March 17, 2010 | Comment

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March Goodness

Razoo* is hosting their annual March Goodness Tournament where a select group of 96 nonprofits compete for grants based on fundraising through the Razoo giving network. 64 nonprofits are competing in our at-large competition “The Big Dance” in 4 regions; 32 small nonprofits are going head-to-head in “The RazooNIT”.
*[ra-zoo’]: (noun) a coin of little value; when combined, small contributions make a huge difference

How the Competition Works

Participating nonprofit organizations will be soliciting as many unique donors as possible through their March Goodness Project Pages linked through this site (click map above). We will track the number of donors and donations and post results live on the leader boards linked above. A visitor must make a donation (minimum $10) through the designated March Goodness Project Page (labeled MG2010) in order for it to count. Nonprofits will be ranked by unique donors to their official March Goodness Project Page for the first round.

For the Final Four portion of the Big Dance, the four regional winners will compete in the second round and will be ranked by total dollars raised during the Final Four eligibility period.

The RazooNIT is a one-round competition; the 32 competing nonprofits will be ranked by unique donors only.

Key Dates

  * March 15 – 30: Big Dance Regional Tournaments and RazooNIT
  * March 25: DC United Sweet 16
  * April 2 – 6: Big Dance Final Four

Follow all the goodness action via the MG2010 Blog and on Twitter - @MarchGoodness

The social goodwood will be abuzz with excitement as this make-a-difference & change-the-world tourney kicks-off this week! All of the MG2010 tourney teams have put in long hours of preparation & training for this shining moment. Everyone starts this “new season” with the hope of being crowned the Champion of Changemaking Champions - your assist is needed.

Got DIMES?!
MG2010 East Region
MG2010 South Region
MG2010 Midwest Region
MG2010 West Region
RazooNIT

It’s Change Time!

March 14, 2010 | 1 comments

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What if you could not afford glasses? Would you be able to work? Read? Cook? Recognize your children? Would you be able to drive? How much would you be able to enjoy the things you cherish in your life?

According to the World Health Organization, 153 million people cannot see simply because they do not have access to corrective eyewear and/or cannot afford proper vision care. We have seen first hand what it is like for many of these children and adults to live without glasses. Children cannot see the blackboard clearly; as a result, they lose interest in school and hinder their chances of realizing their potential. For many adults, work is difficult to find and many everyday activities such as reading a book are not possible because these people simply cannot see clearly.

But…
When a child receives a pair of glasses, suddenly the blackboard becomes clear. Schoolwork gets better. Participation in extracurricular activities gets better. Life gets better. For adults, finding work is easier. Books and newspapers become readable. Faces of loved ones become recognizable. The ability to commute gets better. Life gets better.

Something as small as a pair of glasses has the power to change a person’s life and open up a whole new world of possibilities.

141 Eyewear is the brilliant, Do-Gooder creation of Kyle Yamaguchi & Shu-Chu Wu. Kyle & I met back in 2006 at an event for Proctor & Gamble. He had plans to “chase” his dream of employment at Nike. He shared his dream with me - his “chase” was courageous to me. His words conjured up something that my grandmother/Mom-Mom always said, “a closed mouth don’t get fed. you gotta open up your mouth and tell someone what you want!” Kyle opened his mouth in a Cincy conference room & because of his random-act-of-courage, I decided to conspire with him & I shared a few Nike connections. He took the initiative and… tahh-dahh…he’s been working at Nike for over three years!

We reconnected last week in a small cafe in NW Stumptown (aka Portland). Kyle recalled our chance meeting of four years ago & the catalytic impact it had on his life - I was humbled by his gratitude. Then he shared the news of his BIG, life-changing work - giving better sight & vision to young people around the globe! I’m truly inspired by his vision & I have no doubt that many of you will be as well!

Give a looksee & join 141 Eyewear’s movement to change the way a child (literally) sees the world…You BUY, We GIVE. 141!
(Katalyst Note: I bought a pair of glasses right after our meeting & 141 is giving a pair away!)

Got Vision?!

March 10, 2010 | Comment

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Start the Work that Matters!
It’s time to do more of the work that means something to you, stretches you and makes a difference. In Michael Bungay Stanier’s Do More Great Work you’ll find fifteen ‘maps’, practical exercises to help you identify how to find, start and sustain more Great Work. Amongst other things you’ll learn:

  * Where to find clues to your own Great Work. (They’re all around you.)
  * How to locate the sweet spot between what you want to do and what your organization wants you to do.
  * Tactics to best manage the overwhelm.
  * How to double the likelihood you’ll do what you want to do.

There are also original contributions from leading thinkers like Seth Godin, Dave Ulrich, Michael Port, Penelope Trunk, Leo Babauta and Chris Guillebeau on how to do more of the important stuff. To do more Great Work you need focus, you need courage and you need resilience.

Give a listen to the Do More Great Work Interview Michael did with me recently- Listen! His enthusiasm & passion for this topic is undeniable!

Got Passion & Purpose?!

February 15, 2010 | Comment

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Photog: Marcus Swanson

Shamik Dynamik recently came to the Rose City(after touring in Australia. Malaysia & the Philippines) to share his musical genius on a project that I will be dropping soon!

He’s my “BFF” - BEATBOX Friend Fo’evah!

Got PLAY?!