Robert Egger´s Piece of Mind

Today, the DC Central Kitchen will unveil a new effort that we hope will push our own organizational envelope, while also jump-starting the semi-stalled dialogue about the future of philanthropy in America…..a Volunteer Bill of Rights.

I serve on the board or advisory board for a bunch of great organizations (including Charity Navigator, The Alliance for Effective Social Investing, The Philanthropic Collaborative and Great Nonprofits) which have convened some of the best minds in the biz to see if we can use our collective brain power to help free the sector’s finances (and future) from the grip of what we ALL agree is the intellectual tar of “low administrative overhead”.

To that great goal, we have devoted numerous meetings to discussions revolving around which metrics can or should be measured, in what order, and most importantly, to what ends.

Naturally, this led us to genuflect to the need for outside evaluation—to the proxy of an unbiased third-party that would “certify” that groups actually do what they say they do.

I dig this direction, as this would help donors see that sometimes, things that look good, sound good and feel good can actually be astoundingly lame (For example: serving LOTS of meals sounds good, but it really isn’t, unless the meals being served are healthy. One clogs the arteries, the other frees the mind…ya dig?)

Which got me thinking….

Back in the day, when I was running nightclubs, there were really only a handful of “great” restaurants in America, and they were all French, period. Now, just about EVERY city in America boasts a bevy of great dining establishments. How did that happen?

I’ll tell you. Restaurant critics (often women writers who, in the 1960’s and 70’s, were relegated to the “women’s page” of the local paper) began to explore a new way of reviewing restaurants. This generation of writers began with a simple concept—diners had rights—and they crafted a whole new set of metrics that used “diner’s dollars” as the sharp point of their critical pens. They championed a new generation of American chefs by telling an escalating number of diners that they did not have to take what was served and like it—they could send it back. They could demand better. And demand they did. Soon, restaurant managers were training staff to be more accommodating and to talk to customers about the ingredients of the food. Open kitchens began to appear. Soon chefs began to come out of the kitchen to greet increasingly sophisticated diners and sit with them to talk about food theory, locally sourced products, green practices and giving back to community. And now, with the advent of the internet, comes technology that allows ANY customer to review a restaurant. And, it is because of that customer driven system that just about EVERY community in America now boasts numerous great restaurants that continue to push the boundries.

So rather than set out on a course that would have us hire expensive experts to verify what we do at DCCK….we did what we always do—look right in front of us—and we found close to 14,000 potential evaluators waiting on deck: the men and women, students and families who volunteer with us every year.

Frankly, if DCCK volunteers, and America’s 60 million volunteers start asking…no, demanding that they be told, in detail, what they did and why its important to the community–what the investment of their time helped grow–THAT will drive innovation a whole lot faster than another “Y x Z x % of Pi = Good” formula.

So, as of tomorrow, the Volunteer Bill of Rights will be posted throughout ALL DCCK business locations (including the 26 amazing Campus Kitchens).  It gets right to the point—ALL volunteers have the right to:

• Work in a safe environment.
• Be treated with respect by all staff members.
• Be engaged in meaningful work and be actively included regardless of any physical limitations.
• Be told what impact your work made in the community.
• Ask any staff member questions about our work.
• Provide feedback about your experience.
• Receive a copy of our financial information or annual report upon request.

Some of these rights are, of course, pretty obvious….but by publicly committing to these standards, we hope that volunteers will see this list and will feel comfortable talking to ANY member of our team–that they will dig deep into our financial reports and they will ask us hard questions and push harder still for details, which we are, to a team member, double down ready to provide.

All of these rights are important….but the most purposeful of these is the one right in the middle—the right to “be told what impact your work made in the community”. THAT’S the kicker. We want, and think it’s critical, that every nonprofit in America be prepared to answer that question, in detail. No more fuzzy, feel good platitudes.  No more bromides, brothers and sisters—it’s about facts and figures. Verifiable, Hard Core, Detailed Deeds.

