Each of the last two years, I've found that the inevitable slow-down of
business at end of the year has kick-started personal projects: two
years ago, I launched the pop culture group blog newcritics.com over
the break, and last year I signed a contract with John Wiley & Sons
to write CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World and began work on the book, which is now in its third printing.
This year, it's something bigger: a new company.
Starting
January 1, CauseWired Communications LLC is open for business. Susan
Carey Dempsey, my longtime partner in publishing onPhilanthropy.com, is
joining me in launching the new firm, which will assist organizations
and campaigns in creating inspiring messages for causes that change the
world.
In truth, the new company has been several months in
formation. Susan and I are both original co-founders of Changing Our
World, Inc., a national philanthropic services company that has grown
from a small start-up to a global consultancy in less than 10 years,
the last six of which were spent as part of the Omnicom Group, the
advertising and communications powerhouse. That ride from a small
start-up in a tiny, overcrowded office to key roles as part of a
Fortune 100 multinational was exciting and rewarding. But when the
offer of collaborating on a spin-off based on the success of the book
and the need in the sector for communications consulting and thought
leadership came our way, Susan and I knew it was time to move back into
that small, crowded office and build something new.
And while we
are leaving Changing Our World just as the company marks the beginning
of its 10th year, we're not going too far. CauseWired Communications
will be a close affiliate of Changing Our World, and Susan and I will
continue to work closely with our old company on important projects.
Indeed, we're temporarily housed at Changing Our World's familiar
offices on 42nd Street and we've received a generous leg up in
operations and business development from the firm, for which we're
particularly grateful to the chairman, Mike Hoffman, and my brother
Chris, the firm's president. We all believe the continued partnership
will flourish.
So what will CauseWired Communications do? Two things:
1.
We will work with nonprofit organizations, foundations, companies and
individuals on communications and development assignments - using
story-telling, social networks, strategic planning, management and
communications expertise to turn great programs into actionable causes.
2.
We will publish onPhilanthropy.com, the global resource for
philanthropy professionals, and run the annual Summit onPhilanthropy
conference in New York each year.
On the consulting side, Susan
and I believe we offer a unique value proposition to organizations: we
provide large firm development and communications expertise and
experience at small firm fees. And in this economic environment, we saw
a clear need in the market for that level of experience.
On the
publishing side, we're committed to expanding the footprint of our
network of outlets - onPhilanthropy.com, dotorgjobs.com (our employment
site), CauseWired.com (our online social activism blog) and the Summit
onPhilanthropy - and by extension, helping the social causes sector to
exert greater influence during a time of great challenges and potential
change.
Is there a better time to start a company like ours? We
don't think so. A new American administration, a world economic crisis,
and revolutionary changes in technology and media all combine to make
January, 2009 a pivotal moment in world history. Sure, it's a heck of a
challenge. But in the end, Susan and I asked ourselves what we'd most
like to be doing at this time in our professional lives - and the
answer was right there in a flash: working on great causes that can
change the world when it needs it most.
So I'd invite you along
for the ride. If you know of an organization that needs some help with
its development program, with telling its story more effectively to
supporters and donors, please have them email or call us. Our 2009
docket is not yet filled, and we are actively seeking business.
We
also invite you to read onPhilanthropy's articles, get involved in a
discussion, or browse the job openings - we have big plans for the site
in 2009 and we'll let you know about those pretty soon.
CauseWired
the book tells the story of online social activism and a generation of
committed social entrepreneurs who believe in taking action to help
others. CauseWired the company aims to support that urge for change,
both online and off. We ask you to place your confidence in us, and
we'd certainly like to hear from you.