Yes, it’s almost here. We’re only about a month out to our inaugural Ideation Conference (April 5-6, 2010). This conference is something I’ve been dreaming about even before the Idea Camp was even a thought. I’ve discovered in recent years that one of my greatest passions in life is to connect people who care about the world with one another. I believe in people with ideas, especially those who have ideas for good. I’m confident that Ideation will provide an environment in which people who care about humanity will be able to learn from one another, intentionally connect, and be refreshed as they continue their work.

Yes, this conference isn’t for everyone. It’s specifically being designed for those who currently work or desire to work in humanitarian care. In other words, it’s for my heroes. It’s for people who see that life is more than just about “making it”. It’s designed for people who are choosing to live differently so that those who experience injustices will be able to experience relief, care, and dignity.

We’re definitely not seeking the casual conference goer. We want to gather people who deeply care about what’s happening in the world and desire to do something about it…anything.

My wife and I both felt that Ideation was a conference we needed to personally invest in. We’ve dipped into our savings account so that we could keep the cost down for everyone who needs to attend. Some would say that this isn’t the best business move, but it just felt right. We’ve also approached some good friends to help us organize the event fueled by their generosity.

Why should you come?

The “causes” many of us are so passionate about need a lot of development on our end. It’s one thing to be passionate about fighting injustice, but it’s another thing to have infrastructure and a plan to care well. Therefore, I’ve invited some good friends to the table to help us think more intentionally about the way we care for our world. These are friends who have proven through time that their thoughts really do create the kind change we desire to see.

A Personal Offer:

For those who really want to participant, but aren’t financially able, don’t be shy and email me. I want to help you get there! Don’t let finances get in the way of coming out. I hope you see that my heart is to help you become a better compassionary (i.e., a person living out a compassionate mission of care). I deeply care about you more than this conference. The conference is only a means through which we can better learn, connect, and work with one another.

I hope that I will see you at Ideation. Please help us get the word out to people who resonate with what’s been shared here.

In closing, thank you so much for caring about our world. Please continue to “Love Human. Do Good.”

Charles

How many Facebook, Twitter, or Social Networking invites do you get about someone’s cause? How many emails have ended up in your inbox with an invitation to support, vote for, or join a network around a cause? What percentage of these cause invitations you receive do you actually support in some tangible way?

I think most of us would agree that most causes are definitely worth supporting. They are lead by phenomenal people who genuinely care about injustice in the world. Our world is a better place because of their presence and passion.

As a person who regularly works with and for non-profits, it can be discouraging at times to see the lack of direct correlation between followers and committed participants. I thought I would offer the following insights to those who may be leading a non-profit or cause.

A Sober Look at “Followers”:

Not everyone who “follows” your cause is really supporting your efforts beyond a click to follow, join or retweet. In fact, most probably joined your efforts out of some kind of relational obligation (e.g., a friend invited them to join on Facebook) or general passion towards the issue (e.g., they just saw a film or were inspired by an event). It’s not that they don’t care about the issue, it’s just that they really don’t have (or want) bandwidth to get involved beyond the surface connect. For others, they’ve joined to just see what you’re doing or with a desire to broaden their own work or network (i.e., strictly research-based or professional).

Creating a Healthy Perspective:

• Don’t be discouraged. It’s ok! Don’t be too hard on yourself or the people that “follow”. Be encouraged and optimistic about the fact that (for whatever reason) people are indeed following.
• Celebrate the “fringe”. No organization can be totally healthy if everyone is a part of the core. We need the fringe to draw us out into areas that we have yet to consider. The fringe also keep us humble. They will remind us that not everyone has our passion for a cause. In addition, they will introduce comments or questions that may at first appear to be unrelated or even confrontational, but may end up being some of our best ideas. Therefore, be sure to LISTEN to the fringe, even those who appear to be complaining about how you do things even if they don’t lift a finger to participate.
• Don’t confuse number of followers with impact. Stats can really be misleading. It’s usually encouraging to see lots of followers, but keep in mind that you will need to identify the real number of people who believe in what you do. Numbers can bring about disillusionment. Focus on working with those who are already committed while inviting those on the fence to participate. By the way, don’t use guilt to mobilize participation. A guilt-driven system will not be sustainable in the long-run.
• Celebrate the stories of those committed to the cause. Stories are great for inspiring others to get involved. As yourself, as a cause or organization, are there stories that you can point to that embody the mission or goals of your group? I think stories can be a powerful assessment tool for organizations.
• Work on clarity, infrastructure, and ideas. Some of the main reasons that people don’t commit to a greater level is because they are not sure what you’re about and how you want them to help. Work hard on creating tangible, clear steps for involvement. Maybe their lack of involvement is created by our lack clarity, infrastructure, and development of ideas.

