Naples Social Action

You know what I like about our work creating NSA? It's completely organic, even more than Coine Language School was in the early days.

Take our newsletter as an example. For issue #4, out 8 days ago, we used a really cool and inexpensive online service to create a hot new look - if you haven't seen it, email me and ask to get on our emailing list. I liked the look of it, as did Jane, the newsletter's editor-in-chief. So we were delighted with the results, and I must say proud.

...But quite unexpectedly, we started getting all these people contacting us asking to be on our mailing list. I mean, each of the first three issues won us a fair share of praise from well-wishers who liked the content. But with this new look, all of a sudden Naples Social Action is a media player here in Naples. I even have the executive editor of a respected magazine taking me to lunch (while Jane's away on business) to see how we can help each other.

I never intended for NSA to become a media company. But here we are. We threw some spaghetti against the wall, and it stuck. That's how I do things, and... see? Sometimes it works out.

The Bicycle Series page is another clump of spaghetti that I just figured I'd throw up there. I like to ride my bike. Naturally, that led me to make friends with other cyclists, some of whom are involved in philanthropy like me. I learned that the cycling events in town are no better coordinated than the nonprofit fundraisers, so what the heck, we knitted together a bike series.

And three days later, we started our runner's series, which we'll have posted shortly on the biking page, right underneath. More spaghetti sticking to the wall.

I think my Tigger-like enthusiasm make some people nervous. Engineers, finance types, librarians, many computer programmers - many of these folks don't get how I can pull things off. But you know what? I'm not half the flake they might think I am, for one thing - I'm actually very efficient; I just don't brag about it: I'd rather have those outside the board room just think I'm fun, if a tad eccentric. For another thing, I'm relentless. I don't sit and plan, and I don't worry if something falls flat. I just grab another strand of spaghetti and fling it against the wall. If it sticks, we know it's time to dig in!

I don't think NSA could be half as wonderful as it is if we didn't let it grow as it will. We have to try a multitude of services to the community, and see which ones the community likes, which it finds unimpressive. This experimenting is fun. I guarantee you, some day Local Social Action will be huge, and - if Jane and I are not really careful - kinda... set in its ways. But now is the fun part. Now, to me, is the part worth doing. We'll let someone else cross the i's and dot the t's.