources to bear, calling all people of good will to a higher purpose, rather than organizational sustainability.
Nell: Recently 22 nonprofit infrastructure organizations (like GuideStar, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, etc.) wrote a public letter urging foundations to invest more in infrastructure organizations. Independent Sector was not one of the 22 organizations, but what are your thoughts on their argument and how does, or should, Independent Sector fit in?
Dan: What was encouraging about that letter from very reputable organizations is that it opened up a conversation. The philanthropic community has a role, an obligation, to support effective infrastructure organizations, and we have a responsibility to be effective. But IS will not be in a position to request that support without a discussion of what needs doing, how well we all are doing it, and how can we better leverage each other's work. I am passionate about this topic, and I appreciate that this letter advanced the conversation. I expect IS will partner closely in the future conversations.
Nell: You come to IS after many years at the helm of Communities In Schools, which moved during your tenure to a very evidence-based approach. Do you see IS moving itself and/or helping the sector as a whole to move toward a more evidenced-based approach?
Dan: What we did at CIS was to create a virtuous circle between our programs and practice and our data and research to continually generate insights, make course corrections as needed, and build on success. This is how we roll. IS has been applying this approach for a long time. In the Threads conversations, we engaged practitioners using a credible analytic process. We listened to them, without presupposing what they would say, and we applied social science to produce a document, the Threads report. We then co-created a strategic framework that engages members and develops our partnership, just as we do with the IS conference coming up in November.
So the evidence-based approach is alive and well. Going forward we can look for ways to accelerate its use across the organization, through a thoughtful integration of technology and 21st century methods of engagement.
Photo Credit: Independent Sector
10 Great Social Innovation Reads: June 2016
What is it about June and social change? Last June was the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage, a huge victory after decades of social change work. This June, while perhaps not as pivotal, offered some clear glimpses of impending social change.
The horrible tragedy in Orlando stirred Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate to stage protests calling for votes on gun legislation. And the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union sent shockwaves around the world. Add to that some fascinating data (about civil rights and education, charitable giving, and the refugee crisis), some strong words about tech philanthropists, and a distaste for the term "nonprofit," and it made for an interesting month in the world of social change.
Below are my picks of the 10 best reads, but if you want a longer list, follow me on Twitter @nedgington.
And if you want to see past months' great reads lists go here.
- In the wake of the brutal killing of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the U.S. Congress temporarily ground to a halt with a Democratic filibuster in the Senate and then a Democratic sit-in in the House, all in the name of forcing Republicans to take a vote on gun control legislation. While neither effort was successful in passing gun legislation, change may be coming, due in part to a new and growing gun control group.
- June also saw the shocking vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union ("Brexit"), a move that many argue will have a huge impact on the global economy. Much was written about the implications of the vote, but most interesting (and most related to social change) were Spencer Wells' fascinating look at the fundamental economic, demographic and political shifts behind the vote, and Jake Hayman's view on what philanthropy can learn from it. As he put it: "The future of philanthropy and the future of politics have to lie in something beyond the economic. Indeed it will be the ones that invite those they wish to serve into the heart of decision-making and dedicate themselves to reforming systems – rather than propping them up – that will come to thrive."
- One of the reasons some in the United Kingdom voted for Brexit may be fear about the refugee crisis. Ever relevant to the issues of the day, Pew Research offers some key facts about the world's refugees.
- And speaking of votes, in the November U.S. presidential election Millennials (because of their sheer numbers) stand to have a real impact. Derrick Feldmann from Achieve discusses some new research about Millennials' particular approaches to civic engagement and how they might play out in the presidential election.
- Writing in The New York Review of Books, Lewis B. Cullman and Ray Madoff express "grave concern" about a fundamental shift they see in the funding of the nonprofit sector due to the increasing popularity of donor advised funds (DAFs). Donors receive an immediate tax benefit when setting up a DAF, but the donation may not find its way to the nonprofit sector for years to come. As they put it, "Donor-advised funds have been a bad deal for American society. They have produced too many private benefits for the financial services industry, at too great a cost to the taxpaying public, and they have provided too few benefits for society at large. When we consider their overall effect, we see that rather than supporting working charities and the beneficiaries they serve, they have undermined them."
