Feb 20

Today’s topics:
SHARED Element (SE) – Mitch, Teju, and Vlad’s (aka “MTV “) rural development NGO
Global Leadership Institute (GLI) – Dan, Mike, and Chelsea’s initiative to bring together the world’s greatest leaders to collaborate and to implement sustainable projects of social change

Present: Vlad Dubovskiy (Chair), Maryam Gooyabadi, Natalie Hutchison, Teju Ravilochan (Scribe), Mitch Kosht, Ashley Elmblad, Chelsea Komlo, Nick Breitnauer, Dan Epstein (Chair)


SHARED Element (Chaired by Vlad):

Opening Remarks: First impressions about SHARED Element
Nick
www.ngoconnect.org
“The literature of what SE would be doing in action”
Are a newsletter focused on NGO connect

Financial Model:
Review of last time: facilitating mini-consulting groups
Dan:
Haven’t been able to think of any ideas to create for-idea models
Teach for America is a non-profit creating huge change, not short of money
Chelsea
“Adopt-a-community”
Mitch:
You have to have something to sell and someone to sell it to
Vlad:
Maryam said “Why are you doing this? It’s not good enough to do it because it makes you feel good. You have to benefit somehow. Otherwise, people are suspicious.”
So how can we create benefits for ourselves? We have to get something for ourselves:
This eliminates skepticism
Creates accountability for us
Teju: Explanation of microfinancing
Mitch: Most of our overhead comes from funding students to travel, to do research
Chelsea: does every NGO have to be equally accountable?
You’ll be dealing with local, national, international NGOs. You can’t ask for the same level of commitment of
Nick: Look into UROP Grants

Overall approach: what’s missing?
Promotion of NGO partners
Website can show results of NGO partners individually
Website can then show results of NGO partners working with SHARED Element
Website can show profiles of villagers
Mitch: What if we sell SHARED Element as a training ground for future non-profit leaders?
Consider certification of non-profit leaders
Nick: staggered enrollment in program
1st stage: First wave of students come through to develop the necessary background
2nd stage: Same wave returns, having developed necessary background to implement solutions. New wave enters, mentored by senior members
Ashley: Advantage of going back and forth between US and India: bridging resource gap, bridging networking gap
Chelsea: Can you give more flexibility to the students? Students make a proposal to SHARED Element for the second year for their own time abroad
Teju: as long as it aligns with community’s goals
Dan: you need a core message
Make it clear: “connecting the dots of development”
Connecting the dots is too vague...not an action-guiding message
Conclusions:
Will our model allow us to grow big?
Mitch: What happens when you guys [Vlad, Teju] graduate?
Teju: Nothing. SHARED Element is our life.
Dan: You can do it….but model isn’t clear enough yet
Dan: this is a pilot program: 2 options
Try to do it right the first time (lots of time and research)
Dive in and figure out how to do it on the ground
Perhaps dive in willing to be flexible, willing to see how things work there
Ashley: read speech by Ivan Illich – the importace of being an observer
Mitch: the more vague our vision is, the harder it is to get funding
Natalie: what does the communication with other NGOs look like?
Nick: Action plan for you is a direct strategy for how to approach villagers, NGOs, etc.
Anthropological background  Participatory Action Research

What should we do now: ACTION ITEMS:
Look at what organizations give money where to strategically approach grant-applying (www.foundationcenter.org)
Dan: the person who is the best at writing should be writing grants, the person who is best at meeting with people, etc., should be doing that, who is the best at fundraising
Mitch: Come up with a concrete timeline
Ashley:
Could stay in India.
Apply for UROP grant
Make business cards (TONS)
Talk to Boulder Green Grants (give out international grants)

Goal of Tank Sessions:

Give everyone the chance to talk about their ideas. This is not focused on anyone ideas
TANK is an interdisciplinary, aciton focused board to throw around ideas and watch them take root
Structure:
Rotating chair
We should have a meeting devoted to what we’re doing here!
People from all different backgrounds
Chair evaluates how helpful session was for him/her; another evaluates the effectiveness of the process

Global Leadership Institute (chaired by Dan)
Who are great leaders?
Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Mohammad Yunnus, Helen Keller
What if we got all of these people together in their youth to talk about global issues, to live together, etc.? That’s GLI.
The core:
Academics:
Two courses: Global issues and capstone
Provides incentives to PLCers to do these courses through GLI and participate in the program
A student who has been in the academic component eventually can lead the program
Incentives to international students to attend a world-class university in the United States and meet like-minded people
Culture immersion
Pulling students form around the world
This time: Mostly Americans and 10 kids from 10 countries
Going to explore solutions and problems together
Civic engagement
Going beyond what’s learned in class to apply knowledge and skills, to transform ideas into action
At the end of the program, every student develops their own transformative action plan
Response:
Vlad: You should maintain very strong alumni network
Vlad: how did you make this happen?
Dan originally proposed the idea of GLI, through PLC, to Scott Sherman, who said it wasn’t good enough. Come back when you have a model that all people involved can benefit from.
Dan pitched Tranformative Action Institute (TAI) to PLC to solve some major PLC problems
Since PLC liked the idea, it made GLI sustainable (under umbrella organization of PLC). TAI liked the idea because it became sustainable and it brought bright leaders from across the world together. All 3 benefited!
Vlad: what do you want from us? What don’t you have figured out?
Dan: marketing on campus to international population. 1300 international students HERE who could be in the program, but we haven’t been able to reach out to them.
A lot of applicants live on less than $1/day. We need funding
Chelsea: how do we make our program not cost anything? How can we do this without taking in grants, but getting flights donated, books donated, speakers to come for free, etc.? If we could figure this out, it’s more sustainable for our organization.
Chelsea: It could be a good idea to ask reputed organizations to send delegates to the program (e.g. Amnesty International sends a Ghanain student working with them to program)
Ashley: can tie funding for foreign student initiated project who can’t find funding with funding to participate in GLI
Dan: can get Fulbright scholarships for GLI participants
Vlad: use Skype/Video conferencing to have lectures for
Dan: What’s the best way to market to PLCers?
Ashley: many PLCers probably want to go abroad for exposure, not stay in Boulder
Mitch: Appeal to “exclusivity” in PLCers: this is a special opportunity for PLCers
Ashley: target 2nd years, before they apply to be on staff
Nick: do a guest lecture for the 2nd years to present opportunity (e.g. SCOTT SHERMAN)

Action items:
come into session with an idea of everything you want to get out these sessions
GLI Biggest Questions:
Dan: What the best way to reach the international population on campus?
Chelsea: Should we go after lots of money or after people who provide specific resources?
Funding in general: We could come up with a creative, universal funding model for EVERYTHING! AAAHHH!