Exploring the fun and frustrations of nonprofit work
Hi everyone, I just got back from a whirlwind summer in Japan and Vietnam, where I—and I didn’t think this would happen again for me—fell in love. With not having to work. Long walks on the beach—without answering emails. Deep conversations late into the night—but not about cashflow issues and revenues projections. It was magical; I felt young and alive again.
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Hi everyone, I have been keeping quiet about this exciting project I’ve been working on for the past two years, but I’m happy to report it’s finally ready for the limelight! As some of you know, I have a background in theater. Well, OK, I took Drama as an elective in high school, and I have been pulled up on stage at least once during an improv show. This is enough for me to realize I love acting and performing.
So for the past couple of years, I’ve been developing a one-man show and testing it out with small focus groups (usually my friends and family members who couldn’t think of excuses fast enough to get out of it).
And now, with generous sponsorship from the Satterberg Foundation, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), and my Patreon community, it’s ready to hit the road this June on a nine-city tour (Seattle, Portland Oregon, Denver, Austin, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Asheville, New York, and Toronto).
The four-hour show (with intermission) is called “Please Send Money: A Joyful Yet Soul-Crushing Journey Through Nonprofit and Philanthropy.”
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Hey everyone, hope you’re hanging in there. I’ve been watching my favorite movies as a break from the horrors of the real world. Some are very inspiring. Lord of the Rings, for example, has lots of parallels to our world, including an all-consuming evil and band of heroes trying to save the world. Which, of course, makes me think about what if LOTR were set in our sector. Below is the sample script. Let me know what you think.
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SCENE 1: RIVENDELL
GANDALF: Despite our best efforts, Sauron has awoken. We have never faced such a threat. As we speak, his forces of foul orcs and Uruk-hai march across all of Middle Earth, laying waste to the land, bringing terror and destruction, especially to the most vulnerable.
ELROND: We must form a fellowship and journey to cast this Ring of Capitalism into Mt. Doom while the rest prepare for war. That’s the only way to defeat Sauron and his evil.
BOROMIR: One does not simply end capitalism. Even with the finest warriors in the land, the odds do not favor us.
FRODO: Still, we cannot stand still and watch the people we care about get slaughtered. You have my organizing skills.
ARAGORN: And you have my advocacy expertise.
LEGOLAS: You have my grantwriting skills.
GIMLI: And you have my logic model.
ELROND: Excellent. Then let us—
SAM: What about you, Mister Elrond sir? You have all the gold and mithril. Will you contribute them to the fight?
ELROND: We have been giving out 5% of our gold every year for you all to fight evil. If we give out more to fight Sauron, we will deplete our cache and then what happens when Sauron is defeated, where’s the funding to rebuild?
SAM: But Mister Elrond, we won’t be able to defeat Sauron if we don’t have enough resources. He’s burning everything to the ground. There won’t be anything to rebuild!
LEGOLAS: He does have a point…Maybe we should increase the gold we give out, from 5% each year to—
ELROND (raises up one hand): We elves do not meddle in the affairs of the lesser beings of Middle Earth. We watch from a distance, giving out 5% of our riches, and then we go to the West to the Undying Lands, the Land of Perpetuity, where as usual none of this really affects us.
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Hi everyone. Valentine’s Day (aka Single Awareness Day) is coming up this week, which means romance may be on many people’s minds. In this week’s post, I am giving advice to colleagues on their dating and relationship dilemmas. I don’t know anything about this stuff, but I’m sure it’s exactly like nonprofit and philanthropy. Make sure you check out Part 1.
Dear Vu: I’ve been involved with someone for a few months now, but it’s clear we’re not compatible. I’ve been hinting to them that I’m going to focus more time on my work and family, but they keep sending texts and calling and inviting me to hang out all the time. What should I do? Definitely Over, Not Engaging
Dear DONE: In trying to spare their feelings, you have not been clear in your communications. It is much kinder in the long run to be direct and honest, so schedule a one-on-one meeting with this person with a witness present. Let them know that your state is a romantic at-will state and that you are terminating the relationship without cause. Offer an emotional severance package. Depending on how long they were with you, this could be a few weeks or months of communication and exchanging funny memes by text. Ask if they would be amenable to an exit interview. Before you do all this though, inform the rest of your partners so they are in the loop. I hope that helps. Good luck.
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Recently, Mark Zuckerberg said that “feminine energy” has been “neutering” companies, and what they need is more masculine energy! He is on to something; society’s focus on woke/feminine values like “equity” and “respect” and “personal hygiene” have turned us all soft and ineffective. Luckily, there has been a recent general resurgence of manliness, seen for example in alpha bros cutting short their long eyelashes because manly men do not have heart-stoppingly dreamy come-hither looks.
With all that in mind, I’ve come up with a list of things we can implement to make our sector more masculine:
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