November Newsletter: Rich Keynotes Goodwill’s National Conference; Insights from Community Initiatives
“Reading, PA, and other Harwood-inspired local initiatives suggest a ‘radically traditional’ solution for renewing our struggling democracy.” - Brook Manville, author, consultant, and historian
SPARK A MORE HOPEFUL CONVERSATION THIS THANKSGIVING
“If you know in your heart there has got to be a better way, and you want to see change, read this manifesto!” - 5-star Goodreads Reviewer
We’ve heard from people all across the country on the campaign trail this year that The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation isn’t just a book. It’s a vital tool for unlocking a different, more hopeful kind of conversation. Whether that’s in your community, your conference room, or just around the Thanksgiving table.
From now through Black Friday, the eBook edition of The New Civic Path is on sale for just $3.99. Get the book. Use our discussion guide. And have a conversation to be thankful for this year.
RICH DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS TO GOODWILL CONNECT CONFERENCE IN DC; RETURNS TO FREDERICK FOR CIVICCON EVENT
Can you scale hope? Rich got the question after the keynote address he gave to hundreds of Goodwill leaders from across the country during their annual Goodwill Connect Conference in Washington, DC. As Rich told the crowd, hope isn’t scalable in the mechanical sense. But it is contagious.
We’ve seen this play out time and again across nearly 40 years of working deeply in all 50 states. Indeed, our Harwood School teaches people how to create what we call a “chain reaction” of actions and ripples that engender hope. Once you unleash this chain reaction in a local community, it inevitably spreads like a positive contagion.
On top of speaking at Goodwill's conference, Rich was also back in Frederick, MD, to speak at Hood College as part of Frederick CivicCon’s speaker series. Both events are powerful examples of communities and organizations seeking to leverage the campaign to catalyze a new conversation that leads to action, restores our belief in one another, and ultimately engenders authentic hope.
READING’S CHAIN REACTION CONTINUES TO GROW
Rich recently took the campaign back to Reading, PA, for an event hosted by the Greater Reading Unity Coalition—comprised of Centro Hispano, the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks, Bring the Change, the NAACP of Reading, the Islamic Society of Berks County, and Alvernia University’s Holleran Center for Community and Global Engagement.
At a time when so many things seem to be coming apart, this coalition is finding ways to pull people together to move forward in a more hopeful way. That’s why they brought our campaign to Reading. It’s also why so many other communities across America—of all political persuasions and geographies—have invited our campaign. Indeed, this unity coalition event in Reading echoes the Unity Breakfast Rich keynoted earlier this year in Stamford, CT.
While in Reading, Rich also led a workspace with public innovators across the community who continue to unleash a growing chain reaction of change. For example, the After School Activities Team created an online map of summer programs and activities for youth. They then went to laundromats, bodegas, barberships, corner stores, churches, and neighborhoods to engage families with the map and connect them to these opportunities. The map got over 44,000 views. As one leader in Reading said, “The story was no longer ‘there’s nothing here for our kids.’ The new message is: ‘there is something here for us—and it’s within reach.’”
DOES CREATING CHANGE REQUIRE NEW FUNDING? INSIGHT FROM OUR COMMUNITY INITIATIVE IN OWENSBORO, KY
We often run into the assumption that getting on a new civic path and creating change requires new funding. But success often depends more on how we do the work. It requires that we work together differently.
Recent efforts by the Arts Team in Owensboro, KY—one of the handful of communities where we’re working deeply to prove Americans can come together to address pressing challenges—are a case in point. They’ve been holding arts mixers to build a stronger network among local artists and arts groups and they just launched a portrait project that aims to celebrate people from all walks of life in Owensboro. Meanwhile, two local healthcare providers both had mobile care units that served different purposes. They realized they could provide better, more holistic care if they took their mobile units to the same part of the community at the same time.
None of those efforts cost money. But they did require leaders and organizations to work together differently. This new way of doing business is building momentum for a new civic path in Owensboro.
“A NEW CIVIC PATH MAY BE AMERICA’S BEST HOPE”
Rich recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Brook Manville, a historian, consultant, and author of The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives, which was named a “Best Book in 2023” by The New Yorker magazine.
Summarizing the essence of the interview, which he posted on his Substack, Manville wrote: “Tired of all the national political gamesmanship of today’s struggling democracy? Maybe we need to renew it with a different approach —by first reviving the civic culture of America’s local communities. A brave innovator named Rich Harwood has been working to rebuild hope, patriotism, and local citizenship in scores of cities and towns across our nation.”
HARWOOD TEAM UPDATES
This month, we welcomed Menal Khanna and Miriam Kirubel to the Harwood team.
As our National Campaign Manager, Menal Khanna drives the expansion of the Campaign for the New Civic Path, grows and strengthens our network, and amplifies the Institute’s work and Rich as a civic leader. Menal brings experience working at a variety of organizations building capacity and investment through development operations, marketing and communications, program development, event strategy, partnership management, and community engagement. Learn more about Menal.
As our Community Partnership Manager, Miriam Kirubel manages the Institute’s community initiatives across the country and equips partners to drive community-led change efforts. Miriam most recently served as the Program Director at the Malala Fund where she led the organization’s grantmaking and network-building program to catalyze collective action and advocacy for girls’ education worldwide. Learn more about Miriam.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Finding a New Civic Path in Challenging Times: A Safe Haven for Funders | January 22-23, 2026
The Second Annual Safe Haven for Funders will gather a select number of philanthropic leaders working in complex spaces and seeking to make a real difference in their communities and society for a unique event designed to leave you feeling refreshed, regrounded, and reenergized. Learn more about the Safe Haven.
Getting Started Public Innovators Virtual Lab |April 2026
You want to make community work for all of us. Our Getting Started Lab, a signature offering of The Harwood School, can teach you how. A result of nearly four decades of innovation and learning, this Lab offers the very best of the time-tested Harwood approach in an accessible, high-impact experience. This isn’t your typical approach. And it’s not your typical training. This Lab will catalyze you to develop the capacity and capabilities you and your team need to create real, lasting change. Learn more and register for our next Getting Started Lab in April.
The Harwood Institute in the News
Rebuilding Democracy from the Bottom Up via The Civic Bargain Substack
Episode 300: The New Civic Path with Rich Harwood via the Circulating Ideas Podcast
Gathering at the Heart of Civic Hope via BCTV
Harwood Institute partnership helping Owensboro strengthen collaboration, civic culture via Owensboro Times
Paws of Hope: Walking the New Civic Path Together via The Patterson Foundation
Follow our revamped social media presence for hope, inspiration, and connection.
