Soapbox Engage Blog

Not long ago, I stood on a hill that rose above Berkeley's campus on the East Bay, gazing out at an utterly arresting sunset transforming downtown San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge with a dramatic mix of color and shadow. It was an entirely unexpected sight, a vista that sprung out of nowhere, a short twisting drive from the campus below.

Sunset over San Francisco, © Fertile Photography

One minute, my vision was confined to a few yards here and there amongst buildings and trees. The next, it was embracing a kaleidoscope whose horizon reached across the mighty Pacific Ocean with wisps of cloud eventually making their way from scenic tableau to my feet on the hill as the sun sunk below the horizon.

It was an appropriate setting. I had come with Ryan and Melanie for Dreamforce, a conference put on by Salesforce. Salesforce is the world's leading cloud-based customer relationship management tool as well as PICnet's current development obsession as we build connections between it and Non-Profit Soapbox and Joomla! We had come for knowledge and inspiration on how to continue transforming that obsession into truly innovative and powerful tools for nonprofits. And sitting on the cloud gave some welcome perspective.

As I write this, I sit thousands of feet above the earth, carried along through the clouds on my flight to the Pacific Northwest to enjoy the holidays with family as PICnet closes shop for the week between Christmas and New Year's. Soon I will see the Space Needle from the window of the plane and, not far from its base, the rim of Elliott Bay where I last worked for a great nonprofit organization, cobbling together bits of technical knowledge and tools as an accidental techie to serve our mission the best I could.

As I reflect on PICnet's purpose making nonprofits more effective, and the former nonprofits I worked for, and the conference, and the progress we've made during the closing year, and the promise of the year to come, my eyes again glimpse the horizon stretching out ahead and I am cheered by the vista of the possible.

May this holiday season find your heart filled with warmth and peace and may it grant you a bit of height above the daily grind to glimpse the horizon of the possible for the coming year. For our nonprofit clients, we're excited to help you get there!