February Monthly Blog Post

So this month, I was able to conduct my 3rd interview with Nancy Mintie, founder of Uncommon Good. I think that this has been my most insightful and useful interview to date. Nancy explicitly talked about the non-profit struggle with big business and lack of funding. She also presented her ideas on how to make it better. She talked about how the non-profit model is seriously flawed and that the best way to bring about social change is by investing in socially-conscious businesses, which basically take all the altruistic/humanitarian aspects of non-profits and meld them with revenue-earning practices. This means that the business can make enough money to fund it's good-willed ventures instead of struggling to fund raise and squeeze money out of conservative, unwilling foundations. Her answers reassured me that I'm on the right path because all of what she said coincided with the research I've done.

So I just want to comment on the first advisory house meeting we've had...
I found this time to be very poorly spent. I already know what articles I have, which help me with what, and of which I need to find more of. These meetings are supposed to be for our benefit. I feel like our time would be better spent doing research on the I pads or something like that.

Advisory Meeting #2

What is the best way for an educational non-profit organization to raise funds for resources to help underprivileged students attend college?

Answer #2
A good public image along with a good logo/slogan is one of the best ways for an educational non-profit organization to raise funds for resources to help underprivileged students to attend college.

1. Good public relations encourage people to donate more money and invest in the NPO.
   (EX. Would you be more willing to donate to a reclusive NPO or one that gets out there, hosts events, and spreads the word about the cause they're fighting for?)
   "Nonprofit Organizations Have Become an Important Part of the U.S. Economy." Times Record News. Timesrecordnews.com, 20 May 2012. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
   
2. A good slogan/logo is the first thing people notice about the NPO (a first impression) and therefore is very important.
   (EX. It's like when you meet someone for the first time. You tend to judge based on your first encounter with them.)
   Kylander, Nathalie, and Christopher Stone. "The Role of Brand in the Nonprofit Sector." Ssireview.org. SSIR, Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
   
3. Good public relations helps NPO's connect with other similar NPO's which can spawn partnerships that'd bring about notable social change.
   (EX. there's always power in numbers, and high impact NPO's know that it isn't about individual prestige or recognition but rather real social change.)
   Grant, Heather M., and Leslie R. Crutchfield. "Creating High-Impact Nonprofits." Stanford Social Innovation Review. Ssireview.org, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.

Independent Component 2 Approval

1. For my next 30 hours, I plan on working at the Uncommon Good office directly with the staff, helping with professional business activities of the organization. 
2. To meet the 30 hour requirement, I plan on going in to the office at least once a week for two hours. In order to prove that I will have completed 30 hours, I will keep a log as well as pictures of whatever I'm allowed to photograph.
3. My second component will help me better understand my answer by giving me first hand experience with the inner workings of a non-profit organization. My first component helped me realize the importance of non-profit organizations, and my second component will help me understand how they work. 
4. Independent Component 2 Log

Lesson 2 Reflection

1. One thing that went well for me during my presentation was the fact that even after the computer wouldn't run my presentation correctly, I had a classmate manually scroll through the slides and I was able to present despite this technical difficulty. 
2. I would give myself a P because I believe that I did hit all the major points on the contract and I did so well. Although I may have stumbled on my words a bit (presentation anxiety), I feel that I was able to get all my info across.
3. The one thing about my presentation that I was pretty proud of was my activity. My goal for my activity was to make it interactive, fun, and attention grabbing while at the same time have it convey my message effectively. I was pleased by my peers' reactions, which let me know that I'd chosen a successful activity. 
4. If I had a time machine, I'd go back and practice presenting a few more times. Although when I practiced I was at 12 minutes, when I presented, I was struggling to make time. When I present, I tend to rush because I'm nervous, so that's what I need to work on for next time. 
5. I believe that my answer two will be something along the lines of "By having a very stringent and thorough employee selection process."

Independent Component 1

• LITERAL
• I, Eustacio Rodriguez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
• The sources that have best helped me better understand my topic thus far have been: Peter D. Hall's "Historical Perspectives on Non Profit Organizations in the United States (Hall, Peter D. "Historical Perspectives on Non Profit Organizations in the United States." Diss. Harvard, n.d. Hks.harvard.edu. Http://www.hks.harvard.edu/. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.) and Heather M. Grant et al's "Creating High-Impact Non Profits" (Grant, Heather M., and Leslie R. Crutchfield. "Creating High-Impact Nonprofits." Stanford Social Innovation Review. Ssireview.org, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.). Hall's piece gave presented a very well written history of non-profit organizations in general, as well as their establishment and development here in the US. Heather M. Grant et al's piece led me to, so far, my most viable answer. After reading that article, I came to realize that the only way (or at least the best way) a non profit organization can be successful and fruitful is through aggressive and traditional profit oriented business practices.
• Independent Component Log
• For the 30 hours required of me to fulfill independent component, I volunteered with Teen Green. Teen Green is a branch of Uncommon Good, a non profit organization. Though Teen Green I, along with other the other members of the effort, were able to participate in various activities promoting environmental awareness and the importance of community.
• INTERPRETATIVE
• What follows are some of the most important components included in my individual component...
• Beach Cleanup
• Tending to Community Garden
• Farm Cleanup
• Environmental Awareness Presentations
  (Each of these activities reinforced my belief that educational non profit organizations are extremely beneficial for the community.)

What follows is evidence of my participation with Teen Green and my completion of the 30 hours required for individual component one.

• APPLIED
• My individual component helped me better understand my topic by allowing me to witness how important a non profit organization's efforts really are. During the hours I completed, I was able to observe how we were able to make a difference by working together and helping each other. For example, one of our tasks consisted of cleaning out and re-planting a local farm. With thoughtful planning, a volunteer day was organized weeks before the date, and people were aggressively encouraged to come in and help out. This resulted in a substantial turnout, and we were able to complete the work in less than four hours. These types of activities helped me realize that non-profits do matter and that we need more of them. Personally, I would like to create (later on in life) a non profit organization with the goal of helping kids my age find their calling. This independent component has helped me come to this realization, and what this senior project is helping me do is discover the skills needed to establish a high-impact non-profit oraganization.