What are your thoughts on Giving Tuesday, Reader? Not gonna lie, I was quite surprised to see so much Giving Tuesday bashing on LinkedIn this year from others in the social impact and nonprofit space. And I get it - there's seemingly a lot of pressure for ONE day of the year. But Giving Tuesday was never meant to be a part of the transactional nature of Black Friday/Cyber Monday - it was meant to be an alternative. To put money where our values are and support causes instead of consumerism....

Hold on, you can’t just chase people! But I see friends! My 4-year-old breathlessly retorts. She runs off and introduces herself to a set of twins and their dad. Later, both of their dads sit at the table next to me in the courtyard. We wave and sit quietly for a while, taking shifts following our kids around. I begin chatting with the dads. We hit it off immediately and talked and laughed for nearly an hour. I’m Michael, by the way. One of the dads reaches for my hand. And I’m Lance! The...

Reader, have you ever entered a room you knew you didn’t belong in? A few years ago, I had a job interview at a local wellness company for a copywriter position. I wasn’t looking for a job at the time, but it popped up and sounded like the perfect fit. I was one of the final 2 candidates and was invited for an in-person interview. I was super excited because it was also a 7-minute drive from the school I had just gotten my daughter into. It felt like everything was falling into place! …Until...

Giving Tuesday isn't worth it for us. We hardly ever raise enough. Someone said that to me recently. And it got me thinking... how many more nonprofit leaders feel that way? Is it truly not worth the effort? For those who reach campaign goals, do they feel burnt out getting there? So I did a little digging. Turns out, Giving Tuesday is still effective. It's the springboard for Expanding visibility and attracting new donors. Incentivizing donation matching. Inspiring varied giving, so you can...

I know we're in prime spooky season, Reader, but I saw something the other day that really terrified me... It wasn't ghosts or goblins. 👻No witches or monsters.🧙 Not even my grocery bill... It was an ad targeted at nonprofits. This ad claimed that, with their "original solution," you could copy and paste what they provided and "never have to hire a copywriter again" as long as you use their template and fill the rest in with AI. Sounds like a dream, right? Yeah, anyone would want something...

Someone has to say it, Reader... Ain't nobody reading a quarterly email newsletter. Editorial-style email newsletters have lost their steam. They push too much information at once and call your readers to take too many actions. In the midst of all ...this *frantically motions*, we are all overwhelmed AF. Cramming months' worth of updates into one email is the quickest way to get people to exit your email - or unsubscribe. Supporters don't want more things that demand their attention. They're...

Happy first day of autumn! Reader, there's just something about autumn that makes me feel like a new human. The changing leaves and dropping temperature give me permission to read an extra chapter of my book on the back porch, with a cup of my favorite coffee and the "couch blanket" my daughter begrudgingly allows me to use. That's my favorite thing about a new season — the allowance to reevaluate my routines. Deciding what to shed or grow. Plant or harvest. Autumn will help us shed what we...

Reader, do your subscribers feel welcome when they sign up for your email list? A mistake I often see nonprofits make is not sending emails as soon as someone plugs their email into your opt-in form. Prospects have permitted you to contact them, so you're already top-of-mind. When you send an email immediately after they sign up, you're reinforcing their decision to sign up. You stay top-of-mind through consistent communication. (My recommendation is at least 1 email per week!) To move your...

I don't know what our value add is. I'm not sure what resource we have that's valuable to our audience. Have you ever said that about your nonprofit or mission-driven business, Reader? I hear this all. the. time. Can I lovingly tell you that you're wrong? There is a resource, tool, relationship, or information you have that can benefit someone else and pull them closer to your mission. Just this week, I got this screenshot from an executive director I work with: I've been running this...