Do you remember fifth grade?

I do — barely. For me, it was the year of my first serious, sweet crush (thank you, Paula, wherever you are). Peter Frampton and Barry Manilow played the soundtrack. I was reprimanded and utterly chagrined by the teacher during "Prehistoric Studies" for an expressive outburst when I commented loudly on the size of someone’s brow. And I redeemed myself on Halloween when, costumed as Elton John, mid-1970s, I gave a rousing, impromptu performance, lip-synching "Bennie and the Jets" on teetering stack of desks that at once served as my stage, piano, and bench. All the kids from the other rooms stuck their heads in, and Tammy — far and away the cutest girl in my class (sorry, Paula) — swooned in the front row.

It’s all there: the sweet smell of new tar blacktop, erasers, old books and the new teacher’s perfume.

Flash forward. My daughter Claire started fifth grade a few days ago. This new start involved a new school, too. Particularly brutal. Naturally, she was a bit stressed.

Okay, very stressed. DEFCON Delta-stressed. Thanks to a recent move, she was not only attending a new school, but starting four days earlier than expected.

The stress exploded in a crying-storm two nights before the first day.

For a parent, as many of you know, it’s a crazy time. Forms. More forms. School supplies. Clothes. Bowing before the school authorities about your forms. Pleading, negotiating, cajoling. But, above it all, being the serene, controlled and fearless figure to your child.

On Claire’s last day of summer vacation — the final day before her big, new adventure — I brought her into work. I had calls to make, plans to write, people with whom to speak. She’d been through it before, many times. I’ve been hauling her into work, maybe six or seven days a year, since I joined Voce in 2000.

Yes, that was kindergarten.

So she did as she always does: mingled a little with the co-workers, settled down on the spare PC to collect Hilary Duff pictures and look at pictures of puppies. She played with Sasha, our operations head’s little Yorkie, and occasionally volunteered expressive outbursts about, well, whatever. As the day wore on, her innate shyness melted and she started being herself, with the people she’s known for many years, her sandals flopping like a cow-bell around the office.

And my colleagues, as they always do, did what they do: they were the most gracious, warm-hearted people you could ever imagine.

Quietly — almost without my even noticing it — her little DEFCON level dropped. Maybe it was hanging out with adults (I use the word loosely). Maybe it was the non-stop arm punching, teasing, and ball-throwing that our crew playfully and relentlessly sent her way.

But, somewhere inside her, I could tell, the apparent harsh edge of the first day of fifth grade had been worn a little smoother.

That’s the innate — and priceless — value of being a nearing-forty-year-old father who loves his job and his colleagues only slightly less than he loves his daughter.

Thanks, Voce. — Tim Johnson

And thank you, Claire, for helping me remember.

Breathe deep, sweetheart. Smell the asphalt.

If you absolutely must, be someone’s Paula.

And, without question, have an expressive outburst.

From time-to-time we’ll be inviting clients to guest-write for the Voce Nation.  Today’s post comes from Whitney Smith, Co-CEO for Girls For A Change, a non-profit organization that’s empowering girls to create social change.

When first approached about the concept of blogging by Voce, I first had visions of middle aged engineers posting photos and stories about their recent robowars competition or crafty people posting their latest sock monkey pattern. As a non-profit we had all the technology communication tools that were being used by other cutting-edge organizations. We had a website and it was updated 2-3 times a week and we had a well received html enewsletter so why would we need a blog?  I didn’t speak it out loud however because somewhere in my conscious was a feeling that my perception might not be the most up to date. My preconception was that blogging was something for the edification of the ego. Little did I know….

So we embarked on the process of learning how to blog. As an organization we have a value around being risk-taking and also to live into the concept of abundance, rather than scarcity. If we did not have this mantra many times along the way we might have seriously considered tossing in the towel. It isn’t that it is difficult to learn how to blog or that it takes a great deal of time, but there is always something to do which seems as if it will have more immediate gratification. Also in groups of other non-profit professionals, I would mention our blog endeavors and receive strange looks and comments such as, "Don’t you have enough to do without adding something else." Along the way as the path unfolded it became clear that we were developing an amazing tool and that the doubters would be proven wrong.

