Pangea Foundation

“1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. Exponential Impact”

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I wanted to take a quick minute to feature some examples of how Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) could be customized to equip Members Projects to create sustainable impact. So, without further adieu, here goes.

Software can be used to:

1. Link entrepreneurs in the developing world with supporters, wherever they are, enabling a secure exchange to occur.

2. Deliver real-time intelligence and trend insight to funders to entice them to continue providing support which is vital to program sustainability.

3. Help people manage the complex logistics involved with delivering vital resources to people living thousands of miles away.

4. Connect a teacher in an underserved community with people who want to donate school supplies to them and then facilitating those transactions.

5. Engage volunteers and supporters.

6. Monitor performance indicators that reveal what is working and what isn’t, so people can make adjustments before it’s too late.

7. Report impact to evidence-based funders and policymakers.

8. Link seniors living in low-income housing communities with vital services that enable them to remain independent.

9. Accurately measure the progress of students participating in a mentoring program.

10. Efficiently manage the complex logistics and information dissemination processes necessary to help people quickly respond during and after devastating natural disasters.

Ultimately though, the ways software can be customized and delivered “as a service” to solve problems are as diverse as the world’s problems.

That’s why we are so excited about the potential of our Members Project. If you haven’t yet had a chance to nominate our project, would you please consider nominating it today?

Our project is called, “1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. Exponential Impact.” It aims to empower a lot of people and organizations.

Can you think of some other ways software could empower the ’08 Members Projects?

Our Members Project: HELP!

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Our Members Project, “1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. Exponential Impact” aims to create sustainability through technology. Just like technology makes leading companies more effective, it can make the Top 25 Members Projects more effective, too.

The result: we can empower others to do more with scarce resources.

We want to provide the Top 25 Members Projects (and their recommended fulfillment organizations) with custom “software-as-a-service” to ensure that their projects will not only be implemented, but sustained—for years to come. Without technology it’s hard for people and organizations to do the things they want to do on a scale they want to do it. Technology improves long-term sustainability.

Custom software delivers real-time intelligence, leading to better visibility across the organization, and faster decision-making. The problem is charities often have small technology budgets. So they’re left with inefficient paper-based processes and spreadsheets to solve life-sized problems. That makes it difficult to solve those problems effectively.

Some projects and their fulfillment organizations may want custom software-as-a-service to report their impact to evidence-based funders. Others may want “Nonprofit Dashboards” to track performance indicators on demand—to understand what’s working and what’s not, to prevent problems, and to be more effective. Others may need software to manage logistics, improve collaboration, connect with volunteers, tap into people-centered community platforms, or create knowledge-banks. And still others, may need custom software/database integration between their existing applications, or with outside organizations.

Ultimately, the word “custom” implies that we don’t necessarily know the needs of the Top 25 projects until we listen and understand their needs. We do know, however, that they all have unique needs. And we also know that technology is playing an increasingly vital role in helping nonprofits create large-scale, sustainable impact.

We’ve seen time and time again how when people have better visibility into their programs, and when they can more effectively communicate and collaborate, they can more effectively advance their mission, and expand their impact.

And when it comes to improving sustainability, research shows that funders would give more to charities if they were able to determine the impact of their gifts, and if they received a better Social Return on Investment (SROI). And that’s where advanced reporting technologies come in.

Have you nominated our project, “1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. Exponential Impact” yet? If you haven’t yet, would you consider doing so today?

We only need 82 more votes to break into the Top 50! And only a few more to make the Top 25! Your nomination really will make a difference, and it only takes a few minutes.

Will you join us?

#19 in Community Development and Rising Fast!

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With 1,189 projects submitted to the Members Project ’08 competition, our project is ranked #19 out of 357 in the “Community Development” category.

So far.

Overall, our project is ranked #73 with 182 nominations to date.

Let me thank those of you who have nominated our project so far, and encourage those of you who haven’t yet to nominate it today. Then, please help by spreading the word far and wide about our Members Project. It’s called:

“1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.”

Be sure to check out that link to read more about the idea. While you’re there, remember to check out the incredible video. And as always, to learn more about our project, stay tuned to the Pangea Foundation Blog. (If you want automatic updates grab the feed.)

We really need your help to close the gap between 182 nominations and the top project which has 2,420 nominations. Your support is appreciated more than you know. So please join us.

Help us make a positive difference.

Members Project Momentum

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

First, let me send A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have already nominated our Members Project. You are incredible and we cannot thank you enough!

With 136 nominations so far, our project is currently ranked #79 out of 881 entries. The top vote getter so far has 2,299 nominations, so we've got some work to do. At the same time, we got a late start, so we really like the momentum. Voting for this round ends September 1st, so if you think our project is worthy of your support, please nominate it today. And once again, thank you!

In future posts, I’ll provide you with more details on our Members Project, but for now, let me share with you the answers we provided on our application to give you a glimpse of what we want to do. And be sure to watch what we’re hoping will be the “Movie of the Year” to get a better sense for what our project hopes to accomplish. Without further adieu, let me introduce you to: Our Members Project.

Name of our Members Project:
1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. Exponential IMPACT.

What is the project idea?
Take a moment and imagine the exponential impact that would be made in our world if the sophisticated enterprise-class software driving the innovation of today’s multi-billion dollar companies was custom designed to empower the Top 25 Members Projects to scale their impact—exponentially. What if, instead of magnifying net income, software was used to magnify net IMPACT? Help us harness cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to transform 25 Members Projects into powerful engines of change.