Look, like a whole bunch of you, we are really excited by how much we pack into our 24-7-365 programs, and we WANT volunteers to ask LOTS of questions. To that end, we were thrilled to be a lead partner with our colleague and friend, Perla Ni at Great Nonprofits when they recently launched their new volunteer review project, which empowers volunteers to rate their experiences at programs like DCCK. She and her partners at Guidestar are way out front on this and they deserve big props.

But, this isn’t a time for talk, or theory or more meeting….this is a time for movement. The wheat is being seperated from the chaffe, baby….and the winds are blowing harder and harder everyday.

So see the future. Be part of making something bigger happen. We are an open source organization, so feel free to use this Bill of Rights in your shop.  Add more rights if you see fit. If they rock, let us know so we can adapt our version. Call if you want and we’ll talk about how we trained our staff to translate talking to volunteers about these rights into opportunities to elevate the idea of what we are doing, together, so that folks can’t wait to come back—with friends, time and wallets in tow. 

This isn’t  about bucks…it’s about change….but we’re bucking the system to get us there.

Rights ON.

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I was just in Denver, where I was honored to be able to speak to the members of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network who had gathered in the Mile High City to talk taking it up a notch. 

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“A fast is first and foremost personal. It is a fast for the purification of my own body, mind, and soul. The fast is also a heartfelt prayer for purification and strengthening for all those who work beside me in the farm worker movement. The fast is also an act of penance for those in positions of moral authority and for all men and women activists who know what is right and just, who know that they could and should do more.”

Today is Cesar Chavez’s birthday. I’ve written and spoken of him many, many times over the last three years, as I see him, along with King and Gandhi, as one of the great liberators of the last century. When I say “great liberator”, I don’t mean it in the traditional, almost romantic way we view liberators. Too often we want to see them as lofty saints, versus clever tacticians, which I believe limits their legacy. I’m not interested in holding somebody up as somehow different or above it all. Chavez was a simple man, plain and simple, who stood up, used his head and worked hard-everyday-to fight for a better world. Nor do I use the term because he fought for the rights of migrant farmers (and won), or because he organized and built the United Farm Workers, or because he fasted numerous times to draw attention to the quest. No, I use it because he recognized, like King and Gandhi, that the liberation of the oppressed was linked with the liberation of the oppressor. He knew that both sides were afflicted, and each needed to be healed if true justice was ever to be achieved. In short—he sought to liberate all. Each of these leaders used “non-violent resistance” to challenge authority and build momentum behind their goals. But their goal was never to simply organize those at the bottom, but to challenge—intellectually and spiritually—the members of the larger society who often were unaware of their role in the system that kept farm workers poorly paid, uneducated and living in squalid conditions.

If I may….the fight so many of us wage should not be about organizing the poor, but helping the vast majority of Americana’s overcome the understandable fear they have of thinking about why there ARE poor. The average American is a just, caring, generous person who truly wants to see a world that is color blind, even and fair. BUT they are afraid of the hard work and, frankly, sacrifices they will have to be part of if we are to get there. Simply put…it’s easier to think that if you are poor, left out or uneducated—it’s because you are lazy, dumb or unwilling to work. That’s what King, Gandhi and Chavez understood….and they sought to find imaginative and evocative ways to guide folks into this larger conversation. THAT’S why they were liberators…because they disguised the liberation of one group as a way to engage the larger community in a dialogue that would liberate everyone.

In Cesar’s case, he used the Grape Boycott. In 1966, he launched “La Causa” a multi-year campaign, to highlight the plight of farm workers. By 1969, led in large part by students, millions had boycotted grapes at home and at school to show their solidarity with underpaid and undervalued farm workers. Finally, on July 29, 1970…the first union contracts were signed. Not only had he helped organize and unite farm workers, but he engaged the larger citizenry in the discussion and got them to see that they had a role to play.

Let me cut to the chase….and make two big points.

