Ahhh, there's a nip in the air, leaves are starting to change color, candy corn is back on the shelves (#teamcandycorn, I will not be taking questions on this), which means its time for just one thing: Fat Bears. It's been time for Fat Bears, actually, and today is the final day of Fat Bear Week, the showdown between Bear 910 and Backpack, Bear #89. Bucky was robbed and that's all I'll say about that. If you aren't familiar with Fat Bear Week, I need you to stop whatever pr

As a rule, I’m not a fan of invite-only events. I wrestled with that when I was invited to the Greater Giving Summit in Atlanta because any gathering that is going to talk about generosity, philanthropy, giving and participation ought to be pretty careful about deciding whose voices get to be in the room in the first place. There is something inherently uncomfortable about saying, “We’re going to gather a group of people to talk about the future of generosity,” and then putti

I am trying very hard not to start this with “I told you so.” So I won’t. Mostly. I have, however, been ranting for years about data privacy, security, regulation and compliance in fundraising. We are entrusted with an extraordinary amount of information about the people who support our organizations, much of it deeply personal, and we still struggle with some of the basics. (For the love of all things Panas, STOP EMAILING YOUR DONOR DATA LISTS.) Now AI has arrived and the st

Image disclosure: This image was generated using artificial intelligence to illustrate a period in which telephone fundraising, the National Do Not Call Registry, flip phones and metaphorical Tyrannosaurus rex coexisted. It does not depict an actual fundraiser, telemarketer or prehistoric reptile engaged in charitable solicitation. Any resemblance to a Tyrannosaurus rex, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No beneficiary likenesses or donor data were used in its creatio

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