I pretty much shut down if I have to deal with paper documents. Luckily, in my line of business, almost everything happens online. While at one time I thought it might be a good idea for me to pursue law as a career option, I’m really glad I didn’t. Dealing with all of those documents–even if they were digitized–would drive me nuts. The good news for lawyers that kCura makes things a little more manageable. They’re a Chicago, IL based company that “develops web-based e-discovery applications for managing large volumes of electronic evidence during litigation or investigations.” The software is called Relativity, and it’s a web-based app that makes managing evidence way easier.
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Non-profits typically exist to make the world a better place. What that means varies by organization, but our government recognizes that a wide variety of causes should be supported with tax-exempt status. By definition a non-profit’s goals are non-financial, but that doesn’t mean that finances don’t matter. GuideStar is a Williamsburg, VA and Washington, DC based organization that aims to “revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.” Unlike Charity Navigator, they don’t rate or rank non-profits. Instead, GuideStar “collects, organizes, and presents the information you want in an easy-to-understand format while remaining neutral.”
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I’m currently reading a book called Exploding the Phone: The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws who Hacked Ma Bell. One of the stories is about a blind man who had immense technical talent when it came to the phone system, but couldn’t land even the most basic job because of discrimination. He concocted a plan to get arrested for phreaking (phone hacking) because he knew the publicity would lead to quite a few job offers. The plan worked. Nobody should have to go to those lengths to overcome a disability or the discrimination based on it, and that’s why PROVAIL exists. They are a Seattle, WA based non-profit that “supports people with disabilities to fulfill their life choices.” It’s all about expanding opportunity and breaking down barriers that might keep people with disabilities from living the lives they want to live.
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Despite my early fascination/obsession with infomercials, I don’t think that I’ve ever bought something directly from tv. I just can’t do it. Doesn’t feel right. For me there’s some sort of stigma around buying off of tv, but I’m certain that there are plenty of people who have a different opinion. Take for example the 1.2 million customer that buy from ShopHQ. In case you’re not familiar, ShopHQ is an Eden Prairie, MN based company that creates “the ultimate interactive shopping experience by uniting live TV, online and mobile shopping opportunities with social media engagement across a variety of outlets including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.” They used to be known as ShopNBC, and you probably have their channel on your tv (they reach 86 million homes).
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I often hear from readers that we cover too many opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Unfortunately, I have no control over where the best opportunities pop up. San Francisco’s economy has been booming for a while now, and that makes an already exciting city even more exciting. The San Francisco Foundation is a non-profit that was founded in 1948 “to pull the community together to create pride and unity and improve quality of life” in the Bay Area. Having awarded more than $800 million in grants over the past decade, the Foundation has certainly played a strong role in making San Francisco the place it is today.
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I hate to get personal, but raise your hand if you’re wearing underpants! I guess it’s not really all that personal unless you didn’t raise your hand. Most of us wear undergarments on a daily basis because that’s what we’ve always done. There are certainly some comfort and hygiene benefits, but those wily marketers really pulled one over on us when they convinced us that we had to wear clothes under our clothes. I’ll bet that the folks at Jockey International had something to do with it. They’re a Kenosha, WI based company that aims “to satisfy the human need for comfort.” They got their start selling socks to lumberjacks in Michigan in the late 1800s, and they now offer more than 600 styles of underwear and t-shirts (and socks, sportswear, and loungewear too).
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Sometimes I love museums, and sometimes they bore me to death. I’m pretty sure it mostly has to do with how recently I last ate (apparently it’s a faux pas to waltz around most museums while snacking). I know they have those audio headset things that are supposed to give you a guided tour, but I don’t want to be one of those people. I really like the idea of going to the museum, but it usually disappoints. I wish there was a way to liven up the experience and get more out of it. That’s what Museum Hack is working on. They’re a New York, NY based upstart that has developed a “tour to turn one of New York’s most spectacular cultural institutions into a totally unique experience.”
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I cook a lot, but with Thanksgiving only a few weeks away, it’s time to make sure my skills are as sharp as my knives (doesn’t that sound like a promo for some silly cooking show?). Most of my culinary skills are semi-self-taught. Television, cookbooks, and lots of dinners out have exposed me to all kinds of new concepts, but the Internet is where I go to get the definitive answer on how to cook what I want to cook. Often all it takes is a Google search to find what I’m looking for, but sometimes I want to get new ideas. My go to is Serious Eats, but today I found a new site with a similar approach. The company is called Food52, and it’s a New York, NY based online community that brings “cooks together from all over to exchange recipes and ideas and to support each other in the kitchen.” (Side note: Food52 and Serious Eats are celebrating the the one-in-70,000-ish-years holiday of Thanksgivukkah with a cook off.) In their first few years they’ve been able to reach millions of people and get them talking about food, which is no small feat.
