Author: Trina Isakson

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For nonprofit leaders and social innovators

I’m stepping up to the mic thanks to @laurenbacon

Lauren Bacon.

Seriously, that’s how it happened.

Lauren wrote a post a while back about imposter syndrome (got it) and her epiphany about conference speakers (as in, hey, I could do this, too).

The session begins, and twenty minutes later, I haven’t heard anything new. Unbidden, a thought pops into my head: “Well, this isn’t teaching me anything new. I could’ve led this session.”

The fifth, or tenth, or thirtieth time this happened, I finally woke up and realized I should be pitching sessions to conferences and standing up at the front of the room. It took me a long time to figure out that it wasn’t that the other speakers were lacking – it was that I had real expertise that was ready to be shared with others.

I had had the same experience, but not the same epiphany.

So when I heard about the upcoming Social Media for Nonprofits conference in Vancouver (one that takes place in various locations in North America and India), I though, “Well, let’s throw my hat into the ring.” My expertise is not social media per se (though I do I have opinions) but the knowledge I can share is how volunteer engagement can get tied into an organization’s social media plans.

So I threw my hat, and I’m not sure what is actually supposed to happen to hats thrown in rings, but it worked.

Join me next Tuesday, June 25!

Register with discount code ’27shift’ for $20 off OR apply for a scholarship.

From the organizers:

Social Media for Nonprofits is coming to Vancouver for the first time ever with our internationally renowned conference series! The full-day program will feature local experts sharing tools, tips, and insights about effectively using social media for your nonprofit organization.

Join 5,000 peers at the world’s premier series dedicated to social media for social good.

This is not a series of basic ‘how to use social media’ tips. Speakers will be addressing higher level strategy – a perfect event for those looking to move beyond ‘tweets’ and ‘Likes’. I’ll personally be addressing how to work with skills-based volunteers to bring your social media practices to the next level.

Other speakers include:

  • Digital strategy thought leader Jason Mogus
  • Writer and technologist Darren Barefoot
  • Public engagement specialist Susanna Haas Lyons
  • Email Marketing Expert Guy Steeves

Register with discount code ’27shift’ for $20 off OR apply for a scholarship.

Categories
Personal and travel

‘Jabberwocky’ as transcribed by my iPhone 5

Using my iPhone 5 voice recognition, I dictated ‘Jabberwocky’. Here is what my phone transcribed. See the real version by Lewis Carroll here.

Twist Briley, and the slightly toads
Did gyre and gamble in the wave;
All Mimsy were the Boro goals,
And the MOMA rafts out great.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the juju bird, and Sean
The fermis benders snatch!”

He took his horrible sword in hand:
Long time no make some funky socks —
So rested he by the tom-tom tree,
Instead a while in thought.

And, as an official thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whistling through the told you would,
And burbled as it came!

One, too! One, too! And through and through
And Warpole blade went snicker – snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And, hostile slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Bullfrog just stay! Hello! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

Was brill leg, and the slightly toads
Did Geyer and gamble in the wave;
All men see where the Boro Grove’s,
And the Momerath upgrade.

Categories
For nonprofit leaders and social innovators

Input wanted on book about introverts and social change leadership

I’ve always thought it silly to hear people say they have a book in them. As if it needs surgical removal (or at least some fibre to move it along). I’ve pondered over the years what I would write about if the whim struck me.

I think I’ve got something. Would love your input. It goes something like this.

I’m an introvert. And most introverts I know have found books and TED talks about introversion to be incredibly illuminating/helpful/nodworthy.

What about introverts in the public eye? People who require the spotlight to advance causes and ideas they care about? In particular, I’m interested in social innovators and politicians. How do they function successfully and healthily in realms that require people, usually strangers, often in large numbers?

I’m thinking to start off by blogging short interviews while I’ll amass some reading on introversion, political leadership, and social innovation.

Any tips or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Categories
For nonprofit leaders and social innovators

Scheduling future tasks to get down to a zero inbox

I practice a zero-inbox philosophy, because I find when an inbox is full, it:

  1. causes stress every time you open you email,
  2. results in stuff getting forgotten because it gets buried, and
  3. wastes time because every time you open your inbox you spend time scanning and considering what’s in your inbox before likely ultimately deciding to do nothing.

Calendar screenshot

So, I try to act on emails as soon as I read them. But what if you truly need time to think about something, and acting now isn’t necessary?

It seems basic, but I add an ‘event’ to my calendar (I use Google Calendar but any calendar, paper or electronic, will do). I have more than one calendar in my overall Google Calendar – one for actual commitments/meetings I have so that people don’t double book me, and another for ‘soft’ commitments – things to get done but not necessarily at a specific time (I call this calendar “Tasks”). The calendars each have different colours. (In this post’s image green=commitment, aqua=errand, burgudy=task).