These are just a few of several thoughts I have about this topic. I’d love to hear your perspective on this as well!

Next time someone communicates that they don’t “care about your cause”, don’t take it personally and continue to live out your passion. Find the people that care and fuel the movement.

This is an article I wrote for Catalyst that just posted yesterday on their site. Enjoy and be sure to visit Catalyst’s website. They have several good articles about leadership.

Words like “compassion” and “justice” are becoming commonplace in our cultural landscape. Whether you’re an individual, organization, school or business, embedding this kind of language has proven to be beneficial for one’s personal or corporate brand. Many people feel “good” whenever they commit to a cause on Facebook or retweet something on Twitter in regards to compassion or justice.

In light of this growing trend towards compassion and justice, I think we must ask ourselves, “Do we actually participate in social action beyond the initial “join” or retweet?” In hopes of answering this question, I informally surveyed friends of mine on Facebook that have committed to multiple causes. The vast majority of them have not financially given nor volunteered for anything related to “their cause”. Granted, many people join causes out of courtesy towards the friend who invited them. Nevertheless, there still appears to be a clear disconnect between good intention and actual practice.

This is not to say that the above-mentioned activities are not helpful. In fact, awareness is indeed a great place to start. Unfortunately, for many, awareness is no longer just the beginning, but also, the end of social action. Our friends around the world experiencing some of the greatest injustices of our time still wait for our willingness to move beyond awareness and into action.  To this end, I would like to offer some of the following perspectives:

FORMING VIRTUES WITH INTENTIONAL PRACTICE
Virtue is a reference to the conformity of one’s life and conduct towards moral and ethical principles.  Therefore, anyone desiring to embody the virtues of compassion and justice must take intentional steps towards adapting their day-to-day life rhythms. Virtues don’t just form because we have a heart for it. Much like other noble pursuits in life, it requires time, sacrificial commitment, and practice. Yes, it may even feel mechanistic at the beginning.

Just as a great musician tirelessly continues to practice his/her scales, those desiring to care for humanity must intentionally practice their passion. Compassionate justice must not be relegated to events, campaigns, or vicarious living. It must be lived out. Whether an act is small or large is beside the point. In fact, the fruit of compassion is not even the point. Mother Teresa rightly said, “The success of loving is in the loving — it is not the result of loving.” In other words, the act itself takes primacy over our thoughts before or the fruit afterwards.

TWO BAD REASONS FOR INACTIVITY: NEED FOR AUTHENTICITY & LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
There are two common reasons that I hear as it relates to a person’s inactivity in areas of compassion and justice. The first one has to do with authenticity. Some are hesitant to show compassion unless they feel that they are fully sincere in their act of care. I think this is a tragedy that has led to innumerable missed opportunities for care.

Although it may appear to be honorable to balance heart with action, I think it’s actually one of the greatest expressions of narcissism. In this scenario, the giver redirects the center of the act from God’s care for the person to oneself. This is both presumptuous and arrogant. The truth of the matter is that all acts of compassion are ultimately divine expressions of God’s love for humanity. It has very little to do with our authentic motive.

Is authentic motive important? Absolutely. It’s even desirable. Nevertheless, authenticity is not an essential criterion for an act of compassion to be good in God’s eye. History has shown us that God still uses tainted and hypocritical people to accomplish his will. In addition, can any human being really do anything with a 100% pure motive? Highly unlikely.

Another common reason for inactivity I hear has to do with one’s lack of knowledge on what to do in regards to an injustice. Many of the issues of injustice appear to be so grand and complex that many feel a deep sense of paralysis and lostness. I think all of us can relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed when confronted with the reality of an injustice. There are no easy ways around this feeling. Nevertheless, we must believe that paralysis due to a lack of knowledge is not the answer.

I’ve learned through participating in numerous organizations and humanitarian efforts that knowledge is often found once we’re in motion. In other words, we don’t need all of the answers to these complex issues prior to moving. Knowledge, and more importantly wisdom, is found along the way. Our new experiences while working in compassionate justice will give us a healthy frame for learning and finding solutions.

