Cosmic things can happen in the blogging space.
Jean Butzen — a Chicago-area consultant, the powerhouse behind Mission Plus Strategy, and a creative blogger — had been leaving insightful comments on TPF blogs (we are prolific) and I was wondering who she was. At about the same time, colleagues in the collaboration space were connecting me with Jean through other channels.
A learning and sharing relationship was born.
When reading Jean’s bio, one knows right away that she is a skilled leader who knows what she’s doing. After an extensive career as a nonprofit trailblazer, she realized that trying to wear all hats was a recipe for burn out. And she did. She successfully navigated a merger between her organization (then the largest provider of supportive housing in the Midwest); turned in her bathroom keys and launched Mission Plus Strategy. I love the question around which she built her consulting practice: How can nonprofits generate more social value through business strategy?
Jean writes blogs for the prestigious Stanford Social Innovation Review and recently posted about TPF and its work in the collaboration space. Thank you Jean and SSIR!
What Jean has done and what TPF does is create a collaborators’ network by posting articles of interest; projects, connections, book reviews, observations and thoughts. There are others in this space who contribute, too. Where can one find and follow the streams of information? Check out the Foundation Center’s Nonprofit Collaboration Resource page.
Without someone constantly pushing information to those in this skinny space, our journey to learn and grow would move much much s-l-o-w-e-r.
Has a network helped your work progress faster?
Pam,
Thank you for this very generous comment about Mission + Strategy and my work. Isn’t it great that we can get to know so many great people and efforts focused on collaboration around the country (and the world) via the Internet? Though you and I have not personally met, I have become a great admirer of your work from afar and appreciate your efforts to take collaboration beyond simple partnerships to supporting systemic solutions to social problems. The world of collaboration is becoming so exciting, and the Patterson Foundation is one reason why this is so. Take care and good luck in your work and I hope we get to meet face-to-face very soon!
Jean–my pleasure to highlight your important work. The collaborative field is growing and our own root system is developing!