What problem does the project address?
The Top 25 Members Projects have a huge opportunity to make a broad, positive impact in our world—but only if their impact can scale exponentially. Without technological capacity, it’s hard to turn ideas into large-scale impact that lasts. Few ideas create change that extends beyond what a few people can achieve alone. Customized software increases leverage, but barriers to access are high. Imagine what would happen if we squashed those barriers to magnify the impact of ALL 25 Members Projects.

What impact do you expect the project will have?
“Give me a lever long enough and I can move the world” paraphrases what Archimedes once said. Our project harnesses a strategy of leverage, equipping the Top 25 Members Projects with powerful new levers of innovation to scale their impact exponentially. We pledge up to 25,000 hours of free software development to 25 diverse projects. Let’s empower America’s forces for good with force-multiplying software to create exponential impact—far more impact than one project could possibly achieve alone.

What inspired you to submit this project?
If the purpose of the Members Project is to inspire diverse ideas that make a positive impact in our world then the faster those ideas scale the better…right? We are inspired to catalyze increased momentum by advancing the technological foundation for impact-enablement. It’s a collaborative approach to innovation that increases the capacity of a broad array of ideas to achieve far more impact than any one idea alone. So join us now. Let’s empower people to take actions that transform our world.

Thanks again for your time. Please click, “1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.” right now and nominate our project for free. And if you can, please tell everyone you know.

Help us empower others.

Announcing: Movie of the Year???

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Just when you thought your favorite television dance competition was over…

Introducing an even better competition—one that involves YOU. It’s Members Project® ’08 from American Express®. And in case you’re just now joining the fun, let me fill you in on what’s been going down.

Kristin and I just entered what we believe to be a broadly impactful idea into the Members Project competition. We’re so excited about our project it’s hard to think straight. And to help get the word out and encourage people to nominate our idea, we are launching what we hope will be…

The Movie of the Year. No, really! Check it out here!

(You know you want to...)

After you watch our (3 minute) movie, please nominate our Members Project for free by clicking this link:

“1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.”

Then share that link and the link to the “Movie of the Year” (just go with it… okay?) with everyone you know, and encourage them to nominate our project, too.

Then what?

Well… by nominating our project, you’ll help to catapult it into the Top 25. And if that happens, you’ll increase the chance that our project will win. And if our project wins, it will empower 25 Members Projects to magnify their impact—exponentially. We think that would be pretty cool… wouldn’t you agree?

So please join us.

Help us empower 25 Members Projects to create extraordinary impact that lasts.

Had to Reset the Clock

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We’ve changed the countdown since my last post.

Early this afternoon, as the clock chimed down to one hour ‘till the launch of our Members Project Movie, it was rather obvious that we had more than a couple of hours of work left.

One nice thing about working on your own stuff is this: the deadlines can be adjusted a bit. But, there is a downside. Since our Members Project Movie will be the foundation of our communications strategy, we can’t spread the word as effectively as we want until it’s live.

We’ve added more hamsters to the wheel, and this time we’re sticking with the clock.

Two hours to go.

Seems so far away…

Members Project Movie Launch: T-Minus 3 and Counting

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This just in: Our Members Project® movie will be released any hour now!

We’re getting more stoked by the minute.

Thanks to all the Pangeans (and honorary Pangeans) for the outstanding work and feedback along the way.

And during the next few hours, while you’re waiting for our movie to launch, please consider nominating our Members Project. Remember it’s free, you don’t have to be a Cardholder to submit a nomination, and it would really help us a ton.

Here’s the link:

“1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.”

We cannot thank you enough!

Members Project Movie to Launch

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Some of you know one another, others perhaps not, but we’re calling all of you together because we have a goal that we cannot achieve alone. It’s a goal of such colossal proportions that the mere thought of achieving it keeps us up at night.

Our goal, our dream, is for you to attend the world premiere of the movie that’s destined to change the world. A movie of such scope and enormity that you need only read the title to understand everything you’ll ever need to know about the movie. The fact that it’s starring YOU is even more significant than its amazing title.

We want you to attend the inspirational premiere of the movie that shares the same name as our Members Project:

“1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.”

The movie is only about 3 minutes, and believe me… you won’t want to miss it.

When’s the debut? Well… you’re going to have to wait ‘till this afternoon. We’re still adding the final touches.

So check back here frequently. And remember to tell all your friends to stop by, too.

The only question is this: Will it be the “Movie of the Year”???

That’s up to you to decide.

Members Project® Pictures… Up!

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As I mentioned before, we’re working like crazy to complete a cool new video that will help us (and you!) to spread the good word about our Members Project idea. We’re putting more hamsters on the wheel as we speak, and we expect to share the video with you soon.

In the meantime, we’ve posted a couple of pictures on our Members Project link below:

“1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.”

If you like our idea, please login and nominate our project. And stay tuned to the Pangea Foundation Blog for more on how you can join our effort to empower others.

Here’s the RSS Feed to our blog if you want automatic updates.

The Name of Our Members Project® Is...

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Okay… so we’re ready to spill the beans. It’s time to reveal the name of our Members Project.

As American Express Cardholders, Kristin and I have entered what we hope you’ll agree is a broadly impactful idea into the Members Project ’08 competition from American Express®. It’s called:

“1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.”