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At this point you’ve spent a lot of your life in a classroom. Do you think you’d be better off if you spent more or less? I lean towards saying less, but only if I would have put that time to good use. I tend to think that a lot of today’s kids are overworked when it comes to school, but that’s probably because I went to a very competitive private school. There’s a lot of research that shows that more time in school leads to better outcomes, and The National Center on Time & Learning is a Boston, MA non-profit that “is dedicated to expanding learning time to improve student achievement and enable a well-rounded education.” Even though it pains me to say it, The National Center on Time & Learning probably has it right.
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InvestmentNews is our sponsor this week, and they would like to tell you about their NextGen Virtual Career Fair on November 8th. It’s an awesome opportunity for students and interns to network and find finance jobs on the spot.
Good leadership always seems to be in short supply. There are plenty of situations where nobody is willing to lead, and there are plenty of others where those who are leading aren’t quite as fit for the job as they should be. I’ve seen a lot of non-profits that focus on developing young people into leaders, but it’s not all that common to find an organization devoted to promoting leadership at all levels. That’s exactly what Leadership Greater Washington does. They are a Washington, DC based non-profit that was founded out of The Greater Washington Board of Trade, The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation and The Junior League. Its goal is to “foster communication and cooperation among the area’s established leaders” and to aid “leaders in every stage of their leadership journey.”
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I wonder if one day the entire world will speak a single language. We’re certainly headed in that direction, but we have a very long way to go (I’m not saying that a monolingual world is a desirable outcome, just that it seems plausible). Until then language barriers will get in the way of business. And that means that translation will continue to be an extremely valuable tool. The best translation services are fast, accurate, cost-effective, and secure. That’s exactly what VerbalizeIt offers. They’re a New York, NY based startup that “enables better universal communication for businesses and individuals.” It may not be a new idea, but they have new technology to do the job better.
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Two weeks ago it was my birthday. Amy wanted us to do something fun and new in Chicago, so she surprised me with trapeze lessons. Unfortunately, she forgot that I have an elbow injury that would make doing such things a bit painful. We called the place to see if they could give us a credit for future lessons, and they were able to. While I certainly didn’t want to mess up my elbow more, I have to admit that the idea of soaring through the air scares me a little bit. Maybe if I had been exposed to acrobatics at an early age through a program like AcroSports, I would have had a better attitude about trying trapeze lessons. They are a San Francisco, CA based “non-profit organization whose mission is to teach and develop the physical, performing, and circus arts.” They’ve been at it for two decades now serving their “community in a safe, positive environment, offering activities that encourage teamwork and build strengths and self-esteem, and enhancing life’s experience.”
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Garçon went on his first hunt yesterday (he still needs to grow into his tracking collar). A friend of mine took us along with his well-experienced dog to try to find some grouse and woodcock. The search was unsuccessful, but Garçon loved running through the woods and learning to use his nose. He’s more of an upland dog, but I hope at some point we’ll be able to hunt ducks together too–because I love ducks. Many of you are probably asking, “If you love ducks so much, why would you want to shoot them?” The simple answer is because they’re delicious, but the more complicated answer is that the people who utilize a resource are often the ones who care for it the most. Without an organization like Ducks Unlimited, our waterfowl population wouldn’t be close to what they are today. The Memphis, TN based non-profit has become “the world’s leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation” because a small group of hunters were worried about the loss of wetlands habitat and what it would do to the ducks.
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It sounds stupid to say, but it feels like science is making a resurgence in popularity. It’s hard not to notice when your friends keep liking Facebook posts from “I [expletive] love science.” Science always has been and always will be exceptionally important to the human race, but its popularity seems to vary quite a bit over time. The Society for Science & the Public is a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education.” They realize that science isn’t just for scientists and that keeping the average person engaged with the study of science can have big payoffs.
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When I was a kid I had a chemistry set. Unfortunately, it was a pretty watered down version. I could create reactions that made liquids change colors, but that was about it. I always dreamed of having the chemistry set that my Dad had during his childhood. While it was a bit more dangerous, it sounded way more fun (explosions!). Maybe if I had access to a better chemistry set, I would have pursued Chemistry past my 10th grade class (my teacher that year didn’t help). That’s what the Chemical Education Foundation wants more kids to do. They’re an Arlington, VA based non-profit that “is committed to enhancing science education among every generation, beginning with our youth, by emphasizing the central role of chemistry in all the sciences and in our everyday lives.”
