Newsletters

Common Connection

Volume 5, Number 1: July 1, 2004

This archived newsletter is from Harbinger Partners, before it
joined forces with the Corporate Volunteer Network to become Common Impact.

Happy Birthday, Harbinger Partners!

A Reflection from the Executive Director and Founder

Like most people who live in New England, I am always thankful when the warm weather arrives. To me, summer means hot dogs grilled and enjoyed outdoors, daylight that lasts long into the evening, trips to beach, and the bounty of my garden. This year, for all sorts of reasons ranging from my upcoming nuptials to the busier-than-the-typical-summer pace here at Harbinger Partners, I didn't get to plant my usual two tomato plants, cucumbers, and few flowers. While I remain convinced that it was a good idea to forego this year's planting, I do miss the weeding and the watering and the inevitable late August watching as I look for the first signs of tomatoes.

In some ways, the work of Harbinger Partners feels something like minding my garden. It involves both the wonder of seeing things grow. (Much like those tomatoes, I still marvel at the continued growth of the staff -- especially when I think back to the days when it was just me at my kitchen table.) It also involves tending -- work that does not produce immediate results down the road, rather than the immediate kind that can be so much more satisfying. And it involves a dose of good fortune: partnerships, people, and decisions that -- although not obvious at the time -- align to amplify our ability to do good.

This year at Harbinger Partners we were blessed with growth and good fortune. We welcomed two talented people who are passionate about the mission of this organization -- Leslie Koplow as a new Program Manager and Katherine Collins as a new member of the Board of Directors. With Leslie's arrival we have the requisite staff to launch our second program, Strategic Teams for Technology, which will enable Harbinger Partners to once again double the number of nonprofits we serve each year. We also added two new for-profit companies whose employees will serve as the volunteers on these projects. And, thanks to folks like you, we have seen our revenues grow again this year.

In the space between all of this activity, we have taken time to tend to the organization. We have paid close attention to our finances, continuing to diversify our revenue sources and beginning to build a small cash reserve to ease the inevitable bumps in cash flow. We are also working with a talented group of people to build and identify a sustainable business model so that Harbinger Partners will be able to meet the need for cross-sector connections in the coming years. Finally, with our first annual Volunteer Recognition Event, we institutionalized a process for honoring the work of our volunteers.

It's been a busy year here at Harbinger Partners. While we won't have any tomatoes to share this summer, we like to think that our work produces fruits of a different kind. Thank you all for everything that you have done to help Harbinger Partners reach its fourth birthday! We wish each of you a bountiful summer of your own.

Warmly,
Theresa

Our Technology Pioneers: An Update on Progress to Date

Welcome, Leslie!

There is a bright new face in our office, and we wanted to extend a warm welcome to her in our newsletter: Leslie Koplow has joined the Harbinger Partners team as a new Program Manager! Leslie brings ten years of IT experience from the for-profit sector with experience from Cambridge Technology Partners and Novell. She also brings a deep commitment to working with nonprofit organizations as evidenced by her extensive volunteer service.

Leslie will be serving as the lead program manager for our Technology Pioneers Program, while Zach Goldstein will move over to lead our new after-school technology program, Strategic Teams for Technology.

So welcome, Leslie -- we're thrilled to have you on board!

Apply Now...There Are Only a Few Days Left!

We've been searching the entire Boston area for another group of amazing Technology Pioneers, and there are only a few days left to apply. The deadline is July 15th, so point your web browser to http://www.harbingerpartners.org/go/tpp/apply/ before it's too late! And if you know an after-school program interested in improving its technology operations, have them e-mail zgoldstein@harbingerpartners.org today to learn more about our Strategic Teams for Technology program!

Two New Websites Launched

A couple of Technology Pioneers have recently become proud owners of new websites, as a result of their participation in our programs. Check out the new Talking Information Center site at http://www.ticnetwork.com/ and the new Community Art Center film festival website at http://www.doityourdamnself.org/ -- these organizations are doing amazing work, and we are proud to have helped them establish a new online presence!

What's News...

Hello!

We are very pleased to welcome Katherine Collins to our Board of Directors. Katherine is the group leader for equity research at Fidelity Management and Research Company, the investment advisor arm of Fidelity Investments. In addition to her experience managing the Fidelity MidCap Funds and working at the Fidelity Foundation, Katherine has extensive international volunteer experience with the Global Village program of Habitat for Humanity and is highly involved with her alma mater, Wellesley College. We are lucky to welcome her to the Board!

