A Step in the March: Vol 1. 2017

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Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth. - Shirley Chisholm

Background

Outside of work I try to dedicate a significant portion of my time to civic engagement. It is something that is integral to my life and always has been. Due to my engagement, I continuously come across new opportunities to get involved or efforts to support. I have also had friends and acquaintances share the desire to donate or volunteer, but express uncertainty around where to focus their energy. I thought I'd use this platform to share a few resources and events that I come across in hopes of sparking involvement or at the very least sharing information.

"A Step in the March" series, inspired by Solange's A Seat at the Table album, will be the name of the ongoing series highlighting ways to get or remain civically engaged. I will try to stay sensitive to the varying accessibility levels to expendable time, money, and resources in my posts. I will also share opportunities local to the DC Metropolitan area, as well as national and international initiatives dependent upon current events.

DC Metro Area

Featured Organization

Compass Consulting: provides pro bono consulting services to local non-profits. It originated in Washington, DC but has expanded to Chicago and Philadelphia. Projects can range from funding or marketing strategies to strategic alignment or board development recommendations. Compass non-profits change each year but can range from education organizations to art non-profits. 

  • Why I like it: I participated in Compass last year, and it was an excellent opportunity to work on projects I wouldn't ordinarily be exposed to. At the time I was a technology consultant in the federal space primarily focused on project management. Compass afforded me the opportunity to work on a Board Development project with City Year DC, a prominent education nonprofit, learning a new market while directly supporting my community. There were a lot of networking opportunities with other project teams, and I had the honor of serving on a diverse team with seven professionals, backgrounds ranging in pharmaceuticals and sales to legal counsel and research business development.

  • Time Commitment: It is a bit of a time commitment. Our team took our project to heart, and all pitched in. We initially met for about an hour and a half once a week, then completing homework which took about one-to-two hours a week outside of our meetings. As the project came to a close I would say we spent three-to-five hours a week working on the project. The project begins around October, and has a hard stop in June. The hard stop provides a set date of when your schedule will free up again. We did remain flexible by allowing members to dial in when necessary due to travel, or other engagements, but each project team is unique.

  • Ideal Volunteers: Believe it or not volunteering for this group is competitive, so apply early. Volunteers are typically comprised of MBAs and past or present Consultants.

  • When to apply: Applications open September 1st and project launch is October 5th.

  • Alternative ways to support: As I mentioned above there are branches in Philadelphia and Chicago should you not be in the DC Metropolitan area. There are also "micro projects" that begin in January and end in June should you be under a time constraint or not be selected during the first round of applications. You may also support by serving on their Board or by donating. Every dollar donated equals $14 in consulting services.

Other Worthy Local Causes

September 14 Refugee Art Show: Love Without Borders is a grassroots organization that has directly helped hundreds of refugees with basic needs. Specifically they provide art therapy for refugee children and adults living in camps and housing communities in Greece. The children's art work will be on sale for $25-$150 September 14, 2017 at Josephine Butler Parks Center and 100% of the profits will go directly to the children that created the works of art. Tickets to the art show are on sale for $35.

September 30 March for Racial Justice: a multi-community movement that has gained a lot of traction following the events in Charlottesville. It is led by a coalition united in demands for racial equity and justice. There are several ways to support ranging from volunteering, marching, event endorsement or monetary donation.

National Cause

Featured Cause

Hurricane Harvey is one of the worst storms to hit Texas in over 50 years, affecting millions of people. Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane by the time it made landfall August 25, 2017, and brought more than two feet of rain in some areas. Harvey is expected to make landfall again in coming days, and there is still rainfall and heavy flooding. Sadly, there are nine reported deaths from the storm, and there are estimated to be around 450,000 people that will seek disaster aid. 

Below are some ways you can provide support for those impacted by this tragic storm:

International Cause

Featured Cause

Climate Change is impacting the entire world, so much so that (most) global leaders with varying agendas are willing to take a collective stake in addressing it. We all share this planet and hold a responsibility in its health. If we are not good to it, it will not be good to us. Just two months ago The Guardian released an article fearing "catastrophic flooding" in Texas as a result of climate change.  In a 2015 article, the World Bank identified poorer countries as disproportionately affected by changes in weather, agriculture, and health. Unfortunately, those who've done the least to cause climate change are projected to be the most affected by it. However, we must remember despite the varying degrees of impact, we are all being and will continue to be impacted by it in one way or another. Luckily, all is not lost and there are steps we can take today to slow the process:

If there are causes you are passionate about or would like me to share in a future post, please place it in the comments section below.