I've been accepted as a fellow in the StartingBloc Institute for New York this summer and I couldn't be more excited.

Why am I so excited?  For the past two years I have worked at a Foundation and learned a lot about grantmaking, giving, fundraising and nonprofit organizations. And, in that time span I've seen mergers and closures of some of those organizations. Unfortunately, I think this trend will continue for the next couple of years. However, I also see this as an opportunity to learn from their failures and celebrate their successes. I'm not sure if I want to make a career as a grantmaker but I've learned that the probems and issues plauging society cannot be solved by one group or donor. Instead they'll require creaive probem solving, cross-sector partnership, spectacular listening skills and lots of elbow grease. But, that's where StartingBloc comes in.

You can read a bit more about the fellowship in the brief paragraphs pasted below. But the bottom line is that StartingBloc brings an eclectic group of motivated young people together in the same place for five days and provides them with the training, education, and networks necessary to turn any career into a socially responsible one.  And, I want to use this opportunity to turn my ideas into action!

BUT in order to get there, I would like to raise $1,000 towards my tuition by June 15. Every little bit counts!

And for every donation, I will send you a hand-stamped thank you card (the kind with a postage stamp).

Thanks for your support!

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The StartingBloc Fellowship begins with the Institute for Social Innovation.

The Institute is a five-day transformative experience during which young leaders learn to increase their impact, exponentially. The Institute curriculum includes a survey of social innovation, an innovative case-study competition and sessions with industry leaders.

The 2012 New York Institute will take place over August 2 - 6 at the Design for Social Innovation Space at the School of Visual Arts in New York.