As I learned more about blogging, I discovered many things. Yes, there are engineers and crafters out there and there are a lot of them, however there is a huge section of technology, industry and individuals using blogging as a tool to increase their sales, boost their marketing efforts, attract talent, and even run for president. Blogging is being used widely in many, many venues which are increasing the success of the public and private sector. Since we have learned about the basics of blogging and how to apply it to have a major impact on the strategic goals of our organization I have become a fervent believer and promoter of blogging to the non-profit sector.

Blogging is an amazing tool. Just a FEW of the things we have created or are creating through our blog InHer City are:

• A live tool that we can use as a way to distribute information about our organization and issues affecting our constituents widely. This allows us to have a group of readers who increase their contact with us from a quarterly enewsletter to possibly a daily or weekly visit to the blog to read the latest news and thoughts.

• An innovative way to engage our primary focus, young women, in using technology and creating systems of communication for them to widen their network globally. Our girls love to be able to contribute their voice to the blog and promote it to their friends. All young people now spend considerable time online and we have discovered that blogging can be a way of reaching them as an organization.

• A way to reach out globally about the work that we are doing and engage future geographies in the vision of our work before we are able to establish a real branch in that area. We have also begun to be able to begin establish ourselves as a girl and social change hub.

• Enhancing our current volunteer recruitment and donor cultivation tools by using the blog as an ongoing source of information about issues affecting girls and about social change.

• A way to get our organization in front of more people for fewer dollars than we could ever do with our more traditional marketing efforts, our website or enewsletter.

And these are just a FEW of the ways we are expanding our organization through the use of this tool. I know there are going to be many more as this journey unfolds.

Something the non-profit sector has learned over the years is to look to innovative ways to maximize their resources and use the models of for-profits to the benefit of their non-profit work. Blogging is just one way to succeed in this area and that the investment of talent and time can potential yield many more resources for not for profit ventures.

Whitney Smith, Co-CEO Girls For A Change

www.girlsforachange.org

www.hercity.org

You’ve gott’a hand it to the marketing folks at Cisco, when it comes to social media, they get it.  Cisco was one of the first enterprise companies to RSS-enable their newsroom.  Now they’re podcasting too.  So riddle me this batman: Why aren’t they blogging?

Update: They are blogging! They have one devoted to tech policy.  Hat tip, Constantin.

– Mike Manuel

Everyday another blog gets launched.

Blog for Hope from Yahoo! seems so far to have a very humane purpose.  Possibly part of a larger corporate consumer strategy but worth sharing nonetheless. 

Excerpt:

“Produced in cooperation with the American Cancer Society and Yahoo! Health, Blog for Hope focuses on cancer prevention and early detection by stressing the importance of changing bad habits to reduce risk, knowing treatment options, and adopting healthy lifestyles. You can help the American Cancer Society pursue its ultimate goal — the elimination of cancer — by making a donation to support programs for research, education, advocacy, and service.”

I suppose this is where technology meets “cause.”

-

John Welton

(Disclosure: Yahoo! is a Voce client)

Voce is dedicated to doing exceptional work not only for our clients but also in our communities.  Community service is a powerful expression of the civic values that bind us together as a society.  Voce has a continued partnership with non-profit organization, Girls For A Change (GFC), offering strategic public relations planning for its national launch and fundraising events, as well as the on-going development of its blog, InHerCity.

GFC, is a national organization that empowers young women to create social change in their environments.  With the guidance of professional women, girls design, lead, fund and implement innovative projects that transform their neighborhoods, schools and communities.

Girls for a Change launched nearly 100 girl action teams in Northern California this year.  Below are just a few of the program implementations that the high school girls accomplished this year:

• A gang prevention program for Santee Elementary School sixth graders that got the team on NBC nightly news!

• A asthma awareness video so powerful that the American Lung Association wants to use it in their education program.
• An immigrant rights campaign that brought the team to Sacramento to speak with elected officials including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• An Anti smoking campaign that resulted in a billboard on Highway 880.
• A $10,000 education fund for girls in Afghanistan

We are proud of the work that we do with GFC.  The opportunity to apply our expertise empowers the organization, which in turn empowers the young ladies that participate.  Organizations like these are needed in all of our communities.  It is great to see the young women building on their self-esteem, making new friends and impacting their communities.  We are honored to be a part of the social change.

– Katie Watson