JUST START
My encouragement and challenge to us is that we would all just start somewhere. There are so many great organizations doing wonderful work around the world. Pick one. There are so many people in our own cities that could use human contact and care. Touch one. God desires to incarnate his love for the world through people who are committed to compassionate justice. Be one.

Consider some of the following practical ideas for altering life rhythms for compassionate justice:

• Live with less to give more. During these difficult economic times, my wife and I felt that it was imperative for us to cut unnecessary expenditures and activities. One of our main reasons for this was so that we could stay generous in our giving of time and resources towards good works. When downsizing is coupled with a goal of compassionate justice, it provides a great context for mission.
• Acknowledge People. It’s amazing how our lack of eye-to-eye contact can begin to dehumanize one another. We no longer function as souls interacting but as machines and fixtures. Take effort to look into peoples’ eyes. The person serving you coffee is an actual human being and not a means to a service. The homeless person you walk by is deeply cared for by God and not a street fixture. Let’s not make people invisible.
• Integrate vocation with compassion. Take some time to consider how what you do professionally can bring relief and care for people experiencing injustices around the world. Challenge your company or school to care for the world through tangible acts of compassion.

May the world become a better place because we chose to participate in God’s story of love by adapting our life rhythms.

Jeff Shinabarger is a good friend who has created multiple movements of compassion such as Gift Card Giver and Plywood People. His latest idea has to do with the Super Bowl and relief for Haiti. Please take a moment to read the following message from Jeff and join us as we bring much needed care for Haiti.

Gift Card Giver launches:
SUPER GIVER PARTY
Feb 7, 2010

A Super Bowl Party Benefiting Haiti Relief
The super bowl is the house party of the year. We know, you will be at a house watching the big screen with your friends, eating junk food, yelling for no reason and voting on what commercial was the funniest.

We need you, yes you, the one with the cheese dip in your lap. While you are cheering, we need you to help us collect gift cards to help with relief efforts in Haiti. Every person has an unused gift card ($8 billion annually) and you can help do something super by collecting those cards to support a great need.

Party with a purpose. Simply, have a super giver bowl and put gift cards in it instead of chips. When you’re wiping up soda spills and filling your dishwasher, you can throw the gift cards in an envelope to Gift Card Giver and you’ll have given your party even more purpose. But don’t forget to tell your friends to bring their gift cards!

SUPER STEPS
1. Tell your friends to bring gift cards to your super bowl party.
2. Put a bowl between the cheese dip and ice cubes, make people give.
3. Watch our video at halftime to share the SUPER idea. (Video is also embedded below.)
4. Put the gift cards in an envelope: Gift Card Giver, PO Box 17628-Atlanta, GA 30316
5. Help Haiti people in great need.

(Update: Jeff stated recently on a blog comment at Plywood People: We just confirmed a partnership with HOPE International that has people on the ground working through Microfinance initiatives to rebuild the country. All gift cards collected and sent to Gift Card Giver will be sent directly to their projects to invigorate the already great work they are doing.)

Our “Love Haiti” Challenge, in partnership with World Vision, NewSong, New Hope, Sakura, and JustOne, has already raised close to $20,000 towards the relief efforts in Haiti! We’d like to thank all of you who have participated thus far in this challenge.

Our hope is to raise more funds for World Vision’s work in the weeks and months to come. Keith Kall, our contact at World Vision, just sent me the pdf below with updates on their work in Haiti. It also contains their plans for the next 90 days of activity. Please click on the link below:

World Vision Update on Work in Haiti

We thoroughly appreciate World Vision’s strategy and ability to implement their relief efforts. With over 31 years of experience in Haiti, they have a proven track record of providing much needed help to the Haitians.

We ask you that you consider helping us continue to get the word out about our Love Haiti Challenge. Here is a link to the donation page World Vision has set up for our drive:

www.worldvision.org/lovehaiti

Thanks again for making a difference in the lives of so many in Haiti!

Relief efforts are pouring into the country of Haiti after its devastating 7.0 earthquake last week. Millions around the world are responding to the needs in Haiti and many organizations are using social media and text messaging to raise support for their efforts. The quick access to opportunities for support via social media and texting has changed the way that we engage such relief efforts. Specifically, social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, etc.) has granted viewers direct access to the relief activities with real-time photos, articles, and news coverage.

