by Nedra Weinreich | Nov 3, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous
Can a blog be beautiful? Absolutely, and especially if it’s Ashley Cecil’s
The Painting Journalist blog. Ashley got in touch with me to let me know about the blog, which is a combination of art and function. As she describes it:
Welcome to the marriage of painting and social activism. I’ve been creating art ever since discovering that my mom’s Chanel lipstick made a great oil pastel. Through formal art education and years of professional experience, the adult version of this vocation has evolved into my own job title, “painting journalist.” I’m addressing philanthropic issues utilizing painting as my medium of communication. Much like a photojournalist, I travel to locations/events of cultural interest and capture them, only with my brush.
Ashley sells the artwork that she features on the site, and a portion of the proceeds are donated to nonprofits that are related to the topic of the painting.
Ashley’s description and sketches of the
aftermath of a murder in her neighborhood is especially compelling to read and view. She is incredibly talented. If your organization is looking for a piece of art to auction off, or if you would just like to decorate your home or office with artwork that is more than just a pretty picture, take a look at her site.
Technorati Tags: art, social change, painting
by Nedra Weinreich | Nov 2, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous
I don’t usually like to talk politics on this blog, but I am making an exception this time. If you live in South Texas (21st Congressional District – Austin/San Antonio), please consider voting for my friend Tommy Calvert for Congress. He is running as an independent and has a strong public service record as well as being a human rights advocate. Tommy and I worked together to raise awareness of human trafficking in Hollywood when he was the director of external relations at the American Anti-Slavery Group. He’s a mensch and a smart guy, and I wish I were able to vote for him myself.
My name is Nedra Weinreich and I approve this message. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Technorati Tags: tommy calvert, texas, congress
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 24, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous
I received a happy surprise in the mail this week. My new blog friend Roger von Oech, about whom I wrote recently, sent me his new product – the Ball of Whacks. It’s a rhombic triacontahedron (try saying that 5 times fast!) made up of 30 individual blocks held together with magnets. It can be taken apart and rearranged in an infinite number of ways.
I’ve spent the past few days playing with it, enjoying feeling the heft of the ball, the decisive click of the magnets and the satisfaction of making symmetrical designs that use up all of the pieces (yes, I’m very left-brained even when trying to be creative!). While I’m not someone who needs to have her hands occupied while thinking, I find that the process of arranging and rearranging the pieces does put me into a more relaxed and open state of mind. For those who have to doodle, fidget with a pen or toss a ball around while they think, this would be perfect.
The ball comes with a small book that provides ideas for how to use it to boost your creativity, and some background on how Roger came up with the idea to create the ball. There are studies that have shown the link between stimulating your motor function and stimulating your brain activity. And it keeps the kids busy too.
You can find information on ordering the ball here. Thanks again, Roger!
Technorati Tags: ball of whacks, roger von oech, creativity
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 18, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous
Next Monday, October 23rd the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants will make its temporary home here at Spare Change. Our theme will be Marketing for Nonprofits. If you are a blogger, please submit your best post of the past week or so that relates to the theme by this Friday night (Oct. 20) and I will compile and post the top seven submissions on Monday. Send an email to npc.carnival AT yahoo DOT com with your name, your blog’s name and the URL of the post (not your blog homepage).
In the meantime, take a look at the most recent Carnival at Aspiration Tech with the theme of Nonprofit Management Advice.
Technorati Tags: carnival, nonprofit, marketing
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 11, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous
No, this post doesn’t really have to do with social marketing. I’m just looking for an excuse to share this adorable cartoon that I saw on Coolz0r’s blog and fell in love with for some strange reason. I will just take this opportunity to thank all of you for reading and commenting on my blog so that I know I’m not just shouting into the wind. For those of you who read Spare Change regularly but do not comment, I would love to learn more about you. Leave a comment or send an email introducing yourself, tell me what kinds of things you would like me to write about, or let me know what you think about the posts I’ve written so far.
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 5, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous
If you have not already read Fard Johnmar’s excellent e-book about how health care organizations can use social media, From Command & Control to Engage & Encourage, I highly recommend it, as I wrote about in a previous post. If you have read it and liked it, Fard is trying to get it distributed as a ChangeThis Manifesto, which would help it reach a broader audience. The editors of ChangeThis select the proposals they publish as manifestos based on the number of votes they receive. Fard would appreciate it if you would cast your vote for his proposal to increase the chances that it will be selected.
While you are there, also vote for our blog friend Rohit Bhargava’s proposal based on his ideas on social media optimization and check out some of the other manifestos that have been published.
Nedra helps nonprofits and public agencies create positive change on health and social issues through social marketing and transmedia storytelling strategies at Weinreich Communications since founding the company in 1995. She helps organizations make a difference for the populations they serve by strategically designing programs that draw on state-of-the-art behavior change techniques, digital media approaches and the power of stories. 
