Meme: Who do you write for?

My old friend from college Kivi Leroux Miller, a prolific blogger and the principal of EcoScribe Communications based in North Carolina, just tagged me with a meme – a tag that allows a blogger to pose a question to other bloggers and track responses across the blogosphere, according to Wikipedia.

Using a meme, Kivi invited me to answer the question: Who do you write for?

I am writing this blog for anyone interested in positive social change. Have I captured everyone? I am grateful to live in the San Francisco Bay Area where there are myriad nonprofits, philanthropists, cooperatives, social enterprises, and individuals with missions to build healthy and sustainable communities. I would like to pass on some of their stories, ideas, and successes.

Here are just four examples from a very long list:

The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment in Oakland, California believes that “environmental protection and community regeneration must go hand in hand and are inextricably linked to a healthy economy.”

Rainbow Grocery, a worker-owned cooperative in San Francisco’s Mission District, strives to buy locally, supports fair labor practices, donates to local nonprofits, and promotes composting, reuse, and recycling.

Literacy for Environmental Justice has a mission “to foster an understanding of the principles of environmental justice and urban sustainability in our young people in order to promote the long-term health of their communities.”

World of Good is a social enterprise that promotes the principles of fair trade through its sales of handmade items crafted by artisan groups around the world. They also re-invest 10% of their profits in artisan communities through a nonprofit partner. For their first year of operation, they published a document called the “World of Good Social Impact Report 2006.”

In future posts, I will continue to highlight upcoming events, inspirational stories, and real-life examples of nonprofits, socially-responsible businesses, and individuals who are driven by progressive values and vision. Since I am also keen on the use of technology to democratize the media, broadcast more voices, and help organizations run more effectively, I will be posting tips and strategies for using software and web-based tools for project and campaign management, data collection and outcomes tracking, and communications. I will also be writing about nonprofits who are using new earned income opportunities to diversify and build sustainable funding sources. I welcome your ideas!