1. When we romanticize leaders like Chavez, or see them as merely fighters for the rights of the poor, we limit their real agenda—which was to uplift the entire population and initiate a broader dialogue. Issues like exclusion, poverty, hunger and the like will not go away unless we talk about them and reason together to find a way out—together. It will not be easy, as fear makes most resistant to the dialogue. We must meet people where they are and guide them to the table.
2. Cesar Chavez got this country to the table using grapes. Do not loose site of that. Gandhi used salt. Dr. King used the dimes it took to ride the buses of Montgomery. Liberators don’t brandish weapons, nor do they descend from on high—the great ones use simple ideas in profound ways to bring people together…..and they never give up.

Neither should we.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Chavez.

(This blog post was origionally posted on this day in 2006. I post it ever year on the day we honor the memory and work of Cesar Chavez)

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As we celebrate Black History Month, I once again take cyber pen to paper to offer yet another in my series of tips for those who aspire to make big things happen, via the nonprofit/social enterprise road.

When I was a kid, running nightclubs in DC, I was intrigued by Herbert Haft, who was this Poppa Smurf looking business leader in town (he had a magnificent white pompadour). Pre-Peoples Drug Store days, this dude had cornered the regional drug store market (he owned Dart Drugs), with a business mantra that revealed his strategy. “When I open a store, I want it to be at the corner of Main and Main” he said…indicating his belief that location was the key to success.

Now many young leaders look around and think to themselves…if I want to make an impact, then I need to work at the big city nonprofit…a famous one…a rich one. That’s understandable. As a culture, we equate big with good–famous with success–rich with power and influence.

But…I ask you to consider lessons from two of our country’s most respected black figures.

The first is George Washington Carver.

In 1938, one of the most impressive and unexpected things happened. One of the richest and most powerful white men in America, Henry Ford, took what had to have been numerous train and automobile rides to get to Tuskegee Alabama, the home of Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute, to offer a job to a black man–Professor Carver.

I don’t know how many of you have had the pleasure of visiting this historic college, but trust me….it’s country. You KNOW you’re going there, because it’s still way, way out there.

So imagine that….Henry Ford, a man who routinely had people of power come to him, traveled allllll that way, to offer Professor Carver a FAT salary, a new lab, a house and unlimited resources to conduct experiments on their shared passion for bio-fuel and renewable energy.

Carver thought about it…and demurred.

Let that sink in. Professor Carver was offered things far beyond what just about any black man in America could have dreamed of…the least of which was personal and professional respect….and he stayed put and continued to explore the world from a small, underfunded college in rural Alabama…where, I might remind you, men were called “boy”, where they could not vote, and where they were routinely lynched.

Simply put…he stayed because he believed in Tuskegee, and was willing to forgo the amazing opportunities that Ford was offering in favor of loyalty to his community and his unwavering faith that good ideas would rise, no matter the point of origin. He was right.

The second lesson comes from one of my personal favorite Americans–Harriet Tubman–and it’s just a fascinating tid-bit about her that I found out about a few years back, which continues to amaze me.

As you know, Harriet escaped slavery in Maryland as a young woman and found her way north. In NY, she lived in close proximity to some of the leading suffrage/abolitionist speakers of the day. John Brown, Frederick Douglas, Susan B Anthony and Sojourner Truth routinely electrified crowds with speeches that spoke to the inherent evil of subjugation and slavery.

Still…as powerful as their words were, somebody had to take action. Harriet was that person. She ventured 19 times into the deep south, rescuing hundreds and leading them on the treacherous trail known as the Underground Railroad

(Side bar—I love that the secret password of the UR was “ a friend with friends”)

But you know what…Harriet Tubman was less than 5 ft tall and didn’t even crack 100 pounds.

Do you KNOW how small that is. That’s like your 11 year old sister. Seriously…at the next family reunion, ask around to find somebody with those dimensions, and then MARVEL at how tiny she was. Her gun probably weighed half as much as she did.

In short—her bravery wasn’t about size and her power wasn’t derived from stamina. It was driven by spirit.

SO…young leaders. It ain’t about size. It ain’t about location. It’s about you. It’s about the power of your ideas. It’s about sticking with it, and carving out a name for yourself through the work you do. Don’t be tempted by the old metrics of power and influence. Make your own…and own your life.

Rock on.

