I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because they don’t offer an opportunity for reflection. And, if I’m being honest, I don’t stick to them. For over thirty years, I have integrated “reflection rituals” in my professional work on a daily, weekly, quarterly, and annually basis. For example, I have a daily reflection ritual of walking a few miles a day to think away from screens.Rituals can boost our personal productivity because they allow us to focus and reach our goals without distraction. … [Read more...]
The Promise & Peril of Creator Tools Like ChatGPT for Nonprofits
The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently published an opinion piece, “AI Can Help Nonprofits Reach More Donors But Fundraisers Can’t Ignore Potential Pitfalls,” a topic that Allison Fine and I have been researching and writing about since 2017. In 2019, we did a deep dive on AI & Giving to look at the landscape of fundraising tools & platforms using AI and the implications. Our next project was the research and writing of the “The Smart Nonprofit: Staying Human-Centered in an Age … [Read more...]
Five New Year’s Rituals for Nonprofit Professionals
Rituals are intentional small, tangible acts done routinely and carry meaning. Our family has several New Year's rituals, including a nature hike. This year we hiked by the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur. (Pictured above) Rituals can also be used by professionals to boost personal productivity because rituals capitalize on our brains’ ability to direct our behavior on autopilot, allowing us to reach our goals even when we are distracted or preoccupied with other things. (In fact, … [Read more...]
New Year’s Rituals for Nonprofits To Improve Resilience in 2021
As we face an even darker winter due to the pandemic, we need to keep improving our resilience, the ability to adapt well in spite of significant stressors. Using rituals as part of our professional work is one strategy that can help. Rituals are routine and intentional activities that carry meaning. Rituals leverage our brains’ ability to run on autopilot, allowing us to reach our goals even when we are distracted by other things, such as potentially contracting a deadly disease. Many … [Read more...]
How Nonprofits Practice Continuous Improvement
I'm just back from spending a week in Bangkok, Thailand at the IFC-ASIA: Ecosystems for Good. I co-lead a workshop on digital transformation, co-facilitated a master class on digital fundraising campaigns, co-hosted a learning breakfast for scholarship participants, co-designed a Big Room session on Technology for Good, and in between attended some amazing sessions. I also served on the program advisory committee. It was a lot of learning in a short time-period and I'll be unpacking and sharing … [Read more...]
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