Here are some things I’ve been wanting to write into the Small Change News record for some time. You will recall that Small Change was about market-type exchanges of information (stories) and resources (including funding), between “little individuals,” toward positive impact. So these are interesting new markets and new kinds of giving and sharing:

Prosper.com - A market for small-scale loans. Think eBay for money. People post stories, have reputation scores (credit ratings), and others can loan money and make interest. The future of banking?

Kiva.org - Another micro-lending site, this one for small business entrepreneurs in developing countries. As far as I can tell, these are no-interest loans, so the interest we give up by lending here is another form of charitable giving.

GrassCommons.org - is publishing information that helps consumers make ordinary purchasing decisions in line with their values and the common good. we become what we buy. spend smart!

GoodNewsNetwork.org - Geri Weis-Corbley calls GNN “news that reflects our values”. This comes pretty close to the original vision for sCNN. Lots of little individuals out there doing good things.

Pledgebank.com has been mentioned here before, but is another one that fits with these and is very much in line with the sCNN vision. Needs can be posted and funding pledged. No payments charged until the project is fully funded.

Glad to see these kinds of markets springing up, especially the loan markets.

Meanwhile have been talking with Phil Cubeta last week about the next generation of Giving Conference. Raising the four core questions that came out of the sCNN work: What do we want? Have? Need? And what will we Do? …in that conversation and in C3 conversations this past weekend. I know the GrassCommons and GNN folks through RecentChangesCamp, a Giving Conference spin-off, so our Giving Conference and sCNN work just keeps going, and growing.

Chris Weaver shared a bit of his model for “State of Grace Philanthropy” today, by email. His approach focuses on projects and retreats and leads to “State of Grace” documents for sustained project funding and action — all of which got me thinking about my own model for what I might call Inviting Philanthropy. What follows is distilled from my work on Small Change News over the last two years, since the Giving Conference which Phil Cubeta recently summarized.

First, philanthropy is about love, care, and people. We might generalize to include all beings. We might acknowledge current use and practice and allow that it now means something about money and resouces, action and results. Inviting Philanthropy is about all of that.

Next, the basic model. Start with some people with projects, and also some people with funding. These can be all from one project or issue area, or a diverse group. Projects and funding at any level are okay, what matters is passion and a willingness to commit. Recognize that the project people have some money, and the money people have some ideas about projects. Ask everyone to write the answer to four questions, providing whatever one-on-one coaching is needed in order for them to articulate:

• What do I want (to see in the world)?
• What do I have to offer now?
• What do I need to move forward?
• What will I do when I get what I need?

Now, invite everyone together, in Open Space, to work on Philanthropic Action: Issues and Opportunities. All manner of caring and commitment are welcome, actively invited. The ticket to enter is that you’ve answered these four questions. Copies of everyone’s 4-part statement are available on a table. In the course of the conversations, people pass out these statements like business cards, and refer to them like we refer to websites… “oh, yes, there’s a bit about that there in my answer to #2.” In this way, what is wanted, what is available, what is needed and what is willing are all mixed together.

In the last segment of the Open Space meeting, imagine Sunday afternoon of a 2-day weekend program, there is an invitation to focus on specific projects that might go forward. The invitation is to merge any number of individual statements into one project statement. Add to that a “State of Grace” spin on things that will help the group ride out any potential conflicts.

Rinse and Repeat. Do this on an ongoing basis, probably quarterly, and allow all of the statements, for individuals and projects, to be updated and shared in a new round of Open Space.

Publish everything, the notes from breakout sessions, the personal statements, the project statements, and especially the project news reports, as things actually get done.

Invite care. Invite coherence. Invite conversation. Invite collaboration. Publish everything and everyone point friends and colleagues to the website, and bring colleagues to the retreats. Inviting Philanthropy.

