Social Entrepreneur blog for the world changers
Archive for November, 2009
A Little Support?
Nov 30th
Thanksgiving was last week, and I thought about doing a post to thank the people who contribute to WordPress core, since this is a group of people I’m thankful for on a daily basis. I started a draft, and then realized that with 2.9 in beta, we’ll have a release announcement sometime in the next few weeks (barring unforeseen complications, etc), and all the core contributors will be thanked then. Though I think it’s worth giving thanks every day for the people who make WordPress possible, I don’t like to clutter up anyone’s feed readers with repetitive posts, so I decided to wait until today for my post, and to focus solely on the other group I’d planned to include: support forum volunteers.
Forum volunteers don’t get a lot of flashy attention. There aren’t flame wars about whether or not the support forums should be commercial instead of free and community-run. There generally aren’t big arguments and debates over whose point of view is the right one. What the forums do have is amazing volunteers who give their time to help other WordPress users and developers learn. People who only know a little answer easy questions that maybe they’ve only recently learned the answers to themselves. People with more expert skills help troubleshoot larger issues. If someone offers advice that could be better, others will add their solutions to the mix. Of all the WordPress users I’ve met in person, not one person got started without visiting the forums. In many cases, people turn to the forums even before the Codex. In the support forums, I see a lot of what is best about our community, and almost none of that which is not.*
Without further ado, here’s my thank you to the volunteers who make the support forums work. Without them, we would be less than what we are today. I’m listing people by their Wordpress.org usernames, since that’s how you see them in the forums.
Official WordPress.org Support Forum Moderators
These are the people who’ve officially got your back and have been active in the past few months. See them at a WordCamp? Buy them a beer! Otto42, jeremyclark13, MichaelH, samboll, Chris_K. MichaelH suggested we also recognize Moshu, Podz, Kafkaesqui for past meritorious service.
The Honor Roll
These people are not official moderators, but their knowledge and activity levels have caught the attention of those who are. A big round of thanks to these folks for selflessly sharing their knowledge with other WordPress users.
Most active volunteers, nominated by more than one official moderator for recognition (for the reasons given):
alchymyth – “Overall knowledge”
apljdi – “Overall knowledge and programming skills”
t31os_ – “Programming skills”
whooami – “For her security responses” “Knows her stuff”
Generally active volunteers, nominated by official moderators for recognition:
esmi, ClaytonJames, numeeja, stvwlf, buddhatrance, songdogtech, alism, alchymyth, Ipstenu, RVoodoo, jdingman, kmessinger, ArnoldGoodway, Shane G., figaro, jonimueller, blepoxp, cais, mfields, designdolphin, doc4, greenshady, mercime, mrmist, bh_WP_fan , henkholland, krembo99, jdembowski, pboosten, adiant, andrea_r, GDHosting, Gangleri.
Some newcomers who’ve been getting active:
a_johnson, equalmark, WebTechGlobal, kymac.
And an additional shoutout to plugin authors who take an active role in moderating threads regarding their plugins, again nominated by official moderators for recognition:
scribu, GDragoN, sivel, MikeChallis, GamerZ, alexrabe, arnee, sociable, takayukister, hallsofmontezuma, joostdevalk, filosofo, roytanck, donncha, Hiroaki Miyashita, manojtd, froman118, error, Viper007Bond, alexkingorg, cavemonkey50, azaozz, aaroncampbell, isa.goksu, flipper, joedolson, redwallhp, eight7teen, orenshmu, WebGeek, Otto42, toddiceton, the_dead_one, mywpplugin, MattyRob, markjaquith, TobiasBg, Txanny, elfin, jolley_small, stastoc, anmari, micropat, frekel.
One more time, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributes to the support forums at WordPress.org.
As we close out 2009 and get closer to 2010, it would be great for us to start thinking about some ways we could make it easier/more rewarding for people to be involved in the forums and other aspects of the open source project. I’ve started a forum thread to discuss some ideas with the thought that we can try a couple after the holidays and see what takes.
* I say almost because let’s face it, we all get caught in the traps of trolls sometimes, and patience can be hard to keep when someone is a jerk. So a reminder to all who use the forums: be nice to the people who are trying to help you! 
P.S. While I’m at it, here’s another tip/request. Search the forums for your problem before posting; if it’s already been answered before (often more than once), you’re kind of wasting people’s time by posting it again without trying the previous solutions first. Please respect the time of the volunteers by searching first (and mention in your post what you’ve already tried).
Boston-Area Charity Executives Benefit From Low-Interest Loans
Nov 30th
Several major Boston nonprofit groups provide low-interest loans as a perk to their top executives, the Boston Herald reports.
The heads of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Combined Jewish Philanthropies have outstanding mortgage loans worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organizations. Collectively the three executives received salary and benefits of nearly $2-million last year. Other charities have signed lucrative contracts with private consulting firms run by their CEO’s.
