Having just recently moved away from Las Vegas, I was, of course, paying attention to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I am not a sports person at all, but like everyone in the Vegas valley at the time, the Golden Knights grabbed our hearts and our attention when they came to town. And then we had the Knicks and all that hullabaloo and FIFA fever started kicking up and I thought to myself "Now, how are they selling all of these tickets and merch and watch parties at bars and restau

I've been using the Three Words planning & focus approach for about 6 or 7 years and I still can't help but hear the My Three Sons theme song every time I say it out loud. That's probably a terrible hook for a blog post, but if you've been here a minute you know that free association, random digressions, and obscure reminiscences are to be expected. (My Three Sons was a TV sitcom that ran from 1960-1972, about a widower (Fred MacMurray) raising his three sons, in case you

Over the last twelve days, instead of forecasting what fundraising might look like next year, this series focused on something more durable: skills fundraisers can actively develop, regardless of what the economy, technology, or donor behavior does next. Predictions change. Skills compound. This series was about strengthening the internal capacities that allow fundraisers to remain effective, ethical, human, and resilient — no matter what comes. Here’s the full list, with bri

Before we get into this discussion in full, let's just re-cap quickly. Today is January 5, the 12th Day of Christmas in the Christian liturgical calendar. For the last twelve days, rather than looking at projections or predictions for the new year, we've been looking at the skills fundraisers will need and can develop in the new year. Everything can and will change - and don't get me wrong, predictions and projections are very helpful. But by focusing on skills developmen

"Blessed are the flexible for the won't get bent out of shape." r I had a colleague who used to say this to me with some level of frequency; I thought it was wonderful. Until I realized she usually said it when I handed more work her way . . . We do tend to talk about Adaptability as a character trait, though, don't we? You either have it or you don't, and if you don't it's a persona flaw. "You need to be more adaptable." "Be comfortable with change." "PIVOT! Adaptability i

Maybe . . . Don't take everything - including yourself - so seriously.