Inspiration

"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."

-James Dean

Today marks the anniversary of the tragic and spectacular death of James Dean, a young actor whose style made him the archetype of cool and the poster boy for teenage angst. His break was in the movie "East of Eden." At the time of his death, Dean had just finished filming "Giant," his third film. His second film, and the one which has firmly placed him in the memories of many, was "Rebel Without a Cause," which was about to be released.

This somewhat prophetic quote can remind us that we are served by acting upon our dreams and fiercely striving to live the life we imagine. Do you believe in you Learning Center? Imagine its success. Then act as if your actions will make the difference (they will).

Rebranding Update

Update on Rebranding

It has been some time since we spoke about the rebranding initiative that was described after the June meeting of the Learning Centers Board of Directors meeting. This is probably a good time to bring you up to speed because we have received number of inquiries.

• At this point the Cornerstone brand is still a strong contender for these reasons:
• It is among the few brands that is meaningful to Masons and non Masons alike.
• It has been largely supported by those who chose to respond to our blog poll as well as the board of directors.
• Although there may be other companies with the word "Cornerstone" in their name, legal registration for Cornerstone Tutoring is available in all states of our market.
• The domain name is owned by us.
• In testing with a diverse sample of non-Masons, the name has a positive connotation.

Now this is not to say that there are not a few places where the name may be an issue:

• Grand Rapids has a fundamentalist college named "Cornerstone"
• Pittsburgh has a ministry named "Cornerstone" in their building or adjacent to it

We acknowledge these issues and are developing an alternative workaround for these places.

So what are our next steps? The Learning Centers BoD does not meet again until December 10th. We are meeting in Lexington in advance of that to finalize recommendations. Along with that, we are developing a logo based on your input (the mutant elf logo image is gone).

What we need from you is an estimate for the cost of signage at your site, if you used the current logo in signage. Also, if you have any additional feedback, please send it along.

Finally, we are still wondering what to do about the Teddy Bear. The logo is not age appropriate for our students and may be an embarrassment to older children. However it is a solid rallying image among the Masonic community. We may continue to use the logo for Masonically-specific fundraising and PR. What do you think?

Success Story Reminder

The end of the month is almost upon us and I've received only one entry for the monthly success story challenge (win $100).

Its not too late to enter.

News You Can Use

Seth Godin wants us to Shake Things Up

It is probable that many of you have never heard of Seth Godin. If you are over 55 and/or the new culture of communication, web 2.0 or social media is a bit of a mystery to you, he hasn't gotten onto your radar screen. He is however a very smart guy and a keen visionary and business mind. His books are must reads in the knowledge technology realm.

I was struck by a recent posting in his blog. It calls the not-for-profit community to task for not using new ways to communicate to our greatest advantage.

Specifically he begins by stating that among the 100 top twitter users in terms of followers, not one is a charity. Further he goes on to say that even when he spoke to two of the country's most well known non-profits about ways to improve their connection to their constituents with social media both balked. In Godin's words, "After about forty five minutes, the meetings devolved into endless lists of why any change at all in the way things were was absolutely impossible. Everyone looked to the president of the group for leadership, and when he didn't say anything, they dissembled, stalled and evaded. Every barrier was insurmountable, every element of the status quo was cast in stone."

These are among the latent problems with non-profits: failure to keep up with market demand and to have the motivation to move ant the speep of change. Again in Godin's post," if your non-profit isn't acting with as much energy and guts as it takes to get funded in Silicon Valley or featured on Digg, then you're failing in your duty to make change."

While one could quibble with Godin's choice of criteria (everyone who knows what Digg is gets a star), he is correct in principle. As it relates to our Learning Centers he is spot on.

Think about your condition. Status quo in terms of the past funding policies is over. Yet how many of you are still conducting "business as usual?" How many boards are still mired in inaction perhaps expecting that someone will bail the Learning Center out? I myself have heard that several boards have not done much of anything to change their activities or expand their circle of leadership under the belief that, "they (whoever they is) will bail us out."

My friends this thinking is wrongheaded and fails to embrace passion for our task at hand. Whether we like it or not we must all change and ask ourselves what we envision our particular Learning Center to be. Times of change are challenging, but these are the times that define our future.