Is this a good thing? Here are some of my thoughts:

The Good:

• Social media provides real-time information that may be vital for individuals and organizations. It not only allows people to stay on top of the most current information, but it also provides a platform for information sharing and collaborative efforts.
• Social media has the power to move masses of people quickly towards involvement and investment at minimal cost (if any) to the organization. Social media allows people to get involved in one simple click [ok, maybe a few more ].
• Social media also inspires creative action in others. The access of information provided by social often will inspire new works by individuals and organizations impacted by a crisis. It then allows for a quick set up of a new venture of hope and help.

The Not So Good:

• Unfortunately, social media also provides a platform for scams. Scams usually appear within 24 hours of any natural disaster. With the addition of social media, many scammers are leveraging the platform and its tools to coerce or trick people into giving. In a recent Chicago Sun-Times article, the following helpful tips were given to help us filter the legitimate organizations working versus scammers:
  • Check out the organization at sites for the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org), foundationcenter.org or charitynavigator.org.
  • Examine the Web address of purported groups. Avoid ones that end in a series of numbers.
  • Be extremely skeptical of Web sites asking for personal information, such as a Social Security number, birth date or bank account information — it could go to identity thieves.
  • Don’t click on links or open attachments contained within aid-related spam.
• Secondly, there are those who have good (if not great) intentions that unfortunately move towards drives or campaigns that may not actually bring the help that’s needed most during the initial stages of relief. In the heat of the moment, many are starting unnecessary efforts that further dilute the avenues through which people may actually help. My advice here is take time to do the research before you start a well-meaning, but possibly unhelpful, movement. If your research and conversations with proven relief organizations affirm the need to create something, go ahead and do so (Please!). Until then, don’t let a perceived need confuse you from actual needs.
• Social media can also help spread myths about disaster relief work. Relevant magazine just did a great article about Diaster Relief Myths. According to Relevant, here are some common myths (i.e., untrue) spreading right now to the detriment of the relief efforts in Haiti:
  • Collecting blankets, shoes and clothing is a cost-effective way to help.
  • If I send cash, my help won’t get there.
  • Volunteers are desperately needed in emergency situations.
  • Unaccompanied children should be adopted as quickly as possible to get them out of dangerous conditions.
  • People are helpless in the face of natural disasters.

I genuinely believe that most of us really want to help. I think social media may play a big part in doing this. Nevertheless, we must still use some common sense and good research before we commit to a relief effort, even if it takes a little bit more time. Quite honestly, it shouldn’t take that much time to figure out whether the person or organization you’re giving to is legitimate.

Listen. Learn. Love. Give.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was a pastor, activist, and civil rights leader. Although I was born a few years after his death, I owe much to Dr. King. The life that he lived has helped to become the person I am today. Ever since I learned about him in first grade, Dr. King has been a continual source of inspiration and understanding about the world we live in, especially as it relates to the injustices we see this world.

I have always admired his faith in God and his belief that all human beings ought to be treated with dignity and respect. Dr. King’s love for humanity and his willingness to pay the price to see people attain freedom continues to ignite passion for the work that I do.

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, here are some of my favorite quotes from Dr. King:

• “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
• “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”
• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
• “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
• “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”
• “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
• “A minister cannot preach the glories of heaven while ignoring social conditions in his own community that cause [people] an earthly hell.”
• “A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”
• “This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists. The saving of our world from pending doom will come not from the actions of a conforming majority but from the creative maladjustment of a transformed minority.”

In addition, here are two videos from Dr. King. The first one is from his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and the second from his last speech before his assassination. Please take a moment to listen my hero:

Updated: Here is a video tribute to Dr. King by NewSong Church during their worship service yesterday. The video was integrated into their worship with an emphasis on Dr. King and the relief efforts in Haiti.

A devastating 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti yesterday near its capital, Port-Au-Prince, the worst in over 202 years. Early numbers estimate that this earthquake may have impacted up to 3 million people. That’s a third of the entire population. Many of the building structures throughout the region have collapsed, including local hospitals as well as the national penitentiary. The Haiti prime minister told CNN today that he believe well over 100,000 have died in the earthquake. There is also wide-spread fear of looting and crimes that will rise in the days to come.

My different relief organizations and nations are headed to Haiti to provide assistance. The UN has initially allocated $10 million towards the relief efforts.

