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OPENING SPACE FOR GIVING TO FLOURISH
The Giving Conference ~ Chicago, July 9-11, 2004
What's your passion? What's your gift? And are you giving it as fully as
you would like? Are you fulfilled in your giving? Does it express and
achieve what you want? Do you sense there must be more? Would your own
life be richer if you could just bring your gifts to the world? Could
you give and accomplish much more if you had the right partners, could
find the right people?
PLEASE JOIN US!
...as we Open a Space for Giving to Flourish. Come make new connections
with other givers of time, talent, passion, of financial gifts large or
small -- givers of hope, vision, leadership and opportunity. Give others
the chance to give your own efforts and projects new life. Find models,
mentors and mutual interests. Create Hubs, Nodes and Networks. Share
resources and stories. Make new friends and forge new alliances.
As isolated individuals, many of our gifts may not be having their full
effect. Money, a work effort, wisdom, or experience, specialized skills,
no one person has it all. To achieve critical mass for any program, or
project requires the gifts of many, guided by a shared vision.
Make a bigger difference by giving your gifts with other active givers
whose gifts may comple-ment and complete your own. Join us! Together, we
change our world. And together we must.
WHO ARE WE?
We are Passion and Purpose. Story and Vision. Learning and Sharing.
Funders and Friends of Philanthropy. Active Citizens, Volunteers and
Advisors. Thought Leaders and Social Theorists. Students. Social Venture
Entrepreneurs. Community Leaders. Story-tellers and Bloggers. Wired and
Willing. We are committed to cultivating the grassroots, to giving new
shape to a robust community of givers and giving. We dare to hope -- and
connect. We are joining with one another to make our visions real.
WHAT WILL WE DO?
We will gather in July, in Chicago, at DePaul University's Egan Urban
Center, in one big circle. For many it will be their first time sitting
in such a large circle, but the strangeness of that will dissolve
quickly into anticipation. The organizers welcome the people and
introduce the challenge. A facilitator will open the process, inviting
and challenging participants. The level of energy and excitement rises.
A living "hive mind" comes to life.
In less than one hour, those gathered will identify all of the most
important issues and schedule meeting times to work on them. Then they
will break into small working groups, to converse and create, document
and design for all the ways that they will then go work to address these
issues. On the morning of Day 3, we'll focus specifically on immediate
next steps, not for one project, but for each project, our own projects,
and how we will stay connected and keep supporting one another in action.
HOW FAR CAN WE GO?
How far can you surf? Our meeting space will have wireless connections
to the Internet. Several of those attending will be bloggers, so a
larger online conversation will happen simultaneously with the onsite
work. The face-to-face conversations may be so engaging that blogging
only happens between sessions -- but this story will be told, and
retold, posted, commented and cumulative.
Post-conference, the action will move into the blogs, wikis, emails, and
conference calls -- into the streets, and conference rooms, and living
rooms. The teams and friendships formed in the topic-specific breakouts
may become new organizations, or new projects with on-going life.
Meetings like this may be repeated in Chicago or other towns and cities
-- your towns and cities.
Each of us comes with his or her own dream. Each will leave with renewed
hope, conviction, and a plan of action, not as isolated individuals, nor
as one big group, but as engaged participants, working with others, on
specific projects, supported by the collective wisdom, energy and
resources of an evolving swarm of like-minded leaders.
A NOTE ON PRIVACY AND PUBLICITY
"Wealth", or a commonwealth, is not all about money. Please come as a
giving person, not as a financial statement. You are welcome to
self-identify as having or not having money, but that is not the point.
This is not a funders conference, nor a place to make an "ask." Whatever
your financial situation, we want your experience, energy, ideas and
ideals. Since proceedings will be posted, and bloggers will be typing
away, putting their contemporaneous observations on line, please be
prepared to participate in public space, as a giver among others.
SIGN ME UP!
Date: Friday, July 9th from 8:00 am – Sunday, July 11th at Noon. We'll
gather informally on Thursday evening. Visit
http://www.globalchicago.net/giving for gathering, lodging and other
details.
Place: The John J. Egan Urban Center at DePaul University in Chicago,
243 South Wabash Avenue (Adams and Wabash), Ninth Floor Conference Center.
Cost: Our fixed costs have been funded by Phil Cubeta. Please contribute
$30-$300 to cover direct variable costs for snacks and materials, plus
an honorarium for our local organizer and facilitator. Any surplus will
seed the next conference.
Conference Website: http://www.gifthub.org. For the latest news --
before, during and after.
After the Meeting: Stay in touch through blogs, the conference site,
phone calls, and email to form friendships, alliances, and initiatives.
The site will continue after the meeting to chronicle our successes,
offer encouragement, and support your own particular projects, hopes and
dreams. Please join us!
REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT DEADLINE JULY 1st -- or while space lasts!
Register: Send name, full contact info and URLs to
mailto:giv...@globalchicago.net. Please include in your email 3-4
sentences about who you are and why you're attending. We will post your
info on http://www.gifthub.org so we can start making friends, contacts,
and allies even before the meeting starts.
Contribute: Please give what you can to cover conference costs and
complete your registration, $30-$300 per person. Make payment online at
http://www.globalchicago.net/giving or send check payable to Michael
Herman, 300 West North Avenue #1105, Chicago, Illinois 60610 USA.
Donations also accepted at http://www.globalchicago.net/giving.
Lodging, Travel and Meals: Will be "on your own." Make your plans now!
CAN'T ATTEND BUT WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
All our efforts are towards "widening the circle" of gifted and talented
people determined to create a better world – by their own definition of
better. Please, if you can’t come, for financial or other reasons, get
involved. Follow the action on http:www.gifthub.org, use the comment
sections to alert us to related resources and ideas. If you are a
blogger, use links and trackbacks to get engaged. If not get in touch by
email. As we spin off programs and projects we will be looking for
conveners in other cities, volunteers, leaders, friends, doers and
colleagues.
--
Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
300 West North Avenue #1105
Chicago IL 60610 USA
(312) 280-7838
http://www.michaelherman.com - consulting & publications
http://www.globalchicago.net - laboratory & playground
http://www.openspaceworld.org - worldwide open space
...inviting organization into movement
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