Simple Ways to Make a Difference Today!...

Last month I started a series called “$5 or 5 minutes = 1 Way to Make a Difference” and I got an incredible response. It seems like there are a lot of way to give back online that are SIMPLE and EASY, but it can be hard to find them. So here’s my helping hand with 6 “Look, there’s a quick and easy way I can make a difference TODAY.” I present you with the 2nd edition of how you can give back either with a donation, your time or the click of a button. Simple yet meaningful.

I could say, “In the spirit of the holidays” but I think you and I both know this kind of behavior – getting into the habit of helping others – doesn’t have an expiration date or time or year, it’s evergreen.

Some of the opportunities below do expire, so act today!

1) VOTE. L’Oreal’s Women of Worth campaign highlights women in the community making a difference. In addition to all of the finalists having $5,000 donated in their name to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, the nominee with the MOST votes by end of day Tuesday, November 24th, will receive $25,000 for their nonprofit of choice.

I voted for Halle Tecco, an amazing woman who was a Kiva intern this summer and I met at my Kiva Fellowship training. She started a nonprofit called Yoga Bear that provides yoga mats and studio time for cancer patients and survivors. All of the women nominated are worthy of the grand prize, but if you want my recommendation, vote for Halle & Yoga Bear HERE.

2) TEXT. DONATE via your cell phone: text FEED to 90999 and your phone company will donate $5.00 to Feeding America! Your donation will provide 35 meals. Feeding America’s provides food to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States every year, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors. With a network of over 200 food banks serving all 50 states, more than 2.5 billion pounds of food and grocery products are distributed annually.

*UPDATE – An anonymous donor is MATCHING all texts to YOUR TEXT is now worth 70 meals!*

Great campaign by MashCast. See their flash mob to raise awareness at the top of this post. Follow @mashcast on Twitter for more information about this campaign which runs through the holidays. Make any additional donations HERE.
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Moving To New Orleans...

It’s official! I’m moving to New Orleans.

I’ll pause for a moment to let that sink in.

Word has slowly been leaking this week as I reached out to friends in New Orleans to start looking for housing for me and to keep their eyes and ears open. And for those who know me or have been following my journey for any part of this year, you’re no stranger to that fact that I loved New Orleans since the moment I first stepped foot there in 2002, but if that was lust, than the true love came this past spring when post SXSW, I drove there to spend two months volunteering and giving back.

Little did I know that I would arrive with a tweet-up in my honor. That I would meet and come to be friends with some of the most amazing people I have every met, that I would be taken in and “shown the ropes” and that at the end of the two months not only would I have learned to eat crawfish and have a crawfish boil in my honor but that I would feel like I wasn’t just leaving another stop on my journey, but I was leaving someplace that I deeply, one day, wanted to call home.

Let’s start with the KNOWNS. I’m arriving on December 1st and am going to dive head-first into finding housing.

UNKNOWNS? Exactly what, professionally, I’ll be doing. To that extent, I am in talks about a few exciting consulting projects from around the country, there are a few job leads there that I think look very compelling and interesting and I have social entrepreneurial goals of my own that I’m looking to develop and move forward. More on all of this, but if you have any ideas for me or things makes you go hmmm, then definitely reach out and say hello.

I know some people might say – but moving from Los Angeles? How will New Orleans ever compare? Let me say this, in moving this time, I’ve realized there are three things really important to me in my choice on where to live.

1) Quality of Life
2) Strong Sense of Community
3) Social entrepreneurial and social impact environment where I feel I can make a difference

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Sloane Berrent Bio...

Every day is an opportunity to move the ball forward and make progress. I’ve been taking challenges and items on my Master Task List one at a time and rolling out changes on The Causemopolitan piece by piece. First I updated the schedule section, contact page, then the Kiva section, and now, ta-da, the “About Sloane” section is complete.

Seeing as how it’s all a work in progress, there are many more changes I’ll be making and working on. Even for the parts I’ve changed, I go in and make edits after they’re live for a few days. That’s part of the fun of a blog versus a static site though right? You can go in and make changes all the time.

I decided to break the “about” section in 3 parts: me in 140, shorter bio, and then longer form. I’m including the first two here and a snippet from the third. This might not be a HUGE deal, but I find it really hard to write about myself in a bio format and so this is something I’ve put off and procrastinated over for some time. So in my book, this is a HUGE accomplishment. Let me know what you think!

You can see the whole About Sloane section HERE.

In 140:
Kiva Fellow. Humanitarian. Sloane blogs at The Causemopolitan about her life, nonprofits, social entrepreneurship and “cause-filled living.”

Short Bio:
Sloane Berrent is a cause-based marketing and social branding consultant, nonprofiteer and budding social entrepreneur. She combines high-level social media strategy, product evangelizing, fundraising and community development services to for-profit and nonprofit companies with a focus on social action campaigns. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Sloane has lived in Burlington (VT), Boston (MA), Rome (Italy), and the Venice and Santa Monica neighborhoods of Los Angeles. She spent 2009 as a digital nomad, traveling the world experiencing life and volunteering including stints in South America, New Orleans and three months in the Philippines as a Kiva Fellow. She co-created “Cause It’s My Birthday” a campaign to raise money and awareness for malaria prevention in Ghana. She speaks frequently on building community and blogs at The Causemopolitan.
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Vote for CNN Hero of the Year...

