Jason Harris’ Post

This fall, we surveyed nearly 30 high-school students living in Richmond, VA and Martha’s Vineyard, MA to assess the need for our upcoming 2025 virtual exchange program, Global Changemakers: Tackling Global Goals Through Community Action. While Josh and I have believed deeply in the power of virtual exchange since the very beginning of L2L, we’re thrilled to report that our inclinations were affirmed by the students we hope to serve next year! With these surveys, we learned that: 🌏 61% of students are most excited to learn more about themselves AND to communicate with students in Vietnam.  🌏 79% believe they most need to learn how to better serve their communities. 🌏 93% have at least some interest in joining our next exchange program! We’re also elated to be sharing these results with you all, as we get ready to kickstart our fundraising efforts once again next Tuesday, December 3—#GivingTuesday. This year we’ve set a goal of raising $1,000 USD in just one day, with every dollar going directly towards supporting our next generation of global #changemakers. Donations can be made through Venmo (@learn2link *3778) or at learn2link.org/donate. And if you’re unable to make a monetary contribution this year, you can still join us! Simply share this post or tell a loved one about our organization. :-)) Together, we give. And together, we grow! ❤️🌿 #GlobalEd #VirtualExchange #YouthEmpowerment

🏆 90 Days. Endless Opportunities. 🏆 The MAIAs are open for entries! You have until March 31, 2025, to share your work in #financialliteracy. We’re looking for innovators, educators, and changemakers across three key categories: ➔ Individuals: Educators, authors, influencers, and students ➔ Nonprofits: Charities, schools, and NGOs ➔ For-profits: Companies, big or small If you’re making money easier to understand, we want to celebrate you. Enter now at enter.maiawards.org 📌 How will you use this opportunity to spotlight your impact?

There it was--an 'aha' moment. It happened yesterday when I was reading coverage of research on #donation incentives. I made it to the end of the coverage (notice that I do not refer to it as a report) and found myself shaking my head. Buried at the bottom of this top story in a major news outlet for the #philanthropic sector was a note that the results came from one-off tests and were not longitudinal. Did these incentives have an effect beyond the initial use? What did the giving behaviour for those who responded look like over time? Did another incentive need to be offered in order to get a repeat donation? Who knows?!?!? That's when the moment struck--and I realised that one session we really need at conferences is how to critically evaluate research. #Fundraising professionals have wide-ranging backgrounds and may not be familiar with research methods. Sample size, criteria, control vs. variable, statistical significance, limitations and replicability are all important considerations when reading the results of a study. The example I saw yesterday was a strong reminder of that--not only were there limitations on the results due to them being from single tests, part of the selection criteria was incredibly subjective and thus would make this test difficult for others to replicate (that's a whole other post!). But, the headline simply touted a finding that increased #donor response and, without knowing what to look for in research methodology, fundraisers who saw it could inadvertently hurt their programmes (and their budgets) by using a tactic that is unproven over time and may not be right for their audience. The same goes for understanding that a survey asking people whether they would or would not donate is not the same as a study of actual donor behaviour (that was today's cringe reading). Don't get me wrong, I love seeing published research on fundraising and philanthropy! But, just as fundraisers learn how to qualify a prospect, we need to know how to qualify research findings so that we're investing our resources in the best possibilities. I have so many ideas for this session. Live action demonstrations, interactive study 'tear downs,' gamifying evaluation questions... And maybe, just maybe, if it's fun, the content might be remembered. Thanks for coming to my #nonprofit nerd TED talk!

📅 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰: 𝗔 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 📅 𝗛𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀, As we wrap up 2024, it’s time to reflect on an unforgettable year for 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. From tip-off to this last minute buzzer-beating post, here’s what went down: 🏀 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗕𝗕: This was our big moment! We officially launched our nonprofit organization, turning our dream, to empower underserved communities through basketball, into reality. ♻️ 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀: One of our proudest initiatives this year has been 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗮𝗿 - collecting sports materials to repurpose and redistribute. 👥 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: Slowly but surely, we’re building a global family of Ballers who believe in the power of the game to transform the lives of children. 🎁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: We launched a giveaway to spread the word about our mission and engage with our growing community. 📧 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵: This year, we hit “send” on the very first two issues of our newsletter, sharing NBA recaps, BBB updates, and Drill of the Month exercises with you. 🎨 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀: Small but mighty! Our stickers are popping up from Switzerland to Nepal to Spain, sparking big conversations on the court. 🎙️ 𝟵𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲: Almost at 100! Through every conversation and story we’ve shared, we’ve learned so much about ourselves, the game, and the power of basketball. But this is just the beginning! In 2025, we’re lacing up for bigger goals, deeper impact, and even more passion for the game. Together, we can make a difference! 🌍❤️🏀 #BallinBeyondBorders #NonProfit #BasketballForGood #YouthEmpowerment #CommunityBuilding

