Blogs

I recently attended a transformative conference — Wisdom 2.0 conference — and one of my main takeaways was about the importance of being present–not distracted–when you’re with people who are important to you.

By definition, a celebration is the act of marking one’s pleasure at an important event or occasion.  Most often, we think of celebrations for major milestones like birthdays, weddings, promotions or retirements.  Don’t get me wrong, these are noteworthy and momentous, but why stop there? 

This past weekend, I was able to spend a few glorious days in the highlands of North Carolina – the area around Grandfather Mountain, Blowing Rock and Boone. The address of the Airbnb I used is a small town called Seven Devils. While the entire weekend was a wonderful getaway… 

Leadership at work isn’t reserved for high positions alone. It’s most effective in the emotionally intelligent, no matter their title.

True story. Earlier in my fundraising career, I was working in Virginia and putting together a trip to Boston to visit some donors and prospects we had there. I still remember one particular telephone conversation like it was yesterday: I want you to read it and think of three things I did wrong.

People volunteer for many different reasons, which mean they also have different motivations for lending a hand.  Regardless of the reason, if someone is willing to lend his or her time and talents to your organization, you should take the time to get to know them as individuals.

When I first began my fundraising career, I assumed that literally everyone I would ever encounter professionally would be on my side. I thought that everyone I would meet would want to be helpful, always willing to look out for a fellow fundraiser, and that everyone’s “default” setting in life would be to build others up, not tear them down.

I’m glad you’re here – please, take a seat. There’s something we need to tell you.

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”