.NGO

What We Find
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Attending a Middle School Open House the other day a teacher of humanities was sharing research tips he provided to his students.  One piece of advice was to add .edu or .gov to the end of a Google search.  The Google results are sorted with a preference for primary sources that are generated through universities and government archives for example.  The addition of these internet domains removes much of the paid for placement results that often fill the first couple pages.  The difference in the quality of information is transformative.  Nonprofit social media guru Beth Kanter addressed the move to create a .NGO designation in an blog post at the end of last year.  How would that change the way the social sector interacts?  How might it impact your cause?  What search results might be available that have not been easily run before?  Are you ready?

You Count
How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next RenaissanceI caught a segment of yesterday’s WHYY Radio Times interview with Parag Khanna.  He is a Senior Research Fellow in the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation and just published a book titled, How to Run the World.  The concept that he discussed and impressed me most was the influence of the citizen’s of the United States when it comes to financially supporting Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) across the globe.  According to Parag Khanna’s research, the contributed income from American citizens vastly exceeds the aid offered by the government of the United States and overshadows all other countries.  America remains the sole super power when you measure the generosity and giving patterns of its citizens in their capacity to support international causes and relief efforts.  The philanthropy of the people shapes our country’s policies in ways I had never fathomed.