We’ll share more about our idea over the coming days, right here on the Pangea Foundation Blog, but feel free to click the link above to learn more. And if you want automatic updates, be sure to grab our RSS Feed.

The primary purpose of our project is this: To empower people to take actions that transform our world.

And here’s where you come in... Because the only way our project can empower others to create lasting impact is if you help us. All you have to do is “click” this link: “1 Idea. 25 Winning Projects. EXPONENTIAL IMPACT.” and nominate our project.

Simple as that.

So if you believe our project is worthy of your support, and you want to join us in empowering people to magnify their impact and make our world a better place, please nominate our project and help us advance to the Top 25.

IMPORTANT POINT: You do not have to be an American Express® Cardholder to nominate, support, and comment on our project. Simply go to www.membersproject.com, login as a guest for free, click “Nominate this Project”, and voila… you’re instantly a hero!

We can’t tell you how much your support would mean to us—and many others. And we cannot thank you enough!

Psst! Here’s the link one more time… please tell everyone you know.

Your nomination could be the difference…

Sharing Our Members Project®

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So much to share…

As you might have noticed, we haven’t revealed the name of our Members Project… yet.

That’s intentional.

Kristin and I are still working like crazy to complete a cool new video that will help us (and you) to spread the good word about our Members Project.

We’ve given ourselves a deadline to launch. And the clock is ticking. Fast.

If you check back frequently, we’ll let you know how you can participate and be a part of empowering others.

We will blog about our Members Project in detail right here on the Pangea Foundation Blog. We’ll share the details about our project, the problems it addresses, the impact we hope to make, and the inspiration behind the idea.

We’ll give you an insider’s grasp into the conversations, emotions, and the progress taking place for everyone to see. And participate.

We’ll share the name of our Members Project with you all tomorrow.

We invite your input, and we are more excited than ever about this.

So continue to check in as we provide more details about our Members Project.

And so much more…

Excitement at Pangea Foundation!

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Twelve years ago, Pangea Foundation was born. 1996 was a great year!

Then again… we had to deal with dial-up Internet! Remember this sound?

A lot has changed since 1996. And Pangea Foundation has come a long way, too. Better yet, we’ve got some cool new things planned for the future—things we think you’re really going to love.

Today we’re in a position to build organizational capacity for America’s nonprofits using innovative technologies that didn’t evenexist back in ’96; which leads me to my point: the “Big News” I’ve been talking about lately.

If you’ve been following the three hints I’ve provided in recent posts (here, here, and here), you know that there’s a lot of excitement at Pangea Foundation right now. You also know that the excitement involves:

The Members Project® ‘08 competition from American Express®;
Software-as-a-Service; and
The power of leverage

Let’s start bringing those pieces together, shall we?

As American Express Cardholders, Kristin and yours truly have entered our idea into this year’s Members Project competition. And we’ve recommended Pangea Foundation to be the designated fulfillment organization to implement our project if it wins.

There’s so much more to tell you, and we’re more stoked than ever about this tremendous opportunity to empower others. (Empowering others is another hint by the way.)

But we’re not quite ready to spill ALL the beans just yet. For that, you’ll just have to stay tuned to the Pangea Foundation Blog. (Grab the RSS feed to make it easy.)

More tomorrow…

Hint #3 is: ____________

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Okay… more about that big news.

You already know hint #1 and hint #2.

Hint #3 is: the power of leverage.

Be sure to follow our RSS feed for an insider’s grasp of how Members Project® ‘08, Software-as-a-Service, and the power of leverage fit together to make a positive impact in our world.

Hint #2: Software-as-a-Service

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Regarding the big news I blogged about in a recent post, hint #2 is Software-as-a-Service!

More soon...

Hint #1: 2008 Members Project®

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In case you haven’t guessed from the headline, the big news I referenced in my last post involves the 2nd annual Members Project® competition from American Express®.

More to come next week.

To stay in the loop be sure to get the RSS feed.

Big News Coming Soon!

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The big news involves you!

No, really!

You!

Be sure to check back each day to find out how.

Or get updates automatically by grabbing the RSS feed.

You won’t want to miss this!

Nonprofit Business Intelligence

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Nonprofits are known for collecting heaps of program data. Many do a good job capturing their key performance metrics. But oftentimes, that’s where the story ends. They’re left with stacks of paper and rogue spreadsheets filled with data. Trouble is it’s nearly impossible to extract actionable intelligence quickly that way.

Have you ever thought about how much of the data collected by your nonprofit goes unused?

How much more value could you create for the people you serve by extracting the power of your data more effectively? How much deeper could you connect with the hearts and minds of your audiences by harnessing accurate and up-to-the-minute intelligence easily? How much greater could your impact be if you could tap into a broader spectrum of your data to improve your decisionmaking?

The truth is too many nonprofits are using only a small percentage of their data. Most nonprofit data remains unstructured, disjointed, and unusable. To transform all that unrefined data into actionable information, nonprofits need better tools.

Increasingly, leaders in the business sector rely on “Business Intelligence” software to transform data from multiple sources across the organization into a comprehensive view of actionable information that drives informed decisions.

Okay… so everyone knows the realities of the business sector are different than the realities we face in the nonprofit sector. Understood. But what if some of those realities could change?

What if nonprofits had better tools to tap the power of their data?

The good news: thanks to the Software-as-a-Service delivery model, the cost and technical barriers that have traditionally prevented nonprofits from realizing the benefits of transformational technologies are being removed. As a result, more and more nonprofits are leveraging Nonprofit Business Intelligence software to transform their raw data into strategic insight.

