Contemplating what’s been accomplished is difficult to do without being honest about what’s still to be done. Some of last year’s challenges are still ambitious goals this year. I’ll update you on my vision for the year and invite you to comment and offer suggestions. The changes are a result of the goals I’ve set after becoming more mature about my scale and focus in the last year.

[Pioneering Volunteering in Bangkok]

By far, the major focus this year will be taking the lead in providing access to volunteering opportunities for people living, working or sojourning in Bangkok. This will be both through making more reliable, high quality information available and through our own volunteering project. After six months of the Sanuk My Saturday program, we will expand the project to another slum community at the end of February. I have already made several visits to the new location. There will be many new challenges that come with starting over, but the community there is eager to have their children participate.

[Smalltime Big]

Last year, I set out to promote urban gardening in Bangkok. While this was an idea many people loved, it never took root far beyond the beginning phase. This happened for a few different reasons that are more clear in hindsight. Most importantly, the price of food in Thailand, despite the recession, has remained fairly cheap. Unlike the US, Europe, and many other cities where people are scurrying to create alternative food sources, the public demand that has created change in those places doesn’t exist here. This really played itself out when the ngos I wanted to partner with put this idea on the back-burner or attempted to change it from a gardening project to a beautification project.

So one of the frustrations from last year was spinning my wheels trying to get this project going to no avail. I’ve decided instead of trying to convince the entire city to do something they have no clue about, I’m going to spend this year investing time in my own little corner. The remaining funding will support the volunteering project where we’ll be creating more awareness about caring for the environment, conservation, and do it yourself gardening in the communities we’re already working. We’ll be incorporating these ideas into the curriculum for Sanuk My Saturday and special events we’re designing to unite our the communities around being more green.

[Hands on Homelessness]

At the end of 2009, I received some funding to gather information about the homeless in Bangkok from a group called Hands on Helping. Since then I’ve begun hanging around some places many Bangkok residents try to avoid even in the daytime, interviewing people and genuinely trying to understand their situations. This has already made the beginning of 2010 exciting in various ways I’ll report more on later (with some video footage I’m working on too).

[Overachiever Goals]

More wish list goals that I’ll take a crack at this year:

• [Sponsorship] It costs about $75 per month to run our project in one location. With the expansion to a new location, it will be important for me to spend more time finding sponsors who believe in what we’re doing and agree to help support us financially. My goal is to get as many months this year sponsored as possible. You can help by contributing on our donation page. Thanks to Thrilling Heroics for entirely sponsoring Sanuk My Saturday last month.
• [Work More With the Elderly] With the big focus on kids, this is an area I haven’t delved too far into. However I’ll be looking for more opportunities to do more this year. Most of the inspiration comes directly from my mentor, Marc Gold, who has spent a considerable time aiding neglected elderly people in poor countries. Take a look at the video of him helping Papa Tak, a 70 year old man living in a dump in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
• [Go Native] I’m already fluent in colloquial Thai and can even manage most intermediate reading a writing. However, all of that is not enough for all I hope to accomplish. So in addition to maintaining good relationships with people already committed to our project, I need to spend more time recruiting more local Thai volunteers. My goal is to eventually have so many Thai volunteers that there’s a sense of co-ownership among everyone participating whether local or international.
• [More Dirty Work] There are really some people I’ve been lucky enough to come across who I’d consider on the front lines battling some issues that can’t be too openly discussed. I want to do more to help this year. Mostly I mean the people who are dedicated to helping minority groups and refugees. They are often the most needy and most difficult to help because there is little awareness or understanding about their plight.

You don’t have to be using social media to benefit from these tips. They can be applied to almost any social meeting, whether you’re managing events for a nonprofit or want to have a birthday where you do something to give back.

Small Stones, Big Ripples: Start with your friends and organize people around your plan to save the world. Refine your plan and make it realistic. Get the word out about what you’re doing and connect with other groups in your area. Soon you’ll find you have a small community. Choose a cause you’re passionate about and consider the variety of ways to contribute with your event. You may want to read my interview with Tom Potisit as an example of a small project making big ripples.

Transparency Required: Be ready to show people results. Transparency must be cultivated before, during, and after your event. Keep in mind, building integrity is about more than where the money goes. You should spend time connecting people attending your fundraiser with chances to participate in your cause. I love the feeling the day after the event when I have an inbox full of comments and emails to answer about how people can begin volunteering. As people see the benefits of what you’re doing they’ll be both more interested and more likely to give.

Plan Well, Care Less: Plan well and commit to your cause. When I decided something should be done to help urban refugees, I was determined to be a part of the solution whether or not my event was a success. I was able to care less in many situations because my commitment to change actually freed me from some of the anxieties of event organizing. Don’t let negativity or tight pockets shoot down your goals. When potential sponsors don’t answer your emails or return your phone calls, the need for change still exists. Social change DOES NOT require big sponsors or celebrities. Use me as proof. In Search of Sanuk has accomplished a great deal through our community and we haven’t hosted a sponsored event yet. How much more will you be able accomplish with all your connections?

The Law of Harry & Hurry: What I call the “Law of Harry and Hurry” is an extension of the above idea. No one wants a guilt trip about going to see Harry Potter instead of showing up at your charity event. People are busy. You can’t expect them to match your level of commitment, so don’t make them feel bad about their Harry or their hurry. Relax. Tell them not to worry if they can’t make it and make sure they know how they can get involved in other ways. You could always ask in a loud voice, “What do you have against ORPHANS?!” But I’m not sure how effective that would be. Show you’re committed with or without them. When they recognize this, they’ll be even more eager to work with you. In Bangkok we’re determined to make a difference, come take part.

Passion Wanted: Attract passionate people to your event. When we host the Bangkok Tweetup, I’m always amazed at the how diverse the crowd can be. They love travel, they’re business owners, and an array of other interesting pursuits. Remember, when all else fails cold beer and cool people wins you more high quality members than any amount of themes, raffles, or door prizes. Spend less time printing fancy name tags and more time engaging people about your cause and encouraging them to meet the other great people who came.

I hope these suggestions have been helpful. We’re volunteering almost every weekend and we’re hosting Twestival Bangkok in September. We will keep providing outlets for change to happen here. Let me know what you’re doing where you are!

“Dream big, work smart, start local.”

~Dwight