In this week’s @AvalonFYI dispatch, you’ll find the latest on AI and search, digital accessibility, mind maps, advice for stronger collaboration, and Avalon’s March Madness champs!
Dear friends,
Last week, I joined Pro Athlete Community at their PAC Accelerate Summit, where I ran a workshop on player philanthropy and foundations. This is a fun, volunteer mentoring project that I’ve been involved in for the last few years, and certainly adjacent to my Avalon responsibilities. Thank you to PAC for a great event!
In addition, Avalon Copy held an online learning retreat. I thought their agenda, led by senior copy director David Wolkin, was particularly strong. Feel free to borrow an idea for your next professional development day! Thanks to David for putting this together and to the entire copy team for making their retreat a success.
“We spent the day running through a series of exercises to stretch our brains, play with copy, and approach our work with new perspectives:
First, we zoomed in with concision, crafting Six Word Memoirs about our clients and their missions.
Then we zoomed out with new ideas and connections by creating Mind Maps for client missions and messaging.
After that, we played Telephone with our copy: Each of us sent something we’d written to the writer “next to” us, who spent 10-15 minutes editing. Then the next person would accept all changes and do the same, until our edited appeals came back to us. The fun part? Instead of the garbled outcome of Telephone, our work came back to us even stronger.
Finally, we went on our own to learn from Nonprofit Storytelling Conference session videos, which have a ton of wisdom on direct response creative and decision science.
It was a fantastic day of learning and collaboration.”
– David Wolkin, Avalon senior copy director
Keep, Drop, or Scale?
Senior VP Jackie Libby shared an interesting POV from Fast Company that “AI didn’t break marketing. It exposed what wasn’t working.” As technology evolves, what consumers need from brands hasn’t changed, but the way they find it is: Increasingly the brand-consumer connection is mediated by AI. In this context, author Felicity Carson writes, clarity speaks louder than volume. So, she suggests, “Keep: What Signals Authority… Drop: What Exists to Feed the Machine… [and] Scale: Explainability, Provenance, and Context.” Though Carson writes from a commercial perspective, AI search also affects nonprofits. Her recommendations align with Nonprofit Learning Lab’s guide to nonprofit websites and AI search.
“Nonprofits are uniquely positioned … because your work is rooted in real-world impact. Rather than relying on broad claims, let your data speak for itself. When you anchor your website in original research and verified success stories, you create an information trail that AI engines can confidently cite as a factual primary source.”
– Nonprofit Learning Lab
Accessibility Tip
Digital design director Désirée Eien suggested a small change that makes a big impact on accessibility: use meaningful link text. Instead of placing links behind vague phrases like “click here,” use descriptors that fit the context and show users exactly where they will be going (or what they will be downloading). This change is a win-win for users and marketers: Not only does it improve accessibility and enhance user experience, but it can also boost SEO.
Pause Before You Judge
When a teammate misses a deadline or drops the ball, it’s easy to assume the worst. You may feel they’re careless, disengaged, or not prioritizing the work. Psychologists call this fundamental attribution error, a cognitive bias that attributes others’ missteps to character, while explaining our own by circumstances. In reality, your coworker may be juggling competing priorities, navigating a tough situation, or simply overwhelmed. Senior director of HR Melissa Ferrell suggests a friendly check-in before making assumptions. Sparing a moment for curiosity can help you transform frustration into collaboration.
“That small pause creates space for curiosity, empathy, and better problem-solving.”
– Melissa Ferrell, Avalon senior director of HR
March Madness
Congratulations to the UCLA women’s team and the Michigan men’s team for winning this year’s NCAA championship games. Here at Avalon, we have our own March Madness complete with staff brackets and lots of friendly, but heated competition. This year’s in-house champions were account director Linda Travis for the women’s bracket and VP Will Griffiths for the men’s bracket. Well done to our winners and thank you to Will for organizing!
