O Say Can You See

We gathered early yesterday morning -- a beautiful, too-warm for January 20th California day. Collectively, over 200 years of work for a more just world was present.

We'd done projects, initiatives, media pieces, advocacy, activism, and yes community organizing on issues from human rights to civil rights to race, racism, racial justice, environmental justice, reconciliation, indigenous rights, disability rights, LGBTQ rights, water rights, cultural rights, breast cancer, AIDS, feminism, womanism, empowerment, liberation, peace, nuclear disarmament, solidarity, community cultural development, social change philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and more. Yes, this was a group of people who have lived lives of service, inspired others, called the question tirelessly, and had the audacity to offer many an untold story in pursuit of justice for all.

But until yesterday at noon eastern, when Barack Obama gently crossed over to become president to the sweet strains of musicians playing "Tis a Gift to Be Simple, Tis a Gift to Be Free" -- I don't think any of us had ever felt the exquisite power of aligning with a common purpose of country, and I doubt we ever thought we would.

But there we were -- lifted to our feet, arms joined, tears streaming, and singing the Star Spangled Banner (the whole thing, every line) at the top of our lungs. After decades of pounding on the doors and windows, we -- along with millions of others -- were called and welcomed home to country. A new journey has begun.

130 million and counting

Ponder this: the number of board members serving nonprofit organizations and ngos worldwide equals the number of voters in last week's U.S. General Election. 130 million cast ballots to elect the new president.

Paul Hawken, is his book Blessed Unrest, puts the number of third sector organizations across the globe at 11 million. I figure an average of 11.8 board members per, and that's 130 million people meeting several times a year with a common purpose: to make the world a better place. That's quite a constituency, considering board members are typically people who care, give back, and carry influence in their communities. Any social entrepreneurs out there who can deliver an Obama-style system connecting board members to world leaders?

BTW, I scoped out the U.S. piece of this and found there's 1.5 million registered nonprofits. With an average of 11 board members per, that's 16.5 million, or more than five times the number of contributors to Obama's campaign. Again, a ready-made constituency of some influence -- if connected.

All this is to pose to organizational leaders: how is your board best poised to make a powerful contribution in these times? Are you offering ways to peak their learning edge, thereby developing members who self-generate and self-organize in concert with others? If so, it will serve you well as your board engages in resource development, which is without a doubt a key 21st century board competency.

Consider the following story. A new board member came to his first meeting, which happened to be about planning for the annual fundraising campaign. His demographic: 30's, African American, representing a prominent financial institution.

"I'm fine to do my part of the fundraising," he said. "But just so you know, I'm on this board to learn about community leadership. I missed that growing up, what with academics and extracurriculars to get a scholarship to college. It's something I want to know about for my own leadership development, and working with this organization is my chance."

Imagine unleashing this new member's energy on behalf of the organization's mission, not just by taking on board tasks, but via learning, inspiration and feeding of his own aspirations.