April Newsletter: Little Field Guide Becomes Bestseller; Introducing Rich’s Weekly Reflection
"Harwood refuses to give up on the American experiment. He reminds us what's at stake is nothing less than our own future." - Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent, PBS NewsHour: "America at a Crossroads"
HOW OUR CAMPAIGN FOR A NEW CIVIC PATH CAN SUPPORT YOU
Just over 30 days remain before the publication of Rich’s manifesto, The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation, and the launch of our Campaign For The New Civic Path.
This campaign is designed to get more communities moving forward in a fundamentally new way. In addition to publishing Rich’s book, we’ll be going on the road to activate local communities, lifting up stories of hope that help you keep going, and creating new virtual spaces that foster connection and belonging. Explore what we have in store to support you and your community this year.
THE LITTLE FIELD GUIDE IS A BESTSELLER
Rich’s latest book, The Little Field Guide for Sparking Community-Led Change, achieved Bestseller status earlier this month in Amazon’s “Philanthropy & Charity” and “Social Science Reference” categories. This followed its debut as a #1 new release in three categories.
The book’s remarkable early success is a reflection of people’s deep yearning to create real, lasting change in their communities amid this historic moment. To capitalize on this hunger, we convened philanthropic leaders from across the country for a Funders-Only Webinar to explore The Little Field Guide’s central themes and help funders accelerate their work in local communities.
Concerning what it will take to create lasting change, Rich told the gathering, “Building momentum is the name of the game here. People in our communities expect things to fizzle out. We have to prove another path exists.” The Little Field Guide is animated by what it requires of us to get on this other path. Get your copy today.
WHERE CAN WE FIND HOPE IN AMERICA TODAY?
Where can we find hope in America today? This question sat at the core of Rich’s recent piece for The Fulcrum, where he wrote, “I believe we can find hope in those places closest to us—in our local communities and in our lives.”
The piece touched a nerve, achieving syndication with over 85 media outlets around the country, reaching thousands upon thousands of Americans who, just like you, want to become agents of hope.
Rich followed that piece up with another focused on an equally provocative question: “Where is the ‘real America’?” As the battle over this simple question rages, Rich asserted that, “We must urgently embrace the notion that the real America includes all of us.”
INTRODUCING RICH’S WEEKLY REFLECTION
Each week on social media, Rich will share a weekly reflection focused on something he’s wrestling with in relation to where the country is and what it means to lead amid our current conditions. While the topic Rich explores in just 2-3 minutes will differ by the week, each will end the same way. With a reminder that “We are meant to go together.”
Follow Rich on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok and let’s go together.
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES IN OHIO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE
Last week, our team was back in Logan and Union Counties in central Ohio to lead an interactive workspace with Public Innovators in both communities. A little over a year into the action phase, teams in each community are well on their way to creating chain reactions of change that are grounded in what matters to people. This workspace was an opportunity to take stock of where things stand, work through key inflection points, and make discernments about the next moves to make in order to accelerate progress.
Take just one example from the Logan County Seniors Team. In gathering public knowledge, they found seniors were experiencing a lack of connection and belonging and struggled with digital skills they needed to pay bills or access their medical information online. The team got in motion to begin addressing both at once with a Techy Teens event at the Senior Center that brought teens and seniors together to foster connections and provide technology support. On the back of this initial success, the team is developing a larger Neighbor to Neighbor initiative that will pair seniors with volunteer aides. Ultimately, the team is sending early signals that they intend to wrap their arms around seniors and support them in a new way.
JAMES VOORHEES JOINS THE STUDIO ON COMMUNITY
Harwood’s Studio on Community is our hub for innovation and thinking. A place where ideas are given life. Where creative concepts are tested, practices developed, experiences gained. Today, we’re thrilled to welcome our latest Studio Associate James Voorhees, PhD, who will lead research and produce scholarship on the history and strategic evolution of federated nonprofit organizations across the country, alongside other projects.
James recently retired after more than twenty years working in cybersecurity as an analyst and engineer for a panoply of government agencies and private firms. Before that he worked for the Congressional Research Service and the Kettering Foundation, focusing on democracy and dialogue, and as an editor at the International Food Policy Research Institute. He wrote "Dialogue Sustained: The Multilevel Peace Process and the Dartmouth Conference."
His PhD is from the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University. He has volunteered with the Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project since 2021 as a volunteer coordinator and a member of the History and Exhibits Committee. He also serves on the board of the Menare Foundation. In his spare time, he writes, reads, plays the button accordion, and dances the Morris.
Upcoming Events
The New Civic Path Virtual Launch Event| June 11 at 7 pm ET
To celebrate the launch of Rich's manifesto, The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation, and kick off our new campaign we’re hosting an interactive virtual space to help you figure out how the new civic path can support you in making a real difference in your community this year and beyond. More details to come but you can RSVP here now!
The Harwood Institute in the News
Where is the “real America”? via The Fulcrum
Where can we find hope in America today? via The Fulcrum
Build Community Norms and Reduce Intergroup Anxiety via The Fulcrum
Make sure you follow Rich on LinkedIn to be nourished and supported as we go together.