- One of the smartest philanthropic thinkers, by far, is Clara Miller president of the F.B. Heron Foundation. She offers a two part treatise (part 1 and part 2) on what the foundation of the 21st century should look like. She writes that foundations must learn to adapt their approach and business model: "While permanence may be a key mission requirement for some…fossilized thinking cannot be. We simply can't succeed in a vacuum, especially when the pace and nature of the gaps we are called upon to fill have become larger and more frequent, the problems more intertwined and the needs more urgent." Amen!
- Never one to pull punches, blogger Vu Le has some strong words for a particular type of philanthropist, those coming from tech companies thinking they know how to fix nonprofits. As he tells them, "Don't think for a moment that just because you're great at one thing, it means you have the legitimacy to give advice in an area that you have little experience and training in. I don't go around telling you how to design apps or wifi-enabled smart light switches. If you want to truly partner to solve entrenched issues our community members are facing, then great. But first, get rid of your assumptions and ego. Otherwise, let's agree to swipe left."
- Another favorite truth teller, Phil Buchanan from the Center for Effective Philanthropy clearly articulates why the term "nonprofit" is critical and necessary: "Sometimes, nonprofits need to be the voice of opposition to those whose motivation is profit." Yep.
- Giving USA released their annual data on giving in the nonprofit sector. And if you are hungry for even more data about the nonprofit sector, thanks to a a federal court order the IRS is now providing machine-readable nonprofit Form 990s from 2011 to the present.
- And speaking of fascinating data, the Department of Education released their annual civil rights data, which has been gathered every year since 1968 in order to assess enforcement of civil rights laws. NPR highlights some jaw-dropping findings.
Photo Credit: Kyle Pearce
We Must Rise
It has been a rough several weeks. The horrifying brutality in Orlando was just another instance in what seems like an endless stream of gun violence. And that violence is just one of the challenges facing us, from an increasingly hate-filled presidential campaign, to growing wealth inequality, to racial unrest, to political polarization and gridlock. It seems now more than ever we need real leadership to point us toward the light.
But our nation's leaders themselves are in turmoil. You only need to look at a recent picture of Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to see how conflicted and immobilized a leader can become.
We are witnessing a time that requires true leadership. This is a time where we need more people to ask themselves, "What is the right thing to do? What is the hard, potentially unpopular, but absolutely necessary thing to do?"
I think we saw a brief moment of leadership last week when Senate Democrats staged a filibuster to urge lawmakers to entertain a vote on gun regulation. Regardless of your politics, and the fact that the eventual votes on gun regulation were lost, I think we can all agree that it took courage and leadership for Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) to stand up for 14 hours demanding that his fellow senators take action. His point, along with the other Senators who stood with him, was that we are experiencing a time when leadership is needed. We no longer have the luxury of simply standing by while events at odds with what we know to be right unfold.
As Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) put it:
"In this body, we don't have to be heroes. We just have to not be bystanders. We've been bystanders in this body, we've been bystanders in this nation, as this carnage of gun violence has gone from one tragedy to the next. To cast a vote, that's not heroic. To stand up and say we can be safer tomorrow, we can protect people's lives, that's not heroic. That's just saying, 'I will not be a bystander.' And that's all we have to do."
A true leader does not ignore the fear that it will be hard, or that they don't have enough resources, or that they aren't the right person. A true leader recognizes those fears and proceeds anyway. A true leader doesn't do the easy thing, or the thing that will benefit him individually or that will benefit the group that he represents. A true leader digs deep and honestly asks — what is the right thing to do? And a true leader does that thing.
As Martin Luther King said:
The great question facing us today is whether we will remain awake through this world-shaking revolution, and achieve the new mental attitudes which the situations and conditions demand. There would be nothing more tragic during this period of social change than to allow our mental and moral attitudes to sleep while this tremendous social change takes place…We are challenged to rise above the narrow confines of our individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
This is a time, perhaps more than usual, for social change leaders especially to step up. Because they are in many respects the moral compass of our country, of our world. They are the ones who are constantly thinking about a better path forward — a path that is more inclusive, democratic, fair and equitable, civil, safe and sustainable. Social change leaders are predisposed to rise up and lead us to a better way (and we are already starting to see that with work to address gun violence).
