From the Ground Up

Kicking Off Upswell 2020

Kicking Off Upswell 2020

/ by Victor Reinoso / We know what you might be thinking: didn’t Upswell Chicago just wrap up? If there's just one thing to know about Upswell, it's that it's an ever-growing wave of energy. Or to put it another way, it doesn't start and stop. Our shared opportunity -- at Independent Sector and throughout the…

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1600 900 Christian Clansky
Keeping changemakers’ cups full and passion strong

Keeping changemakers’ cups full and passion strong

Mindful leadership is rooted in self awareness. And the inner work you do directly impacts your outer work — not only how you show up at work, but also how you show up in your life. But what happens when changemakers — who focus squarely on improving the lives of others — feel dry and…

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
Ensuring human-centered design meets social sector needs

Ensuring human-centered design meets social sector needs

Human-centered design grows ever-more important as the social sector struggles to do more with less, and sector leaders search for new and different ways to gain greater access to the communities they serve. But how do you identify a designer who is aligned and in-tune with your organization’s mission and needs? George Aye, co-founder and…

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
Q&A with George Aye: the illumination of trauma-informed training

Q&A with George Aye: the illumination of trauma-informed training

George Aye found he had a lot to learn when transitioning from commercial design to human-centered design. And what he’ll share with sector leaders in

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
Pullman: the first industrial planned community and a national landmark

Pullman: the first industrial planned community and a national landmark

Upswell Chicago begins in less than two weeks now! We hope you’ve had a chance to save your spot to experience some of the immersive community events happening during the main event this November! The lineup features 19 thoughtfully designed experiences in all – including seven notable former Chicagoan also designated it as a National…

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
Pilsen: a Chicagoland stronghold for Mexican art and culture

Pilsen: a Chicagoland stronghold for Mexican art and culture

Upswell Chicago begins in less than three weeks now! We hope you’ve had a chance to save your spot to experience some of the immersive community events happening during the main event this November! The lineup features 18 thoughtfully designed experiences in all – including seven

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
Marwen: empowering youth through visual arts

Marwen: empowering youth through visual arts

Sign up for the Marwen was founded in 1987. What began as a one-room art studio is now a multi-floor, eight-studio, multi-gallery industrial loft that serves more than 900 students a year, offering visual arts and college and career programming for Chicago’s young people from under-resourced communities and schools in middle through high school. Aurora King,…

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
Avoiding state charitable solicitation regulation trouble

Avoiding state charitable solicitation regulation trouble

If your charitable organization does fundraising, make sure it stays on the right side of state charitable solicitation regulations. For some help doing that, don’t miss

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
Three ways to navigate Upswell Chicago

Three ways to navigate Upswell Chicago

Did you know there are more than 296,000 ways to experience Upswell? It’s true. We double-checked our math. With hundreds of different activities (and counting) happening over three days – many concurrently – there are literally hundreds of thousands of unique journeys through Upswell Chicago. That might sound overwhelming, but it’s actually pretty easy to…

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
Recognizing Chicago’s original stewards during Upswell’s opening

Recognizing Chicago’s original stewards during Upswell’s opening

Chicago, home to Heather Miller (Wyandotte Nation), executive director of the “Are you planning to do a Land Acknowledgement?” (American Indians in Children's Literature)

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1600 900 Jacqueline Brennan
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