[Congratulations to Idealist.org,
who successfully bid for and won the “Receive a Glowing Feature in the
Mercury” in our charity auction—and guess what? We couldn’t be
happier, because this is a great organization that really deserves your
attention. Read on!—Eds.]
If I know you, Mercury reader, then chances are your
life has been a selfish waste of time. It’s been awhile, hasn’t
it—years perhaps—since it had true meaning… since you
last felt the pull of a noble and unambiguous purpose.
These days, it seems like there’s less and less time to care about
anything other than the basics. You earn rent, pay it, and come up with
ways on the weekend to forget about the futility of your job mopping up
spills at New Seasons. If you’re lucky, you might have sex
occasionally. What a waste of youthful potential!
Don’t worry, however, because Idealist.org is here to help.
TOO MANY CAUSES, NOT ENOUGH TIME
I’m sure there are those reading this paper saying, “You give me too
little credit, sir. For I am, in fact, one of the Red Cross’ Vegan
Chess-Playing Envoys to Darfur.”
If so… great! Perhaps stop reading, because I’m talking to our
average, unmotivated 29-year-old reader (with whom I have some
empathy). It’s not that we don’t want to roust ourselves from
unfulfilled ruts—there are just so many good causes in Portland:
from homelessness to the Humane Society, from drug research to
biofuels. It’s hard to know where to start.
Each of those causes have so many nonprofits lined up behind them,
it’s hard to know which might be most fulfilling. Not to mention that
most of us still have to earn a salary and pay rent—on top of
which, an injection of existential meaning would be a bonus.
FINDING YOUR CAUSE
Here’s your answer: Idealist.org is an international organization with over 70 staff members across four
countries. Associate Director Russ Finkelstein works with a team of 10
on the 10th floor of a gothic tower on SW 12th and Morrison.
“We can’t tell you what your issue is or should be—but rather
how you can get started, and how you can have an impact,” he says. “Our
aim, really, is to help people with the challenge of moving from good
intentions to action.”
The organization does this by connecting with people through its
website, Idealist.org—a hub
for connecting individuals with the work of more than 70,000
organizations in 190 countries, and each other. They also convene
nonprofit career fairs in the US (including Portland!), and grad school
fairs in places as far flung as London, Geneva, and Toronto. This week,
more than 7,000 nonprofit jobs were listed on Idealist.org, and more than 11,000 volunteer
opportunities—many of them in Oregon. There were 1,484 internship
opportunities, the free Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers
(idealist.org/careerguide), and
much, much more, all designed to get you thinking creatively, and maybe
even inspire you to get off that unfulfilled ass!
TO EACH THEIR OWN
As usual, let’s take me for example: Over the last year in my job as
a reporter, I’ve discovered I’m interested in crime, safety, and
victims’ issues. A quick search on the website under those parameters
revealed two volunteer opportunities in Portland that I could do in my
spare time: One involved mediation and the other, raising money for a
crisis line for women experiencing domestic violence.
It’s a lot easier to consider one’s options when they’re not just
abstract, but actually right in front of you. If I were considering a
full-time career move—fear not, readers, this is purely
theoretical—it turns out World Pulse magazine is seeking
an editorial director, and Planned Parenthood needs a marketing
director. Right here in Portland! Hmmm… hold on. Cripes, that’s a
good salary….
But my issues aren’t necessarily yours. And they aren’t
Finkelstein’s, either.
“For example, I hate recycling. I find it a total hassle,”
Finkelstein explains. “I do it out of collective guilt. Even though
it’s not my issue and environmental issues are not where I spend my
time.”
Instead, he has served on national boards that help gay and lesbian
youth of color, promote the improvement of local city government, and
promote volunteerism in elementary schools. “For me, there are needs
there, and I can contribute more given my skills and interests,” he
says.
START SMALL
Serving on the board of a national charity may be all very well for
Finkelstein, but he’s clearly a man whose karma has truly been
chameleoned (to paraphrase Culture Club). But what about you?
You might want to go to grad school or college at some
point—but for now, let’s say you’re living in shared housing in
Southeast, living from paycheck to paycheck, and looking for an
eventual route out of your job at the grocery store.
You might be interested in mental health, gay/lesbian issues, or
prison reform. Perhaps you like the idea of working with veterans, or
of working with a museum of some kind. Or maybe race issues, or
government oversight? Go ahead, search the website. The opportunities
are there.
If you fancy leaving Portland for good, we’ll miss you. But there
are international opportunities galore—let’s hope you come back
with all your experience and enthusiasm intact, eager to foster
change.
GET CREATIVE
“People don’t necessarily need to intern, change careers, or even
connect with a nonprofit to feel they’re doing some good,” Finkelstein
says. “There are many who have connected on Idealist with strangers in
their hometown to start community improvement groups around the
world—from Afghanistan to Zambia.”
The idea of some of these groups is for like-minded do-gooders to do
something positive for a stranger, or group of strangers, once a week.
If changing careers sounds too radical, perhaps there’s something you
can do with your existing skills to make a difference.
“I met a woman recently who worked at a record company,” Finkelstein
says. “It was her job to travel the world and discover new bands and
sign them, and while most people would be envious, for her, she found
it unfulfilling.”
“For some reason, she was really into quality of life issues for
farm animals,” he continues. “And instead of quitting her job, I
suggested one option could be that she pull together a benefit record
or concerts using her connections.”
NETWORK, NETWORK!
As we’re talking, Finkelstein suggests I establish a workshop for
young, unmotivated hipsters in association with the Mercury.
Something to get our readers on their feet and inspired.
“We can get the hall at PSU,” he says with a grin. “Something along
the lines of ‘Hey, hipster. Get off your lazy ass!'”
Of course, I’m not sure I can be bothered, and mumble that I might
just write the article, but I guess that’s half of Finkelstein’s point.
Idealist.org wants to reach out to
Portland and beyond, to anyone, any organization that can help people
do more good. It wants to challenge them, and make them think harder.
The experience may feel rather unnerving, but it’s positive, and I’ll
give him credit where it’s due.
That’s why Finkelstein bid in the Mercury‘s charity auction,
thereby forcing me to drop by and meet him. That’s what I call
entrepreneurial creativity. And it’s also why, if you’re interested in
getting something karmic off the ground for yourself, or for others,
you should probably arrange to meet him soon, too.
Meanwhile, I’m off to email Planned Parenthood.