Blog
Contributor Guidelines
Submitting guest blogs is open to Global Washington’s members of the Atlas level and above. We value a diversity of opinions on a broad range of subjects of interest to the global health and development community.
Blog article submissions should be 500-1500 words. Photos, graphs, videos, and other art that supports the main themes are strongly encouraged.
You may not be the best writer, and that’s okay. We can help you shape and edit your contribution. The most important thing is that it furthers an important conversation in your field, and that it is relatively jargon-free. Anyone without a background in global development should still be able to engage with your ideas.
If you include statistics or reference current research, please hyperlink your sources in the text, wherever possible.
Have an idea of what you’d like to write about? Let’s continue the conversation! Email comms@globalWA.org and put “Blog Idea” in the subject line.
Posted on December 15, 2014
By Liv Froehlich
My brother recently informed me that he had installed new disk brakes on his truck entirely by himself. Albeit an intelligent man, I knew for a fact that he had never performed such an operation before. I asked where he had suddenly gained the skills and knowhow to take apart his vehicle, to which he simply replied, “YouTube.” To my astonishment, searching “1994 Ford Ranger Disk Brake” yielded over 2,000 results, many of which were step-by-step tutorials.
We live in a day and age where, if you’re unsure of what to make for dinner, you can just search “recipes” on Pinterest and be inundated with options. While DIY crafts, home décor tips and BuzzFeed Top 20 lists may not represent technology at its finest, they are indicative of something much larger — the desire of everyday people to share their knowledge. So how does this translate to global development? It could mean a free education, the start of a small business enterprise, templates for new homes, and so much more. Continue Reading
Posted on December 8, 2014
Waldron and the UW Evans School of Public Affairs, both Global Washington members, recently released their second annual Social Sector CEO Trends report after surveying senior executives at U.S. NGOs, nonprofits and charitable foundations.
As the number of organizations in the social sector grows and leaders reach retirement age, the sector is expected to face a scarcity of leadership. The survey examines if and how organizations are planning for these changes and how CEOs’ perceptions compare to Leadership Team perceptions.
Some of the top survey findings include:
- 90% of CEOs perceive their organizations provide next generation leaders with access to development opportunities compared to only 52% of Leadership Team members.
- 87% of CEOs state that succession planning is very important, yet less than 30% have a planned transition policy in place.
- 62% of Leadership Team members aspire to become CEO, but only 27% report they feel ready to take that role today.
Click here to access the full report in Waldron’s Knowledge Center.
Posted on December 2, 2014
By Charlotte Dawkins
In a world where information constantly bombards us, where there is always something “trending,” the concept of megatrends is something that PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is looking at closely. PwC opens Global Washington’s 6th Annual Conference on Wednesday, December 3 with a presentation of their recent study outlining five megatrends.
PwC defines megatrends as “macroeconomic forces that are shaping the world” and states that they are “factual and often backed by verifiable data.” The five megatrends include society’s biggest challenges and opportunities, and are as follows:[1]
- Accelerating Urbanization
- Climate Change and Resource Scarcity
- Demographic Shifts
- Shift in Global Economic Power
- Technological Breakthroughs
Continue Reading