...And Goodbye!

We must also wish a fond farewell to departing Board member Bob Henderson, who has been a dear and loyal friend to Harbinger Partners since its earliest days. We will miss him at our meetings next year!

Our First Volunteer Recognition Event -- Can't Wait Until Next Year!

We recently hosted our First Annual Volunteer Recognition Event here in Cambridge and presented awards to two people that have made stellar contributions to Harbinger Partners and the community: Bob Henderson and Diane Hickey. Bob received the Community Champion Award, in recognition of an individual from the community that has had a significant impact on the development of Harbinger Partners. Diane received the Spirit of Service Award, recognizing a technology volunteer whose work exemplifies our mission of connecting the private and nonprofit sectors. Over 60 people attended to recognize Bob and Diane's achievements and meet other program participants and Harbinger Partners friends!

For pictures of the event, go to http://www.harbingerpartners.org/go/eventpics/.

Congratulations, Tom!

Speaking of awards -- Tom Hamel, our point person at Generations Incorporated and a member of our Nonprofit Advisory Board, was recently honored with a national service award from the U.S. Corporation for National and Community Service! The award is given to one AmeriCorps alumni each year for exemplifying the spirit of national service, demonstrating exceptional service or leadership, and serving as role models for their community. We wish you hearty congratulations, Tom! Click here for the full article: http://www.experiencecorps.org/news/releases/2004_5_24_Boston.html.

Many Thanks

Every month, we take some time to thank our friends and supporters -- this month, the list is particularly long, which means we have a lot to feel lucky about! Specifically, we want to acknowledge:

The Cambridge Community Foundation for a generous $1,000 grant in support of the Technology Pioneers Program.

Pei Ho, volunteer extraordinaire, who is with Harbinger Partners for the summer. He's been a great help to all of us!

The smart folks that comprise our Business Model Working Group (the advisory board that is helping us develop a sustainable business model): Jon Carson, Frode Eilertsen, John Goodhue, Ian Schneiderman, Kim Syman, and Nancy Willbanks.

Zeid Barakat, for taking fantastic photographs of our event.

Art Shirt Company, for printing our wonderful volunteer t-shirts.

Whole Foods, for their donation of delicious food for the event.

Ben and Jerry's, for donating ice cream to share with our volunteers and nonprofits.

Rader's Engraving, for producing the awards presented to Bob and Diane.

Last but not least, we want to publicly thank all the donors that gave to us this past fiscal year--your support is what keeps Harbinger Partners ticking!

Leadership Donors ($5,000 and above)

484 Phi Alpha Foundation *
Boston Foundation *
Cisco Systems Foundation
Clipper Ship Foundation *
Flagship Ventures *
John Goodhue and Anne Smith *
Goodwin Procter LLP *
Bob and Carol Henderson *
Ed and Ann Kania *
LARS Foundation *
Paul and Anne Marcus *
State Street Foundation

Major Donors (between $500 and $4,999)

John and Judy Axten
Bobolink Foundation *
Cambridge Community Foundation
Colleen Burns *
Katherine Collins *
Bob Deutsch *
Charles and Sylvia Ellis *
Theresa Ellis *
Liz Fries *
General Catalyst Partners in honor of Ullas Naik
IBM
Henry and Elaine Kaufman Foundation, Inc. *
Chris Marston *
Leo C. McKenna *
Bob and Carroll Pierce
Adam Steinmetz
Allan Wyatt and Nina Marlowe

* Donors who have supported Harbinger Partners in multiple years.

We have made every attempt to make sure that the above list of donors is complete. If for some reason we forgot you (yikes!) or if we misspelled your name, please let us know so we can correct our mistake.

Best of the Web

This month, we shine the spotlight on Gifts In Kind (http://www.giftsinkind.org/). Gifts In Kind is a charity that helps funnel product donations from the private sector to the charitable sector. With many of the top manufacturers and retailers using Gifts In Kind to manage the donation of their goods, Gifts In Kind can give nonprofits access to free or deeply discounted products, services, and goods. We encourage you to check it out!

The Small Print

Thank you for reading the quarterly newsletter of Common Impact! We welcome your comments and contributions. Please send all inquiries to:

Common Impact
The Athenaeum Building
215 First Street, Suite 25
Cambridge, MA 02142-1236
Phone: (617) 492-3105
E-Mail: info@commonimpact.org