Within the Yard is a gate, where the attached plaque was posted:  ‘This gate was dedicated twenty-five years after women students first moved into Harvard Yard in September of 1972.’

In November and December, many of you followed our President, Linda Brown Rivelis, and CEO, Steven Rivelis, on their 60 day journey around the globe. You saw their incredible pictures, and read about their phenomenal journey. But what you may not know are the things that came after.

At our annual Give 5 event—where our team gathered, put our heads together, and decided what social causes to support with 5% of Campaign Consultation’s profits — the Rivelis’ also gave us each a gift. Every team member was awarded a voucher to contribute to travel costs to a unique destination, with one stipulation: we had to go to a place we’d never before been. Since then, many of us have taken trips that we may have never taken.

We are excited about this incredible opportunity and want to share our journeys with you. Throughout the year, expect to see short snippets of the places we have visited. Stay tuned to see our photos, aha moments, and/or links to cool things to do at the places we have visited.

-The Campaign Consultation Team

This entry-level position will report directly to the President and CEO and will be responsible for a variety of administrative and creative duties. Tasks include, but are not limited to, filing, coordinating schedules and activities, placing orders for supplies and services, and tracking progress and results. This position requires a detail-oriented, organized and enthusiastic individual who has strong computer and internet research skills; and who may assist with overflow work from other staff, as needed.

The Administrative Assistant will have a strong desire to gain office management experience. He or she should be a self-starter with the interpersonal skills to work collaboratively in a team-based environment. The Assistant must have excellent communication skills, as well a strong willingness to participate and learn in a fast-paced environment.

Required Qualifications for Prospective Candidates:

• Highly motivated
• Extremely organized
• Possess a high-level of detail
• Civic-minded

Desired Qualifications for Prospective Candidates:

• Demonstrated experience in planning, tracking and implementing projects
• Proven familiarity with social media

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume and salary requirements to Knizner@CampaignConsultation.com with subject “Administrative Assistant Search Committee” or via mail to Human Resources Search Committee, Campaign Consultation, Inc., 2819 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.

Who we’re looking for:

You are the type of person who thrives on taking care of things the right way the first time. A task comes in and you figure out how to get it done without having to ask a lot of questions. You enjoy problem solving and know how to ask the right questions. When you say “I will take care of it” we know it will be done well. You get excited when you know you’ve made someone else’s day easier, and can grasp the big picture while executing the finer details. You have a service mindset and/or consider yourself a “change agent.”

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 5 years of experience. Additional experience may be substituted for the degree. A master’s degree may be substituted for some of the experience.
• A high degree of organization, attention to detail, creativity, ability to plan, multi-task and meet deadlines.
• A self-starter with the interpersonal skills to work collaboratively as part of a client-oriented project team.
• A strategic thinker, who is comfortable with ambiguity and with helping client groups and work teams reach timely decisions and critical deadlines in a fast paced environment.
• Strong writing, verbal and research skills.
• Proven ability to conduct outreach and build relationships via phone and social media with nonprofit organizations, foundations and government agencies. Have an understanding of how to utilize social media to build, grow and mobilize online communities.
• Demonstrated experience in project planning, management, tracking, and implementation.
• A proven track record in material development, training, technical assistance, communications, and new media to advance a social change agenda.
• Possess a high-level of understanding of the community and national service field.

In addition to the requirements outlined above, candidates must possess ability to work independently and collaboratively. You must be able to take both initiative and guidance while maintaining a positive attitude.

If you were working for us, here are some of the things you might have done last week:

• Synthesized information from one or more meetings with the client or other team members to create a clear and comprehensive written work plan for a specific campaign/project
• Listened to clients’ expectations and created an outline or product to fulfill their needs while taking into account our corporate culture
• Provided a requested product to the client and offered two additional options to better meet their needs
• Took the initiative to play amateur detective to research and locate information via the internet or by phone and stayed on task until the desired information was located
• Was flexible during a meeting with a client to adjust a product in response to their immediate feedback
• Brought strategic thinking expertise to clients to identify goals, engage stakeholders, mitigate obstacles while taking advantage of opportunities, and ascertain resources needed to advance and implement a work plan to achieve goals
• Developed and managed an action plan by understanding the scope of work and all of its nuances
• Absorbed and digested complex information in order to clearly present content to the end user via a PowerPoint presentation, fact sheets and other learning materials
• Created a “how to guide” for implementing a major community-wide event
• Wrote content for the following: websites, e-newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, press releases and marketing materials
• Facilitated face-to-face and web-based meetings and training sessions

Here are some other things you might do:

• Proposal writing for new business development
• Compile and draft monthly reports or reports at the end of a project

If you can take accurate notes based on verbal discussions, successfully implement verbal or written instructions, are comfortable in a high-paced environment, take initiative, and can follow through on tasks or projects to completion, we definitely want to hear from you. If you are comfortable producing mediocre work, this is not the right fit for you.

If this job sounds like something you’d love to do everyday please send a cover letter addressing the listed qualifications, resume and salary requirements to success@campaignconsultation.com.

