FYI BLOG
2019 AMMC Takeaways
2019 AMMC Takeaways A group of Avalonians made their way to Pittsburgh recently for the American Museum Membership Conference. As always, AMMC is a great opportunity to hear about terrific ideas for how museums can engage and retain members, and...
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Rage Against the Machine
“Lord, it is all so exhausting.” That’s the first line of Yvonne Abraham’s terrific recent piece in the Boston Globe: It’s Important to Stay Outraged. I’ve definitely felt that exhaustion over the past two years, with the daily news out of the White House always bringing a blow to civility, morality, the rule of law—or all three. We march, we sign petitions, we voice our outrage—but sometimes we turn off the news and try not to think about the damage to our environment,...
It’s a Team Effort
2019 is my 25th year with Avalon, and I’ve been thinking about how the consultant’s role has changed over the years—now we’re fundraisers, marketers, communicators, digital experts, telemarketing and direct mail creators, major donor advisors, advertisers, and coaches. Fundraising coaching seems to be gaining traction—people who work one on one with nonprofit leadership on best practices and strategies. Recently, I read a Q&A with Kimberly O’Donnell, head of the...
Clients in the News – April 2019
Promising Cooks + Maryland Food Bank = Win/winMaryland Food Bank’s mission to end hunger goes beyond providing food—MFB also helps low-income people to get good-paying jobs in the food-service industry. MFB’s FoodWorks program teaches low-income students how to prepare food professionally, with a two-fold goal: cut down on food waste, and help these students get good jobs. FoodWorks students learn to cook with 95 percent donated food—creating delicious dishes every day that get...
NTC 2019 Takeaways
As portrayed on cult TV show Portlandia, Portland, OR has a reputation of being a little weird in its laid-back sensibility. But Portland also points out its endless possibilities, as its slogan promises: You Can, in Portland. This was the backdrop for this year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC). Four Avalonians attended NTC in Portland, and brought back—appropriately—an eclectic set of takeaways: The big picture There were lots of the usual, tried-and-true sessions around...
Clients in the News–March 2019
NatGeo Makes Instagram Top 10. We were thrilled to see that National Geographic made the list of top 10 Instagram accounts earlier this year with its breathtaking photos of wildlife and landscapes. Despite being nudged out of the top 10 this month (by a sports highlights feed), NatGeo’s photographs are always thought provoking and beautiful. Visit Instagram to see NatGeo’s latest.It’s Alive!Great news from the Galapagos Conservancy: A tortoise believed to have been extinct for...
The Balancing Act
Happiness is equilibrium. Shift your weight…You compensate, rebalance yourself so that you maintain your angle to the world. When the world shifts, you shift. I like this quote by playwright Tom Stoppard—reminding us that we are all in a constant state of finding our balance in all facets of our lives. We’re always making subtle changes in our actions and our attitudes, and moving back into balance. I think most people struggle with the work/life balance: finding...
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