Saul Garlick

Recent Activity

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  Saul signed the petition | about 3 years ago

  Support Dr. Paul Farmer as He Considers Leading US Foreign Assistance Efforts
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  Saul commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Overclass: The Problem With the Bootstrap Era

  Nathaniel, thanks for the post. I am of the opinion that Bootstrapping (something I have been doing for 2 years) is both rewarding and terribly damaging.
  
  It is rewarding because it feels a lot like you are as "close to the ground" as possible in your work. I really feel every $10, $50 and $100 donation that comes in, and it has immense rewards when you know your hard work has produced something - in spite of all the insecurity getting there.
  
  But it can be damaging as well. Bootstrapping is akin to survival, and survival alone inhibits growth. At SMRC we have made a clear strategic choice to work hard (bootstrap, I guess...) to find sufficient funding so we can get through the next 9 months without being in jeopardy of total bankruptcy. It's not going to be easy in the short run, but my romantic views of working all the time out of passion have changed to working smart all the time rather than working to say I am bootstrapping.

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  Saul commented on the article | over 3 years ago

  Education Entrepreneur: Partnership Pitfalls

  Thanks, Ryan for your candid comments. I think one of the most important questions facilitators like you (or me with Student Movement for Real Change) can be asking is: "What value added to WE bring to the community regardless of the capacity fo the local organization's we work with?" Let me be more specific. It is of course essential that you find high quality individuals on the groung to work with, but equally important is managing the expectation among volunteers that they will go into a community and have better ideas or higher capacity to improve conditions than the locals already have. The key is to NOT think you can solve problems during a brief stay, but that with our extensive education and willingness to engage, we can navigate the realities on the ground with the local communities/partners and see where openings may exist to suppor their activities and make them better. Sometimes that may include doing a workshop with the NGO to help them solidify their Mission. Good luck!!!