Who we’re looking for:

You are the type of person who thrives on taking care of things the right way the first time. A task comes in and you figure out how to get it done without having to ask a lot of questions. You enjoy problem solving and know how to ask the right questions. When you say “I will take care of it” we know it will be done well. You get excited when you know you’ve made someone else’s day easier. If you love organizing and managing logistics, that is a plus.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 3 years of experience. Additional experience may be substituted for the degree.
• Must be customer service oriented and engaging when communicating with internal and external clients.
• Demonstrate a high degree of organization, attention to detail, creativity, ability to plan, multi-task and meet deadlines.
• Excellent written, verbal and research skills.
• Strong willingness to do whatever is needed to complete tasks from start to finish.
• Experience in project planning, tracking, and implementation.
• Familiarity with social media.

In addition to the requirements outlined above, candidates must possess ability to work independently and collaboratively. You must be able to take both initiative and guidance while maintaining a positive attitude.

If you were working for us, here are some of the things you would have done last week:

• Responded to a handful of calls and a high volume of emails by providing information to meet our constituents’ needs
• Received project instructions verbally or via email and carried out each point successfully
• Took the initiative to play amateur detective to research and locate information via the internet or by phone and stayed on the task until the desired information was located
• Proof-read materials created by other team members for accuracy
• Used Microsoft Outlook to schedule conference calls and meetings
• Updated PowerPoint presentations for upcoming webinars
• Created and managed project check-list to ensure timely completion and accuracy of tasks by several team members and vendors
• Sent out mass mailings using Mail Chimp
• Researched and collected price quotes and created a matrix to analyze prices and other variables
• Arranged printing of publications, displays, awards, and tablecloths with various vendors

If you can take accurate notes based on verbal discussions, successfully implement verbal or written instructions, are comfortable in a high paced environment, take initiative, and can follow through on tasks or projects to completion, we definitely want to hear from you. If you are comfortable with producing mediocre work we’re not the right fit for you.

If this job sounds like something you’d love to do everyday, please send a cover letter addressing the listed qualifications, resume and salary requirements to success@campaignconsultation.com.

Code for America … recruit fellows and upon cities’ application/invitation disperses coders to local governments.

Cody Johnson states, “Code for America is not just about coding, but rewiring society.” This movement is where the physical needs of regions, towns, cities and other local governments meet the digital support.

Government is a platform to help one another and with digital support, it can operate more efficiently according to the following stories which appeared on a Ning.

Citizens contact a Ning and have anonymous Samaritans provide advice saving call center cost and delays:

There’s a possum in my house … Advice: Turn on music real loud and open all the doors. Possum left.

There’s a possum in my trash can … Can’t tell if alive or dead … Any one help? Action: Neighbor walked over took off the lid and laid can on its side … Possum left.

Fire hydrant app developed for Boston to recover fire hydrants buried by snow. Ask people to dig out.

Tsunami sirens batteries removed by local folk from Hawaii; app developed to locate non-functional sirens

App developed to locate children on school buses stuck in snow that parents can access app instead of calling a command center, waiting for free operator, who finds and reads out location.

7 ways to help government

1. Go into public service … Treat Gov agency as a start up
60% of local employees retiring in 2015 … Great opp

2. Build civic start-ups

3. Help with programming … Cut costs in time and money spent

4. Join Code America … Ask your City to join

5. Making more gov data available … Show how you could help with data

6. Brigade@codeforamerica.com … I want to hack in. Kevin Curry and Jack Madden

7. Live like a citizen … Pull weeds, pick up trash

Linda

The following recap is a layperson’s translation in an attempt to understand concepts … double-check veracity and feel free to edit these points.

Flash is useful in design for trade show kiosks, inboard dash systems, etc.

1. Flash is not going away immediately. HTML5 not done yet. Utility as a tool is so vast, nothing to replace yet.

2. Do not build web-based sites using Flash alone

3. Do not build out in Flash behind the HTML page. User will only get one page of content which is not enough information.

4. Accessibility is key … Flash can take too much time to load for bells and whistles or embedded Flash video player … User goes elsewhere

5. Other Software: Word Flex … Ajack … Jaws … Adobe Edge, HTML5, etc. Technology will continue to advance as more products are added to this list. However, users’ actual accessibility will lag.

Universal Design (aka 508)

The term “Universal Design” reflects a good business mindset that with 2% extra effort the site will have clean codes, ease in maintenance and better compatibility with search engines. All of these business benefits while doing the right thing in making the site accessible to all people, with and without disabilities.

CAG AA standard (used in China and ratified by European countries) is a refreshed standard and will eventually replace the USA’s 508 standard

Linda

App Programming:

The following recap is a layperson’s translation in an attempt to understand concepts … double-check veracity and feel free to edit these points.

1. Develop program in modular format, easier to update

2. Create and tailor objects with client’s data needs … a data-driven approach

3. Iterate and build app design quickly and automatically

4. Go for low fidelity with minimal functionality at first

5. Build in agile activity where app presents a framework vs. a set of static features – i.e., user uploads a photo for their profile and it also automatically posts to Facebook, etc.

6. Easy to change and the tools to build

7. Do the design first and build out functional prototype

8 Good design is an emergent activity, done in phases where it’s program is used, updated, used again and updated again

9. Core point is to get results in front of client as soon as possible

Exception … GAMES

Require development of a whole system in total … Can’t build half a game in a modular format

Linda

Last show of #SXSW – Train – UFB … Now that’s a show! Pitch perfect performance, intimate, honest and humble. Great way to wrap-up an amazing 10 day festival of interactive, film and music.

Seeing Abby Mott @ The Crow Bar … Best #SXSW concert ALL week!