As an example, say I get an email about an upcoming conference. I don’t know if I can attend because of a tentative trip. The early bird registration is on June 15. So I…

  1. Put an event in my Tasks calendar for June 13 at 9:30am with the title “Is trip confirmed? Conf early bird reg Jun 15.”
  2. Archive or file the email, and get it the heck out of my inbox.
  3. Forget about it.

I also use this technique to remind myself to follow up with people in case they haven’t gotten back to me, and even to remind myself to connect with friends on important days (e.g. “text Andrea to see how her first day of work went”). This way, I don’t have to keep running these things through my mind in order to remember them. I just rely on the power of the calendar.

Categories
For nonprofit leaders and social innovators

My name is Trina. And I’m a feminist.

No longer a member of Feminists Anonymous. Happy International Women’s Day.

Feminism is often equated with militant man hating, and I suspect that’s why it gets a bad rap and many women balk at the idea of referring to themselves as feminist.

But the feminist movement takes all types, and not everyone wants to refer to themselves as such. When a friend and I were talking a few years back, he described his expectations and desires that his daughter would have access to success, advancement, income, happiness etc irregardless of her gender—I let him in on the fact that he is, in actuality a feminist. It takes all types. Vancouver-based Lauren Bacon recently wrote for Quartz about the importance of pluralism in feminism and the feminist movement (and an additional, more personal, take on her own blog). Good reads.

I understand the aversion to the word itself. But the goals of the movement need support for all types, including men.

I was on a “meeting” last year (read: online dating first date) and I brought up feminism. Not a usual first date topic, but I specifically refer to being a feminist in my online profile, and in the back end of his profile he had indicated that his opinion of a person would go down if they identified as a feminist, so I was a bit confused as to why he has initiated communication. Let’s just say it led to a spirited conversation.

He talked about his hopes that the gender equality pendulum didn’t swing the other way, which would lead to “women biting men’s dicks off.” He equated my comment that policies intended to support certain disadvantaged demographics can’t take into account the situation of every single individual, and therefore yes, unfortunately sometimes individual white men who face barriers will get left behind—with Nazi social policies leading up to the Holocaust.  There wasn’t a second date.

(Now that I think of it, I had coffee both with this guy and Lauren Bacon at the same cafe, same table even).

A few years earlier I told another guy after a first “meeting” that not all women like men to focus solely on women’s physical attributes. He told me to “get my head out of those feminist books.” There wasn’t a second date.

(Don’t worry, there are actually many enlightened, progressive men out there).

If the feminist movement takes all types, what type are you?

 

Categories
For nonprofit leaders and social innovators

The post where I slayed the personal branding dragon

Seems in order for me to continue with this blog, I need to start all over again.

Somewhere in the past three years, I drank the personal branding koolaid. It wasn’t intentional. But somehow I got to a place where I would suppress blog post ideas because they didn’t fit into the self-imposed categories that I thought I wanted this blog to focus on. And my business and its blog was supposed to focus on the engagement of young people, so I had internal fights over which post should go where. One or the other? Both?

The reality is, the most loyal follower of this blog is my parents, and I’m pretty sure they aren’t too concerned about my personal brand.

But I somehow was, and in the end, I just didn’t post anywhere.

It’s not that I haven’t been thinking. I’ve got hundreds of blog post ideas lined up and ready to go, but I was paralyzed with questions and concern for where the ideas were supposed to fit, when the real answer was “Who cares? Just write the damn things already!”

When I started the blog, that’s what I was doing, and I loved it.

Now I realize that if the ideas in my head aren’t really fitting into the categories I’ve imposed on myself, maybe the categories aren’t the right ones anymore.

PS. I’ve found a new font since I updated my Mac OS and am in love. Avenir. I’ve used Avenir Black for a research report I’m working on for HRSDC. 

Avenir Black

Isn’t it pretty?

Categories
For nonprofit leaders and social innovators

How to design virtual roles for young volunteers

The simple answer is: any volunteer role that requires work to be done on a computer, can be done virtually (eg at home, in pajamas, at 4am).

Heck, even roles that, on the surface, involve meeting in person, can often be shifted to involve meeting online (Skype, Google+ Hangouts).

Not only are vitual roles great for Millennials, they are great for people with disabilities, people in different geographic areas, and any individual with a changing and demanding schedule.

Here are some activities that can be done virtually, and can help drive your mission forward.

  • research
  • translating
  • writing articles
  • social media
  • blogging
  • web design
  • graphic design
  • project planning
  • writing press releases
  • outlining communication plans
  • giving feedback