In just two weeks, I?ll be leaving for the newly independent nation of Serbia to lead the 10th International Summer School to Stop AIDS. Young people from more than 20 countries around the world will be attending and with our third consecutive grant award from the U.S. State Department, Common Ground is responsible for coordinating the educational program. Sponsored and run by Youth of JAZAS in Serbia, this event is one of the world?s best examples of youth leadership in action.

This year, we?ll be joined by one of the world?s foremost peace and justice activists and trainers, and one of my personal mentors, George Lakey, who will be working with me as one of the lead trainers. Last month, I conducted a training for trainers with some of the best students I?ve encountered in the 2004 and 2005 summer schools; and they will be acting as apprentice trainers this year. With this strategy, not only will George and I be educating amazing young leaders from around the globe, we?ll be building a cadre of outstanding young trainers who can continue to work throughout the Balkans.

Also this month, we?ve seen the release of the 2005 Giving USA report. So much of our work at Common Ground has to do with social profit sustainability and fundraising, and if you ever attended one of my workshops, you know how important the data from this report is to the fundraising paradigm that I teach.

In 2005, Americans gave an estimated $260 billion to the issues they care about?an increase of $15 billion or 6.1% over 2004 totals! As is always the case, more than 83% of this money came directly from individuals.

If you haven't visited our website yet, I hope you'll take a look. When you get to our site, go to the login area under "Members" on the left, and enter the email address where you are receiving this; and create a password.

After that simple step, you'll have access to dozens of fully downloadable resources (more just added) to help you in your work. You'll also be able to view our snapshots gallery; and I'll be able to involve you more directly in our cutting-edge work around the world!

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If they are interested, they'll be able to sign-up, otherwise, we'll leave them alone. You have my word!

I can't wait for you to get involved in our online community! For almost two decades, Common Ground Consulting LLC has been providing mission-critical consulting services to social profit organizations. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with you. See you on the web!

In Community, Craig

	Quick Tips Newsletter One of the resources we offer to our friends and colleagues is our Quick Tips Newsletter. In them, we offer simple strategies you can implement to improve your social profit experience. Each month, we focus on a specific area of interest to our social sector community; offering tips, tools, and techniques to make your life just a little easier. This month, we talk about: Experiential Education; Strategic Training Design; SMART Objectives; and Six Questions in the Minds of All Audiences. Check it out now...