10 Favorites from 2010

2010 was an eventful year! We’re reflecting with 10 of our favorite notions from the past twelve months. The list isn’t all-inclusive or even in any sort of order, but reflects things that make us happy, hopeful, and excited for a terrific 2011.

1. New Thinking
Advocacy is hard to do effectively.  This year, we were psyched to see (and participate) in some new thinking about how to do advocacy better, and look forward to more of that – and seeing it bear fruit – in the year to come.

2. Busting Out of the Box
Getting attention and inspiring action is hard, too. We loved seeing organizations like American Jewish World Service and 10:10 bust out of the box and try new things.

3. Courage
When we saw video of Joel Burns sharing his story to help bullied teenagers, we wept, were inspired, and wanted everyone we had ever met to see it. We love Joel’s courage, we’re grateful that we get to work with him, and we still want everyone we’ve ever met to watch this:

4. Persistence
Transportation for America (another client – we’re lucky!) is a coalition of partners ranging from small local groups all across the country to big DC organizations who have come together  to change the way the US approaches transportation in the direction of more livable communities.  It’s a tough, diffuse, and difficult to explain set of issues and a complex set of local, state, and federal policies to wrangle, and the folks at T4A are an impressive bunch who’ve been nothing if not persistent in pursuit of sane, smart, policy that isn’t sexy but is vital.

5. Equality
It always seemed just out of reach, but was finally grasped: a long overdue victory for equality.  We cheered when the Senate finally struck down Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, allowing all of our brave men and women in uniform to serve openly.

6. Hope
Speaking of justice out of reach, we’re stunned that the DREAM Act – which would chart a path to citizenship for undocumented young Americans who were brought to the US as children and have attended two years of college or signed up for military service – didn’t pass.  We’re furious at the racist and nativist sentiments on the right, and saddened by and maybe even more furious at the six Senate Democrats who turned their backs on an opportunity for America to come closer to living up to its ideals.

But we’re also hopeful, because the DREAM activists are incredibly inspiring, courageous, persistent, and insistent on the path of justice.  They have sacrificed much, endured through what would have bowed most, and continue to fight.  They remind us to be hopeful that the arc of history does indeed bend toward justice.

7. Community
This is our second year working with the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation – an organization that supports families with children who struggle with bipolar disorder.  This small, scrappy organization has an outsize impact because it has built a community of families, caregivers, researchers, and health care professionals that support each other.  We’ve been impressed, moved, and fortunate to get to know them.

8. Transparency
If you care about poverty, you should care about budget transparency.  We learned this truth through our work with the International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Survey, and we’ll never again look at international development issues in the same way.  Watch and you’ll see what we mean:

9. New Directions
By popular demand, we added a new practice area in 2010 – media relations – and a new Principal, David Englin. Now there’s double the Englin and another set of strategic, results-driven services Englin Consulting brings to the table for progressive causes, candidates, and select for-profit organizations.  That’s got to be good stuff for 2011!

10. Luck
2010 was a year filled with meaningful work with inspiring clients in collaboration with brilliant partners. We’re a lucky bunch, and grateful for it. Many thanks to everyone we counted as clients, partners, and friends this year.