Sunlight and Thunderstorms

Sunday June 20, 2010

I've recently arrived in Washington DC, for the most recent leg of an ever evolving journey into the world of nonprofit building.  I have the opportunity to work with Sunlight Foundation over the summer to absorb as much as possible about how they go about making a living at pursuing transparency full-time.

I've finished my first whirlwind week; diving right in to the Labs Olympics, meeting the incredible staff, and experiencing a bit of what Sunlight is really about. 

Outside the office, I've had a chance to catch the "Nats" play, explore the local coffeeshops and bookstores.  On Saturday, I set out to walk across and by the river, leaving in sunshine; classic humidity + heat, only to get to the apex of my walk, have clouds set in, and pour down rain, leaving me drenched.  Clothes soaked, leather flipflops too slippery to walk on, I kept moving, pondering the suitability of the metaphor: I leave the comfort of my family and home to explore new opportunities, get out as far as I can and have the rain come pouring down; life's little obstacles.  Keeping on, as I cross back over the bridge, the clouds dissipated, leaving the humidity -- a cloud-covered sauna.  By the time I returned to the apartment, the sun was out in full and the day awaited.

Starting a nonprofit obviously takes lots of work, but continually fulfilling an open-ended mission is the real effort - "Life is about the journey, not the destination", right?  And to that end, I'm here in DC, enjoying the journey, but my time here is relatively limited, as I'll be returning home in late August.  In keeping mission-oriented, my goal here is to learn and develop the relationships necessary to bootstrap MoreQuality and start at least a limited operation beginning in 2011.  After that, the real work begins: reaching out to and educating citizens, developing and leverage technology to help improve government and increase accountability and sustainable public practices.

 

Permalink: http://morequality.posterous.com/sunlight-and-thunderstorms

from Apathy to Action

Thursday April 01, 2010

Reading the Reporter article: Supervisors to continue seeking input on housing, I saw what I so often see in the public dialogue: apathy, name-calling, baiting, and a few constructive remarks sprinkled in - if you look hard enough and are patient to sort through the rest.

This specific article discussed Section 8 housing in Solano County, and how the County Board of Supervisors will be reviewing the program soon. Takeaway: there are 250 available vouchers, and 3,400 hundred on the waiting list for Section 8 housing.

The goal of MoreQuality is to filter the garbage and focus on the real issues here. There is a lack of clarity regarding the issues here, and it would be beneficial for the Board to clearly communicate what's at stake here. When that happens, citizens would be better informed and perhaps the Board could receive the feedback necessary to craft a better program for county.

There are several questions that beg for an answers, sucah as: where is the Section 8 data? Who oversees the program? What data is tracked? What does the data say? Is the application process as effective as it could be? Could additional families receive assistance if the program was managed better? Is the program already managed effectively? It is clear that additional transparency would help.

Permalink: http://morequality.posterous.com/from-apathy-to-action

the Nonprofit Process

Sunday February 28, 2010

Even when incorporating as a nonprofit, there are many regulations forms, and laws that shape and bound the process. Fortunately, there are some very help helpful resources available to help navigate and understand this process. We're in the alpha-stages right now.

• Citimedia Law
• Public Counsel
• State Website
• IRS

 

Going through this process, we've got our work cut out, developing the guidelines and vision for the organization and filing startup paperwork.

• select Board of Directors
• Write Business Plan
• Write Bylaws
• File Articles of Incorporation

And there's still lots to do!

 

Permalink: http://morequality.posterous.com/the-nonprofit-process