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My wife’s first job was as a management consultant. It came with lots of travel and a serious expense account. When you’re running thousands of dollars in expenses through your credit card on a weekly basis, you need to be savvy about how you do it. Not only will it help you keep your credit clean, but you can earn all kinds of rewards and perks, so opening a business bank account and a personal one will help you with your finance. Luckily for Amy, she worked with a bunch of huge nerds. They had already put in the hours to figure out the optimal decisions for a typical consultant, and they put together documents detailing the pros and cons of every possible option (which credit cards to get, which loyalty programs to use, where to stay, and much more). While your situation probably won’t be as extreme, it’s still important to make the right personal finance decisions. If you don’t have nerdy co-workers, you can go to NerdWallet. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that “empowers consumers to make better decisions about their personal finances, travel plans, health bills, or higher education.” NerdWallet does all of the research, and you just have to make the choices that best fit your lifestyle
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When you look at a bunch of advertising and communications agencies, you start to see a lot of the same words. They all claim to excel in areas like strategy, creative, and insights. You’ll often see the word innovation used, but it’s not always listed as a core competency. One word that I wasn’t expecting to see on an agency’s capabilities page is “culinary,” but that’s the exact word I found on the Sterling-Rice Group What We Do page. They are a Boulder, CO based “strategy, innovation, and communications firm that grows businesses and builds brands in considerable ways,” and they clearly have separated themselves from the pack by being total foodies in addition to everything else that they are.
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I may be a dog person (this is my puppy Garçon), but I love big cats. They are the ultimate land-based predators, which is why I hope to one day see a mountain lion in the wild (from the safety of a car though). The problem with big cats is that there is one predator higher up in the food chain: us. Whether it’s protecting livestock, killing them for their fur, or infringing on their habitat, humans have had a severely negative impact on populations of big cats across the world. It’s time to make up for an ugly past, and that’s why Panthera exists. They are a New York, NY based non-profit that “is the world’s leading conservation organization devoted exclusively to the protection of wild cats.” Panthera got its started in 2006, and since then has been working to protect 37 species of wild cats.
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While I love meat (I told you about that yesterday), I love the outdoors even more. There are all kinds of ways to enjoy nature, but I think that hunting and fishing are two of the best (they’re also a great way to get protein). It may seem that these sports lead to the depletion of resources, but in reality hunters and fishermen are some of the most ardent conservationists around. Theodore Roosevelt is a perfect example. The guy was a total badass–the Presidency was probably the most boring part of his life (except when he was campaigning, got shot, and finished his speech). While Teddy killed a lot of animals during his lifetime, his conservation work has had an amazingly positive impact on wildlife. That has continued with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. They are a Washington, DC based non-profit that “strengthens laws, policies and practices affecting fish and wildlife conservation by leading partnerships that influence decision makers” to “guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish.”
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Yesterday we looked at SocialCode, an agency that specializes in social media marketing for huge brands. Today’s company does similar kinds of work, but at a higher level. We’re talking about things ranging “from media relations and corporate communications strategies to flawless event execution.” The company is called HL Group, and they’re based in New York, NY. It was “founded in 2001 by Hamilton South and Lynn Tesoro,” two industry professionals who decided to out on their own. HL Group has seen exceptional growth since, and they now work across a wide array of industries including fashion, retail, beauty, consumer products, technology, home design, travel and more.
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I never pictured myself doing yoga, but one day my back started hurting. My mom told me to see her trainer and do a yoga session with her. It wasn’t some magical cure-all like some people might claim, but it definitely helped. I ended up really liking the physical part (stretching and bodyweight exercise), but the rest just isn’t for me; however, it is for a lot of people. Yoga has exploded in popularity, and now pretty much anyone who wants to can claim to be a yoga instructor. Yoga Alliance is an Arlington, VA non-profit that exists “to sustain and support the field of yoga.” They do this by “by providing the public with a registry of teachers and schools whose training meets our standards, and by supporting yoga teachers, schools and studios in their work as yoga professionals.”
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Yesterday we looked at Institute for Educational Leadership, one of a seemingly endless number of non-profits devoted to improving educational outcomes. Education seems to be one of the most worthy and, as a result, pursued causes, but I think poverty reduction has to come in number one. Project Concern International is a San Diego, CA based international development non-profit that works to “prevent disease, improve community health and promote sustainable development worldwide.” The core idea behind PCI is that they identify areas with the greatest need and then deliver help in a way that can have lasting community impact.
