In 2016, I was picking my kids up from art camp when I received a phone call from a New York phone number. Since this was the summer of 2016 (and the election had not yet happened) I was just still a naive, optimistic person. I answered the phone. It turns out I had won… Read more »
Non-Profits
Brain Food: SCBWI and SWPFSP
I hate being hungry. I can’t concentrate and I’m really grouchy. Imagine if you were a kid who was hungry all summer. But here in Pittsburgh, that’s not an imaginary thing. It’s real. In fact, there are more than 45,000 children in Allegheny County that are considered to be food insecure, and 73,500 children… Read more »
Working With Volunteers Made Easy
Working with volunteers can be the most rewarding experience or the most frustrating. Numerous non-profit organizations across the nation rely on volunteers to stuff envelopes, raise money, pick up litter, and donate their time to the cause. It isn’t always easy, but working without volunteers is a frightening possibility for many organizations. Perhaps due to hectic… Read more »
How to Thank Volunteers
It seems very simple to thank volunteers, but as I learned today, “every ‘thank you’ is your next ask.” I’m working on the annual report for a Pittsburgh-area non-profit and the design team is exploring the role of the annual report. Is it just to thank last year’s donors? Or can it somehow mobilize the… Read more »
Three ways to thank teachers (or anyone) on National Teacher Day
Tomorrow is National Teacher Day – time to thank teachers! My oldest is in second grade and he wanted to write a real thank you note. “But what should I say? I can’t just write thanks,” he panicked. So I told him a thank you note is easy to write if you keep three things… Read more »
Gilda’s Club Name Change?
How do you feel about the imminent change starting in the Madison Gilda’s Club organization to the Cancer Support Community? To me, it feels a little like someone not interested in explaining their brand and instead choosing a name that is more SEO-friendly. But I could be wrong. Language and word choice is very important… Read more »