Social change leaders know better than anyone that times of enormous upheaval can also be times of tremendous opportunity. But only if we choose to act. And, more importantly, only if we are led to act.
At this moment we must not shrink from the darkness. We must not cower in the corner, or think that someone else will do the thing that we all know must be done. We must step up, we must speak out. We must dig deep and ask ourselves, "What can I do (however slight) to shift us from the course of darkness?"
And so we must rise.
Photo Credit: pixabay
10 Great Social Innovation Reads: May 2016
May offered some interesting insights into the world of social change. From a plea by nonprofit infrastructure groups for more funding, to some criticisms of philanthropy's unwillingness to invest in rural economies or provide a realistic runway to nonprofits, to digital's impact on journalism, to the evolving sharing economy, to a call for more nonprofit board resignations, to a way to break the nonprofit starvation cycle, there was a lot to read.
Below are my picks of the 10 best reads in the world of social change in May. But you can always follow me on Twitter (@nedgington) for a longer list.
And if you are interested in past months' 10 Great Reads lists, go here.
- Perhaps the biggest news of the month was the letter written by 22 groups, which provide support to the entire sector (like the National Council of Nonprofits, the Nonprofit Finance Fund, and GuideStar), asking foundations to provide more funding for the nonprofit ecosystem. GuideStar CEO Jacob Harold (here) and National Council of Nonprofits CEO Tim Delaney (here and here) explain why this issue is so important. But Pablo Eisenberg disagrees.
- National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Executive Director Aaron Dorfman takes philanthropy to task for not investing enough in rural communities, where change is needed most. As he puts it: "The philanthropic sector continues to neglect rural communities. A changing national economy, entrenched racial inequity and foundations' reliance on a strict interpretation of strategic philanthropy has meant philanthropic resources for rural communities are few and far between, just when the opportunities for change are most urgent. This has to change if we want to see progress on the issues we all care about."
- Piling on to the criticism of philanthropy, Laurie Michaels and Maya Winkelstein from Open Road Alliance, encourage their fellow philanthropists to help nonprofits deal with risk and disruption. As they put it: "Most grant budgets are designed with zero cushion even when the nonprofit is working in tough conditions that can turn the simplest obstacle into an unmanageable issue…any unexpected but inevitable change or deviation in the budget is potentially catastrophic. The nonprofit's inability to fluidly adapt the budget to manage these roadblocks, however minor, can jeopardize even the largest of undertakings…Risks alone are threatening, but when the concept of risk goes unacknowledged, undiscussed, and unaddressed, those risks are more likely to become realities. All this adds up to lower impact, turning manageable events into liabilities."
- Maybe female philanthropists can turn the tide. The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy released some fascinating new research about how women are changing philanthropy. And Megan O'Neil, writing in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, explains how nonprofits must adapt in order to tap into this growing philanthropic force.
- Journalism is changing rapidly, due in part to the growth of digital. Research shows that different social media platforms connect people to news in different ways, and long-form journalism is seeing a resurgence thanks to mobile.
- And it's not just journalism that digital is changing. The Nonprofit Tech for Good blog offers 16 Must-Know Stats About Online Fundraising and Social Media and 5 Ways the Internet of Things Will Transform Fundraising.
- The growth of the "sharing economy", where consumers rent or borrow goods and services rather than buy them, has huge implications for the social change sector. Pew Research outlines 8 key findings about how Americans relate to the sharing economy and interviews NYU professor Arun Sundararajan about how the sharing economy is evolving.
- Nonprofit Law blogger Gene Takagi pulls no punches in offering 12 Reasons Why You Should Gracefully Resign from a Nonprofit Board. Yes, yes, yes, to more accountability, honest conversations, and clear expectations on nonprofit boards.
