I must say that overall it was a great experience and my guess is that it had to do with two things. First, the superior meeting place and technology assistance provided by the LA County Bar Association and second, because of great facilitators from Leadership Outfitters.

The time difference did not provide too many logistical challenges other than being up at 5am and there was one period when lunch started back East and we then connected with our other state location, Sacramento for some continuing dialogue.

For the most part, it was easy to stay engaged. The panel at the end of the day was a little tough for us, especially the speaker from Fairmount Minerals. I believe that showing the video that we saw at the Design Team meeting would have enhanced his presentation.

As a member of the design team, the group asked me a lot of questions regarding the development of the program and I believe that they found it helpful.

I came away glad that I did a remote site and feeling that perhaps it may have helped other groups if a member of the design team had been in more locations.

Now, that said, post conference work and engagement is going to be very tough but MUST happen. You cannot generate this type of discussion and enthusiasm without continuing the dialogue. It is incumbent upon ASAE & The Center to figure that out to keep everyone engaged and to make this movement happen.

Now, a word about the subject at hand. I came away from yesterday, still feeling that everyone does not “get” Social Responsibility and that it is an institutional mind set in how one thinks and acts. It is not examples of how groups “help a cause” or “volunteer outreach plans”. While I loved, loved, loved Sachs presentation — I am afraid that he propetuated this thinking. It is more than an association or group of people adopting a village in Africa. That is only a small part of it.

I must say that our colleaqgue Ed Able was right on with his comment. Most examples that I heard yesterday were good submissions for Associations Advance America.

That said, I do think the industry is “up for this movement” to get outside ourselves! One thing that would be helpful is for ASAE & The Center to be a model. They should appoint a CSR officer and get rolling inside the organization. That would give all of us a “real life” non-profit example of what to do.

I do hope that we get there and it is going to take ongoing dialogue, repetition of the concepts (like we have never seen before), resources and really big picture thinking.

I think the original thinking was that the industry would get behind one initiative or one cause. I don’t think that is what we can do. I think we can get behind a movement to make the entire industry more socially responsible and provide the means to do that regardless of the association’s interest, size, etc.

I am sorry that I am missing Day 2 and Day 3, but have some pressing travels. Have great days!

As a community, those of us in associations are not prepared for the kind of collaboration you envision - neither for the scale, the speed, or the systems required for it. Nor do we (yet) embrace the idea of true collaboration - I’ll venture to say that consensus is a poor substitute for what we really need. I think consensus (as it is currently practiced) enables us to LOSE the best of opposing viewpoints rather than capture and use them. We need to learn to have dialogue across difference in a different way, in a way that demands that the direction of our intention be exceedingly clear - and that we are intending to do more (much more) than negate the opposite viewpoint. We need friction to create great (positive) change - and yet we don’t know how to navigate friction. It is, as you note, too messy. The fire of not knowing is what we need - and so few association execs, members of boards, etc., have gotten to where they are by not knowing - the plate tectonics have to shift in significant ways. We don’t yet feel the urgency, the burning platform, to make those shifts voluntarily. But we can, and must.

Thanks for the food for thought. Wish I was there with you!