No matter how carefully we plan, mistakes happen. When this happens, it can be tempting to panic, delay, or hope the situation quietly resolves itself. But silence is rarely the answer. In fact, silence often does more damage than the original mistake. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. The broken items are repaired with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. It symbolizes resilience, the beauty of imperfection, and embracing o
Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: your donors know when something’s wrong. They’re smart. They’re paying attention. And while they may not know every nuance of your fiscal year forecast or the backstory on your latest leadership shakeup, they know when things feel off. And do you know what breaks trust faster than bad news? Pretending there is no bad news. We’ve been trained—whether by cautious boards, cautious lawyers, or cautious culture—to avoid sharing
I've shared this before, but because the philosophy resonates in so many areas of life I want to share again—I keep a paperweight on my desk that reads, "If you can laugh at it, you can live with it." And I firmly believe that laughter is, in many situations, the best medicine. It softens the blow of bad news, eases tension, and gives us a lift to keep going. And let's be honest—some days, all you can do is laugh, especially with some of the things that come our way at wor
Imagine that you’ve just decided to take a road trip, so you plug your destination into Waze. It gives you two route options: Route A 🛣️ : Green lights and clear roads. Arrival Time: 2-3 Minutes Route B 🚧 : Riddled with potholes, traffic jams, detours, and construction zones. Arrival Time: 2-3(ish) Business Days Which route would you choose? Obviously, Route A—right? This is the exact scenario we present to donors when we ask them to give or renew their support. The destin