- Writing in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Jeri Eckhart-Queenan, Michael Etzel, and Sridhar Prasad discuss the findings of a new Bridgespan Group study that analyzed the indirect costs of 20 different nonprofit organizations. What they found, not surprisingly, is that indirect rates vary greatly depending on the business model and industry of a given organization (just as it does in the for-profit sector). The authors argue that if more nonprofits understand and report their true costs, nonprofits could break the starvation cycle: "It's clear that philanthropy's prevailing 15 percent indirect cost reimbursement policy does not take into account the wide variation in costs from segment to segment. Doing so would have far-reaching effects on philanthropy and grantees. If nonprofits committed to understanding their true cost of operations and funders shifted to paying grantees what it takes to get the job done, the starvation cycle would end."
- A nonprofit dashboard is a good way to monitor and report on a nonprofit's effectiveness and sustainability over time. Hilda Polanco, CEO of FMA, explains how to create a great one.
Photo Credit: Omarfaruquepro
Where Does Your Nonprofit Fit In the Market?
As much as we might like to deny it, nonprofits exist in a market economy, which means that nonprofits, like everything else, must compete for customers and resources. Therefore it is critical that you understand where your nonprofit fits in the market.
While a business has one customer, a nonprofit has at least two distinct customer groups:
- Those who benefit from a nonprofit's work (clients), and
- Those who fund that work (donors, government contractors, etc).
So it is absolutely critical that nonprofit leaders understand what unique value their work brings to these customers. This can be done through a Marketplace Map, which is one of the first exercises (along with a Theory of Change) that I help nonprofit leaders create during a strategic planning process.
A nonprofit organization is best positioned to create social change in a sustainable way when their core competencies (what the organization does better than anyone else) intersects with a community need (or set of social problems) apart from their competitors or collaborators, like this:
But don't get me wrong. I am not saying that a nonprofit shouldn't collaborate.
On the contrary, nonprofit leaders must forge strategic alliances that help move the social change they envision forward. However, when they create those alliances, they must be crystal clear about what their organization brings to the table, versus what a potential ally brings to the table. Thus, a marketplace mapping exercise is absolutely critical to charting a way forward.
In order to create their marketplace map, a nonprofit's board and staff must answer these three key questions:
- Core Competencies: What superior assets (expertise, relationships, etc.) do we possess as an organization that are not easily replicable?
- Community Needs: What community needs/social problems are we attempting to address?
- Competitors/Collaborators: What other entities are working on some/all of those same problems?
The social change sector has become increasingly competitive in recent years. Now more than ever, nonprofits need to understand this external marketplace of competitors/collaborators against their own core competencies in order to understand the unique value that their nonprofit can contribute.
From this marketplace mapping exercise, some key strategic questions will emerge for the nonprofit, such as:
- Where do our core competencies and activities end, and where do others' begin?
- Is our nonprofit better positioned than other entities to conduct all of the activities (from our Theory of Change) that we currently do? Should some activities be left to those who do it better?
- Are there core competencies that we must develop in order to better address the community needs we've identified?
- Are there collaborators/competitors that we should be more strategic about aligning with?
Creating a Marketplace Map, much like creating a Theory of Change, is an incredibly useful exercise that gets your board and staff thinking in bigger, more strategic ways about your work. And those more strategic conversations can help lead to a more effective and sustainable path forward.
If you want to learn more about how I work with clients to develop their strategic plan, download the Strategic Plan benefit sheet.
10 Great Social Innovation Reads: April 2016
I'm a little late on my 10 great reads list this month because the GEO conference kept me busy, but there was lots going on in April. From the most pressing issues facing foundation leaders, to what history can tell us about new philanthropy and combatting xenophobia, to how nonprofits create economic value, to Millennials and social change, to state lawmakers attacking nonprofits, it was not a slow month.
Below are my 10 favorite reads from the month of April.
But if you want a longer list of what caught my eye this month, follow me on Twitter @nedgington. And if you want to see past months' 10 Great Reads lists go here.
