Dear friends, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are able to rest and restore a bit this week. I am celebrating at home with my sons Luca and Alex, which is different for us and a necessary precaution. However, we’re having fun with it. Luca is home from college through December, and (drumroll, please…) we have […]

  Dear friends, This will be a letter full of good news. Starting close to home, Avalon senior account director Rebecca Shapalis was recently re-elected to the DMAW Board of Directors. Rebecca is an expert fundraiser and a strong leader. I am thrilled both for her and for DMAW. Congrats! In a happy moment for me […]

Dear friends, I am delighted to be writing the celebratory version of this letter, after a tense week and cathartic weekend – complete with (masked!) dancing in the streets for the Biden/Harris victory. Though I had hoped for a stronger rebuke of Trump’s chaos and bigotry, a tremendous wave of relief washed over me when the networks […]

  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, Last week, Walter Wallace, Jr. was killed by police during a mental health episode, and Philadelphia rightly erupted into grief and anger. Today, we collectively exercise the most important nonviolent tool we have for resisting and dismantling white supremacy: the vote.  Thank you all for voting, for encouraging others, and for volunteering […]

Dear friends, Last week’s vice-presidential debate played out as expected, with the humorous exception of the insect that has everyone buzzing. The internet rose to the occasion with a Twitter account for Debate Fly and a deluge of memes. Even better, the Biden campaign quickly jumped on the fundraising opportunity in very creative ways. Kudos and thank […]

Dear friends, With the fall equinox last Tuesday, we are officially in election season. A change in presidential leadership is critical, of course, and we also need progressive legislators in the House and Senate. I hope everyone reading this not only is registered, but also has a plan to vote. The Avalon team is beginning […]

  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 […]

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, […]