I just had the good fortune of spending two days with our partners at Razoo, the DC based web company that powers GiveMN.

As many of you know, GiveMN was the brain child of the Minnesota Community Foundation - after seeing how quickly the internet was changing philanthropy, their board decided to create an online giving portal that would harness the emerging trends in technology to benefit nonprofits in Minnesota.  Just when they had started to scope out how to build a website, they met Sebastian Traeger, CEO of Razoo.  Sebastian and his team were in the process of building a platform to revolutionize online giving. It was a perfect match, perfectly timed!

Razoo’s vision is to see a world marked increasingly by generosity.  They view their work as helping people experience the joy of giving.  And everyone on the team plays a unique role in delivering that vision.  How cool is that, to think that every day you go to work your mission is to help someone be happy?

I love our state, from the fudge stores that line Highway 35 tempting cabin traffic headed to Duluth to the corn stalks along the Iowa border (knee high by the 4^th of July!) to the fancy new Twins stadium with the amazing vista of downtown Minneapolis. 

I visited a new destination for me yesterday - Little Falls, where I led a workshop for over 50 organizations in Central MN who wanted to learn more about GiveMN.  Huge kudos and thanks to Matt Kilian and the Initiative Foundation for hosting the training and for working with an anonymous donor who is putting up $25,000 in matching grants for five organizations in an upcoming promotion on GiveMN in August - the Ripple Effect Lakes Area Challenge.  And after meeting with the selected organizations, I am sure they are going to take the challenge and then some... stay tuned for more details!  And yes, there are lovely, not-so-little falls in Little Falls.

Last Thursday I attended the Social Venture Partners Conference (www.svpmn.org/) and heard Majora Carter (www.majoracartergroup.com/)speak.  Wow!  She told her life story about growing up in the South Bronx and her amazing efforts to build a green economy.  “No one should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one.”  Her inspiring comments were another reminder of the role GiveMN can play in the green scene.  Our hopes are that nonprofits across the state will be able to connect with more donors online and eventually move away from using as much paper as part of the fundraising process.  I’d love to hear from you about how you are using less paper - are you emailing thank you notes?  How about doing an online Annual Report?  Although it doesn’t seem nearly as drastic as turning a garbage dump into a park, imagine the collective impact we can have if we all take steps in the direction of not filling our landfills with glossy reports about our work!

Also, huge CONGRATS to our friends at Springboard for the Arts, the winner of the 2010 Social Entrepreneur Cup.  Laura Zabel gave an awe-inspiring talk about how seven artists came up with a plan to provide health care (not insurance!) for artists across the Midwest.  To make a donation and support the work of the newly crowned cup holders, click here.

So Minnesotans in Little Falls and elsewhere, Jeff and I want to hear from you, please comment below or email us at info@givemn.org and let us know how you are using GiveMN!

Late breaking news flash - our friends at the Initiative Foundation and West Central Initiative are matching donations to support tornado recovery efforts in Wadena.   DONATE NOW to double your dollars and help in the clean up and rebuilding effort.

MAP TechWorks interviewed GiveMN's Jeff Achen about a variety of tech topics. Watch his videos on GiveMN pages, blogging, or the iPad.

MAP TechWorks - iPads and Nonprofits

MAP TechWorks - Blogging Strategies for Nonprofits

A Single Drop Inc. Executive Director Gemma Bulos. Photo submitted.

As I write this, I’m sitting in the Philippines where A Single Drop opened its first satellite office, A Single Drop for Safe Water.  We’ve had the most amazing Annual Learning Exchange pulling in our staff from all over the Philippines and our Africa Program Manager to come together and share stories from the field for learning and inspiration.  When mobilizing such passionate and persistent people together for one cause to ensure that all people have access to clean water and sanitation, it’s not difficult to believe that we have impacted over 125,000 people in less than four years.

What may be difficult to believe is that this mission to bring community-driven sustainable clean water and sanitation solutions to the 1.2 million who lack access and the 3-5 million who die per year from water related disease, started with a song.