Meaningful and actionable insights not only kindle greater connectivity between nonprofits and their funders, they also inform strategic decisionmaking with fact-based knowledge that leads to positive impact in people’s lives and increasingly greater Social Returns on Investment (SROI) for results-driven funders.

What happens next if you’re a nonprofit?

Your nonprofit becomes more than just a nonprofit. It becomes an investment for funders who want to make a difference; a valuable thread woven into the fabric of people’s lives. And that’s something that never goes out of style…

So back to my first question: What percentage of your data do you estimate goes unused? If you could tap the power of that unused data, how would you expect to create new value?

Servant Leadership and High-Impact Nonprofits

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

High-impact nonprofits are like good volunteers. They’re “doers”. And they “do” with a heart of a servant…

Early in life, we tend to look out for ourselves. But eventually we come to the point where we need to make a decision: who do we care more about—ourselves, or others?

Us or them? Taking or giving? Selfishness or self-sacrifice?

The best nonprofits are made up of people who truly care about others. They’re servant leaders—people who put others first. The best nonprofits are wired differently.

Have you noticed that, too?

Sure... they have to meet their own basic needs. But those needs often take a backseat to their unstoppable commitment of creating deep community impact.

High-impact nonprofits are persistently focused, not just on themselves, but caring for others, offering hope to people in need, and building stronger communities.

For nonprofits, the “servant leadership” model advocates that everyone on the team is part leader, part servant. Its primary purpose is to lift up both the people we serve and the people with whom we serve.

Pages and pages have already been penned on the topic of servant leadership. But many people still struggle with the concept because they believe that serving is obsequious.

The truth is it’s not.

Nonprofits that adhere to the servant leadership model recognize the importance of humility. Servant leaders have an attitude of “We’re here to help you achieve your goals!”—NOT “We’ve arrived! We’re in charge now! And you’d better thank your lucky stars we decided to bail you out of this mess you’re in!”

Yeah… whatever. We’ve all seen that approach before, haven’t we?

Good news is… it’s the exception. But still, not every nonprofit truly recognizes the importance of servant leadership.

Thankfully, high-impact nonprofits do.

Okay… so on this subject, I will leave it to far wiser—and yes, more objective—minds than mine the judgment about whether Pangea Foundation meets the definition of an “high-impact” nonprofit.

But since I believe it does, I have no timidity in saying that it’s partly the result of unconventional thinking about what we expect to be, how we define our priorities, and how we organize to serve our clients. But it’s also the result of keeping our values front and center, tapping the power of both sides of our brains to serve others, and recognizing the reality that we can’t solve everything by ourselves.

And… it’s the result of one more thing, too: holding onto our sense of humor.

That’s right… sense of humor is good.

Our story of servant leadership began twelve years ago. We dared to be different back then, and, thanks to the fact that we’ve been blessed with a truly outstanding team of servant leaders—a.k.a. “the Pangeans”—we continue full steam ahead on that journey, now working with over 1,200 clients across America.

Yet, we define success, not by being the biggest, nor the fastest. We define it by how well we empower others to achieve extraordinary impact. It’s about the impact we’re having on the lives of those we serve—and the people they serve. It’s about the contributions we make throughout our cross-sector partnerships… with other nonprofits, the business community, and government agencies… with people who want to make a difference. Yep… a real difference.

Everyone wants to make a difference… right?

So what if…

What if we all declared the rest of 2008 a time to learn more about servant leadership? To read about it. To study it. To put it into practice.

Take it as a challenge… a suggestion… or however else you want to take it. Either way… just take it.

I know I will.

Then tell us your story in the comments section.

By the way… let us know if you’d recommend any good books on servant leadership? And be sure to let us know why.

“Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough”

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In the “Second Great Wave of Philanthropy” there continues to be plenty of talk. Plenty of chatter. But a trusted voice does more than tell stories. It points to action, to performance, to results. It brings us to where, perhaps, we are on the periphery of comfort.

As nonprofits, this means pushing ourselves beyond anecdotes and impressions. It’s about more than a witty catchword or a quip. It means re-examining the very essence and methodology of the work we do. It can even mean “living our missions” in ways we have never done before.

It’s less about talk and more about results.

Last weekend I took the time to re-read Mark Friedman’s book, Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough. One of the things I like about the book is that it takes a positive approach to what is an important question: “What would we do differently if outcomes really mattered?” Friedman explains that it’s not good enough to tackle social problems with an attitude that simply says:

“These problems are so big and complicated there’s no way my program is going to make more than a small dent. Why be ambitious? I will work in my little corner of the world and try hard. And if I try hard, at least I can sleep at night knowing I’ve made a small difference.”

Friedman’s book points us to a different way—one that gets us from talk to action more quickly. Friedman explains a straightforward, common sense method of thinking and taking action. And it puts the focus back where it should be:

“It’s about making a difference, not just trying hard and hoping for the best.”

Friedman reminds us to take a step back and think. What is the essence of our mission? What are the results we are really trying to accomplish? And what are the implications of not accomplishing them? If we focus on anecdotes and impressions, how will we really know if things are improving or getting worse? By using common sense performance measures, we can be honest with ourselves about whether what we are doing is working, or needs to change.