I’m halfway through a remarkable program being run by the City of Chicago, Department of Environment. It’s 12 hours of training classes, four resources-rich info dump sessions on Land, Air, Energy, Water and Community. Twenty-six of us are going through the program, each one pledging in advance to initiate and lead some sort of conservation or awareness project this summer.

I’m not sure if it’s my offical project or not, but it IS a project — we’ve initiated a Chicago Conservation Corps weblog. Grounding, grounding, grounding, I am. It feels great to be using skills and tools developed around the globe with people I can actually join for lunch and barbecues without buying a plane ticket.

Nice to write about something solid, for which we already have solid language. This post about the I-Go Car Sharing program helped me remember that I really do know how to write! A welcome break from all this fuzzy fishing about for the language of Inviting Leadership. It’s fun to use words that are already commonly defined and understood, for a change!

I want to talk about my next car purchase with folks on this biodiesel map. Glad to see what I would call “so many” of them in within a 100 miles or so of me.

I went to the orientation meeting for the new Chicago Conservation Corps volunteer leadership program last night. Very exciting stuff from a big city government — actively inviting individuals and offering direct and open support for community projects.

Applications for the 4-week program are due May 15th, and attendance at the orientation — to understand the commitment — is required:

You care. Do something. We’ll help.
Rain gardens. Recycling. Alternative transportation. Energy efficient homes. Get trained with the Chicago Conservation Corps and develop an environmental improvement project for your community. To learn more, attend an orientation May 6, 9, 11 or 13 at locations throughout the city. Visit the website or call (312) 743-9283 to register.

When the city initiated the green rooftop at City Hall five years ago, there was only one contractor in the country who could do the required work. Now there are twenty in the City and more than 69 acres of green roof. Looking forward to learning and contributing to the next waves of work on transportation, water, energy, food and other essential community issues here. Join us?

Here are two things I read today about money. First the bad news via Bill Bonner’s Daily Reckoning newsletter…

The U.S. Treasury Department also comes up with a number for how much Americans actually owe, thanks to federal deficits. Are you sitting down? It’s a chunky number: $750,000 per household. That’s what you get when you take the total commitments of the feds - $49 trillion -and divide them by the number of families.

The Financial Times goes on to note that it took 204 years for the U.S. government to accumulate its first $1 trillion in debt. Now, it adds that much every 18 months. George W. Bush has added more debt than any president who ever lived. In fact, he’s added more debt than all the presidents who ever lived…combined.

…and then the good news, via Penny at BALLE-BC, an excellent (even nine years later!) YES! magazine interview with Bernard Lietaer, usually credited as the architect of the Euro…

…in France, there are now 300 local exchange networks, called Grain de Sel, literally “Grain of Salt.” These systems - which arose exactly when and where the unemployment levels reached about 12 percent - facilitate exchanges of everything from rent to organic produce, but they do something else as well. Every fortnight in the Ariege, in southwestern France, there is a big party. People come to trade not only cheeses, fruits, and cakes as in the normal market days, but also hours of plumbing, haircuts, sailing or English lessons. Only local currencies accepted!

I wonder if we have any such currency communities springing up around Chicago… and what gifts, skills and goods I might offer in such exchanges. What good will fancy clothes and advanced degrees be in these local marketplaces?

UPDATE: Lietaer in Ode Magazine, as well.

UPDATE: more on money beyond peak oil

Three and one half years ago in Nepal, my friends and colleagues working for peaceful development dared not speak the word “Maoist” in public, not in anything louder than a whisper, that is. When it was mentioned in private, eyes darted around the room, as if checking for bugs, and gauging the safety of saying anything about the political turmoil then brewing. How far things have come since then, as reported by Joy in Kathmandu:

So, we are cautiously thinking that this continuing revolution in Nepal may be bearing fruit, may be leading the nation closer to the representative democracy wanted by the vast majority of the people. It has been calmer the past 24 hours. That’s relative, of course. The demonstrations have actually gotten much bigger - hundreds of thousands in some locations - and involve pretty much every strata of society, including those with a lot to lose. There is still brutality and out-of-control retaliation from the police and the army, people are still being beaten and shot, but the outcry is so widespread, the international pressure being brought to bear is so huge… more …more …and photos …see also previous days postings.

