The highlight of my past week was speaking at and attending the Independent Sector Annual Conference. Have a listen to Miri Ben-Ari‘s Symphony of Brotherhood while perusing our curated nonprofit tweets of the week (Independent Sector edition):

• Independent Sector: Keep the #ISConf tweets coming! We’ve got lots to share frm our amazing experience in Seattle, starting w/ this video http://vimeo.com/112225962
• Independent Sector: Watch @Diaviv’s speech “We Have a Dream” from #ISConf 2014, which challenges our sector to change the way we work. https://vimeo.com/112141925 [Ed. Among Diana’s remarks: “We can’t embrace the status quo if we hope to solve the daunting problems threatening our future.” “We can’t move forward by specializing even further or by clinging to the past.” “Reflecting on what we are willing to do in the months and years ahead will move us all closer to our collective dream and will enable us to pivot, as we must, to respond to the new world with agility, confidence, and respect.”]
• Nonprofit Times: @diaviv: Sector Could Be “Part Of The Problem” http://bit.ly/1uA476s #nonprofit
• Bright Lines Project: “If you’re not participating fully in the democratic process, you’re leaving leverage on the table.” @ljaguzny
• Gene: Nonprofits: (1) visit your policymakers; (2) inform them of your value and of the sector’s economic impact; (3) stay in touch. [Ed. Read more from the Independent Sector Public Policy Action Institute pre-conference here.]
• Greg Colvin: On Sat @IndSector #ISPPAI conf in Seattle, we hit Send to submit draft @brightlinesproject political regs to IRS, spontaneous applause. [Ed. The proposed regs are available at Citizen.org.]
• Sarah Perz: Lisa Danielson says rule in advocacy is: “if you want me to listen to you, talk about ME, not about you.”
• Allison McAffree: Lisa Danielson: No good advocacy plan survives the first battle. You must accommodate the inevitable change. @WaNonprofits
• Gene: Self-reported nonprofit merger success rate is 80% vs 35% for for-profits. – BridgespanGroup
• Independent Sector: Here’s a quote frm @p2173 “We can no longer assume we can ride along the same digital infrastructure we have used in the past”
• Independent Sector: “In the Internet world, if you deny me equal Internet access, you make me a second-class citizen.” —@ibarguen [Alberto Ibargüen, recipient of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award] #ISConf #NetNeutrality
• Gene: “Vision without execution is hallucination.” W Isaacson

 

And from the fantastic diversity program led by Phyllis Braxton and Beth Zemsky:

• Diversity is where we count the people. Inclusion is where the people count.
• The goal of doing diversity work is not comfort. It’s spreading the discomfort around.
• “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Not the Golden Rule. #diversity #culturematters