Here is a copy of the slam poem that Molly shared at the South Dakota Housing Development Authority's Annual Homeless Summit with a brief explanation of the story behind it and Feeding South Dakota's powerful work.
Art changes conversations
I had an opportunity last week to go to Chamberlain, SD to take part in the South Dakota Housing Development Authority’s 11th annual Homeless Summit.
The social issues theater group from Teen Up that I am a part of, Take Action, was performing a skit called Lost, about a homeless teen. I was also invited to take part in a panel discussion about ways our state can better support runaway and homeless youth. This was of course, the first panel I had ever taken part in. I was very nervous to be speaking in front of all of these important leaders in South Dakota.
Lessons in philanthropy
Hi, I'm Lilly. This summer i have had the chance to do a lot of new things working as the assistant for The Numad Group. I plan to post a little on here about what I am learning.
About a month ago I received a really wonderful award for my community service. The most exciting part of the award was the opportunity to select a nonprofit organization to receive a $500.00 gift. I loved the idea of being able to make a difference in my community in a different form then I am used to. I am a teenager, and so I have never really had enough money to make what feels like an impactful contribution.
What would you ask Pam Moret?
Morning Fill Up with Pam Moret is Tuesday, June 21 at 7am. We are busy coming up with a series of questions for the discussion. But we want to know what you want to talk about. So, please take a moment now to submit your questions for Tuesday's Morning Fill Up below. We'll do our best to integrate your questions into the conversation.
Musings in the rough air
I'm 39,000 (or so) feet in the air right now en route to BushCONNECT in Minneapolis. The flight has been pretty bumpy (not my favorite). But the chicken salad for lunch on the plane was actually amazing (for once!).
My colleagues and I are pretty darn excited for the next few days of conversations and connections with people all across the upper Midwest region who are doing good work to strengthen communities and make life just a bit better for all.
It has been a whirlwind few weeks for all of us, I think. There is great movement on a number of projects we are partnering on. In Boston, I've been shoulder deep designing season brochures and subscription collateral for a number of the Off-Broadway theaters in New York City that we work with. They will all be announcing their new seasons shortly (and let me tell you, there are some kick butt plays heading toward the Great White Way this fall).
Morning Fill Up reached an exciting milestone
What would you ask Jen Ford Reedy at #bushCON?
We are pretty excited to kick off day 2 of bushCONNECT on Tuesday, May 10 with Morning Fill Up: The bushCON Edition. It is an honor to once again sit down with Jen Ford Reedy, president of The Bush Foundation, for the early morning Charlie Rose-style conversation.
In our Numad offices, we're brainstorming a bunch of questions to ask Jen during the 50-minute public interview at The Depot.
But today, we want to know what YOU want to talk about. So, please take a moment now to submit your questions for Jen. We'll do our best to integrate your questions into the conversation.
A Numad wedding
I'm en route back to Boston after a wonderful few days in the Quad Cities, primarily to celebrate Numad Patrick as he married his lovely wife Rachel at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport on Saturday. Kelly was able to fly in from Rapid City, and I came in from Boston.
Matt held down The Garage back in Rapid City because, while Kelly and I were sitting on the sidelines watching the wedding party "cut a rug" on the dance floor, Minneapolis-based indie rock group Bad Bad Hats were taking the stage as part of The Garage Concert Series we co-produce with Jason Alley at Jackalope
Don't miss Bad Bad Hats this Saturday at The Garage
Tis true.
Numad isn't just a consulting firm. Matt, Kelly, Patrick and I have a lot of different interests. We love supporting other people's ideas. And we do what we can to offer opportunities for people to come together to enjoy life.
One of the fun things we've been able to do over the past year is work alongside Jason Alley of Jackalope Studios to partner on The Garage Concert Series, which transforms the historic coworking space in Downtown Rapid City into a super chill concert venue a few nights in the spring and fall.
What would you ask Kelley Lindquist?
We met Kelley Lindquist, president of Artspace Projects, a few years ago through our work with First Peoples Fund.
He's just a great guy. He's also doing really important, meaningful work in communities across the country to develop, foster and preserve affordable spaces for artists. Dubbed by one newspaper as "master of the universe of nonprofit development," he helps artists reclaim their place in the national discussion about the role of the arts in American society.
This Thursday, April 21 at The Garage, he's our guest for Morning Fill Up, and we'll talk with him about his belief in the importance of restoring national confidence in America’s creative communities.
Back and forth to NYC
t has been a whirlwind few weeks of travel for this Numad, back and forth and back and forth and back and forth on Amtrak between Boston (home) and New York City (work). In fact, I know the travel is more than usual when the conductors and food service attendant recognize me... and a couple have even come to know me by name.
I do love a train, zooming down the coastline of New England, the vast waterways and wooded areas giving way to the skyscrapers of New York and Boston.
There have been a number of really exciting things happening in the city as of late. At the beginning of the month, we got to team up with Blue Flame Events and Arc3Design on the production of MCC Theater's annual gala, Miscast, which once again raised more than $1 million for their youth company and education programs.
