Dear friends,

Hello from California! Avalon senior management gathered in San Diego last weekend for team building and strategic planning. In addition, we are attending TNPA’s Leadership Summit. It has been wonderful to spend time together as a team, and we look forward to seeing many of you at the conference.

An example of Avalon’s Analytics reports.

San Diego Summit

TNPA’s Leadership Summit always delivers with fun networking, engaging sessions, and highly relevant content. Van Lai-DuMone, founder of worksmart Advantage and author of What If Pigs Can Fly? A Practical Guide to Follow Your Curiosity to Impractical Possibilities, gave a fantastic keynote this morning. Tomorrow, I am most excited for “Our Responsibility to the Next Generation of Leaders,” a fishbowl discussion with Avalon COO Kerri Kerr and other industry leaders.

Client News

Congratulations to The Trustees’ associate curator of Native American art Tess Lukey, who was named to Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 for 2024! An Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal citizen, Lukey is the first person to hold this role at The Trustees, and she is making an incredible impact. If you find yourself in Massachusetts, you can experience her work at The Trustees’ Fruitlands Museum. I enjoyed learning about her perspective on honoring each piece in the collection as part of living Indigenous history:

It’s really important that we’re bringing Native people into these spaces. Art needs people and people need art; It’s been that way for millennia and will continue long after our passing. It is critical that we continue to make space for the people and practices that bring our world to life.

Promoting Nonprofits in a Screen Saturated World

NonProfit PRO published an interesting article on how information overload impacts donor engagement. The “digital detox” has gained popularity in recent years, but what does it mean for nonprofits? Author Kristy Morris explains that it “may mean full digital disconnection, such as during weekends or off-work hours. However, it also means quality over quantity.” To address this, Morris calls for high-value content and a mix of online and offline engagement. At Avalon, we agree that relevant content is essential for building lasting relationships with donors. To support this, we use donor analytics for an accurate and up-to-date picture of which messages, channels, and frequencies work best for each audience.

An example of Avalon’s Analytics reports.

What Makes Some Ads So Powerful?

Writing for HBR, Kellogg School of Management professors Derek Rucker and Tim Calkins shared a 6-point strategy called ADPLAN, which they use to make the most of advertising spend. Each letter in the acronym corresponds to a strategic question that can help brands refine their message, “based on cognitive psychology, social psychology, marketing, and behavioral science.” Marketers should ask:

Attention: Will this piece of communication attract interest?
Distinction: Is the ad unique?
Positioning: Does the brand benefit come through?
Linkage: Will people remember and associate this advertising to your brand?
Amplification: What will people take away from the message?
Net equity: Is this creative consistent with my brand?

Let Your Brain Help You Be More Effective at Work

Senior director of HR Melissa Ferrell shared an article by consultant, coach, and Avalon trainer and friend Liz Kislik on the neuroscience of manifestation, which “is neither a pseudoscience nor a get-ahead scheme.” Kislik cites research by Dr. James Doty at Stanford, which maps the impact of how we think on work outcomes. A positive mindset can make a real difference not only for our happiness, but also for the quality of our work—and our success at leading a team.

A Special Location for Remote Work

Senior VP Jackie Libby shared a cool idea for remote work in the DC area: grab a desk at the Library of Congress! Reader cards are free and valid for 2 years. Appointments are optional but encouraged—and you should pick a day without meetings, to respect Library rules. If you give this a try, be sure to share a selfie!