Hi everyone, I’m back from my break. I’ve missed you all, and I’ve missed ranting and shaking my fist about various things each week. Also, I need to get back to the grind, because my plan of starting a Nonprofit OnlyFans during the summer did not work out. Apparently, only three people wanted to pay $6 a month to hear me read grant award letters while dressed in button-down shirts from Ross Dress for Less: “‘Dear Unicycles for Tots, congratulations, the review panel has decided to provide your organization a three-year unrestricted grant of $50,000 per year. Thank you for your work.’ Mmm… yeah… unrestricted …oooh… multi-year…”
During the break, I had time to reflect, usually in my hammock while eating handfuls of Kirkland Signature semi-sweet chocolate chips, and I want to make some changes in my work and my personal life. Here are a few things that might affect this site:
I’m writing a book like a real boy! I signed a contract with Wiley to write a book. It will be about reimagining nonprofit and philanthropy and will synthesize all my ramblings into a cohesive book with chapters on boards, fundraising, capacity building, advocacy, etc. The manuscript is due in March, so I’ll be writing a lot. Hopefully, if I can get focused and not distracted all the time by parenting, TV shows, and general brain activities. The book is optimistically aimed to be released November 2025, in time for National Philanthropy Day. Please send thoughts and prayers, connections to people doing cool and revolutionary things whom I can interview, advice, and vegan chocolate.
This blog will probably feature more videos. Because I’ll be doing so much writing for the book, I will likely do less writing for this blog because that many hours of writing each week might turn me all “The Shining.” The blog will still publish weekly on Tuesdays, but it may not always be a written essay. It could be one or more short videos, cross-posted on Instagram and Facebook. Expect more reels ranging from the serious to the ridiculous. I might throw in a spoken-word poem on board governance or a sock puppet show on general liability insurance. There will be more nonprofit ASMR, nonprofit fashion advice, and dating tips for nonprofit professionals. Quality will be inconsistent but most likely low, so apologies in advance.
There will be more humor: This blog was started 12 years ago to bring more humor to our very serious work. Over time though, as the world got more and more awful, I feel like I’ve been losing my sense of humor and goofiness a bit, especially over the past year (I mean, there was not even one reference to Kenny Loggins!). I’m aiming to bring it back. I’m starting to feel more hopeful about things in the US. That doesn’t mean I won’t be touching on serious topics, or that I don’t care about the state of the world, or that I won’t continue being outspoken against g3nocide and other injustices. I’ll continue fighting for equity, but I’m hoping for more of a balance between doing that and finding joy and levity in our sector and in the world.
I’m still doing keynotes and workshops: Since Nonprofit OnlyFans did not pan out and may possibly have also resulted in warnings from Ross Dress for Less’s legal team, I’m still on the speaking circuit, for both virtual and in-person presentations. Right now, I’m big on affirming people and reminding the sector of how awesome we are, because everyone has been exhausted, as well as encouraging people to reexamine some outdated philosophies and practices and adopt some new ones as we reimagine a better sector. I’m also doing workshops on Community-Centric Fundraising. And possibly one on leadership styles, using the Golden Girls as the four main archetypes. All presentations will include pictures of baby animals. Please contact my agent Stacy at nwbspeaking@gmail.com if you’re interested.
I’m trying new strategies for my ADHD: I got diagnosed with ADHD, which I think is a superpower that allows me to see patterns and make connections between seemingly disparate things (e.g., the Golden Girls as leadership style archetypes). But it’s also extremely distracting and makes it challenging to work. And I need to focus, now that I am contractually obligated to write a book and have spent my advance on lighting and sound equipment as well as clothing from Ross. Luckily, this break has allowed me to try some strategies, including some meds, combined with other tactics, such as blocking out time and staring in the mirror each morning and telling myself, “You will focus today. You will NOT spend 3 hours learning about miner’s lettuce because you saw an interesting plant on your walk again!” Send advice, fellow ADHD people!
I’m going prioritize my personal life a bit more. I’ve been taking pottery and learning to work with the wheel and various clays and glazes. And I’m going to try to exercise more, or at least get in more than 2,000 steps a day on average. And also, I’m dating again. I’m dating dudes now. It’s been a bit challenging, because apparently guys don’t appreciate getting a draft meeting agenda in advance of the first date. Or engaging in discussions about white supremacy and patriarchy and the inequities created by late-stage capitalism. Results from the post-date evaluation surveys have not been good. Anyway, the point is, life is more than just about work, so I’m going to focus a bit more time on personal stuff. And it might be reflected in my ramblings; for example “10 lessons for nonprofit and philanthropy I’ve learned from online dating.”
That’s it for now; more changes might come later. Thanks everyone. I hope your summer (or winter for those in the Southern Hemisphere) has been a good one. I look forward to all the fun conversations we’ll be having and the hijinks we’ll be getting into!
Oh, before I go, special thank you to my Patreon supporters and ad buyers: I’m grateful to everyone who’s been supporting me on Patreon, as well as the orgs and companies buying ads on this site. You made it possible for me to take two months off to recharge without worrying about finances, and you make it possible for me to continue being loud and occasionally goofy and take up space and call out shenanigans. Having a community is a privilege that I don’t take for granted; thank you. And if/when Nonprofit OnlyFans start up again, you’ll get free subscriptions (“‘As part of our streamlining process, we will accept your annual report as the grant report’…ooh, It’s getting kinda hot in here, let me roll up these sleeves a little bit more...”).