If you're reading this blog, you're probably drinking the social media kool-aid. You recognize the value of social media not only from a personal perspective but as a critical tool for your organization to reach new audiences, communicate more seamlessly with its constituents, raise money, and market products or services.  You may have spent months growing comfortable with the tools, building your online presence and that of your organization.

By Jeremy MacKechnie.

::image::Almost everyone has felt the effects of the less than stellar economic performance in the first half of this year. This is no less true for the majority of nonprofit organizations as seen in GuideStar's report on The Effect of The Economy on the Nonprofit Sector for the first half of 2010 released last week.

September 14-16, 2010
Washington, DC

Making Cents International's Global Youth Enterprise & Livelihoods Development Conference provides a demand-driven and participatory learning space where members of all sectors can share information on programs, methodologies, strategies and tools; network to build partnerships; gain new technical capacity; and help build the youth enterprise, employment and livelihoods development field. Hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank, the conference will take place September 14-16, 2010 in Washington, DC.

One of the most common pieces of advice given to young people is "get a mentor," but for some that's easier said than done. There are a few people in my life that I would consider mentors, and almost all of them have been people I just kind of lucked into relationships with but whose input and support has been invaluable.