Today, we (Empower All Inc.) celebrate 4 transformative years of breaking barriers and creating pathways for youth to unlock their full potential. What began with a group of friends in a "Think Tank" session—dreaming about shattering barriers and creating pathways for youth to achieve their highest potential—has grown into a movement fueled by passion, purpose, and perseverance. Inspired by our visionary leader’s (Valencia Hicks-Harris, PhD) compassion for youth + commitment to education + doctoral research on actionable ways to ignite marginalized youth’s interest in STEAM education, Empower All Inc. was born. From that moment on, we’ve been dedicated to Activating the Inner Genius of our Youth and empowering the next generation. The journey has been anything but easy, yet it has been deeply fulfilling: *We’ve faced growing pains, restructured, and kept moving forward. *Countless grant applications, numerous events, and community collaborations. *Tears as we bid farewell to Junior Board Members heading to college and Board Members moving away. *Joy as attendance at our annual summit continues to grow. *Honors through amazing awards and recognitions. *Sacrifice as we pooled personal funds to ensure the work never stopped. But through it all, one thing remains the same: our unwavering commitment to uplifting youth and our mission to Empower All. To our supporters, family, friends, and community—THANK YOU! Your encouragement fuels our work, and we are so grateful for your partnership. What’s Next? Tomorrow, December 3, 2024, is recognized globally as a Day of Giving! We encourage you to support one or more local non-profits in your area. Donations are tax-deductible, and no amount is too small—it all adds up to make a BIG impact. If you’d like to support us, we PROMISE to keep uplifting our community. Let’s work together to make this world a better place! https://lnkd.in/e4QJNeXZ Now, let’s say it together: EMPOWER ALL on 4… 1… 2… 3… 4! #EmpowerAll #4YearAnniversary #STEAMEducation #YouthEmpowerment #DayOfGiving #CommunityMatters

✨ Free resource alert ✨ Google has launched a free #GenerativeAI resource library for nonprofits that includes #Gemini prompts for #fundraising, marketing and content strategy, and program management. ⬇ Link in comments We love these relevant and specific prompt ideas from the library: “Generate concepts for a monthly giving campaign to increase recurring donations to help people and their caregivers deal with the impact of Alzhemier’s disease.” “Our nonprofit is applying for a grant from [funder]. Summarize the top 3 focus areas of importance to this funder using only the information from their website: [include URL]” “Explain some best practices for transforming data on our nonprofit program’s impact on the air quality in our community into clear and compelling visuals to share with donors.” If you try out the prompts, tell us what you think! #Nonprofits #AIPrompts #AI #PromptEngineering

📢 I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Lightful's Building Resilience Impact Report, alongside a campaign that’s all around #BuildingResilience of the nonprofit sector! 📢 As we wrapped up 2023, we initiated our first longitudinal study to gain deeper insights into the impact of our work over the last five years. The results are incredibly encouraging: 96% of nonprofits believe lessons learned from our BRIDGE programme have helped them have a positive impact on the communities they serve. You can read how we have been working with an amazing group of #funders and #nonprofits - and download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g4VkF3ie We know the world faces multiple crises in a rapidly evolving (digital) world. And yet... there are incredible nonprofits and civil society organisations building a better future for people and the planet. So I ask you to join us in our campaign towards #BuildingResilience of the nonprofit sector and work together towards our mission to empower nonprofits to create more equitable communities and a healthier planet. #nonprofits #charity #digital #ai #techforgood #philanthropy #impact

Effective Altruism Funds Launches New Grant Round! Do you have an idea that could make the world better? Now is the time to make it happen. The fund is particularly interested in initiatives in the following areas: 🎯 Projects to improve decision-making processes and critical thinking 🌐 Initiatives to expand the effective giving donor base 🔍 Research that helps prioritize between different impact areas 🤝 Ideas to strengthen the connection between the EA community and the general public Grants range from $5,000 to $200,000 (and in special cases even more), open to individuals, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and other entities worldwide. 💛 Here's something important: Many talented people hesitate to apply because they're unsure about their chances - but it's worth trying! There have been numerous excellent projects that almost missed out simply because their initiators were hesitant to apply. • Tips before applying>> https://did.li/pX6lC • Submit your application>> https://did.li/evsgT #Grants #Funding #Philanthropy #Innovation

It's crazy to me that it's the middle of November, but that means we're officially in the season of giving! With everything happening around us, building and maintaining communities of people is more important than ever. I truly believe non-profits have more opportunities now to provide unique opportunities to drive positive changes in the world around us. But they can't do that without support. I've been fortunate to work with several non-profits throughout my career. So, I know first-hand the impact they have in their respective spaces and industries. With that, I encourage you to donate to your favorite non-profits this year to help them continue doing amazing work. If you're not sure who to support, here are a few of my favorites (disclaimer, I currently work for or have worked for all of these 😅): Marshfield Community Theatre: Nobody should be surprised to see this here. This is my community theatre with heart. The place that inspired me to be creative and set me on the path to where I am. I can't say too much right now, but we're on the cusp of some big things happening in 2025 that need support. Help keep the arts alive in local communities to inspire the next generation of creatives. NumFOCUS: Yes, this is where I work! The fact is that, whether you know it or not, we depend on the work from open source scientific computing projects all the time. The work done by open source developers literally drives innovation and impacts the world around us. So, donating to NumFOCUS means fueling advancements in healthcare, finance, sustainability, AI, and so much more. Heart of America: My previous job, which I still love to see updates from in my feed. Education inequity is a serious problem. There are students who don't have access to the proper tools and materials to really learn in schools, due to lack of funding and support. Better education means better solutions to the problems affecting the world. These are just a few of my favorites! Let me know if you have any you're supporting this year, and let's help support the non-profits fighting the good fight. ❤️

🌟 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦! ☄ Increased Participation: Attract more volunteers with better resources. ☄ Enhanced Training: Provide volunteers with the skills they need to excel. ☄ Sustainable Growth: Ensure the long-term success of your initiatives. ☄ Greater Community Impact: Reach and support more people in need. ☄ Stronger Retention: Keep volunteers engaged and motivated with well-funded programs. 📲 Ready to take your volunteer program to the next level? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and let’s explore how funding can transform your efforts! #VolunteerImpact #NonprofitGrowth #LinkedInNetworking