NorCalUrban

Boards With Passion and Purpose Committed - Active - Well-informed - Accountable. Do these words describe your Board of Directors? If not, they should! Learn what it means to have a board that supports the mission and the staff, taking ownership in the success of the organization. In this workshop, you will hear essential principles for having an effective Board. We will answer questions about: Recruiting and Involving Board Members Key Responsibilities of a Board Member Board Members' Role in Fundraising and Other Sustaining Activities. Who should attend? CEO's, Directors of Development, and Board members. Thursday, August 16, 2007 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Club Donatello The Terrace Room 501 Post Street San Francisco, CA 94102 *Convenient Public Parking Available At Union Square Seats are limited to this free workshop; please sign up right away. You may register online for this free workshop here. To learn more about other Mission Increase Foundation trainings ...

I'm headed out of town for a few days of rest and relaxation. I was invited by a good friend of mine to join him for a few days of golf and fellowship with a group of guys. I'm VERY thankful for the opportunity to get away. We'll be golfing at Bailey Creek Golf Course each morning until Friday. I'm hoping to improve my game a little and clear my head after an incredibly busy season. Not sure how much blogging I'll do...

Last Sunday I was privileged to attend and speak at Peninsula Covenant Church. While I've known of the church for years (many friends of mine attend there including NCUD's team member Jenni) I hadn't had a real contact with them. My good friend Rob McCleland introduced me to Pastor Gary Gaddini a few months ago. Gary is a great guy and wonderful pastor. Gary interviewed me before his message on Sunday. He's teaching out of the book of Esther, talking about "Risk it All" You can hear the sermon here , but I'm not sure if my part is included. I was overwhelmed by the support and words of encouragement for our project. One member who approached me runs a local heating and ventilation company. For the past year and a half we've been sweltering and freezing in our office. He came by yesterday and in a matter of minutes had cool, fresh air cruising through our offices! What a HUGE blessing! I walked away from my day at PCC feeling thankful for the Body...

An old friend called the other day. Actually we've been playing phone tag. Vann was an important part of my life in my high school years. We had a lot of great times, both of us trying to figure out what to do with big city dreams in a small southern town. Part of my love for music is due to him. I'm looking forward to catching up with him more. Check out his myspace here.

My friend Chris Brooks has an excellent post in his blog about Christians and guns. As he usually is, he's transparent and brutally honest. As is his custom, he asks a poignant question: When a Christian lives in an urban "war-zone" and feels the need to protect his/her family, is it OK to own a banger (gun)? Why or why not? Surf over to Chris' site and post your thoughts.

The new Ryan Adams album, Easy Tiger, came out in June. Ryan continues to be one of my favorite musicians. It took a while to connect with the new record, but after a few listens I'm beginning to appreciate it more and more. It's his best since Cold Roses, but my friend Kevin would disagree. My favorite track is 'Two'. To me, it's Ryan at his best. He performed it on David Letterman. Check it out: Q. So, what are you listening to these days?

During my time down with the UYWI crew we bantered around some text of scripture that would serve as a theme for next year's conference. One text that jumped out, (I don't know if it will be a part of the theme or not) - Psalm 23. John Lewis encouraged me to read it out of The Message since I had a copy with me. It really struck me between the eyes. It reads: God, my shepherd I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when my way goes through Death Valley I'm not afraid When you wank at my side Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the House of God For the rest of my life. I've read this text possibly hundreds ...

So, it's been an exciting couple of weeks. Last Friday was our annual golf tournament supporting NCUD's efforts. We had an amazing event, doubling the revenue from the previous year. If you've not had the chance to play Poppy Ridge Golf Course you really should! Better yet, mark your calendar for July 18th, 2008, the date of next year's tournament! Thanks to all our sponsors, golfers and especially our golf committee this was a fabulous event. Last Wednesday we reached an important milestone. As the press release I posted last week suggested, we had a signing ceremony where the four credit unions who have come together to make Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto a reality. In the picture are the CEO's of Addison Avenue Credit Union, Patelco Credit Union, Stanford Federal Credit Union and Community Trust Credit Union (Modesto). Now once we receive our permits from the city of East Palo Alto we can begin building out the building and push toward opening ...

CiCi grew up in BCM programs. She was also part of our church when we were active. CiCi is a bright sharp young woman with a great voice!

