What is Your Grants Story?
Last year I attended a session at the Grant Professionals Association National Conference last year led by Sharon Skinner who discussed the importance of storytelling in our grant applications. This seems counterintuitive as grant writing has to be responsive to certain questions (who, what why, when, where, how) and removed from narration. Essentially, when writing a […]
What Does Innovation REALLY Mean?
There are buzzwords that pop up every few years and that become part of the nonprofit/public sector lexicon. Evaluation. Evidence-based. Scalable model. Innovation. Innovation is an interesting word because it could mean so many different things. What makes a program or organization innovative? There is no common standard and should organizations be scrambling to do […]
How Do We Get Past Our Fears?
I don’t like being scared, period. I can’t stand horror movies or thrillers. While I can avoid entertainment, I can’t avoid things that scare me in life. There are many unknowns and while we try to be prepared, we can’t always prepare for every scenario. How do we overcome our fears and become better equipped […]
The Benefits of Getting Older
Last month I turned 40 – a milestone birthday by most standards. People’s reactions were generally encouraging and positive, but some thought I may end up having a nervous breakdown or midlife crisis. This made me think more about our society and why we put so much pressure on ourselves to stay young. We have […]
Why Not Getting Along Can Be A Good Thing…
Ever since I was a young child I have always tried to avoid conflicts. I don’t like to argue or hear people argue, period. However, as we get older, this isn’t always possible. We have to confront people with differing opinions and different ways of handling an issue that is contentious. How do we move […]
5 Reasons Not to Make New Year Resolutions
Happy New Year! The start of a new year always brings a desire to change, reinvent or redo things in our life that hold us back. However, in most instances, we fall short of these expectations. This is why I am choosing not to have any resolutions this year. Some food for thought…. We feel […]
Giving Thanks to Unsung Heroes
While this time of year is always fraught with multiple deadlines, activities, holiday gatherings and efforts to complete work before 2017 has ended, I am going to think about this year differently. Have you thanked some of the unsung heroes that help ensure our safety? What about donors and funders who don’t provide huge gifts, […]
NYC – You Don’t Need to be the Best
After living in NYC for seven years, one of the most salient takeaways from my time there was that people can express themselves. People in NYC love to stand out and wear different clothing, take on new challenges and absorb themselves in new opportunities. After spending a weekend there with my family last week, I […]
Stay the Course – The Art of Focusing on the Present
There are days when I sit at my desk and write for hours on end. Sometimes I enjoy the solitude and preparing an application or report that shows the dedication and thought that goes into this work (versus a rushed deadline). However, as I am sure is the case for many of you, most days […]
A Perspective Through the Smithsonian Museum
Philanthropy is a term that those in the nonprofit sector understand all too well. Raise money for our organizations (or clients’ organizations) so we can achieve certain missions or address societal challenges. Well, living in the Washington, DC metro area can have its perks. My son often asks me what I do, as it can […]