I just had the good fortune of spending two days with our partners at Razoo, the DC based web company that powers GiveMN.

As many of you know, GiveMN was the brain child of the Minnesota Community Foundation - after seeing how quickly the internet was changing philanthropy, their board decided to create an online giving portal that would harness the emerging trends in technology to benefit nonprofits in Minnesota.  Just when they had started to scope out how to build a website, they met Sebastian Traeger, CEO of Razoo.  Sebastian and his team were in the process of building a platform to revolutionize online giving. It was a perfect match, perfectly timed!

Razoo’s vision is to see a world marked increasingly by generosity.  They view their work as helping people experience the joy of giving.  And everyone on the team plays a unique role in delivering that vision.  How cool is that, to think that every day you go to work your mission is to help someone be happy?

I love our state, from the fudge stores that line Highway 35 tempting cabin traffic headed to Duluth to the corn stalks along the Iowa border (knee high by the 4^th of July!) to the fancy new Twins stadium with the amazing vista of downtown Minneapolis. 

I visited a new destination for me yesterday - Little Falls, where I led a workshop for over 50 organizations in Central MN who wanted to learn more about GiveMN.  Huge kudos and thanks to Matt Kilian and the Initiative Foundation for hosting the training and for working with an anonymous donor who is putting up $25,000 in matching grants for five organizations in an upcoming promotion on GiveMN in August - the Ripple Effect Lakes Area Challenge.  And after meeting with the selected organizations, I am sure they are going to take the challenge and then some... stay tuned for more details!  And yes, there are lovely, not-so-little falls in Little Falls.

Last Thursday I attended the Social Venture Partners Conference (www.svpmn.org/) and heard Majora Carter (www.majoracartergroup.com/)speak.  Wow!  She told her life story about growing up in the South Bronx and her amazing efforts to build a green economy.  “No one should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one.”  Her inspiring comments were another reminder of the role GiveMN can play in the green scene.  Our hopes are that nonprofits across the state will be able to connect with more donors online and eventually move away from using as much paper as part of the fundraising process.  I’d love to hear from you about how you are using less paper - are you emailing thank you notes?  How about doing an online Annual Report?  Although it doesn’t seem nearly as drastic as turning a garbage dump into a park, imagine the collective impact we can have if we all take steps in the direction of not filling our landfills with glossy reports about our work!

Also, huge CONGRATS to our friends at Springboard for the Arts, the winner of the 2010 Social Entrepreneur Cup.  Laura Zabel gave an awe-inspiring talk about how seven artists came up with a plan to provide health care (not insurance!) for artists across the Midwest.  To make a donation and support the work of the newly crowned cup holders, click here.

So Minnesotans in Little Falls and elsewhere, Jeff and I want to hear from you, please comment below or email us at info@givemn.org and let us know how you are using GiveMN!

Late breaking news flash - our friends at the Initiative Foundation and West Central Initiative are matching donations to support tornado recovery efforts in Wadena.   DONATE NOW to double your dollars and help in the clean up and rebuilding effort.

MAP TechWorks interviewed GiveMN's Jeff Achen about a variety of tech topics. Watch his videos on GiveMN pages, blogging, or the iPad.

MAP TechWorks - iPads and Nonprofits

MAP TechWorks - Blogging Strategies for Nonprofits

A Single Drop Inc. Executive Director Gemma Bulos. Photo submitted.

As I write this, I’m sitting in the Philippines where A Single Drop opened its first satellite office, A Single Drop for Safe Water.  We’ve had the most amazing Annual Learning Exchange pulling in our staff from all over the Philippines and our Africa Program Manager to come together and share stories from the field for learning and inspiration.  When mobilizing such passionate and persistent people together for one cause to ensure that all people have access to clean water and sanitation, it’s not difficult to believe that we have impacted over 125,000 people in less than four years.

What may be difficult to believe is that this mission to bring community-driven sustainable clean water and sanitation solutions to the 1.2 million who lack access and the 3-5 million who die per year from water related disease, started with a song.