Monthly Archives: July 2010

It’s Complicated.

By Mark Hecker | July 30, 2010

I could spend all my time writing the perfect grant – crafting each word as though there would never be an opportunity for revision. I could do that, but it would be a very poor use of time. So much of this work is about building relationships. Simply having conversations to see where they lead. [...]

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Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning

By Mark Hecker | July 26, 2010

As I sat in Gutman Library at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education on Friday, I took the time to reflect on what I had learned during my year (2008-2009) as a HGSE student. Above all, I was hit with the realization that it is incredibly difficult to actually apply the lessons learned in lectures and [...]

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This Week

By Mark Hecker | July 23, 2010

Monday: Karin Johanson, a member of our board, called to inform me that she had secured commitments totaling $12,500. Tuesday: At a business dinner, I secured a $10,000 gift from ARPC. Wednesday: We learned that Jeans Day at Akin Gump raised $800 for Reach. We also secured a future $500 commitment from Venture II. Finally, [...]

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Keeping The Faith.

By Mark Hecker | July 19, 2010

Social entrepreneurship is often a lonely endeavor. For many months, I’ve spent time trying to inspire confidence in Reach’s unique program model. Regardless of who I’m speaking with, I do my best to give a complete and accurate representation of our plans. In such a connected world, you never know when these conversations may lead [...]

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Stay Tuned…

By Mark Hecker | July 15, 2010

I will be traveling through Sunday evening. The blog will return on Monday, July 19th. Thanks for checking in! Mark

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Deals for Deeds

By Mark Hecker | July 12, 2010

Reach got some great news today. We’ve been selected to be one of three featured organizations on Deals for Deeds for the month of August! While many of you out there may have heard of Groupon or LivingSocial, Deals for Deeds offers a similar model with a twist. Like these other websites, Deals for Deeds [...]

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To DC, With Love

By Mark Hecker | July 8, 2010

Last week, I told everyone that Reach had been selected to participate in an innovative street festival: To DC, With Love. Tickets are now on sale, so if you’re interested in learning about the DC nonprofit community (while enjoying food, drink, and fun), then come join us for this exciting event at Howard University! And, [...]

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Competition: The Wrong Word.

By Mark Hecker | July 5, 2010

I’m often asked about which organizations will be our greatest competitors. The base assumption – one I don’t assume to be true – is that there is a finite amount of money to be given to nonprofit organizations. This assumption sets up a spirit of competition between organizations, like animals in the wild seeking the [...]

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This Is What We Get To Do.

By Mark Hecker | July 1, 2010

Atul Gawande recently delivered the commencement address at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. Many of you will notice that this is not the first time that I use talk of medicine to discuss education – the parallels are striking. Two sections, in particular, stick out. Gawande speaks about the need to develop an effective system [...]

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