Great to see the new facebook app for causes in action. Read more about the technology behind it here: http://gigaf.org/nSnWwI

The Foundation's office is just a few minutes away from Montreux, and July means Jazz! The annual Montreux Jazz Festival have seen some of music's greats, from Miles Davis to Ray Charles and from David Bowie to Prince.We were fortunate to get (standing) tickets for the Brad Mehldau and Jessye Norman shows in the Stravinsky Hall. What a performance! For those of you who don't know Brad Mehldau, listen to his rendition of Radiohead's Exit Music on Youtube.There was a quick break between the two sessions (each at least two hours long), and time for breathtaking views of Lake Geneva.Quincy Jones introduced Jessye Norman, one of the most celebrated sopranos in the world. Her show was a cross-genre celebration of American music, ranging from jazz standards to spirituals and gospel.I've attached a video clip of one of her greatest classical performances: "Beim Schlafengehen" (Richard Strauss, Vier Letze Lieder). Very special for us - I convinced the owner of a very loud night club many years ago to play this. And @annemarie accepted.Tonight: [link]

@annemarie succeeded in getting me away from my computer. The plan: picnic at Solalex. Great opportunity for some fresh mountain air (Solalex is a little mountain town in the Vaudoise Alps, about 10 minutes from the foundation's office in Villars) and taking a few pictures for your pleasure (uploaded to my fundraising page with Flickr Uploadr (http://bit.ly/Uk9R). We've made it really simple to keep your fundraising page up to date. If you're using Twitter, simply add your public profile RSS feed to your project page to keep your followers in the loop even when travelling. And, as you can see from my project page, a picture is worth a thousand words. Both Flickr and Picasa are free services and allow you to upload your photos to online albums. All you have to do is to provide us with the RSS feed of your album, and we'll display your photos on your project page. For more fundraising tips and tricks, login to your GivenGain account, click on "Settings" and follow the "Need help?" link.

We are working on exciting new features for GivenGain, and some have been released yesterday. Be sure to have a look and tell us what you think. We're still sorting out a few things behind the scenes, but I'm happy to report that the upgrade went pretty seamless and that the service was available at all times. Not a small feat, and it would not have been possible without the inspired work of @jaco, @acornelissen, @jannie, @ranger and the rest of the team. Robert F. Kennedy once said that "each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." This is the GivenGain dream, and this is what we mean with One World, Zero Barriers. Join us on this exciting journey and give the world the opportunity to see you, talk to you and donate money to your cause.

We've just published our new Fundraising Action Guide for nonprofits. See the message here: http://bit.ly/4QQpO3 If you know of any causes in need of support, send them the guide! The PDF version is available for download here: http://bit.ly/7aZJVJ

I followed Anaïs Nin's advice and "made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me." It's cold and snowy in the Alps today, and we're seeing off the last of our visitors. I've included some pictures of our white Christmas: Truly, when we look at our lives, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses!

Thanks Alex, great resource!