This is a fun question because it provides you the reader, the opportunity to get to know more about our fellow bloggers. Though I keep my name anonymous (for now), let me tell you what I’m looking forward to, and I invite you to share your upcoming celebrations, events, etc. as I love to hear what others are doing, exploring, pioneering and creating.

Personally, my answer is: What am I not looking forward to!

‘n Life

In May, I am graduating with my Master’s degree, with my research focus in social marketing. Some of you readers have participated in the study and wow, I can not say thank you enough. It’s been a grueling journey, but one I’ve enjoyed and loved every moment. Most exciting as a result of my studies, I am presenting my paper at the 1st World Social Marketing Conference in Brighton, England in September 2008. If you will be there, drop me a line, as the MOST exciting part of this opportunity is the chance to meet and learn from others who share this passion.

‘n the Blogosphere

SocialButterfly is currently being developed in my spare (and rare) free time, but it is one of my favorite things to do. I must thank everyone in the virtual world. Your guidance, motivation, perseverance, advice and community is something I greatly enjoy and appreciate. In the next couple months, I plan on moving SocialButterfly to its own domain and developing the blog a lot further so be on the lookout,

‘n Social Marketing

Rumblings are surfacing that a Social Marketing Association is in the works and may be tangible within the next year. This is exciting. Get ready. The branding of social marketing is reaching another level!

‘n NonProfit Arenas

I am really excited about all the growing number of businesses that are beginning to discover new ways for their organization or company to become socially conscious. Marketing ploy or not, it’s an increasing trend, and every little piece helps form the puzzle.

I’m most curious about how the field of social enterprise will continue to develop. David Brooks from the New York Times offers a great profile of a social entrepreneur. Most simply, Brooks defines a social entrepreneur as someone who does business….without the main objective of profit making, and goes on stating:

“We might as well take advantage of this explosion of social entrepreneurship. These are some of the smartest and most creative people in the country. Even if we don’t know how to reduce poverty, it’s probably worth investing in these people and letting them figure it out. “

And we can figure it out! The more I here about this rising area of entrepreneurship – the more excited I am about our fields and where they are headed. Be it business, nonprofits, NGOs, health communications, social change, social marketing, public service and more – we are gradually coming together and discovering how we interrelate and how that is seen in practice. Some examples of social enterprises are below:

• Ashoka.org is the front-runner in social enterprise education and implementation, claiming that everyone can be a change maker in his or her community.
• A Social Enterprise venture providing with jobs and personal development for the mentally ill and past drug abusers
• A social enterprise park initiative proposed for London’s Summer 2012 Olympics
• A local U.K. grocery remains open despite pressures to foreclose after launching social enterprise efforts
• White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives addresses international social enterprise initiatives, Rwanda

So cheers to the future, and really, what’s not love??

(ps: photo picked at random and happens to be listed on Foxhall Consulting Services‘ site who does consulting for social enterprises….see, the worlds are connecting already )

The posts listed below largely discuss and point to current nonprofit marketing trends and potentially future marketing trends. Though this might not reflect social marketing per say, it is a reflection of social change….how trends surface, alter, flourish, downsize and in essence, change. So enjoy this week’s carnival!

• Jordan Viator at Connection Cafe’s post Glimpses of the Past, Present and Future Online Communication Practices for Nonprofits provides an audio file from a panel discussion with nonprofit guru Vinay Bhagat. In the discussion and as Mr. Viator reflects, marketing techniques have largely changed from 2003 to 2008…greatly thanks to new media, pointing out the next big trend of constituent empowerment.

• ***Inserting my special ‘bonus host post’ here, as it follows up well with Mr. Viator’s idea. In my post Consumerism. What’s Your First Reaction?, I too coin my own term ‘optimistic consumerism,’ explaining that with changing media and times, the consumer is becoming more empowered than ever by having a choice. In particular, not only do we have a choice of what products or services we consume, but we also have a choice in the place we consume our information. *Props to choosing the Carnival,

• Rebecca Leaman at Wild Apricot continues the discussion of change in her post titled 5 Keys to Effective Knowledge Transfer for Nonprofits, where she outlines how effective communication can transfer through each phase of a message. No matter how the times and technology change, Ms. Leaman’s insights and download-able resource is priceless.

• Bryan Miller at Giving in a Digital World maps out the technology hype cycle in his post titled Online Fundraising and the Hype Cycle. Mr. Miller points out how web 2.0 is making the way for community fundraising 2.0 and that knowing where your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts are will put you and your organization ahead of the curve.

• Jason Dick at A Small Change-Fundraising blog outlines three core values of traditional nonprofit fundraising in his post: Cultivation, Solicitation and Stewardship. However, Mr. Dick points out that while the traditional model is good, the big umbrella term that deserves attention is relationship. According to Mr. Dick, a good relationship means good fundraising and “all bets are off” on the traditional process.

• J. Karlin at Marketing and Fundraising Ideas sets the stage on how to implement change in the post Powerful yet Reasonable Goals. Karlin says that before change can even be accomplished as was in the case study given of Tufts University, one should dream big, and not overlook setting reasonable, attainable goals.

• Last but not least, Jeff Brooks at Donor Power Blog offers up that any amount of change, is good change, in his post Tiny Gifts: Good or Bad?.

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s carnival. Thank you for all of the submission’s this week, as I’ve found new blogs and bloggers to follow, along with some great ideas about cha-cha-chaaaange!

Keep track of the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants, no matter which blog is hosting, by subscribing to the Carnival feed.

The Carnival for Non-Profit Consultants will be hosted here at SocialButterfly next week, June 16th. This carnival was originally started by Kivi Leroux Miller over at Nonprofit Communications. Today, the carnival is hosted by a different leading nonprofit and social change blogger each week.

This is my first shot at being a host for the Carnival, so I’m looking forward to reading your submissions. This week is an open call, course, I am privy to social marketing– and social change-related topics.

To submit to the carnival:

• Enter your submission using the blog carnival form, or
• You can email the Carnival at npc.carnival@yahoo.com, OR
• You can email me directly at socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com.

Deadline is Midnight, Friday, June 6th.

See you at the Carnival next week…right next to the giant, potatoe sack slide…that’s always been my favorite ride! =)