Keep those airlines in the black

I'm sitting here on a beautiful Saturday fall afternoon, organizing the details of my ridiculous travel schedule for the next eight weeks. I'm looking forward to every gig, but I counted right at 40 flights between now and the end of November, and in there I'll also be driving up and back to Kellogg (a 440 mile RT) 5 times.

I have a pile of books to read, and a lot of writing to do, but I've found with my last two books that I don't write as well or as long on planes or in hotel rooms as I used to. Could it be I'm actually getting old?

Oh, new book due out March 1. I think I'm more excited about this book than any prior one. More in future posts.

Reading Suggestions

Been reading a lot this summer. With my book clubs on hold, I've had time to read other stuff I had piled up.

Three Recommendations for the curious nonprofit mind:

First, The Wisdom of Crowds, by James Surowiecki. Really interesting in general, this has great application to organizations. I've been telling people for years to involve their entire staff more in discussion, debate and decision. I feel so validated! My better self-image aside, this is a good read.

Second, The Tipping Point, by Malcom Gladwell. The author also wrote "Blink" and I like his writing style. This book will make you think more about small improvements and asking people what they want...it could make all the difference.

Third, The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson. Brand new, this book made my head spin with its implications for the world around us. For most of us, the nonprofit business applications are minimal, but the concepts presented me with a new way of thinking about the economy and the society our nonprofits work in. The author is the editor at Wired, my favorite magazine, and he had an ariticle in the mag a couple of years ago. My son Ben (the Microsoft guy) and I read it on vacation in New Hampshire, and stayed up til 3 one night talking about the implications.


Enjoy your reading, and if you have a book that you like and would recommend, post a comment....

Checking back in

Time flies. Since I last posted...

Been on vacation with the fam, visiting kids around the country, finishing up my new book (due out March 1..more on that later...developing a new set of publications and podcasts...also more later... taking two kids to college in the same week (3200 miles total), written a play, and started this fall's class at Kellogg.

And tomorrow, I tackle a new computer (first one in 8 years) in the house.

So I haven't written for a bit, and I appreciate those of you who wrote and said you missed my musings. I did too, and I hopefully am back much, much more regularly.

In terms of things that you, the reader, might actually care about---nonprofit stuff--- I continue to be amazed at the resourcefulness of many of the organizations I work with. Too little money, too much work, not enough time. And yet people stick to it.

Coolest thing that's coming up (other than the weekly gig at Kellogg) is that I get to moderate a panel at the NetImpact Conference in Chicago next month. The panel is on "Internet Philantrhopy: A New Model for Donor Engagement" which is great, but the panelists? Wow. Check it out:

The Chair and CEO of GlobalGiving.com
The Chicago director of DonorsChoose.org
The Founder of Kiva.org

If you haven't been to these sites, check them out. I am absolutely sure they will change the way people give money, and in the process threaten the heck out of United Way, Foundations, and traditional fundraisers. I am so pumped to meet and hear these people.

The panel is the end of October. I'll post about it, for sure.

But I'll be back tomorrow as well.....