Robert Egger´s Piece of Mind

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.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post Delicious Digg This Post

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.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post Delicious Digg This Post

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

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post Delicious Digg This Post