In December, some great examples of how organizations are assiting families and communities to build wealth were presented at a Strategies Forum called, "Working Together to Build Wealth in Lower-Income Communities." (See previous blog) I wanted to highlight just a few of many insightful presentations...  read more »

On Sunday, the New York Times ran an article, Can Foundations Take the Long View Again, which suggested that the increased focus on measurability in the nonprofit sector may be harming long-term strategies for social change in favor of short-term quantifiable projects that, on paper, appear to be more efficient...  read more »

We began these blogs because we wanted to start a conversation. We wanted to provide a place where this community can come to check its own pulse, discuss the challenges in front of us and learn about solutions that are working to drive real lasting change.  read more »

Yesterday I read an article (Amid Growth, No Place to Go) regarding the increase of homelessness in Plymouth. It discussed both the response of local merchants in the Plymouth downtown area, as well as those struggling on the streets. Business owners–and this is not strictly the sentiments of those in Plymouth–feel that customers are less likely to spend money at a store where a homeless person is hanging around the outside. They cite safety issues as their greatest concern including general vagrancy and drunkenness.  read more »

This past fall was my first campaign season with UWMB&MV. It was filled with constant learning, inspiration and hard work. Perhaps what put this experience on a different level was working with a particular institution throughout its campaign. Edward is a branch manager at a bank in Boston. He is smart, well spoken and a natural leader. The employees working under him all seemed to like and respect him while his superiors come to him frequently for personnel advice. During the time that I began to develop relationships at the bank and now, Edward and I have become friends. He and his wife live close by and share many of the same interests as my partner and I. Because of this, I have gotten to know Edward’s story on a personal level and through that story, have a far deeper understanding of the world around me.  read more »