- Approach //
- Our Work //
- Donate //
- Corporate Volunteers //
- About Us //
- Publications //
- Search //
- Contact //
- BOSTON MARATHON
|
This archived newsletter is from Harbinger Partners, before it joined forces with the Corporate Volunteer Network to become Common Impact. |
The best part about the project was seeing just how happy they are with this little database...when we went over there the first time; they were grabbing people walking by and saying, "Look at this!" It was genuine joy...they're very dedicated to what they're doing and they love having something like this.
-- A technology volunteer from Fidelity Management Trust Company, after working with Generations Incorporated
This summer, Harbinger Partners turns five. We made a commitment during our first five years to understand the needs of our constituents, document our processes, and assess our impact. While we grew during these years (we have added a new corporate partner each year and have grown 400 percent in terms of the number of nonprofits served!), we didn't spend as much time communicating the impact of our work. This year, as we prepare for our next phase of growth, we are investing in our communications in order to make sure that you all -- the people who make Harbinger Partners what it is! -- are crystal clear about what we do and who we are as a company. Many of you have seen our new logo and our website; if not, we invite you to take a look at http://www.harbingerpartners.org.
We also rewrote our mission statement, which we want to share with you:
Harbinger Partners works as a bridge between community-based nonprofits and leading local or national companies. By matching skilled company workers with nonprofits in need of technology assistance, Harbinger Partners helps nonprofits become more effective, structures skill-based volunteer opportunities for company employees, and fosters relationships between both organizations.
Finally, we've also made changes to our newsletter. Starting with this edition, each newsletter will shine a spotlight on one of our four primary constituents: our corporate partners, our IT volunteers, our nonprofit clients, and our donors. Each June issue, like this one, will focus on volunteers, September will be for nonprofits, December will thank our donors, and March will highlight our corporate partners.
In this month's newsletter, we're excited to introduce you to Al Toby, an IT volunteer from Fidelity Investments, who reflects on his work building the IT capacity of three Boston-area nonprofits. When you read about Al's work to date, you won't be surprised to learn that he won this year's Spirit of Service award, the award given to the IT volunteer whose work exemplifies our mission of connecting the private and nonprofit sectors.
The newsletter has also been rearranged. We've included a brief description of each section under its heading, so that in future issues you'll be able to find your favorite section right away.
[In this section, we will share some of our favorite numbers to help you keep up with our growth.]
The biggest news at Harbinger Partners is that we are continuing to grow. We're seeing demand increase every year as our good reputation spreads; thanks to all of you for referring so many excellent nonprofits.
[Each quarter, this section will focus on a different group -- volunteers, nonprofits, companies, or donors -- who are putting their hearts and heads into the work of Harbinger Partners. We hope that you'll enjoy this extra chance to come together with many different people all doing their part for a great cause.]
This issue of the newsletter is dedicated to all of our outstanding volunteers. If we are the bridge, then you are the traffic, and we mean that more fondly than it sounds. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for your generosity and enthusiasm. Great work everyone!
Al Toby has been chosen for this year's Spirit of Service Award. Al has been a volunteer team leader for Generations Incorporated, Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE), and the Boston Learning Center , all in the last year! Program Manager Leslie Koplow recently had a chance to chat with Al, and here's what we learned:
Leslie: Al, you know that we're all committed to building bridges across sectors here at Harbinger Partners, but you may not know that we all share another passion: ice cream. What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Al: Ben and Jerry's coconut almond chip, though it is tough to find now. You have to go to a Ben and Jerry's store to get it.
Leslie: What's your favorite technology tool and why?
Al: I'd probably say technology tools for music -- good computer speakers and software for playing and burning CDs. I have music everywhere -- my car, my office, my home computer -- so my Boston Acoustics speakers and RealPlayer would certainly be a couple of my favorite technology tools.
Leslie: What would you want to tell another prospective Harbinger Partners volunteer about your experiences?
Al: I'd tell them that I like this type of volunteerism because I get to give the most value in a way that makes the most of my skills and knowledge. For instance, someone could have me bang some nails or paint walls for a charity, and I'm not worth much -- I'm replacing maybe $5 an hour in labor. Maybe less, since I'm probably not even going to do a great job in the painting or carpentry! But the partnership of Fidelity Investments and Harbinger Partners allows me to utilize the skills that I have been developing for the last 20 years, to give as much as I possibly can in a meaningful way, doing work that's worth a heck of a lot more to a nonprofit than my painting a fence would be.
Leslie: You're a repeat offender; what keeps you coming back to Harbinger Partners to volunteer with us?