Ultimately, the book encourages us to take a disciplined approach to making things better. What you’ll discover is an alternative to the Logic Model accountability framework that is widely used across the United States. The Results Accountability framework is a practical approach to grappling with today’s pressing problems—but within a strategic framework that facilitates your efforts to create lasting impact.

So, which accountability framework do you use? What are the advantages/disadvantages as you see them?

Remembering What Matters Most

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As nonprofits, a lot of what we do is about fighting through the rain. The rain could be everything from losing an important funding stream to concerns about data security to apprehension about disaster planning responsibilities; it could include everything from email overload to the drudgery of more fundraising to keeping up with nonprofit technology trends.

Tough job, but someone’s gotta’ do it… right?

Yes, it’s true—it’s overwhelming at times. With tight deadlines, increasing demands for Results Accountability, and transformational changes in IT occurring all around us, it can be like running on a hamster wheel—one that just won’t stop.

So why do we put ourselves through all this?

Because deep down we understand how vitally important the rain really is. The small things. Every conversation. Every challenge. Every performance report. Every detail. Every raindrop. They all matter. Even the tiniest rivet needs to be added to an airplane before it can ever be completed; before it can be expected to fly safely.

The secret to fighting through the rain is to realize why the rain matters. It’s not about the frustrations you experience along the way.

It’s about the people you serve. Keeping your values front and center. Making a difference.

Meaningful community impact comes from doing small things right. Serving others. Creating value in unconventional ways.

The little things you do each day may seem insignificant, mind-numbing, even quite annoying—from your own perspective. But together they can make all the difference in the world for someone in need of a difference maker.

The takeaway from all this is simple: The people you serve don’t care about all the raindrops you have to deal with. They care about how you can help them.

If you sincerely want to make a difference in people’s lives and magnify your impact, you cannot focus on your own raindrops. You need to keep your focus on the remarkable changes that occur after the rain.

One by one.

Think about the lives you’re changing. One person at a time.

The communities you’re uniting. One community at a time.

The difference you’re making.

One day at a time.

Keep The Focus On Your Mission

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Everyone knows stories about gas and oil prices dominate the news these days, as do stories about the housing and mortgage crisis. According to a June 19 article by Pew Research Center, over 42% of Americans were tracking economic news “very closely” in mid-June, just below the 15-year high of 45% who did so in mid-March.

With that in mind, it was encouraging to read Ret Boney’s recent article in the Philanthropy Journal titled, “U.S. giving hits record $306 billion”. The article cites a report released on Monday by the Giving USA Foundation™. Researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the study reveals that in 2007 American’s donated more than ever before to charity: $306.39 billion to be exact. That represents a 3.9 percent increase over 2006 giving.

Yep… a lot of generous people out there.

And despite the concerns about gas prices and the mortgage crisis, Del Martin, chair of the Giving USA Foundation expressed optimism about 2008 giving, saying that, “Giving seems to be somewhat recession-proof.”

So why did I find this study so encouraging? Pretty simple, really.

I’ve been reading so many articles and blogs lately—all talking about the same thing: fear; particularly fear in the nonprofit sector. Fear about donations falling off. Fear about downsizing and layoffs. Fear about closing the doors.

First, let me say this: it’s okay to be concerned. It’s probably even wise. It’s smart to think strategically, plan intelligently, and mitigate risk sensibly. But let’s be careful not to lose perspective, shall we? Control what you can control. And most importantly, keep your focus on your mission.

Enough with all the talk about doom and gloom. Get rid of the paralyzing, fear-filled pessimism.

Instead, why don’t we all move to a resilient optimism? Be alert, yet positive. Be careful, yet hopeful.

Keep the mission, the mission. Keep the main thing, the main thing.

And that brings me to one of my favorite principles: focus.

“Only when you focus a company or brand over an extended period of time do you develop a powerful company whose future success is almost guaranteed.”
-Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It by Al Ries

It’s easy to allow ourselves to become unfocused when times appear difficult, but I believe the optimal strategy is focus. In fact, focus is always a good strategy; it’s just that challenging times have a unique way of grabbing our attention, wouldn’t you agree?

So narrow your focus. Specialize. Become an expert at one thing. Deliver results. Be remarkable.

When you become known by a narrow audience for your expertise, and when you deliver outstanding service, and results accountability, you will be noticed.

Even better, when you deliver those services in a way that advances your funder’s vision of impact, you’ll no longer live at the mercy of the things that are beyond your control.

What is a High-Impact Nonprofit?

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

High-impact nonprofits aren’t just the ones with innovative ideas. They’re the ones that make innovative ideas happen.

Often times, smart execution trumps innovative ideas. But without innovative ideas, there would be nothing to execute… right?

Which leads me to an important question. What counts more: innovative ideas or smart execution? Imagination or implementation?

Most social entrepreneurial nonprofits would argue there’s a fine balance. Both are essential.

But that’s the easy way out.

Which one would you choose if you could choose only one? Someone who dreams big dreams? Or someone who transforms those big dreams into results?

This Blog Post Rocks… I promise!

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With a headline like that, how could you not read this post… right? After all, I’ve pretty much guaranteed your satisfaction. That headline packs a punch. But, what does a pledge like that really mean?

What if this post turns out to be marginal at best? Will you get any compensation if you feel I’ve wasted your time? Don’t count on it… we’re a nonprofit remember? So then, what do I have to lose if I don’t keep my pledge?

Plenty! Something more valuable than money: your trust.

(This sure better be good!)