- If you read only one thing on this list, let it be Ruth McCambridge's fascinating interview with media theorist Douglas Rushkoff. He argues that a nonprofit (or benefit corporation) business model is far better at creating value than a corporate model that operates under a "scorched earth policy." He argues that corporations transfer value only to their shareholders, instead of the economy as a whole. As he puts it:
"Unlike the for-profit sector, the nonprofit company can't sell itself, and it doesn't have shares that go up in value…the way you make money is not by making your share price more valuable and then selling those to other people…the investment that you put in the company stays in the company. You can't extract that when you leave. So, it's much more like a family business, and if you look at the data, family businesses do better than shareholder-owned businesses in pretty much every single metric, and they last a whole lot longer. You're building a company not because you want to take value out of it and then use that money to bequeath an inheritance to your grandchildren, but rather you're building a company that you hope will still be around when your grandchildren need a job, to circulate wealth when you die. That's why I'm trying to convince Internet startups to be benefit corporations, multipurpose corporations, or best of all, nonprofits."
- And if you only have time to read two things on this list, let the second thing be Phil Buchanan's essay on the five most pressing issues facing foundation leaders, "Big Issues, Many Questions." A thought-provoking read.
- Pew Research provides a cool interactive graphic of the ebbs and flows of political polarization over the last 20+ years.
- While we are talking about change over time, I have always thought there are great parallels to be drawn between the philanthropists born of today's digital age and the Gilded Age philanthropists. Nellie Bowles writing in The Guardian seems to agree in her piece about the "Digital Gilded Age."
- And speaking of the history of philanthropy, Alfred Perkins, writing on the HistPhil blog, sees parallels between our current xenophobic political environment and the anti-Japanese sentiment in World War Two. But back then Rockefeller Foundation philanthropist Edwin Embree fought it. And perhaps there is a lesson there for philanthropy today: "By moving boldly beyond the customary boundaries of organized philanthropy, Embree was able to challenge deeply-held prejudices, demand justice for a vulnerable minority, and extend the impact of the monies he disbursed. This pioneer of his profession would not have voiced the idea, but implicit in his words and actions is the notion that foundation executives might on occasion serve as the nation's conscience. In these less stringent times, his example might provide useful lessons for his contemporary successors—to the benefit of the philanthropic enterprise, and the nation as a whole."
- So what will the future of social change be? All eyes are on Millennials, from how they turn out to vote, to how they donate, to what they think of capitalism, to how they find housing.
- A recent conference focusing on "maintainers" rather than the overly popular "innovators" aimed to uncover how critical the role of those maintaining the world in which we live are. As one of the conference organizers, Lee Vinsel (assistant professor of science and technology at the Stevens Institute of Technology) put it, "The vast majority of technologies that surround us and underpin our lives are not innovations. And the vast majority of labor in our culture is not focused on introducing or adopting new things, but on keeping things going."
- Nonprofits have been under fire lately by state lawmakers who are trying to make it even harder for nonprofits to do their work. Tim Delaney from the National Council of Nonprofits provides an overview on what's happening and what we can do about it. And Erin Bradrick delves into a proposed California bill that didn't make it out of committee but sets a dangerous precedent on legislating nonprofit overhead rate disclosure in fundraising.
- Particularly during an election cycle, the struggle of the modern news media becomes more evident. The Knight Foundation released a troubling report that the news media has grown less able to defend their First Amendment rights in court. And French economist Julia Cage argues in her new book that the news media should embrace a nonprofit business model in order to reflect better its social role of bolstering our democracy.
- Hanh Le from Exponent Philanthropy and Rusty Stahl from Talent Philanthropy make a very convincing case about why funders should invest in nonprofit talent. Let's hope this helps turn the tide.
Photo Credit: Stepan Lianozyan via Wikimedia Commons
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Last month, I wrote several blogs on dealing with difficult people. Mostly I was talking about how to handle them in one-on-one interactions.
But last week, Nancy Germond, who writes the Allbusiness.com "Risk Management in the 21st Century" blog, posted a great piece on assessing — and reducing — jerks' total cost to your businessplace, as well as identifying jerks in the first place.
This latter is an especially helpful part of her post, as one tactic of bullies is to deny the fact that they're being jerks and to imply, instead, that the observer is over sensitive, paranoid, or just plain delusional.
Gotta love 'em — and you really gotta read her blog.


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7 Colonel Allen South Hero, VT 05486
Listed by David Porteous of Re/Max North Professionals
Call Four Seasons Sotheby's International Realty Real Estate for more information.