Stanford Federal Credit Union 1500 Page Mill Road Palo Alto, CA 94306 DRAFT July 12, 2007 News Release CONTACT: Phoebe Wall Howard, 415-246-8794 CREDIT UNIONS IN BAY AREA MAKE HISTORY For the first time in state history, three large credit unions are partnering on a major reinvestment project that will contribute to economic stability in East Palo Alto. Community leaders who have worked over the past three years to win state approval will meet at the DLA Piper Law Firm in East Palo Alto on July 18 at 10 a.m. to sign the Memorandum of Understanding that seals the partnership among credit unions and allows the project to move forward. Doors open to the public in September. The East Palo Alto Credit Union will technically be listed as a branch of Community Trust Credit Union in Modesto because CEO Joe Duran is considered an expert on revitalization and Latino outreach. City Council Member Ruben Abrica said, “People have historically had to struggle...

Dr. Julia Hare speaks at the State of Black America at Hampton University in Virginia. She has many valid and interesting points including the role of parents in raising children, the media and 'leading blacks' vs 'Black leaders'. Check out the Covenant with Black America, which she references.

Great new mini series on ESPN about Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson and the 1977 New York Yankees. I remember that team well and as a nine year old I was captured by ' Captain ' Thurman Munson , Reggie, Greg Nettles and, of course, Manager Billy Martin and coach Yogi Berra. I also remember NYC during that time and the general feeling of despair and decay. The series captures the mood well. The Yankees website reports: The mini-series is based on the acclaimed book "Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is Burning" by Jonathan Mahler, and it represents one of the most significant original programming efforts in ESPN's history. The story is set against the backdrop of a city that in 1977 was in financial turmoil and moral decay, where a bitter mayoral race was being waged, where Rupert Murdoch's brand-new influence on the Post tabloid was felt in a sensational way, where the Son of Sam case gripped a city in terror, where a heat wave and subsequent blackout led to w...

The New York Times reports: In the 35 years since vines began sprouting out of its sandy soil, the North Fork of Long Island has fought to be recognized as a bona fide wine region, and now more than a million visitors a year visit the tasting rooms at its 30 vineyards to sample award-winning merlots and cabernet francs. But this season, small signs bearing stern messages — “No Buses,” “No Limos,” “Appointment Only” — have sprouted outside many of the wineries. There also are reports of tastings gone wild involving intoxicated visitors who have tossed back full glasses of wine without regard to nose or body until they grabbed the brass spittoon for baser purposes. The latest additions to local lore include a story about members of an inebriated group at the Palmer Vineyards here who hopped off a hayride and began gallivanting naked through the vines. Then there were the drunken customers at the Pugliese Vineyards in Cutchogue who jumped into the shimmering lake next to the elegant out...

At the festivites around tomorrow's baseball All Star Game in SF. Yes, this is shameless advertizing from State Farm insurance.

Mashup Conference in SF next week. Can's go this year, but it's an intriguing lineup and topic.

Borrowing more stuff from Guy Kawasaki's blog. Guy is quoting a book by Lois Kelly called, "Beyond Buzz, the next generation of word of mouth marketing." One of the key questions for those of us in the non profit / church world when approaching potential partners / donors / members is how to crate a buzz and how to capture people's attention. What captures people's attention? How do we get our potential constituents talking? Guy has some great thoughts: If you’re pitching your company to investors, customers, partners, journalists, vendors, or employees and you don’t use at least one of these types of stories, you probably have a problem. 1. Aspirations and beliefs. More than any other topic, people like to hear about aspirations and beliefs. (This may be why religion is the most popular word-of-mouth topic, ever.) Sun Microsystems’ Scott McNealy’s point of view about ending the digital divide is aspirational as is Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s views abou...

Last month Time did an excellent article on the immigration debate. It addresses specifically why a smart amnesty program would be good for the US. I've been deeply disturbed by the fervor around this current debate. I understand the issues around national security. I'm sensing a meanness in the rhetoric flowing from one of the viewpoints. We must remember that we're dealing with real people and real families. Could Bull Conner's dogs be barking again? I agree that we need a comprehensive review and rehabilitation of our current immigration system. We must deal with an international border that is porous. But, let's work for a way to stem the flow of illegal immigration while allowing for sufficient visas to satisfy our country's labor needs. However, the fact of the matter is that there are over 12 million undocumented immigrants in our country. They have become a integral part of the fabric of our society. Many are have children who are legal American citiz...