Most fundraising conversations move too quickly.  I think this comes from the pressure of the job, pressure to get to the goal. It’s something I’m reminded of often by Scout and the patience she teaches me. From urgency → to strategy → to the ask. What often gets skipped is the squishy part, the moment when belief is still forming and people aren’t quite ready to act, even if they care deeply. This is where leaders get uncomfortable. The answers aren’t crisp yet. The language

People don’t give because they’ve been convinced.They give because they’ve caught something. Belief is contagious, but only when it’s real. And human. Donors don’t just connect to a mission; they connect to who you are . They expect leaders to embody the work, not just describe it. (A big job, I know.) One of the most common fundraising challenges I see isn’t a lack of commitment. It’s cautious leadership energy. Leaders care deeply, but they hold back, worried about over-pro

Some of you know the stories about my wildly dysregulated dog, Scout. She once ate an entire avocado — pit and all. She’s afraid of school buses, loud noises, and mostly everything that happens during daylight. Progress comes slowly, often in pauses, false starts, and a lot of patience. I sometimes think the universe sent her my way to teach me how to breathe, how to wait for things to pass, and how to recognize what doesn’t need to be done today — what can wait for a calmer

I’m intentional about how — and when — I share my thinking publicly. Over time, I’ve learned that some ideas need room, and occasionally they need a place to land outside my own head. This blog is that space for me. A place to notice patterns, hold questions a little longer, and share observations about how generosity, leadership, and trust actually function in practice. Clients sometimes laugh about how late the timestamps are on my emails. That’s usually the moment I realiz