Rich joins other national leaders for "Boot Camp" Panel

On June 20, Rich Harwood joined a panel of national leaders like Craig Newmark (Craigslist) and Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post) to discuss the role of technology and volunteerism in creating change in our communities. The panelists were part of the Craigslist Foundation’s 6th Annual Boot Camp. Some key ideas which emerged from the talk:

Keys for non-profits: Intentionality and purpose. There are tons of tools, programs and practices for non-profits, but first groups have to be focused and be clear about they're doing, and what space they occupy. This focus is the starting place for impact.

Individual volunteerism is critical AND we need to build public will. New efforts like All for Good are using technology to make it easier to volunteer - so people can take a first step into public life. During the panel, Rich talked about the great potential of these sites and efforts. He stressed, however, that to address systemic issues like vulnerable children takes a different kind of engagement. On these issues, we need to create a common understanding of the challenges - and that is something we can only do together, we cannot do it by aggregating indivual efforts.