These protests aren’t against the Maoist rebels, but for democracy in general, against the obstacles created by the King’s rule now, against waiting any longer for the King, the rebels, the political parties to figure out how to lead. May peace reign soon.

Been talking with Chris Heuer about the Open Space dimension of this…

BrainJams New Orleans - Big Announcement!

On Thursday May 4th we are going to bring the best of Web 2.0 to the New Orleans small business community in what could be one of the biggest Unconferences of the year. This will be a day of conversation, peer to peer learning, and developing a better understanding of how the technology community can serve the needs of this vitally important city as it comes back from the trajedy that was Katrina. Our goal is to help small businesses understand how they can make the most of blogs, social networks, tagging, wikis and other collaboration tools - but I have a feeling that much more will come of this. More…

I’m impressed with the work Chris is doing on the ground, but also the depth or background of his work, as he’s just back from an Art of Hosting workshop, working on these sorts of questions…

• When have I truly lived my passion and what in particular was powerful about this?
• What do I now sense is the next level of my passion and practice?
• If this is the next level of my passion and practice, what could stop or come in the way of this?
• What is the burning question that will help me step more fully into the fire of my hosting?

This marriage of depth and action, internal and external, personal and social, seems essential now, in all of our work.

This comes from my friend and colleague Ram Raut, on the occasion of the New Year in Nepal. The mainstream news out of Nepal these days is about hundreds being arrested in protests and a people teetering on anarchy. Here is an inside view, a heart view, from a guy who’s home was bombed only months ago, and who has since lost his brother suddenly in an accident.

Dear all
Namaste

We are bye bye year 2062after 26 hours.In this year We got many many good things and learning.Loktantrik movement took high hight.perhaps We will get inclusive Democracy soon. NAINN got alot of success.we successfully organized second National Summit.
Great achievement is we got David L.cooperrrider in the position of Patron.
We spread AI throughout the country.and We expan our Network and we built good relationship in the international Level.
these are the great successof our organization.personally all the freinds got more achievement even our counrty had suffering from autocracy and arm conflict.

In this occasion of new year 2063,I wish for your every success and sound health.I hope we will see new loktantrik peaceful and prosporious new Nepal soon.

In this new year we will get new success and great change in our life . plz do well. we Invite to all to join our Imagine Initiative movement for positive societal transfomation thourgh out the world for make a new peaceful world.

with appreciatively
Ram Bahadur Raut
National Chairperson
NAINN (Nepal Appreciative Inquiry National Network)

Ram and his colleagues remind me again that real peace movements must begin and be sustained by peaceful people. Imagine that. Hoping to see them again this Fall for more Open Space, too.

Maura Gahagan in San Francisco is looking for individual or corporate sponsorship for the purchase of yoga mats for the low-income students at Sanchez School (K-5), where she donates her time for their instruction. mailto:yoga@globalchicago.net if you can help.

Maura is a colleague in one of my practice groups, i.e. she is known to me and my friends and this request is legit.

My last post posited the possibility of investing in people and relationships as the new gold. In the West, I think we tend to devote ourselves to amassing personal stocks of money and assets, emphasizing our piles of toys, house, stocks, and gold over the care and feeding of our webs and flows of connections, our people, the other gold.

Since I wrote that post, I’ve discovered the story of Martin Macy, in the San Francisco Chronicle. Here’s a guy who worked 41 years as the mail delivery guy in a bigger and bigger law office. Over the years, he became renown for his devotion to his co-workers, the firm, and to kindness as practice, the kind of guy who reports to work at dawn and brings doughnuts for the lawyers pulling all-nighters. When he was canned for efficiency reasons, some of his old friends and colleagues got together and are well on their way to creating an annuity that will support him for the rest of his life.

Invest wisely!