How many “satisfaction guaranteed” messages have you seen in the past year. Probably hundreds if you really think about it. It seems like everyone is proclaiming messages of “satisfaction guaranteed”—and that’s part of the problem. Statements like that can come across as hollow promises, because often they are.

How does all this relate to nonprofits?

It’s simple: As a nonprofit, you make pledges to funders. When you offer your services in exchange for your funder’s scarce resources, the pledge you are making is that your services will advance your funder’s vision of impact in meaningful and measurable ways.

Commitments like that are extremely powerful, but only when combined with evidence of substance—a willingness to prove your impact. And proven, not just in words, not just through the stories you tell, but with quantitative data. The proof behind the pledge accomplishes two things: it demonstrates confidence in your services, and mitigates risk to the funder.

Every grantmaking decision carries risk to the funder. Even when already emotionally and rationally committed to what your program has to offer, funders don’t want to make a mistake with their investments.

The way to get past a funder’s uncertainty is to first demonstrate confidence in your program. Not through obsolete brochures or last year’s anecdotal success stories, but by proactively offering real-time empirical data.

Now that’s confidence! And it speaks directly to the funder’s lingering reservations.

You’ve now created a risk-free investment environment.

“Hold up, Kraig,” you might be saying, “We can’t do that sort of thing. It’s way too risky for us.”

Well then… my first question might be to ask you how much faith you have in your program. Let’s keep it real okay? If your faith in your program is lacking, you need to improve your program. Fast. It’s hard, I know, but the people you serve are counting on you, right?

Assuming you do have faith in your program, you shouldn’t be concerned at all. And hopefully, you’ve discovered the essence of what we’re talking about here—you’re taking the funder’s risk and shifting it over to yourself.

You see, a confidence gap exists between the inside reality of your program and how it’s perceived on the outside. It’s up to you to help get funders to overcome that confidence gap. And then it’s up to you to transform funders into investors.

We’ll explore methods to transform funders into investors in the future on the Pangea Foundation Blog (get the feed for updates), but the general rule is to communicate program impact by approaching it both emotionally and logically. Bring your anecdotal stories and empirical data together. Take feeling and inject it with fact. Be proactive about demonstrating results. If you do, you’ll demonstrate confidence in your program. You’ll engage funders. You’ll create a risk-free investment environment. And you’ll begin to transform your funders into highly engaged investors.

In summary, today’s investors want proof that what you’re offering will be as good as you say it will be. I recognize my headline above goes against this concept. But still, I’m hoping you don’t feel like I’ve wasted your time.

What is Innovation?

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What do you think of when you think about innovation? The first thing that comes to my mind is technology, things like Enterprise-Class Software, Nonprofit Dashboards, Social Media, Cloud Computing, and CloudFS™—products and services that can transform the way we work and live our lives. I just love sharing the good word about innovative technologies with others.

Another kind of innovation, the kind that’s more difficult to grab hold of in our minds, is ideas. Although similarly innovative, ideas are often overlooked when we talk about innovation. And yet, often times, it is innovative ideas, rather than innovative technologies, that are the real life changers; especially for people in the most need.

Some nonprofits have done an outstanding job recently of introducing innovative ideas to empower a neighbor in need. For example, by now many of us have heard about how Kiva allows people to lend money to entrepreneurs in the developing world, thereby empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. That’s a pretty cool idea… right? But let me share with you a couple more innovative ideas—from nonprofits you likely haven’t heard of (yet).

Consider iLoveSchools.com, a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Jerry Hall. iLoveSchools matches teachers with donors of equipment, supplies, and materials. Recognizing that each year the average teacher spends $659 from their own pocket to purchase classroom supplies for America’s kids, iLoveSchools decided to act. To lend a helping hand. Be part of the solution. Today, iLoveSchools serves as a matchmaker between teachers and donors who want to help. Yep… there’s nothing quite like social entrepreneurship in action.

Next, consider WorkUp, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization founded by Pangea Foundation’s Board Secretary, Edith Yang. The vision of WorkUp is to make opportunities for social mobility available to low-income young adults in Washington, DC by easing their barriers to continuing education, financial investing, and employment. Here’s a description of the WorkUp program as quoted from the WorkUp Blog:

“WorkUp takes a comprehensive approach to ease persistent barriers to social mobility for hardworking low-income youth. Youth “pay” for services by regularly contributing part of their paychecks to a program-run savings account. Their investments give them access to supports for their specific training, healthcare, or logistical needs; workshops on financial management; opportunities for civic engagement in their neighborhoods; and guidance in setting and planning to reach their life goals. Youth withdraw their savings balances with accrued interest and use their earnings to improve their lives.”

Easy to see why WorkUp placed in the top 25 of the American Express® Members Project® competition last year, wouldn’t you agree?

Just a couple of innovative ideas, but hopefully you’ve discovered the substance of what we’re talking about—innovative ideas are all around us. We just need to stop long enough to look. And when we see an innovative idea, we need to support it and spread the good word to others. So, let’s agree to do just that, shall we? And let’s do so with the same passion we have when sharing innovative technologies. Deal?

We’ll be sharing more innovative ideas in the future on the Pangea Foundation Blog so be sure to grab the feed if you want to hear about them.

Now… tell me about some of the breakthrough ideas you’ve been a part of innovating recently.

