2019 - Banks Benitez

Banks Benitez

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2019

A collection of 39 posts

Reflections on 2019

Reflections on 2019

Reflections on my leadership in 2019

Uncharted Insider - December 2019

Hi everyone, Welcome to the December edition of the Uncharted Insider. Thanks for following along this year. I love hearing from you, and I’ve been humbled by your willingness to reply and share your insights and stories. Please keep it up! Similar to last December, I’m taking a

Uncharted Insider - November 2019

Hi everyone, Welcome to the November edition of the Uncharted Insider. Uncharted Update: * Uncharted was named one of the 50 best companies to work for in 2019 by Outside Magazine [https://www.outsideonline.com/2404274/best-places-to-work-2019]. We’re not really award-collecting people, but we’re proud of this one. * We

Social Determinants of Organizational Health

Social Determinants of Organizational Health

What are the social determinants of organizational health?

An Education in Becoming a Neighbor

An Education in Becoming a Neighbor

Discovering new neighbors on my block.

Less Proof, More Imprecision

Less Proof, More Imprecision

The pressure to arrive at proof might be getting in the way of thinking bigger, planning longer-term, and acting upstream.

Self-Congratulation

Self-Congratulation

The self-congratulation rampant at industry conferences means we're all missing out from learning.

Uncharted Insider - October 2019

Hi everyone, Welcome to the October edition of the Uncharted Insider. Uncharted Update: * We selected 18 child-focused ventures [https://www.futureboundco.org/acceleration-lab#cohort] for Futurebound Acceleration Lab, which will provide this cohort with the tools they need to succeed in Colorado over eight months. * We’ve been hiring for

Scale vs. Leverage

Scale vs. Leverage

The social enterprise / impact investing space focuses more on scale, while the social justice / activism space focuses more on leverage.

Uncharted Insider - September 2019

Hi everyone, Welcome to the September edition of the Uncharted Insider. Uncharted Update: * We ran our 5-day boot camp for the Visible Connect [https://www.visible.com/connect] accelerator focused on mobile tech ventures working on major social issues like veteran mental health and improved legal representation in the criminal

The Slow Unfolding of Masterpieces

The Slow Unfolding of Masterpieces

Reflections from the desert.

The Power of Unvarnished Truth

Conscious Leadership

The Power of Unvarnished Truth

I’ve been fascinated to watch the rise of teen climate activist Greta Thunberg as she makes her debut in the US. Setting aside the topic of the climate crisis for a moment (although I do endorse the book The Uninhabitable Earth [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/books/

Philanthropy and Risk Taking

Philanthropy and Risk Taking

If you were to grant me one wish to change the philanthropic sector, it would be that we would trade in our habits of self-preservation and exchange them for an approach marked by audacious risk-taking.

Uncharted Insider - August 2019

Hi everyone, Welcome to the August edition of the Uncharted Insider. Uncharted Update: * We are hiring two (senior) roles to join our team: Director of Business Development [https://uncharted.recruitee.com/o/director-of-business-development] and Director of Accelerators [https://uncharted.recruitee.com/o/accelerator-director]. Forward this email to spread the word

The Power of Listening to Yourself Give Advice

Conscious Leadership

The Power of Listening to Yourself Give Advice

The advice we give is the advice we most need to hear ourselves.

Leading Yourself First

Leading Yourself First

Before you can lead anyone, you need to lead yourself.

How Nonprofit Accelerators Distort Markets

How Nonprofit Accelerators Distort Markets

Nonprofit accelerators and fellowships are distorting markets.

Uncharted Insider

Uncharted Insider - July 2019

Hi everyone, Welcome to the July edition of the Uncharted Insider. Uncharted Update: * Uncharted had its 2nd birthday! We turned two years old on July 25th! * We received 125 applications for the Futurebound Acceleration Lab [https://www.futureboundco.org/acceleration-lab] * We completed the Chipotle Aluminaries Project [https://uncharted.org/program/

Biomimicry and Leadership

Biomimicry and Leadership

I am a biomimicry nerd, which means I find myself searching for examples of how human systems can learn from the elegant, self-correcting dynamics of the natural world. There is biological brilliance in our midst, yet we often don’t look to a grove of aspen trees for lessons in

Psychology Underneath Strategy

Psychology Underneath Strategy

We vastly underestimate the power that motives of self-preservation, safety, and security play in an organization’s strategic planning process. Underneath strategy, there is psychology.

CEO Mastermind

“Humans are good at relating ‘up’ where we assume the role of student and learn from a teacher, and humans are good at relating ‘down’ where we are the mentor and we seek out a mentee, but we are inexperienced at relating ‘across’ as peers.”

Uncharted Insider - June 2019

Hi everyone, Welcome to the June edition of the Uncharted Insider. Uncharted Update: * Launching Futurebound Acceleration Lab: We launched a new initiative in partnership with Gary Community Investments called Futurebound [https://www.futureboundco.org/] that is focused on early childhood ventures looking to land and expand in Colorado. Spread the

The Psychological Power of Physical Space

The Psychological Power of Physical Space

We just moved into a new office space, and it’s made me consider the impact that physical space has on our human psychology: the physical spaces we occupy shape our sense of self and what we’re capable of. They have a bearing on our confidence, creativity, courage, and

The Problem with Donor Advised Funds

The Problem with Donor Advised Funds

The renaissance in Donor Advised Funds and how hard it is to unlock dollars.

My Unexpected and Unlikely Journey to Uncharted

My Unexpected and Unlikely Journey to Uncharted

My unlikely journey to Uncharted and what it says about being open to serendipity