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How questions lead nonprofits and funders to work better together
Quick Stops Along the Way is a monthly collection of issues, challenges, and thoughts I think you’ll find helpful on the road ahead. Send your questions to me for future Quick Stop posts. As grant deadlines approach, it’s common for funders to receive calls from nonprofits wanting to gauge interest in
How grandchildren learn generosity from the everyday tag-along
A morning walk triggered a fond memory from early June in the mid-1960s. The water was cold as I jumped into the shallow end of the pool. My grandmother, slowly walking down the pool steps, declared it unusually cold for an early June morning. We were up early for her
Ask a Simple Question, Find Hard Answers, But Make a Better Organization
Quick Stops Along the Way is a monthly collection of issues, challenges, and thoughts I think you’ll find helpful on the road ahead. Send your questions to me or post in the comments below. I will answer your questions in future Quick Stop posts. After we exchanged small talk and
Honor 2025 Graduates with a Donation to a Favorite Nonprofit
The graduations happening all around us create unexpected giving moments like the one I had a few years ago. Opening the mail, I was startled by the announcement with images of a young woman I only knew through her parents. I’d known about her since she was a little girl
Will the Impact of Tariffs Upset Our Fundraising Plans This Year?
Quick Stops Along the Way is a monthly collection of issues, challenges, and thoughts I think you’ll find helpful on the road ahead. Send your questions to me for future Quick Stop newsletters. Will the impact of tariffs affect our fundraising this year? A simple answer to this question is …
Why local politics is an act of generous leadership
I was drawn to politics from an early age. When Vice President Hubert Humphrey ran against Richard Nixon, I was in seventh grade. My English teacher organized a classroom debate, but no one volunteered to speak for Humphrey. So, I raised my hand. I grew up in a family of
How a disappointed donor led to an unhappy ending with fewer partners
Quick Stops Along the Way is a monthly collection of issues, challenges, and thoughts I think you’ll find helpful on the road ahead. Uneven Lanes Ahead At the conference table sat a donor, a university VP and professor, a private school headmaster and teacher, and a nonprofit executive director. The goal:
How Nonprofits Are Impacted by Big Policy Changes in Washington
From The Road Ahead Blog Ever find yourself multi-tasking while driving? Here’s how it goes for me: I jump in the car—foot on the brake, push the start button, click the seatbelt, shift to reverse, and start backing up. I check the rearview mirror, then the camera, all while still
The Road Ahead: Quick Stops Along the Way
Be sure to look for the signs! “Quick Stops Along the Way” is a monthly collection of issues, challenges and thoughts I think you’ll find helpful on “The Road Ahead.” If you’re pondering a question, post it below. I will respond with an answer in a future “quick stop.” A Construction