Al: I want to give something back to my community and these projects make it easy for me to give back. I'm giving something I'm good at that has a high value, not just writing out a check. It's easy to write a check but it doesn't give me the same satisfaction. And I return to Harbinger Partners specifically because they make it easy to contribute my skills. I can imagine there are other volunteer opportunities you might go into that are very unorganized. The logistical ease of Harbinger Partners' program makes it very compelling, and allows you to focus on doing what you do best for the nonprofit.
Leslie: What will be the effect of your most recent technology project with Harbinger Partners on the nonprofit you chose to work with?
Al: Our team is building a database for the Boston Learning Center that will provide them with the ability to capture their program data and do statistical analysis on it; they will be using this information to justify the growth of their charity from a local model to a national model. While they have a good sense that their model will scale well to a national one, they don't have the quantitative evidence to support their conclusion. This database will provide the data they need.
Leslie: Has your work as a volunteer affected the way you feel about your company or nonprofit organizations in the community?
Al: Not so much about my company, which I knew already is dedicated to philanthropy and allows employees to pursue volunteer opportunities. But it certainly has been an eye-opener personally about all the great work being done out in the inner city by local nonprofits. And the number of people that are putting their efforts into these endeavors is staggering.
Thanks for all your hard work and good cheer, Al. May your coconut almond chip be of the perfect softness.
Our current volunteers are
working with a great set of nonprofits.
For a list of our current Nonprofit Participants, go to http://www.harbingerpartners.org/go/np/profiles/.
[This section will keep you up to date on the victories, the challenges, the smiles and tears, and the basic goings-on at Harbinger Partners.]
Now accepting applications: Applications for the next round of our Technology Pioneers Program are due July 15, 2005 at 5:00 pm.
Want more information?
The application and an overview of the program are available at:
http://www.harbingerpartners.org/go/tpp/apply/
There will be an information session for the Technology Pioneers Program on Tuesday, June 14, at 9:00 am at the Boston Foundation. To learn more or to RSVP, contact Weston Smith at wsmith@harbingerpartners.org or 617-492-3105.
Our 2nd annual Volunteer Recognition Event will be on June 29, from 5:00 to 7:00 in the evening at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, just two blocks from our office. The office will be open to visitors before and after the event, so drop by and see us!
The event will feature awards for two outstanding volunteers, wine and cheese for everyone, and a chance to meet all of the wonderful people who come together around Harbinger Partners. Invitations are just hitting the mail this week. If you would like to come but haven't yet received an invitation, please let us know. E-mail info@harbingerpartners.org and we'll give you all the details.
We are happy to welcome
Social Capital Inc. to the 2005 Spring Technology Pioneers Program. Social
Capital's mission is to build social capital and increase civic engagement.
The agency is working toward the day when all citizens play an active role
in shaping the destiny of our communities and our democracy.
Find out more at http://www.socialcapitalinc.org/.
It gives us great pleasure to welcome Ullas Naik to our Board of Directors. Ullas is a Managing Director at Globespan Capital Partners and was rated as one the top technology analysts in the country by the Wall Street Journal. He has been a part of Harbinger Partners for several years and has served on two working groups helping develop our strategy. We are pleased to have him on our board! For Ullas' full bio, go to http://www.harbingerpartners.org/about.asp?page=unaik.
Over the course of the last two years, many of you have had the good pleasure of interacting with Katie Wang . For those of you who have worked with Katie, you know that she is thoughtful and thorough, persistent but never pushy, and always good natured. As you can gather, she's been quite an asset on the staff at Harbinger Partners; for these reasons and oh so many more (too many reasons to list, really!), we will miss her dearly as she begins her journey to medical school. While we will miss her, we know that she'll make a terrific doctor some day and wish her all the best!
For the past six months, we have been working weekly with a team of second year masters' candidates in the MS/MBA program at Boston University. We asked the students to produce a research paper focusing on quantitative data in nonprofits' use of technology and its impact upon productivity. The BU team of Emily Louden, Diego Jimenez and Leigh Martin produced a substantial and thoroughly researched white paper on the topic, putting in over 600 hours of work for Harbinger Partners. On April 29th, 2005, they presented their research and won second prize among their MS/MBA class peers. Congratulations and a heartfelt thank you to Emily, Diego and Leigh!
[This section will give us a chance to share interesting developments in the areas of thought and practice that touch on our work. Look to this section for fresh thinking on corporate social responsibility, volunteerism, nonprofit capacity building, information technology for nonprofits, and trends in philanthropy.]
Creating rewarding and effective volunteer opportunities is central to our work at Harbinger Partners. What is a good volunteer experience, and how is it made? Check out this study from the UPS foundation for some fresh thinking on volunteerism:
One great way to contribute to a nonprofit organization is by serving on its Board of Directors. But how do you find the right match? If only there were a dating service for boards...
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