For more on Godin, Google him.

Inspiration

"If the infinite had not desired man to be wise, he would not have bestowed on him the faculty of knowing."

-Manly Palmer Hall (1901-1990)

I came across this quote in the pages of The Lost Symbol, the Dan Brown thriller that largely features the Masons.

Manly Hall was a name largely unknown to me, but he is known in Masonic circles. A 33rd Degree Mason, Hall is best know for has writings on ancient thought and Masonic sybology. In 1928 he wrote his best know work The Secret Teachings of All Ages. In 1934 he founded the Philosophical Research Society which continues to this day.

A good starting place to learn more about Ill. Brother Hall is Wikipedia.

This quote serves to remind us of the universality of "the faculty of knowing." All children are imbued with his, yet in some the faculty is hidden by dyslexia. Our continuing gift to humanity is setting free this capability so even children with dyslexia may attain the "wisdom" before them.

Ideas That Work

A Walk Idea Worth Passing On

As many of the Learning Centers prepare for their walk event, I want to pass on a suggestion from New Hampshire that proved successful for them and might for you.

Last year a combined Walk of the Nashua and Seacoast New Hampshire Learning Centers raised over $9,000, a good increase from the previous year. Their best walker raised more than $1,000. How did they improve the event?

Simply, Aileen Cormier, the Center Director of the Nashua LC asked one of the Centers donors to donate a Wii game console as the prize for the person who raised the most money. That $300 incentive raised everybody's game. It was an idea that paid off.

You know, you don't need a donor to imitate Nashua's success, you could offer that or another enticing prize and simply buy it. In that case, put a minimum amount raised equal to the cost of the item to assure you don't lose money on it. Don't worry, it is rare that there is only one participant eager to raise the most, so the idea will pay off (and if no one raises the minimum, you can return the unused item).

In my days of conducting walk events. I created prize structures that offered prizes for different levels of fund raising, keeping the value of the prize at about 25% of the amount raised. I would have a sample of each prize on display at the event as well as inventory for people who had already collected their money. for the remainder, I informed the participant that the gift would be delivered once the funds were deposited. That way I only bought what I needed.

At any rate, this a "prize" idea you can take to the bank.

Calling All Stories

Remember, our success story contest is open for September. You might win $100 for your LC, like the folks in Cambridge did for August. The deadline is September 30.

News You Can Use

A Sign (or Symbol) of our Times

Sometimes it is worth our while to shift gears and enjoy things. It is with this in mind that I purchased yesterday a copy of the new Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol.

I have to tell you that this is a book that's hard to put down. I'm already almost halfway through the 500+ page work and I'd really impressed. Not just because of the energy Brown generates with his style of writing, but with his treatment of Freemasonry.

Now I am sure that there are plenty of Masonic Purists who will (accurately) devote much time to deconstructing the book and criticizing inaccuracies. But I think this misses the point.

In this book, Brown largely gets it right. In the first 100 pages he debunks many of the myths of the Craft. He even gives a very clear explanation describing the difference between a secret society and a society with secrets.

In short, Brown hasn't gone for the easy stereotypes in this book (he even mentioned that a character was a big donor to "Masonic charities."

Why do I bring this up? This book is going to be a big phenomenon. It should raise new interest in the Fraternity and all than we do, including the Learning Centers. Buy the book and read it. Give it to friends and then tell people you are involved with the Masons or a Masonic charity and see if this doesn't open a door to more discussion about the Learning Centers.

Let's make sure this isn't a "Lost" opportunity.

(If you want to read a review of the book, there is the LA Times review here.)

Inspiration

"Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life. "

-Arnold Schwarzenegger

Today marks the anniversary of Mr. Schwarzenegger becoming an American citizen in 1983.
"The Governator" as he is now known is living proof of the American success story. Schwarzenegger parlayed success as a body builder to movie stardom. Barely able to speak English when he arrived, Schwarzenegger embraced his opportunities in this country to become hugely successful.

He expresses a passion for life and his appreciation for this country. "Everything I have, my career, my success, my family, I owe to America," he says.

His thoughts about helping others is a good reminder for each of us as we strive to support our Learning Centers.