About a dozen Boston-area nonprofit groups paid their top executives $300,000 to $600,000 last year, the paper also reports.
Harvard Endowment Chiefs Say They Cautioned Against Risky Investments
Nov 30th
Several former leaders of Harvard’s endowment say they warned university officials for years that they were taking too high a risk with Harvard’s cash investments, according to The Boston Globe.
Two former endowment chiefs, Jack Meyer and Mohamed El-Erian, say they repeatedly told then-Harvard president Lawrence Summers, school financial staff members, and board members that the institution was investing too much of its general operating account with the endowment’s mix of stocks, bonds, hedge funds, and private equity, according to the Globe.
The cash account, which reached $5.1-billion during Mr. Summers’s tenure, lost $1.8-billion in the market downturn, forcing the school to tighten budgets, put off expansion plans, and issue bonds with hefty interest payments to cover the losses. Mr. Summers declined to be quoted in the article.
(Free registration is required to view this article.)
Baltimore Mayor’s Gift-Card Donations at Heart of Theft Trial
Nov 30th
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon’s trial on theft charges has shed light on charity solicitations she conducted as City Council president and in her current office, says The Baltimore Sun.
The jury entered a sixth day of deliberations Monday in the case, which revolves around Ms. Dixon’s collection of gift cards, ostensibly for donation to charities. Maryland State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh contends that Ms. Dixon stole some of the cards for personal use, an allegation she denies.
Ms. Dixon’s requests for and distribution of retail gift cards and a separate holiday giveaway program differed from her predecessors’ charity efforts and lacked a system for accountability, according to the Sun.
(Free registration is required to view this article.)
Acorn to Be Paid for Pre-Ban Federal Work
Nov 30th
The community organizing group Acorn can be paid for work it did under federal contracts signed before Congress banned giving federal money to the controversial nonprofit group, reports The New York Times.
The ban, signed into law by President Obama on October 1 as part of a larger spending bill, states that no taxpayer money can be “provided to” Acorn or its affiliates. The Congressional vote followed the release of videos that apparently show staff members in two Acorn offices advising a would-be pimp and prostitute on how to set up a brothel.
The Justice Department last week said the legislation should not be applied to pre-existing contracts. Since 1994 Acorn has received about $53-million in federal money, largely in Department of Housing and Urban Development grants for affordable-housing services.
Acorn affiliate Acorn Housing closed its El Paso, Tex., office last week and has shuttered offices and laid off employees in several other cities, the El Paso Times reports.
(Free registration is required to view the New York Times article.)
Nonprofit Auto Supplier’s Woes Show Downturn’s Impact on the Disabled
Nov 30th
The struggles of a Toledo, Ohio, nonprofit agency that trains developmentally disabled adults to assemble car parts shows the recession’s particularly deep impact on the disabled, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Lott Industries, which employs some 1,200 people with developmental disabilities and has received a top auto-industry designation as a quality supplier, has lost half its revenue as contracts with belt-tightening car makers have dried up. While the organization has not let any workers go, it has reduced wages and sick pay and is using its reserve funds to maintain payroll.
Economy Takes New York’s Sidewalk Santas Off Streets
Nov 30th
For the second year in a row, New York’s “Sidewalk Santa” charity drive is operating only online due to the wan economy, the Associated Press reports.
Volunteers of America-Greater New York, which operates the 107-year-old program, says it lacks the money to manage and pay formerly homeless men to play Santa and collect donations for the needy in front of the city’s poshest stores in the month before Christmas.
As with the traditional collection boxes, online gifts to Sidewalk Santa will pay for food vouchers for people who can’t afford holiday meals.
Government and Politics Watch: Charity Leader Wins Newspaper Endorsement
Nov 30th
Alan Khazei, the veteran national-service advocate who is running a long-shot campaign for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat in Massachusetts, won a major coup on Sunday — endorsement by The Boston Globe for the Democratic nomination, notes Government and Politics Watch, The Chronicle’s online column.
Give and Take: A Negative View of ‘Microvolunteering’
Nov 30th
An effort to develop so-called microvolunteering — through which people help charities and local governments using their cell phones — has received a lot of positive press, but one charity consultant argues it should be “slated for extinction,” notes Give and Take in its daily digest of the best blog posts about the nonprofit world.
- An appeal for foundations to talk more about their mistakes.
- Why the 25 “best” philanthropists list by Barron’s magazine is “too cute by half.”
- A look at social entrepreneurship in East Asia.
- Criticism of fund raisers who aren’t willing to donate their own money.
- Reasons social-networking sites won’t hurt an organization’s brand.
- Tips for encouraging children to get involved in philanthropy.
Prospecting: How to Reassure Wealthy Prospective Donors
Nov 30th
Robert F. Sharpe, a Memphis fund-raising consultant, offers his thoughts for how to get wealthy people to overcome their wariness of making big charitable commitments, The Chronicle’s Prospecting column notes.
Plus: Bank of America reduces its employee matching gifts.
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