Partnership

Giving back to our local community is very important to all of us at PMG.

Due to H1N1 and concerns around the wellness of children in relation to this, we have been advised and have decided not to host the Vermont Toy Share this year.  Our intention is to return in November 2010 with this event.  Thank you to the local community for all of the interest and support for this event – it has been overwhelming.

When one door closes, another opens. After making the decision to shelf Toy Share for this year, we started to ask ourselves: how can we continue to make a difference within our local community? Sure, we could donate money to some non-profits… and we do.  We could provide some services pro bono to worthy causes… and we do that too.  We wanted to feel more tied to an organization and that our efforts were directly benefiting someone in our local community.  After some brainstorming we got it!

Ken and I do a fair amount of public speaking in Vermont and across the US.  Most times, we are offered an honorarium, and in most cases we politely decline. Preparing for these presentations, traveling to them and then presenting at them take time. And while we do not typically take the honorarium, we will now. We have decided that all honorariums that we collect between November 1, 2009 and October 31, 2010 we will donate to a charity.

For 2010, we are proud to announce that Spectrum Youth and Family Services will be our first partner in this effort.  All monies for speaking honorariums collected by PMG during this time period will be donated to Spectrum to help them continue the great work that they do with teens in the Burlington, VT area.

Want to join us in supporting Spectrum? Here’s a couple of options:

• Make a direct donation

• Ask a PMGer to speak at your next event. For more information drop me a line at nicole(at)peoplemakinggood(dot)com

How Do You Self-Educate?

I have always been a big believer that you need to consistently be feeding your brain to be happy in life. I think most people feel that way.

When it comes to my career, I long ago realized that my education did not end when I graduated from college.  That was merely a starting point.  As a professional, I need to consistently educate myself on new trends, practices within my field, changes in business, etc., etc., etc.

Sure, in the past my employer has paid for me to attend seminars and get certifications.  The problem with most of those “educational” experiences is that you lose what you learn within six months.

When you are self-guided in your education, you are more vested. I also think that that is the turning point when your job becomes your career.  You see spending time outside of the office on this type of education as an investment in yourself.

At this point in my career I am still working at it.  At the moment I am reading and studying the ever-changing world of social media. I am also reading up on sustainable business and corporate responsibility.

What are you working on?