Dear friends,

I’m back at my desk after spending most of last week in St. Petersburg for Avalon strategic planning and The Nonprofit Alliance 2025 Leadership Summit. As usual, it was a great event, and I appreciated this year’s theme, “Protecting Our Purpose.” Leadership Summit participants identified actionable steps to address issues around public trust, workforce, and advocacy, and I was energized by the outcome. In addition, I was proud to be part of a concrete solution creating a legal defense fund to allow TNPA and other organizations to prepare meaningful responses to defend nonprofits in these divisive and turbulent times. Thank you to everyone who organized and participated!

Combined Federal Campaign Win

I was thrilled to hear that the Office of Personnel Management reversed its stop work order on the Combined Federal Campaign. The upcoming campaign is expected to begin as scheduled on October 1. This incredible victory confirms the strength we have when the sector works together. Thank you again to TNPA for your leadership and advocacy.

“For now, let’s enjoy some good news for our sector!”

– Ann Hollingsworth, VP, Government Affairs, The Nonprofit Alliance

Fundraising AI

The latest issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review includes ideas for deploying AI to deepen donor relationships, including strategies for retention, personalization, and engagement. In addition to techniques, the authors emphasize responsible use that prioritizes and protects donor trust. As you experiment with and implement AI in your organizations, here are four principles to keep in mind:

Stanford Social Innovation Review’s
4 Principles for Responsible Fundraising AI

1. Establish clear AI guidelines that prioritize human relationships.
2. Continuously seek feedback to assess AI’s real-world impact on donors.
3. Deploy staff time strategically by letting AI handle tasks, not relationships.
4. Commit to ethical AI use, centering transparency and trust.

Mystery Mail

Writing for Moceanic, Jeff Brooks explained the value of using outer envelopes and email subject lines to pique your donors’ curiosity. It’s good practice to test teasers not only against each other, but also against no teaser at all—or against what Brooks calls “odd teasers” that don’t have an obvious logic. Mystery can work in a campaign’s favor because it motivates recipients to open the envelope or email—bringing you one step closer to making the ask. However, this isn’t a universal rule, and Brooks notes two important exceptions: emergencies and special giving opportunities, such as a match, where you want to highlight urgency rather than curiosity.

Time to Learn

The Association of Talent Development (ATD) reported on a frustrating time crunch that is holding leaders and their organizations back. Though many have access to management training and leadership development, they are nonetheless opting out. A whopping “90 percent of the organizations the ATD surveyed said that managers simply don’t have enough free time available to take part.” Those of us in executive roles need not only to provide resources, but also to incorporate strategies that free up and encourage participation. In the end, management skills impact an organization’s mission and bottom line, so training should be evaluated as a strategic investment of both money and time.

Pumpkin Spice

Monday will be the official first day of fall. At the Avalon watercooler, our team has been sharing favorite signs of the season, like soup for lunch, fall TV premieres, and cozy Zoom backgrounds. The Washington Post has also published their 2025 fall foliage map. And of course, there is our annual debate about the merits of pumpkin spice lattes. COO Kerri Kerr and SVP Jackie Libby lead the charge at Avalon for who gets the first PSL of the season!