Sonoma Land Trust’s Post

Check out this great article written by Nicholas Walsh!

As we gather to honor Memorial Day, we remember not only those who have served and sacrificed for our country but also the ongoing journey toward healing and justice within our communities. 💛This day serves as a poignant reminder of the cost of war and the importance of nurturing a society that reflects the values we stand for—equality, respect, and dignity for all. ⚖️ In remembering the past, we acknowledge the wounds of social injustices that continue to impact many in our society. Today, we recommit to healing these wounds through education, understanding, and empathy. By fostering environments where healing leads to growth, we strengthen our communities and create a foundation for sustainable peace and prosperity. ☮️ 🕊️ Together, we can transform our collective suffering into a source of strength. United in our diversity and driven by our common goals, we support each other to build a future where everyone enjoys a better quality of life. Let us use this day to reflect on our shared values and reinvigorate our efforts to move forward as one. 🌱 🤲 On this Memorial Day, let us pledge to remember, to heal, and to unite. Together, we build the pillars of a resilient community that honors the sacrifices of the past by crafting a just and hopeful future. 🌟

A key learning from the report: “Increased funding and support from businesses, philanthropy, governments, and the media is essential to reflect our art and humanities community’s significant economic contribution and national prominence.”

Great to be back again serving as emcee at the 17th Annual Hearts of Texas Luncheon, honoring Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Randy Bowman, Community Partners of Dallas and the Lewisville ISD. Volunteerism transforms lives! Thanks to Volunteer Now CEO, Rachel Currie Triska, for inspiring her incredible team. Americans gave 4.1 billion hours of service to humanity as volunteers last year. There's nothing more impactful than making a difference in the lives of those who need it most. As I share in my keynote address: "Live your life as a go-getter, yet, forever share your life as a go-giver."

https://lnkd.in/gE-rG9pd Does the money we give to good causes help its recipients? If Christian organizations hurt the people they set out to help, would we ever find out? I had the privilege of speaking at the Christians for Impact 2024 conference about how global Christian nonprofits evaluate their impact! (Obvious disclaimer that these views, and especially my religious views, are my own and not those of my employer! The majority of the work described in the talk happened last fall, before I started my new job, and the bit I’ve contributed since I did on my own time.) Quick summary of what we’ve learned: 1) Evaluation practices are improving across the Christian nonprofit sector. 2) Evaluation practices vary *significantly* across organizations. 3) Christian groups provide very little transparency regarding their impact (or potential harms they’ve caused) to either donors or recipients. 4) Christian nonprofits commonly use unreliable methods to understand whether their work is helping or harming recipients. 5) Monitoring and evaluation departments (tasked with evaluating whether programs are working) are generally under-resourced. See the talk for more detail, but a key point is that academics with statistical expertise and (generally overworked) monitoring and evaluation (M&E) professionals don’t have opportunities to learn enough from one another. So I’d like to bring more attention to Effective Altruism for Christian’s (EACH’s) free M&E advice program — if you’re an M&E professional who’d like advice, feedback on an approach, or just someone to bounce ideas off of, you can sign up here for a free hourlong call with an academic with expertise on your particular statistics or evaluation question: https://lnkd.in/gzkKmPtb Please pass the advice link along to anyone you know in the Christian nonprofit space who might be interested!!

Learn how to re-connect a community of thought leaders, policymakers, artists, and practitioners with Matt Locke of Storythings and The Rockefeller Foundation! View the ComNet23 poster at the link below: #conference #communications #nonprofit #philanthropy #atlanta #comms4good #leadership #learning #community #leadershipdevelopment #storytelling

📖 🎉 Today is World Book Day! 🎈 The value of books for children is priceless, as they offer comfort, hope, strength, and a deeper understanding of the world. Books play a crucial role in every child's upbringing, especially during the times of war. Did you know that the story of the War Childhood Museum also began with a book? Find out more about the museum's journey on our blog. As we celebrate World Book Day, you can also read several stories from our collection about the importance of books for children during the war. 👇 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dTvuTxFs

I researched and wrote this piece commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the MCHD and, in the process, discovered my new favorite historical quote! Give it a read here: https://lnkd.in/gTCTrukj

Leaders from many different sectors, including government, arts, and philanthropy, come together on Jan. 30 to explore how the arts and humanities can strengthen individuals and communities. Tune in at arts.gov.

In preparation for Memorial Day, here are some important facts that you may find interesting and meaningful.