Roots of Music are marching forth to help their teacher, Derrick Tabb, become the next CNN Hero of the Year! Vote NOW, voting closes 6AM so do it NOW!

A native New Orleanian and snare drummer for popular Rebirth Brass Band, Derrick Tabb and friend, Alison Rheinheart, created New Orleans’ only non-profit music program that provides free instruments, music education, supplementary tutoring, hot meals and transportation to more than 100 at-risk youth.

I was fortunate enough to meet them both this past spring when I was in New Orleans and volunteer for Roots of Music. I’ve been a big fan ever since and am really excited to see this incredibly organization getting the national recognition it deserves.
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Be a Part of Tweetsgiving!...

A few people have asked me what they can do this Thanksgiving to give back. If you’re looking for one online challenge that packs a real punch, check out Tweetsgiving, the second year in this campaign by Stacey Monk of Epic Change that launches in five days.

TweetsGiving is a global celebration that seeks to change the world through the power of gratitude.

Scheduled for November 24 – 26, 2009, the 48-hour event created by US nonprofit Epic Change will encourage participants to express their thanks using online tools and at live events. In honor of the people and things that make them grateful, guests will be invited to give to a common cause at events held across the globe.

TweetsGiving 2009 from LittlePurpleCow Productions on Vimeo.

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If there is no wind, ROW....

“If there is no wind, ROW” is a Latin proverb, it’s also a small plaque my mom has in her garage. Yesterday, on my first day back into “the city” from spending most of November in my writer and thinkers retreat, I was running around to get about 20 things done so I could return, here, to the mountain, and continue on my soul-searching quest.

All the while, I was having a pain. In my chest. Like near my heart, but not quite a heartache. No, this pain was more like “What am I doing with my life?” The kind of self-doubt and twinge of self-loathing that most don’t expect from me and that to be honest, I thought I had expunged from my psyche. All I could think was WHY?

I’ve become accustomed to making my own decision and looking at the road ahead and making judgment calls on what’s next. But here’s the thing. THOSE things, those decisions were day-to-day. They weren’t BIG. They weren’t, for all intensive purposes, more permanent. They were temporary.

I’ve been making some big decisions this week. Some I’ve kept to myself, some I’ve shared with a close circle of friends, most I’ll be sharing here with you in the near future. But let me say this. When sitting and struggling upon what to do next, I’ve been staying up really late at night and working on exercises to further define my passion and get going with the next steps in my life.

And I realized AHA! When I do make those big decisions, that’s when the doubt comes. It’s only natural, I’ve set my mind to something. I’m not turning back. And in my firm mental decision, I can start to panic. Like everyone else does. So I realized, I haven’t expunged doubt, I just recognize it now as part of the process. It’s almost a good thing. Like it only comes when I know I’m doing something for sure.

Friends have called, strangers have emailed – people ask all the time how they too can find their passion. And how they should know what it feels like when they’ve found it. How they can get to that thing that makes them happy. I don’t have one answer. Theories, thoughts to share, sure.

Yesterday I realized there is a phrase I can say when trying to find what to do next, how to find the motivation to discover what’s next on your one true path. And that is to keep pushing forward. Other people can help, you can help yourself, but at the end of day, stuck in the middle of the lake on a boat with an oar, IF THERE IS NO WIND, ROW.

I now know I’ve been rowing hard, this year, this past month, hell my whole life. And I’ll continue to row. Because it’s part of who I am. I can sit in the middle of that lake and enjoy the beauty around me, the peace and stillness of quiet all around – but when push comes to shove – I’m strong enough to row myself anywhere I want to go. And chances are, searching deep enough, you are too.

If you liked this post, you might like:
What Is Up With You These Days?
Making Lemonade From Lemons
Boats Skimming The Surface

In Transit In The Philippines...

You can see most photographs from the Philippines and my Kiva Fellowship on my Flickr account HERE (and add me as a contact if we’re not already connected).

This series is called In Transit because you really have no idea how much time people in the Philippines spend in transit unless you are there and traveling in the provinces. Developing countries share that infrastructure problem where it just take a long time to get everywhere, all the time. I spent time on commuter boats, fishing boats, buses, jeepneys, tricycles, pedicabs, fastvans, the ro-ro, walking, taxis and motorbikes. It’s hard to capture all of it, but here are five of my photos that stand out as memories of the experience.

Tricycles Parked On The Side of the Road

Scheduled Departure as a Theory in Relativity

Waiting For Papa

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Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About My Kiva F...

