Dear friends, Like you, I was heartbroken to hear the news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death last Friday. So much has been written, but I was most moved by her own words, published by the New York Times in October 2016.  RBG was an icon for good reason and a fierce balance of power. But […]

  In this unprecedented time, Avalon is here.   Here for our staff.   Our first priority is the safety of Avalon staff and clients. On March 2nd Avalon ceased company travel, and on March 12th we shifted fully to remote work. We have been telecommuter-friendly for 20+ years, which helped make this a seamless […]

Dear friends, As you know, last week marked the anniversary of 9/11. It is hard to believe that nineteen years have passed since that unforgettable day. While memories and images of the attacks are still painful, I remain heartened by the dedication of first responders. On a bright note, I recently read about this nineteen-year partnership between […]

I’m thrilled to announce Avalon’s new VitalStats™ Dashboard. This tool highlights the most important fundraising metrics for your program in a digestible, actionable and easy-to-share format. Fundraising dashboards allow you to quickly evaluate, make decisions, and communicate to your leadership about your program. You will know at-a-glance how your program is doing, what has changed, […]

  Dear friends, As of today, most families are officially back to school. My older son Luca began his freshman year of college online, and, barring last minute changes, we head to Charleston this weekend for his move-in. My younger son Alex began tenth grade with hybrid learning, and, as a board member, I am […]

Dear friends, The RNC  took center stage last week, and the stark contrast between events has me even more motivated to change our country’s leadership. As you well know, we need people to VOTE. We also need people to work the polls; from mail drama to voter suppression to COVID, polling work is particularly essential this year. Avalon […]

Dear friends, Last week’s DNC convention gave me fresh optimism as we move towards the election. The unorthodox format was fascinating to watch and delightfully representative of America’s diversity. Not only was it great to see this, but the party’s unity was also wonderful to experience. Election drama continues with the postal service, but experts […]

Dear friends, I’m sure you have heard the big news since my last email, but I can’t let it pass without celebration. I am so excited by the historic selection of Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for Vice President! Harris is the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to […]

Dear friends, Last week COO Kerri Kerr celebrated her 15th anniversary with Avalon. It seems like we are always celebrating anniversaries here, but 15 is extra special. 😃 Kerri has been a fantastic business partner for me, she is both fearless leader and empathetic coach to our team, and, of course, she is a brilliant fundraiser. […]

  Dear friends, In recent weeks, images of John Lewis’s final crossing of Edmund Pettus Bridge and the many tributes to his life have been deeply impactful. An essay he wrote to be published on the day of his funeral concludes, “When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that […]