The Realist Idealist

On the Social Sector, Politics, Using Technology, and Making Good Things (actually) Happen

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Take Your $600 and Shove It …to a Nonprofit

Posted by Jake · May 19th, 2008 · No Comments

My $600 Bush-proffered economic stimulus hit my bank account a couple weeks ago and ever since I’ve been trying to figure out how to spend it.  Actually, “give” it, is probably a better way to think about it.
A quick run through of my living room will reveal a glaring emptiness (actually there are two large [...]

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Category: Government · Nonprofits · awareness raising · philanthropy
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When Media Fails

Posted by Jake · April 17th, 2008 · 3 Comments

Anyone who saw my twitter feed last night could likely recognize how frustrated I was with the democratic debate on ABC between Obama and Clinton (through mostly not-worth-reading sarcasm).
Today my friend Adam Green at MoveOn.org sent this email to their members, and though I don’t support all petitions, their suggested petition is the only kind [...]

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Category: Action Items · Media · Politics
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Global Giving and Volunteers for Prosperity Give Grants to International Volunteers

Posted by Jake · April 3rd, 2008 · 2 Comments

On December 5th, I was at a White House gathering for International Volunteer Day where Global Giving and Volunteers for Prosperity announced a public-private partnership that creates an incentive (by providing matching grants) to those Americans who want to volunteer abroad. It was exciting then to be sure, but like most things, we knew [...]

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Category: Foreign Policy · Government · NGOs · Volunteerism · websites
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Modern Do-Gooders and America Forward

Posted by Jake · March 24th, 2008 · 3 Comments

That David Brooks would write an article about social entrepreneurship and more or less delineate the exact path that many of my friends have taken in recent years (graduate from top 20 US university –> Year of Service program like TfA –> grad school –> software/business/corporation –> launch social enterprise) was surprising to me.
NYT: Thoroughly [...]

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Category: Politics · Social Enterprise · Social Entrepreneurs · awareness raising
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Northern Ireland’s “Success” - A Personal Study - Day One

Posted by Julia Romano · February 17th, 2008 · No Comments

I arrived in Dublin before the sun. It was cold, and the air tasted like sea water. I found my way to a bus that would take me the two and a half hours to Belfast, where I would meet with the rest of my SAIS companions – Professor William Zartman and 16 [...]

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Category: Government · NGOs · Politics · Travel
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Tell the T.S.A. How You Really Feel

Posted by Jake · February 10th, 2008 · 1 Comment

On a blog aimed at “making good things (actually) happen,” it may be a bit perplexing to see the T.S.A. referenced. Not only are they maligned (or even hated) for the seemingly arbitrary inconveniences they put so many of us through, but it could be argued they don’t actually do that much good either. [...]

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Category: Government · Politics · Social Media · Travel
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