In a burst of energy the last few days, I have spent a lot of time and completely updated and redone the part of The Causemopolitan that tell you all about my Kiva Fellowship in the Philippines this past summer. Basically I wanted to make it super easy for YOU, the reader, to find all the great stuff I wrote about (and am quite proud of) about my Kiva Fellowship. This includes the online social media techniques I used to fundraise to be able to go on the Fellowship, my complete list of donors, the “thank you letter” template I used to thank donors, a section I call “All Things Kiva” which includes links and resources and all blog posts from both this site and the Kiva Fellows blog and last my Kiva mass journal sent to all ASHI lenders on Kiva.

You can see all of the new section in the upper navigation of the site under Kiva Fellowship. So browse through these new sections, tell me what you think in the comments and share with anyone you know who’s interested in microfinance and wants to learn more from someone who experienced it first-hand in the field.

Without further ado:
Kiva Fellowship
What Is Kiva?
Kiva Fellowship Donors
Fundraising for a Kiva Fellowship
What Is a Kiva Journal?

What Is Up With You These Days?...

**The video above serves no other purpose than to get your feet tapping.**

The ever elusive Sloane. I know, I hear you, the question burning on peoples’ minds – what’s next for me? What adventure is next?

Let me tell you this. I am always up for the challenges that life brings. And for me, a bigger challenge is sitting still than it is to keep going. That is why I am spending November is the ever cliched “cabin in the woods.”

Now this cabin isn’t too remote, I’m not Stephen King holed up in Maine. But my mom does have a place about an hour from Pittsburgh at Hidden Valley (not like the dressing) and it’s where I learned to ski as a kid, it’s surrounded by trees, it’s remote and up until yesterday without internet.

What am I doing here? Partially putting together a personal strategic plan for 2010 which includes putting all my ideas on paper and taping them to the wall and thinking about what avenues I really do want to explore, and what I most realistically don’t want to do. It includes working on a redesign for The Causemopolitan, working on a manifesto I’ve been tinkering with, setting up a few other ventures floating around in my mind. That also includes long hikes, reading a stack of books I brought up, catching up on GOOD, Ode, The Week, Fast Company and the Harvard Business Review – my periodicals of choice. Listening to my favorite business podcasts. Basically being alone and thinking through my thoughts.

One BIG thing I forgot. National Novel Writing Month. #NaNoWriMo. It’s 50,000 words in one month. It’s letting go of perfection and saying “This doesn’t suck.” My plan is to write about my past year. I’ve always felt like I had lots of books inside of me. This is attempt to get at least one of them out there on paper. If nothing else to free my mind to take charge and work on some of the other ones swirling around my mind.

It’s HARD. I’ll write more about that as the month goes on, but let me say this. Blogging is going to take a backseat this month. It has to. I can get so wrapped up in writing HERE. I’m still writing, but forgive me for not doing my weekly features or being incredibly timely.

Am I super-productive every moment? Nope. Sometimes I sit and stare out the window or work on my 1,000 piece puzzle. I need this for myself. And some people get it. Great. And some people are mad at me because they think it’s not fair that I get to do this while they work. To that, what I have to say is that we all create our own reality. When I have a house and a family and all the things we’re supposed to want in life, I’ll have different priorities. But for now, this is what I need for me.

So there you have it. November in a nutshell. I might be asking some of you for feedback. I might be asking you for support. I might be asking you for connections or introductions. I might just be asking you to send me a virtual hug. Know that I’ll come out swinging ready to take life by the horns. You can’t build a house in a day, but you can chop wood every day. That’s my definition of progress.

If you liked this post, you might like:
Teaching of the Buddhas
The Dance
Making Lemonade From Lemons

Go Get The Ball!...

I was on a walk today with a friend and her two dogs. One is 3 and the other 12. The younger one, Haley, had brought her favorite ball and was obsessed with my friend throwing or kicking her ball so she could retrieve it. “Go get the ball!” My friend would say. The older dog, who I’ve known since he too, was a young pup, waddled along behind us, content to just be walking.

For about 15 minutes it was cute watching the dog bound ahead of us. Bound ahead and run back. Back and forth. Then it was like, “enough already” can’t you just walk normal and enjoy the surroundings? But no, Haley insisted on playing ball and was intently focused on that one thing. That one game so that she could have been anywhere, doing anything, for her it was all about the ball.

So it got me thinking, about us humans, and the things we obsess over. For good or for bad. To have that intent focus, one something we want, and how everything else becomes blurry when we have our intentions set on one goal. How for those around us, it can be like, “Enough already, have some fun, relax.”

But it’s hard right? It’s hard to find focus and it’s hard to let go. And as I was walking along, talking to one of my oldest friends in the ways friends talk – a mix of run-on sentences and jumping back and forth from one topic to another, I thought about the intense focus of the dog running around us but how also completely one-sided it was.

I think about that as I enter a new phase of my own life. An anonymous quote I found online says, “A dog at play has the mind of a wise martial arts master, a mind capable of perfect focus.”

Is focus important? Absolutely. But not at the risk of forgetting everything and ignoring everyone around me. Not this time.

If you liked this post, you might like:
30 and Proud. How I’m Choosing To Own My Age & Other Musings.
Boats Skimming the Surface
Lives Too Cool To Ignore