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When I think about the environment, I usually think about water quality. That’s because I’m a fisherman, and the ecosystems that I practice my sport in are particularly sensitive. Air quality issues are much easier to ignore because they’re usually not as immediately apparent (until you run into a 100 degree day with an air quality advisory and can’t breathe). Yet the fight for clean air may be the environmental cause that is most important during our lifetime. That’s certainly what the people at the Center for Clean Air Policy think. The CCAP is a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “a recognized world leader in climate and air quality policy and is the only independent, nonprofit think tank working exclusively on those issues at the local, U.S. national and international levels.”
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Amy and I are getting a puppy in about a month! I don’t think we’ve processed how much it is going to change our lives yet, but we’re getting really excited about being new “parents.” While our little puppy is going to have a great home, many dogs and cats aren’t so lucky. There are way too many pets that don’t live in safe, caring environments. Bideawee is an organization that has been trying to change that for more than 100 years. They are a New York, NY based non-profit that aims “to cultivate and support the life-long relationships between pets and the people who love them.” They do this by offering a wide array of services for animals and pet owners.
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My parents still have some of my childhood art around the house, though they probably have 10 pieces of my sister’s art for every one of mine. It’s not that they love her more (I keep telling myself that), it’s just that she’s actually an artist. Not only has she produced way more art than I have, but hers is also much better. As much as most artists would hate to admit it, the art world is largely a meritocracy. Art House Co-op is a Brooklyn, NY based company that is democratizing art by organizing “global, collaborative art projects.” Their projects are open to everyone, so even I could participate if I wanted to.
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We all know someone with hypertension (aka high blood pressure)–nearly a third of people over the age of 20 in the United States have it. It’s a seriously health issue, but it’s common and relatively easily treated. Pulmonary hypertension sounds like it would be a similar malady, and in some ways it is, but it’s also much rarer and far more serious. Because it’s currently an incurable condition that can be extremely deadly, you’d think that it gets a lot of attention from the medical establishment. However, because only about 1,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, it doesn’t. Pulmonary Hypertension Association is trying to change that. They are a Silver Spring, MD based non-profit that is working to “to find ways to prevent and cure pulmonary hypertension, and to provide hope for the pulmonary hypertension community through support, education, research, advocacy and awareness.”
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If you’re taking your job search seriously, you’ve probably read at least one article that advised you to start monitoring your personal brand online. Most people who spend time doing this face the sad reality that nobody is talking about them. Still, it’s nice to get a notification when your name does pop up. For many brands this kind of tracking is a necessity. The tools that you or I might use can’t keep up with the volume, and that’s why Brandwatch has grown so quickly. They’re a Brighton, UK based company with a growing New York, NY office that is “all about monitoring what people say about your brand, products, competitors, industry or any related topics.” If someone is saying it on a publicly accessible website, they’ll find it.
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A wedding is a perfect example of how live music brings people together. I got married last night, but I’m writing this beforehand, so I can’t tell you how good the live music was. But I’ll bet that young and old were hitting the dancing floor together. Since we can’t go to wedding every weekend (though it can start to feel like that sometimes), we have to seek live music elsewhere. Levitt Pavilions is a non-profit organization that provides exactly that. They are a Los Angeles, CA based non-profit that “partners with cities to build and transform outdoor music venues into community treasures.” There is actually a Levitt Pavilion in the town that I went to high school in, though I must admit that I’ve never been. I assumed that it was just a local thing, but today I learned that there are six Levitt Pavilions across the country (Los Angeles and Pasadena, CA; Westport, CT.; Bethlehem, PA.; Memphis, TN.; and Arlington, TX).
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In the 80s and early 90s it was popular to foretell that we were only a few years away from having robots ingrained in our daily lives. That obviously didn’t happen. Even with today’s technology, a seemingly sentient robot like Screech from Saved by the Bell’s Kevin is unrealistic, but we’ve made a ton of progress. There are robots that sweep floors, wash floors, clean gutters, clean pools, dispose of bombs, and lots more. iRobot makes robots that do all of those things, and much more. The company is based in Beford, MA and “was founded in 1990 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology roboticists with the vision of making practical robots a reality.” That reality is finally here.
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Happy Mother’s Day! I’m lucky enough to get to spend today with my mom. She’s in town for some wedding planning stuff, so we’re enjoying our first Mother’s Day together in years. While I have great memories of all of the amazing things my mom has done for me, some of the most important things that she did happened before I can remember. Good mothering is most essential in the first few years of life, and that’s why the National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition was started as a response to the US Surgeon General’s conference on infant mortality. They’re an Alexandria, VA based non-profit that “is a recognized leader and resource in maternal and child health, reaching an estimated 10 million health care professionals, parents, and policymakers through its membership of over 100 local, state and national organizations.”
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