Lately, I have often found myself considering the question, “What would Rick say?” As most of you know, Rick Cohen was for many years our national correspondent, and his knowledge was encyclopedic. He saw potential connections between things the rest of us might not know to look for, so when something odd began to happen in the world of nonprofits, or in philanthropy, or in politics, he would be the first one I’d call to argue about the meaning of the new development. This allowed me to be a little lazy (relatively speaking), which is no longer possible. The single “encyclopedia brain” has to be replaced by our even better use of the intelligence of the many.

Of course, we always have depended upon our networks to alert us to what’s happening and what we need to pay attention to in our own coverage. When it comes to describing movements whose changing language reflects advancements in understanding, this is incredibly important. It’s daunting to keep up with the incredibly fast pace of change out there—the growing complexity of relationships and all the newly emerging forms of tech aided collective action are but a few elements I could name.

That is why we need you. We need your tips about advancements and threats as they emerge, your analyses, and finally your redirections of our content when needed. Like our newswire writers, each of you has deep knowledge of the fields and geographic communities within which you work. We depend upon you to help keep us all learning.

And, by the way, we can always use new newswire writers. Let us know if you are interested in becoming a volunteer journalist with us. You will be joining a vibrant group of other insightful folk in our collective endeavor to track the most critical advancements in our great sector.