Meet our Morning Fill Up: The bushCON Edition guest
When we dreamed up Morning Fill Up a few years ago, we didn't realize how many wonderful people would be willing to say "yes" to an invitation to spend 24 hours immersing themselves in conversations with people from across our Black Hills region. We have been humbled by their presence, and have learned from their wisdom.
Our second guest ever--back in December 2014--was Jen Ford Reedy, president of The Bush Foundation, an organization that has been an important champion of this conversation series from the very beginning. Today, we are excited to announce that we'll be sitting down with Jen again when we take Morning Fill Up on the road this May for bushCON.
Meet our 2016 bushCON cohort
All of us at The Numad Group are pretty excited for bushCON this May (public registration begins April 5 at 10am central and will sell out within hours, if not the first hour they are on-sale).
Created by The Bush Foundation alongside partners from around the 3-state Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota region, bushCON is a leadership networking event that builds stronger and more meaningful connections among leaders in the region.
This year, we are honored to be a recruitment and programming partner (we're bringing Morning Fill Up to bushCON), and today, are truly thrilled to announce the 12 members of our Numad cohort--all from the new East of 5th District in Rapid City--who will be traveling to Minneapolis to take part in the event. Meet them below in these short bios they've created.
What would you ask Brent Phillips at Morning Fill Up?
Morning Fill Up is this Tuesday, March 29 at 7am, featuring special guest Brent Phillips, president and CEO of Regional Health. We've got a bunch of questions for him, but we want to know what you want to talk about. So, please take a moment now to submit your questions for Tuesday's Morning Fill Up below. We'll do our best to integrate your questions into the conversation.
Click below to fill out the form and submit your questions.
Wall smashing for MCC
More than eight years ago now, I graduated from graduate school at the University of Florida armed with a master of fine arts degree. I sold my belongings and moved with two boxes and the clothes I could fit in a suitcase to New York City... a place I always wanted to live. A dream come true for me.
Two days later, I was stepping foot into the administrative offices of MCC Theater for the first time, ready to begin an unpaid internship. I knew not a soul there, the exception being the kind woman named Isabel Sinistore who had hired me after a phone interview. To this day, I am so grateful that she said "yes" to me.
In the four months of my internship, I learned so much, from her, from her colleague Ian Allen, and from the incredible team at MCC--namely Blake West, Bernie Telsey, Will Cantler and Bob LuPone. Sure, I learned about the inner-workings of a major nonprofit Off-Broadway theater... what it takes to put on a show, to start youth companies and educational programs, and to raise funds to support their important work.
Resources for ethical practices in fundraising
Matt and I are really pleased to be joining our colleagues at the monthly programming session of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – South Dakota Chapter in Rapid City today. We will be making a brief presentation on the importance of ethical practices in fundraising and maintaining the public trust. It should be a great discussion!
In the business of our day-to-day work, we may not always take time to reflect on the ethical standards that are necessary for the health of our sector and the protection of donors. As fundraising professionals, I think we need to take time to think carefully and critically about ethical issues proactively so we’re more prepared to make decisions when ethical dilemmas inevitably arise.
It's been nuts. Nuts, I say!
Holy moly.
It has been nearly one month since I've taken a few moments to breathe, and login to our blog and write. I've missed it. But things have been a bit nuts lately.
Nuts I say!
Good... but nuts. Our partners and clients and friends are all doing some really wonderful things these days, which means we've been hitting the ground running with them as they work to meet their missions in fresh, meaningful ways. So let's catch up on some highlights over the past four weeks that I have neglected to share.
What would you ask Dr. Robert Grant at Morning Fill Up?
Dr. Robert "Bud" Grant is an environmentalist, author, professor and Catholic priest. He's traveled the world. He's been face to face with people like St. Mother Theresa and St. John Paul II.
He's even been kissed by Maria von Trapp (no, not Julie Andrew... the actual Maria von Trapp).
Now, he's joining us in Rapid City for our February Morning Fill Up to talkabout redistributive suffering to heal the planet and responses to environmental crises, among other things.
Writing that provokes conversations (and a welcome to our newest client)
When I was a graduate student at the University of Florida, one of my favorite things to do was read a new script by a new playwright. The opportunity to dig into their words, their ideas, their desire to shed light on particular societal issues was always exciting to me.
I feel grateful that we get to do that yet today at Numad, where we have an opportunity to partner with Off-Broadway and regional theaters across the country to support their mission to bring new works to the stage, and offer a platform for artists to have a voice that provokes conversations and questions.
Right now, we are neck-deep in a number of productions and new works, including Noah Haidle's Smokefall, Dan O'Brien's The Body of an American, and soon, a series of three new plays at Local Theater Company in Boulder, Colorado, our newest client we are so excited to be working alongside.
Radical cooperation
This morning, as I feast on Ben and Jerry's Cheesecake Brownie ice cream for Sunday Brunch (caused by my fixation on Sunday morning political shows about the Iowa Caucus tomorrow), about 1,500 miles away in Rapid City, South Dakota, a group of colleagues and friends are getting together to continue to explore ways they can transform a section of Downtown Rapid City through the newly-formed East of 5th District.
It brings to mind a Politico article we passed around at The Numad Group this week about how America's dullest city got cool... by radical cooperation.