I’d like to challenge everyone today to do something and move beyond awareness. Here are some ideas:

• GIVE – Here are two great organizations who are doing work on the ground in Haiti right now:
  • The American Red Cross – They have already pledged a million dollars to help in the relief effort by providing food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. Donate by clicking here. You can also text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts.
  • World Vision – They are already working in Haiti to bring relief including food, clean water, blankets, and tents — to children and families devastated by the earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti.
  • UNICEF – A relief organization focusing on children after natural disasters.
  • ONE DAY’S WAGES – ODW is working with World Concern to bring relief to Haiti. World Concern has worked in Haiti since 1978 and serve 125,000 people.
• INVITE - Ask your friends and family to join you in giving towards Haiti.
• PRAY – Continue to pray for the millions impacted by this earthquake.
• COMMIT – Choose to stay updated on what’s happening in Haiti even after the news dies down. Relief will be needed for months if not years. May this never become just the latest news. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We must take care of the poor.

Please feel free to share links to any other organizations that are bringing relief in Haiti.

Great News!

The Ideation Conference website is now live at www.ideationconference.com. Please take a moment to visit our conference site. Most of our content is up with a few more sections to be added today and tomorrow.

Also, would you help me get the word out about this? I’d really appreciate your help.

Many thanks in advance!

In recent months, there appears to have been an upsurge of interest by people concerning “clean water” projects around the world. I am definitely excited to hear that more people are intentionally combating this global issue. Consider the following stats:

• Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a preventable, water-related disease.
• Most of these children are younger than 5, and a majority of them—80 percent—are younger than 2.
• Contaminated water and poor sanitation are factors in 88 percent of all disease in the developing world—diarrhea alone kills 2.1 million children annually.

In light of this recent push towards clean water projects, I thought it would appropriate to re-post a blog entry from 2008 concerning clean water. It addressed the kinds of questions that all of us should ask before jumping on board with a clean water organization. As with many other social issues, many organizations have great hearts, but don’t always have the knowledge or skills to develop sustainable projects. Clean water is no exception.

In hopes of refining our thinking on this issue, I had asked a good friend of mine, Keith Kall, who currently works directly with clean water around the world as the Executive Director of National Foundation and Corporation Development for World Vision, to give us 5 key questions to ask clean water organizations before we begin partnership with them.

The following is a list of the 5 questions (along with reasons for the questions) that Keith provided:

1. Does your organization test “water quality”?
   • Reason: Clear water is not necessarily safe water. There are many naturally occurring contaminants (i.e. microorganisms, major ions, fluoride and trace elements) that can seriously harm an individual’s health and quality of life. Skeletal fluorosis, for example, is a serious health problem related to excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones that causes serious deformities in the bone structure and making them extremely weak and brittle.
2. How does your organization address the “sustainability” of the water wells?
   • Reason: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average life span of a water well in Africa is 4 years. Relatively few organizations build in sustainability measures in their water projects to ensure the long-term benefits and operation of water wells.
3. How does your organization involve local communities in its water well projects?
   • Reason: Community involvement is a critical component to well sustainability. If an organization puts a water-well into a village without community participation and contribution (financial or sweat-equity), then sustainability, the effectiveness and the benefit of that water well is highly questionable.
4. Does your organization pair sanitation facilities (i.e., latrines) and hygiene education with the provision of clean water?
   • Reason: 88% of diseases in the developing world are water-related. The majority of health benefits of clean water (i.e. reduction in diarrheal rates) are only realized with accompanied with good sanitation and hygiene education.
5. Does your organization work with community leadership to form “water committees”?
   • Reason: Water committees are vital to effective water projects and community development. These committees are formed to both manage water resources and promote hygiene within the community. Members are trained in business management, pump maintenance and repair, hygiene and sanitation, trachoma control and prevention, environmental and natural resource management. Further, women are represented equally on these committees, which begins to engender a more equitable position for women in their community.

For those serious about bringing sustainable relief to those experiencing this water crisis, please consider asking these questions to anyone you partner with.

For more information about clean water projects, please feel free to contact Keith Kall directly at: kkall@worldvision.org. For those of you on facebook, you can find Keith’s profile by clicking here or visiting World Vision’s Clean Water cause page by clicking here. Keith is also on Twitter.

In addition, please check out World Vision’s clean water page by clicking here.