Next Generation SaaS Platforms

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Finally got around to reading McKinsey & Company’s latest article on the new generation of software platforms. The article, titled “Emerging Platform Wars in Enterprise Software”, talks about how the remarkable growth and rapid adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is driving a new generation of software platforms designed specifically to support SaaS.

McKinsey defines SaaS platforms as consisting of “…the technology and tools that are used to develop, deploy, integrate and host SaaS applications.”

The article delves into the emerging competitive landscape between the established mega-vendors and pure play SaaS vendors, as well as between the three models that will shape the future development of SaaS platforms. These models include: delivery platforms, development platforms, and end-to-end platforms that offer a complete development and delivery environment.

In contrast to traditional software platforms, SaaS platforms enable nonprofits to implement new SaaS applications quickly, without large, front-end investments in IT infrastructure, helping nonprofits speed time to innovation.

I highly recommend this article for nonprofit leaders who want to understand the implications different SaaS platforms will have on their future software needs; particularly IT leaders, Executive Directors, and CEOs seeking to understand:

Which of the emerging software platforms, if any, will be of value to their nonprofit;
Which decision criteria are most important when selecting a software platform, and finally;
How to extract maximum productivity from the software platform they choose

I won’t spend time commenting on the article here, other than to say it’s a worthwhile read.

Be sure to check it out and let me know what you think.

Future of Web-based Services

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Speaking of Cloud Computing, last week, at the Microsoft® Tech•Ed North America 2008 Developers conference in Orlando, Bill Gates spoke about the transformations taking place in technology; particularly hardware and software advances.

Gates highlighted the emerging changes occurring in Web-based services and called attention to what this will mean in the future. He talked about how these services will be hosted in the Microsoft “cloud” and “geo-distributed automatically” to its data centers. Instead of hosting hundreds of thousands of servers in its data centers, Microsoft expects to host “many millions,” according to Gates.

The growth in worldwide SaaS adoption rates is causing a huge paradigm shift for organizations on all ends of the spectrum. Saugatuck Technology predicts that, “By 2012, 70 percent or more of businesses with greater than 100 employees (worldwide) will have deployed at least one SaaS application.”

Microsoft is making significant moves into Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) with Office Live, Live Mesh and going forward with Microsoft Online Services beta.

What does all this mean for nonprofits?

Simply this: whereas today many nonprofits manage their servers in-house behind the firewall, in the future most of those servers will be hosted on someone else’s software platform, whether it’s Microsoft®, Rackspace®, Mosso®, Google™, Amazon, IBM®, or someone else.

The truth is there are plenty of options. In the future, nonprofit IT leaders will need to determine, not only which software application is best for their needs, but which software platform is the best fit, whether that means in-house behind the firewall, a managed hosting delivery platform, a cloud-based delivery platform, or possibly all of them.

So… what about your nonprofit? How are the current changes affecting how you plan for the future?

Cloud Computing for Nonprofits

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Last weekend, I read Nicholas Carr’s new book, “The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google”. Carr describes the profound changes occurring in IT. And unless you’ve been sleeping, you’ve probably noticed them too. Carr compares the current transformations to those that occurred a hundred years ago with electricity. And while the analogy isn’t perfect, it is instructive.

A century ago, companies produced their own electricity, using waterwheels, windmills, and generators. In essence, they operated their own private power plants. This was as inefficient as it was expensive. Eventually, Westinghouse and Edison leveraged deep expertise and economies of scale to deliver a more efficient and cost effective option: a centralized power utility grid. Smart companies soon realized they could save money by outsourcing power generation to specialists. Even better, companies could focus on their mission—not power generation. The result we all know: private power generation became a thing of the past.

In some ways, IT is going the way of a power utility.

The idea of “Utility Computing” is not new. It’s been talked about for years. But today’s technologies make it a more viable option. Some nonprofits have already made the transition, while others—mainly large nonprofits—continue to staff traditional IT departments and maintain expensive IT infrastructure. But that will gradually change as nonprofits move to the computing grid.

Like electricity a century ago, computing resources are becoming a commodity. Managing traditional IT services in-house is not necessarily the most favorable strategy for nonprofits limited by scarce resources; particularly when optimized IT services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions are available via the Web—at lower costs.

Already today, nonprofits are starting to phase out costly in-house IT infrastructure and reallocate scarce resources directly to the advancement of their missions. Soon, all nonprofits will be able to leverage the power of the Web to outsource even more of their IT infrastructure and software to companies with huge data farms. It’s a concept called “Cloud Computing”. It levels the playing field for the underdogs. It gives nonprofits better options. And who doesn’t like better options… right?

In its June 4^th, 2008 Research Alert titled “Cloud Computing and the Four Waves—Enveloping All Aspects of IT” (site registration required), Saugatuck Technology highlighted what it called the “compelling economics” and “game-changing advantages” of Cloud Computing. Saugatuck Technology predicts that by 2013,

“…at least 20 percent of enterprise IT workloads—that historically would have operated on-premise—will be run in the cloud, providing significantly enhanced functionality, lower costs, fewer staff, and reduced carbon footprint.”

When it makes sense, Pangea Foundation will leverage the compelling economics and game-changing advantages of the cloud to democratize nonprofit access to capacity-building technology services. To do that, we will draw upon both the expertise of our team and our trusted technology partners. Much like the experts at Westinghouse and Edison provided better options a century ago, our technology partners—companies like Microsoft®,Rackspace®, and Rackspace’s cloud hosting division Mosso®–are offering better options today.