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Last Friday afternoon, the Kitchen was proud to host a roundtable (and live webcast) that featured local and national nonprofit leaders meeting with United Kingdom Minister for the Cabinet, Tessa Jowell.

Minister Jowell was fresh from the Olympics in Vancouver (London will be hosting the Olympics in 2012) and she stopped in Washington to meet with people who could help her effort to “forward a policy agenda that supports the promotion of social inclusion through the development of third sector service delivery and a range of social enterprise models”.

Here, as in the UK, Nonprofit/Third Sector innovation is promoted vigorously, yet the current economic climate in both countries has exacerbated demand for basic services while putting significant pressure on governments to cut budgets.

During the roundtable dialogue,  Minister Jowell hoped to learn  more about direct service programs that achieve measurable outcomes in addition to exploring ideas with national leaders about innovation, public policy and community engagement.

Twenty leaders attended the intimate conversation, including Alan Abramson from the Aspen Institute, John Gompers from Experience Corp, Silvia Benatti from UDC/American Humanics, Jill Shumann from Lutheran Services of America (and Chair of the National Human Services Assembly), Bill Strathmann from Network for Good (and co-chair of the Social Enterprise Alliance which will host the 2010 Social Enterprise World Forum in April in San Francisco), Sandra Swirski of the Philanthropic Collaborative, Jeff Mason of the Alliance for Effective Social Investing, Chuck Bean from the Nonprofit Roundtable , John Herron of Harbor City Services, Shelly Whelpton of the Sheridan Group and Courtney Seiloff of the V3 Campaign

Highlights of the dialogue:

Minister Jowell detailed the role of the Minister of the Third Sector. The UK is one of only two countries (the other is Estonia) with a Cabinet Minister dedicated to working across government to support the environment for a thriving third sector, enabling the sector to campaign for change, deliver public services, promote social enterprise and strengthen communities. Minister Jowell spoke of the relationship between the NCVO (the UK version of Independent Sector / National Council of Nonprofits) and the government and suggested that, unlike the States, third sector groups had more room to voice their opinion about legislation and elections.

Minister Jowell also took significant time to speak about Social Enterprise in the UK. Their government sees Social Enterprise (and Third Sector work) as a form of economic empowerment, and as such, seeks to incentivize its growth and develop comprehensive measurable outcomes (an activity in which many of today’s attendees are involved in here in the States).

Additionally, in the UK, the Social Enterprise Coalition recently issued a Manifesto calling for a three-fold increases in government investment in their movement. In advance of the Olympics, the coalition also has suggested a “social enterprise square mile” that would highlight the role of “mission driven organizations which apply market-based strategies to achieve a social purpose”.  Minister Jowell has welcomed this idea and the use of the Olympics to drive new ideas forward.

The Minister also led a discussion on incentives for citizen involvement/investment in charitable causes. She energized attendees with information that donations to UK nonprofits earn tax breaks for the full amount of the donation, plus the amount that the donation would have been taxed.  

Finally…the group discussed our common aging societies. Both countries experienced “baby booms” following WWII. In the US, there has been a noticeable planning vacuum and Minister Jowell suggested that they too have been short sighted in thinking about the social and economic impact of a generation that will live longer than any previous cohort, but whose fortunes have been hard hit by the collapse of the banking/investment/housing industries. The Minister and guests all agreed that this generation represents a deep well of experienced volunteers (and new philanthropists) and that this cohort can no longer be ignored.

The hour and a half session opened many eyes to the divergent role that government plays in the evolution of the sector in each country.  Many of the attendees played significant roles in helping shape the newly opened Office of Social Innovation here in Washington. Many saw similarities between what each government hoped to achieve by elevating the expectations and funding for social enterprises.  However….few left the meeting not feeling that the UK has a distinctive edge over the US in its official attitude towards the role of the nonprofit/third sector.

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From Wonderful Washington, DC’s  The Hill comes “Nonprofit Community Plays Key Role in our Economy” and from San Fran’s FINEST Blue Avocado, I present ”Merging Nonprofit Voices into a Political Force”.

More soon

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