I was up in Portland and Seattle last week for a bunch of meetings, and I had a chance to have many wonderful conversations with some old and new friends and colleagues. Here are three takeaways from my trip: 1. Groups with soul and purpose. In Portland, I had a chance to catch up with Jelly Helm, who has devoted his life to telling stories about organizations with purpose. Jelly was preparing for his upcoming potlatch, and while showing me […]
Kristin Cobble
New Structures that Bring Us Alive
Kristin recently asked, “What are your favorite examples of where collections of individuals and organizations are coming together in new ways to create a better world?” My answer? ContactCon. Last week I had the privilege of participating in the Contact Conference, hosted by Douglas Rushkoff and Venessa Miemis. And no, this was not a conference about making contact with ET. Rather it was a conference about making contact with each other here on earth, exploring how this age of connectivity can […]
Growing Social Impact in a Networked World
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of participating in the GEO / Monitor Institute conference, “Growing Social Impact in a Networked World.” This was a gathering of philanthropic foundations who are interested in networks: what they mean to their work and how best they can leverage them. This meeting was the culmination of a process that started about four years ago with the Packard Foundation‘s first explorations into networks and with the establishment of a formal community of practice […]