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By Sean Luechtefeld on 02/17/2010 @ 10:20 AM

Tags: Innovation, Innovators, Events

Today’s set of Top Takeaways comes from Diane Browning. Diane currently serves as Rural Retirement Project Coordinator for WISER, the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement. Diane’s innovation, U.S. R-Savings Bond, entails working with the U.S. Treasury to issue a new type of savings bond – a Series R bond – tailored to the needs of workers saving for retirement. Her top takeaways from the Summit are:

1. Incorporate some of the excellent technical questions and comments made by Summit participants – such as fixed interest rate issues, U.S. bond market, small business tax incentives, and incentivizing the banking system to market the retirement bonds – into the presentation of my innovation.

2. So many people 35 years of age and younger didn’t know about savings bonds. There is a generational divide on name recognition of bonds; some people weren’t even sure who issued them. My organization has planned a bond rebranding effort, but listening to ideas from Summit attendees generated excitement about developing a modern public service campaign. The World War II savings bond campaign was artistic, heroic and made wide use of celebrities. A campaign to promote Series R bonds can build on those elements, but by employing contemporary, technologically-advanced new media.

3. Certain quotes from the Innovation Summit and Anniversary Gala resonated with me. The day and evening reflected the spirit of CFED: it operates with “a big tent and a big heart, characterized in the inimitable leadership of Bob & Andrea.”
     a. Optimism is not a virtue, it is a responsibility.
     b. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning (Gloria Steinem).
     c. The America that never was yet still must be (Langston Hughes).
     d. The parallels of the hard work of raising children and building the economy for the next generation.

I loved the Opening Plenary presentation by Geeta Rao Gupta (president of the International Center for Research on Women); through her story telling about her grandmothers, she brought to life how human potential is reached by innovation in education, financial and human assets and how this can be cut short by lack of long-term investments in those areas. Geeta’s presentation reminded me how powerful storytelling is and that I should incorporate it in my own work.

The Summit Design was a great energetic mash-up; it took place in a wonderful space and included delicious food. I wish I could have spent more time talking with the other Innovators to discuss tactics, strategy, funding opportunities, and potential collaboration. Since most of the innovators are seeking resources for their innovations, it would be wonderful to organize a separate “funders” showcase in the future, similar in format to a career fair. Such a model would create a space and opportunity to match funding interest (public or private) with project potential.

Thank you, Diane, for letting us share your insider’s experience with our readers! Check back with us next week as we feature our next set of exciting innovator insight from the 2009 Innovation Summit!

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