Lot Size: 3.1 acres
Price/Acre: $22,548
Property Description
Desirable community. Approx. 10 minutes to I-89. Some lake views. State Wastewater Permit WW-6-2799 approved for a 3 bedroom house. Septic design available.
- Property Type: Land
- Zoning: RES
- Acreage: 3.1
- Lot description: Country Setting, Level, Water View
- State: VT
- Street: Colonel Allen
- Building Number:
- Development/Subdivision: 0
- Zip Code: 05486
- County: VT-Grand Isle
- Town: South Hero
- Area Description: Rural
- Elementary School: Folsom Comm Ctr
- Junior High: Folsom Ed. and Community Ctr
- High School: Choice
- Water: On-Site Well Needed
- Sewer: On-Site Septic Needed
- Electric: At Street
- Services:
- Land Restrictions: Easement/ROW
- Taxes: $1,189
The New England Real Estate Network provides Multiple Listing Services (MLS) in the States of New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine.
Copyright© 2016 The New England Real Estate Network. All rights reserved. This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The data relating to real estate displayed on this Site comes in part from the IDX Program of NEREN. The information being provided is for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Data last updated on 12/04/2016.


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Style: 39524251 Color Code:
In an effortless wear-with-anything silhouette, this oversized tee has a rounded neck and short sleeves. Super soft and heathered top has a built-in tank top and unfinished trim.
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FP EXCLUSIVE :Only sold thru Free People. One of nine exclusive, in-house labels. Perfectly distressed, all-American styles.
Beautiful but the color fades quickly!
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Discussion in 'iTunes App Store Games & Apps' started by 2001ChevyZ71, Jan 17, 2010.
I thought it cost to call landlines but I was able to call one by using the free app
The first call is free. Pointless thread.
Maybe he didnt know that the first call was free.
Separate names with a comma.


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Global Finance magazine has announced its annual awards for the World's Best Banks in Developed Markets. Nordea has been chosen both regional winner in the Nordics and country winner in Sweden.
The winners of this year's awards are those banks that attended carefully to their customers' needs in difficult markets and accomplished better results while laying the foundations for future success, according to Global Finance.
"The banks that Global Finance is honouring may not be the largest or oldest, but they are the best at targeting their products and offerings to the specific markets they serve," says Joseph D. Giarraputo, publisher and editorial director of Global Finance. "These banks have weathered the volatile conditions of the past few years and are primed to take advantage of global conditions – as they improve."
- We are glad to receive this recognition as being a bank with a strong focus on our customers´ needs. This focus will continue to guide us in our work to develop the bank and meet our customers' demands also in an even more digital world, says Christian Clausen, Group CEO, Nordea.
- I am very proud that Nordea has been awarded best bank in Sweden, as well as best regional bank in the Nordics. As part of our multichannel relationship strategy we continuously expand the opportunities for customers to interact with us as they prefer. In the coming years we will secure that we also in the long term will provide more personalised and convenient solutions for our customers", says Lennart Jacobsen, Head of Retail Banking and Country Senior Executive in Sweden.
Read more news
Digital services – smarter solutions
Digital banking The Digital Hub
Olof Brandt, responsible for the Nordea Accelerator in Sweden, about the rapid change in digital services.
Nordea Accelerator: Fintech startups pitch ideas to investors
About Nordea Digital banking
A new way of meeting the bank – more convenient for customers
Digital banking The Digital Hub
Petra Eklund, Head of the Online Branch in Sweden, about new ways of meeting the customer.
Why corporates should care about digitalisation
Digital banking The Digital Hub
Erik Zingmark, Co-head of Transaction Banking, about the future of payments.


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I would love if someone could make my nails look better. I can never paint my non-dom hand and I always get distracted before I can put a top coat on..
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Table of Contents
This interface provides a way to define how regulators are connected to consumers on a given system and what the valid operating parameters are for the system.
Regulator supplies are specified using struct regulator_consumer_supply. This is done at driver registration time as part of the machine constraints.


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Kitchen Poltergeist Caught On Camera
Posted by alfalpha on Dec. 12, 2010
This week Odin will be showing you how build Cloud's Fusion Sword from Fina...
