Dear friends,

Welcome to March! I was able to end February on a warm note at the Pro Athlete Community Business Combine in Phoenix, Arizona. I have volunteered with this group for several years now, leading sessions on philanthropy, providing mentoring, and helping former pro athletes with networking and coaching. It’s an honor to support this community as they step into philanthropy and the next phase of their careers.

Big Ideas for Nonprofits

Thank you to NonProfit PRO for picking up an item from the Avalon Dispatch for their annual trends publication, 40 Nonprofit Trends for 2025—and for making me #1 on their list of big ideas! Here’s a sneak peek of my contribution:

State of National Parks

Last week, our clients at the National Parks Conservation Association hosted “From Visitor to Advocate,” an important virtual Park Talk on the current state of national parks. Covering both challenges like staff shortages and opportunities for action, the talk featured Legislative Director for Government Affairs Christina Hazard, Director of Outreach and Engagement Larissa Walker, and Everglades Fellow Jennifer Quintero. You can watch a recording of the presentation here.

Navigating Disagreement

Especially during uncertain times, leadership requires us to engage different opinions. Workplace culture consultant Beth Ridley, who led a training at Avalon’s 2024 spring retreat, wrote on LinkedIn about recovering this increasingly “lost” skill. She issued a call to action for leaders to model four key strengths:

1. Stay curious, even when it’s hard.
2. It’s okay to disagree—just don’t disengage.
3. Ask the right questions.
4. Separate listening from agreeing.

I especially like Beth’s advice to “separate listening from agreement”: Giving someone our full attention and trying to understand them does not mean that we must agree or endorse their opinions. Instead, listening well can strengthen connections, widen perspectives, and help people stay open to creative ideas and solutions.

The Power of Small Actions

I appreciated Roger Craver’s recent reflection in The Agitator on the power of small actions. As fundraisers, we are fortunate to work in a profession that empowers us to support the causes we care about. Roger explains, and I agree:

“Our nonprofit sector’s role is…to face unflinchingly what must be changed, then work steadily toward that change through the aggregated power of individual actions: the donor who gives monthly to support a cause, the volunteer who shows up weekend after weekend, the activist who keeps speaking truth despite resistance.”

– Roger Craver

Thank you for your small (and large) actions, today and every day!