Dear friends, As I write this, the Electoral College is convening across the country to elect our next president. I thought NPR captured the moment well with this sentiment from first-time Pennsylvania elector Nina Ahmad: “I’m feeling excited. I’m feeling glad that the day is finally here and we can do our duty and move on.” […]

  Dear friends, Congratulations on a very successful Giving Tuesday! Avalon has posted an update here. The key takeaway is that donations were up for most organizations – both because of the longer window around the event and on the strength of COVID giving. Many nonprofits started their campaigns up to a week early, and some […]

  As we enter the final gasps of 2020, nonprofits are looking ahead. And Giving Tuesday is giving them reason to smile. Despite the ongoing pandemic, rising unemployment rates, and voters still recovering from the election, donors maintained their generosity and are giving nonprofits – and those they serve –hope of closing out 2020 on […]

  Dear friends, I hope everyone reading had a nice Thanksgiving. It was different this year, and at the same time particularly poignant. This has been a clarifying year in so many ways. I am grateful for a slightly quieter schedule, time with my kids, and a new puppy. But mostly I am grateful that […]

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 […]

  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 […]