Microsoft, a long-time supporter and funder of Pangea Foundation, is gearing up for a cloud-based future as demonstrated first with Office Live, and more recently with the announcement of Live Mesh, a cloud-based hub that enables bi-directional synchronization of information platforms and applications. While some analysts are predicting that Live Mesh will eventually become a cloud-based software development platform, it can already be used to manage replication and share information between devices, cloud-based services and people.

Rackspace, too, is gearing up for a cloud-based future with its cloud hosting division Mosso. And with industry leading innovations, like the recently announced CloudFS™ for infinitely scalable file storage, nonprofits can focus on their missions—not managing expensive IT infrastructure.

So… what does Cloud Computing mean for nonprofits?

A ton!

Starting with the simultaneous delivery of optimized IT and optimized nonprofit workflow processes—on-demand and at lower cost. Ultimately though, it means better options for advancing our missions.

And when you’re an underdog like we are, it’s great to have options.

Social Entrepreneurship at Work

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Last week, I attended an inspiring Policy Symposium in Washington D.C. organized by the National Resident Services Collaborative and sponsored by the Freddie Mac Foundation.

The symposium brought together affordable housing stakeholders from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia to discuss the importance of family resident services and identify sustainable funding solutions.

Why was it so inspiring?

It was inspiring because I was surrounded by 75 amazing people. Inspiring because it was demographically diverse.

Some were in their 30s. Some were in their 60s. And many in between.

Some were CEOs, and others were service professionals.

Some were funders, and others were affordable housing providers.

All leaders. Doers. Difference makers.

But here’s what was most inspiring: rather than coming together to focus on what was profitable, this group of leaders came together to push the limits of what was possible.

There’s nothing quite like limitless thinking and social entrepreneurship at work.

Representing Pangea Foundation was Kristin Kuipers, who led an outcome measurement software workshop. If you don’t know Kristin, let me fill you in on something: she delivers a riveting flipchart presentation. Unfortunately for those in attendance, the flipcharts stayed home.

But here’s what they did see: a detailed demonstration of AASC Online Families, outcomes tracking software for family resident services. Delivered via the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) delivery model, AASC Online Families facilitates the efforts to standardize the outcome measurement of resident services in affordable housing for families.

And thanks to Enterprise™ Community Partners, NeighborWorks® America, and the Freddie Mac Foundation, the outcome reports recently added to AASC Online Families can now be used to facilitate fundraising efforts, inform public policy, and improve results accountability.

For more background information on family resident services, be sure to check out Resident Services for Families in Affordable Housing: A Background Paper, by Carl Sussman and Diana Meyer.

“Charting” the Future of Philanthropy

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kristin Kuipers) — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I love talking about how software can be used to solve important societal challenges. I also love working with foundations that are deeply passionate about helping nonprofits leverage capacity-building software to expand their effectiveness—and their impact.

That’s why I was honored to speak last week at an event hosted by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Grants Manager's Network. In attendance were representatives from more than a dozen foundations—organizations like The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, John Templeton Foundation, Connelly Foundation, The William Penn Foundation, the North Penn Community Health Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The panel was very well orchestrated by Chris Strawbridge from the John Templeton Foundation. And I was in very good company on the panel with Carla Falkenstein from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA).

We talked about how Software-as-a-Service and Nonprofit Business Intelligence is being used today to help nonprofits improve service delivery, make faster decisions, and advance their missions. We also featured case studies demonstrating how nonprofits are leveraging enterprise software to manage program data, measure performance, map resources, visualize impact, and inform policy—on a local level, a regional level, and a national level.

What’s most exciting is this: a whole lot of good can happen when a regional network of foundations convenes to explore better ways to improve collaboration, efficiently share information, and think strategically to meet a dynamic set of community needs.

At Pangea Foundation, we’ve discovered that foundations and other strategic philanthropists are becoming increasingly interested in analyzing empirical data to understand long-term trends in an effort to identify better ways of meeting important societal challenges. The good news: with today’s enterprise-class technologies, it’s easier than ever before.

So last week’s event was wonderful! Encouraging too! Because when both nonprofits and foundations alike catch the vision of leveraging outcome measurement software to amplify their results and advance their collective missions, perhaps the day will come when there will indeed be enterprise-class software for every nonprofit!

The result: more effective nonprofits, a better Social Return on Investment (SROI) for foundations, and stronger communities.

Majority of Foundations Expect 2008 Giving to Increase

info@pangeafoundation.org (Kraig Kuipers) — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Just found an encouraging article by Noelle Barton in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The article, titled Most Grant Makers Plan to Increase Giving in 2008, cites a number of interesting statistics about the grantmaking trends and giving expectations of America’s 72,000 foundations.

The recently released Foundation Center report, Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: Current Outlook, is available as a PDF on the Foundation Center’s Web site.

Here are some of the key findings:

Grantmaking by America’s 72,000 foundations increased by 10% from $39 billion to $42.9 billion
Contributing to the increase in grantmaking was a 11.6% gain in foundation assets in 2006—from $550.6 billion in 2005, to $614.7 billion in 2006
Estimated foundation assets reached nearly $670 billion in 2007, a 9% increase over 2006
54% of America's foundations expect to increase their giving in 2008

Among other things, the report compares grantmaking between community foundations, independent foundations, and corporate foundations.

Be sure to glance through the report. Hopefully, you’ll discover some fresh insight to take back with you.