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It's like every other cartoon!
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Movie poster Viking Queen (1968)
Poster 70x100cm nice condition FN original
Poster year:1968
Actors:Don Murray Carita
4.0 / 5 from 6 ratings
Vintage Movie poster from a movie theater 1968. Rare, most were thrown away. Great quality in paper and colors, nice to frame on your wall.
The Hoodlum Priest (1961)
Don Murray
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Maya (1968)
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Angels From Hell (1968)
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Torture Garden (1968)
Jack Palance
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Steve McQueen
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TCI/Japan27 Jun 2008
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J-Power shareholders snub TCI proposals
The Children's Investment Fund's campaign for higher dividends and a management shake-up at J-Power effectively ended on Thursday when shareholders of Japan's biggest electricity wholesaler rejected all five proposals put forward by the UK hedge fund.
TCI's attempt at forcing J-Power to raise its dividend payout to ¥120 (56p) per share - or ¥80 at minimum - and to appoint at least three external directors was rebuffed as investors backed the management's plans for a ¥70 payout and appointment of at least one director from outside.


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Listen Now Download as mp3 from the show Life on Mars
Jesus Zafra, Spain asked:
What kind of antenna (for instance, size) should be used to communicate with aliens in other stars, like Alfa Centauri? Knowing the possibility of life somewhere, in a star like our Sun, what kind of device should we use? Do we have any possibility of communication with our nearest stars?
Because light travels at a fixed speed it takes a long time for a signal to reach us. The basic problem with communicating with aliens is that the nearest stars are 3-10 light years away. If you said hello it would take three years for that message to get to the alien star and three years to come back. The other problem of course is aliens will not necessarily have communication of the same kind as us. What we would have to do is send signals that are numbers like 2, 4, 6, 8. That's the content of the communication. The second part is how do we communicate? Scientifically I think there are two really approaches that are currently available to us on Earth. One is the standard technique which is to use radio signals and we listen with the biggest telescopes on the Earth. The Arecebo telescope, which is a 300m diameter has been used. Radio astronomers are currently working on the design of a radio telescope which will be ten times larger. Those telescopes will be mainly used to listen for extra terrestrial life. An alternative approach is to use lasers. Lasers have the advantage that they're highly directional. You could point high-powered laser at a specific star. One thing about technology is that we're in a period where technology's improving all the time. If you want to communicate with aliens and you think it's going to take many years to start this conversation it is possibly better to wait maybe 10, 20, 30 years until our technology improves significantly.
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Alpha Centauri is 4.37 light years away so the conversation may be a bit stilted, but I get the idea. The concept of an antenna means that there is an assumption of radio communications. Really as big as possible set of dishes (I mean biggish dishes and an array so as to have as narrow a beam as possible). I am afraid that as much as I like the idea of communications with aliens I rather think the concept is a waste of time. This is because aliens that are much in advance of us will communicate with us if they wish to. If they do not wish to, we are unlikely to detect their communications. It is unlikely that we could detect are own spread spectrum communications used today (say) 30 years ago. We probably would think it noise. So think what difference 100s or 1000s of years could make. If they are not as advanced as us we clearly could not communicate. It is very very unlikely we would hit upon a civilisation at the same stage of development as ourselves. Shame really. graham.d, Wed, 21st May 2008
The messages are going to take a long time going back and forth though aren't they? It takes 15 minutes just to get a signal to the rovers on Mars... chris, Thu, 22nd May 2008
4.37 years each way in fact (if Alpha centauri) graham.d, Fri, 23rd May 2008
"Do you want a cup of tea?"
Broadcast type signals fizzle out quite quickly. It is myth that aliens could be tuning in to our early broadcasts. They might just about (with a really massive antenna) detect the presence of a TV signal but no picture or sound...
For a start you would need a humungus antenna on a relay station out in orbit. Hundreds of km diameter with hundreds of kW transmitter power.
A golden gramophone disc, (ask your parents), with "sounds of earth" was attached to the Viking space probes launched in 1977 ...
There a a couple of serious engineering issues, some of which others have alluded to: