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What is the Nonprofit Innovation JAM?
We know that nonprofits and the communities they serve have big challenges to solve right now. So, we want you to join with us and lets solve some of them!
That’s right, you heard us – lets solve them.
You are probably asking yourself, “Who do they think I am Bill Gates, the president of the United States, CEO of a major company….”
Hey! We know who you are! A leader - a nonprofit leader. You know your issue, you know nonprofits, you know a lot! At GCN, we believe that the leaders we need right now are already with us. And, we are asking you to step up.
We believe that the sector should stop waiting – for legislators to legislate what is right; for technology firms to serve up technology that works for us; for leaders to step aside and “make room” for new leaders as if there were not already room; for donors to feel a call to action; for magically engaged board members to reveal themselves – the leaders we need are already here and the solutions to our issues are in our collective wisdom and within our grasp.
Lets get the easy things out of the way – the JAM is from 8:30 – 12:00 at the Americas Mart in Downtown Atlanta and it is free. Please bring as many people as you like to the JAM! Or, lets put that another way – the JAM is JAMMIEST when there are a lot of people to Jam together – so, please bring a lot of people with you and invite your network!
Seriously, many people have cut development budgets so this is a great opportunity to give your staff some much needed leadership development, peer networking opportunities and team building!! And, many have laid people off or are dealing with big problems and staff are tired, deflated and worried – given them an opportunity to get out of the day to day and be a part of something amazing and energizing! You might even get a great idea for your nonprofit to pursue - And, did we say it's free?!
What is the Process?
There are 5 steps to an Innovation Jam
Step 1 – Show up - its free!
Step 2 – Think about the big questions we outline (don’t worry – you can pose your own questions too!)
Step 3 – Voice your thoughts and ideas. (that might start something like “what if we…” or "OMG! I have a crazy idea...")
Step 4 – Listen to and build on other people’s ideas and help shape and refine key insights
Step 5 – Be a champion! Engage with others to progress the solution forward after the JAM; identify other catalysts that want to join in; be a part of the solution moving forward – Nobel prizes, major grants, infamy... even new lunch buddies – await you!!
Sign up now!
The Nonprofit Innovation Jam will engage you and other Jammers in a conversation about 5 big topics that will shape the nonprofit sector and its work over the next decade. From these topics, you (the expert) will begin to express your ideas, thoughts, actions to take – anything that is solution oriented, proactive and leadership driven. The topics are as follows:
- Georgia’s Past and Future – how do we proactively protect what we want to preserve about our unique culture, environment, historic and artistic treasures while embracing and dealing with progress?
- High tech/High touch – technology is now and will continue to impact the work we do and what our work is about. It impacts our constituents, our donors, communities, staff, approaches and strategies – what are our opportunities to shape it and use it?
- Nonprofit Future – nonprofits play an ever increasing role in society in addition to for profit entities and government. Lines are blurring, responsibilities are shifting, public expectations are increasing, some tell us to operate like a business while others expect us to be a charity and operate with hope and a nickel – What role should nonprofits play in society? What should we be and do to take on that role?
- People, Power, and Promise – People at every level and station, every race and creed, able bodied or challenged, young or old, rural or urban, elected or electors, are powerful. How can the sector leverage the power of people to accomplish our objectives?
- Working Together – Lets face it, problems are big, time is short and resources are few. How do we build productive partnerships across sectors, across boundaries, across what seems impossible to achieve a greater result?
From these big topics you might imagine that you can take the conversation in a number of directions! That is precisely the point. Like a musical jam session – you will contribute your unique insight and skill to the issues but you will riff off of the comments, experiences, stories, wisdom of others around you. Similar to bursts of energy, these ideation sessions around the topics will happen in waves. You will engage with others, ideate and move on to another group where you will see and hear what they thought about and add to it, shift the perspective, add your wisdom and insight.
At the same time, you will be listening and looking for key group insights that can be built upon, and you will declare what those are and post them for everyone to see.
Smart facilitators will be roving and recording and generally making sense of all this conversation and we will then re-connect as a big group and discuss the key ideas that have leadership legs and scream “I’m a solution worth going after!”.
Then, the important part happens – YOU decide. You decide if you want to champion an idea. We don’t care who you are – if you want to lead, we want you to lead and we will support you. But, hey, right now, you aren’t even signed up, so how can we do that?
What’s the Point? Is this worth my time?
A smart person once said, ‘You make a path by walking on it” - Solutions don’t uncover themselves. Sometimes you actually have to exert your personal leadership and work effort with others to make them appear. The JAM simply gives that a place to happen.
It is amazing to see what happens as a result of this JAM process – key insights and the kernels of solutions begin to emerge; collective energy forms around common themes; champions and leaders self-identify ( and no – they don’t always have a senior title), and groups of catalysts emerge that are energized to pursue the new approaches. GCN is committed to supporting those leaders and groups of leaders who want to champion good ideas and progress them forward into solutions.
Think it won’t work? We’ve seen it work! Over the past year, GCN worked with a national ad hoc group of people, at every role level and from every nonprofit type, that started a conversation about sector workforces issues and ended up passing the College Cost Reduction Act – a piece of federal legislation to forgive college loans for nonprofit working professionals. The Edward Kennedy Serve America Act started as a series of ideas from an ad hoc group interested in increasing volunteerism and resources for volunteers.
Join with us at the Innovation Jam on May 11th; bring some staff, board, volunteers. We’re tired of talking about the problems – lets get our ideas on the table and solve some! We are stronger and better together.
OK, I’m in – How do I JAM?
Interested in joining your peers and being part of the Innovation Jam?
When: Monday, May 11th 2009
Time: 8:30am – Noon
Where: Americas Mart / Building 2 / West Wing / 4th Floor
230 Spring Street, NW
Atlanta , Georgia
Who: Anyone committed to bringing innovation to the nonprofit sector.
Help us order enough coffee!
You MUST pre-register online here.
Thanks for being a part of the SOLUTION!
Register by Friday, May 8th - use promotional code SUMMIT50 and receive an additional $50 off your Summit registration. |